Big Changes. Bigger Opportunities.
Realigned. Reimagined. Renewed.
The University of Lynchburg is undergoing a full-scale transformation to develop and deliver the best possible educational experience for students and the most desirable employment experience for faculty and staff.
We believe this transformation will best position both our people and our institution for long-term success.
While extraordinary opportunities lie ahead, we must also say goodbye to some of the wonderful people and programs that have made this university what it is today. Change means exchanging what has been for what can be. And it is rarely easy.
Although similar changes are happening in organizations — both academic and corporate — worldwide, they are no less painful when they happen to your institution..
Like many universities in today’s increasingly volatile higher ed landscape, finances have played a role. But rather than forcing cuts to merely “stay afloat,” we were instead inspired us to use this opportunity as a catalyst for strategic transformation.
Programs, both in and out of the classroom, are being aligned to student and employee needs. Long-acknowledged pain points are being addressed and solutions reimagined to provide true and lasting benefit. Resources are being redirected to strengthen areas with tremendous potential for growth.
This is more than just a restructure. It is a renewal.
The big problem
Higher education is in transition. Even before the pandemic, declining enrollment, shifting student needs, and increasing public expectations for universities to deliver high-quality, high-impact, affordable education were taking a toll on institutions nationwide.
Inflation, this year’s FAFSA crisis, and the looming demographic and enrollment cliff have made a difficult situation even tougher. According to BestColleges.com, at least 56 public or nonprofit colleges have closed, merged, or announced closures or mergers since March 2020.
An estimated 42,000 students of private, nonprofit colleges are affected.
One common solution
Today, academic institutions from Penn State to Columbia College Chicago, UNC Greensboro to Marquette and Rutgers, and the Universities of New Hampshire, Arizona, and Wisconsin among many others are making dramatic cuts to programs, faculty, and staff in order to stabilize their budgets and increase their chances for survival.
Any university hoping to move students toward their brightest possible future must ask: Are we willing to do the same?
Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. Resistance to change puts universities, students, and their futures, at risk.
Lynchburg's path forward
We cannot truly be a "College that Changes Lives" if we are not willing to change ourselves for the sake of our students.
Three years ago, at the University of Lynchburg, a transformation began. Two thirds of leadership changed. A new strategic plan and budget model were put in place. Staffing was addressed and adjusted. These changes, though they may have been incremental, had a tremendous impact. A lot was done to “right the ship” in the right way.
Today, we know who we are. We have a clear vision, mission, and values. Many metrics that were trending downward have reversed and are now trending upward — fundraising, class size, general efficiencies, and more.
But it is not enough. Despite all these wonderful changes and their outcomes, if we continue doing what we’ve been doing — at the pace we’ve been doing it — our long-term viability may be in doubt.
So change is not optional. It is necessary if we truly care about creating undeniably life-changing experiences for generations to come. How we change, however, is up to us, and we are choosing to change in an innovative way that significantly improves the student and employee experience.
Lynchburg is being positioned to set students up for even greater success.
Asking bold questions leads to bold moves — and better experiences.
Questions?
Contact feedback@lynchburg.edu for more information.