President Carol Ann Mooney’s visionary Strategic Plan for Saint Mary’s College, “The Path to Leadership 2012,” was approved by the College Board of Trustees at their fall meeting. The document details the College’s mission and purpose in seven overarching goals for the College and 29 recommendations for achieving them.
President Mooney and the College took an inclusive approach to creating the Plan. A dedicated group of Saint Mary’s faculty, staff, and representatives of the College community, including a student, made up the Strategic Planning Committee. With the students’ best interests in mind, the planning committee’s ultimate goal is aimed at helping them develop as responsible citizens and diligent leaders. The College’s Mission Statement and Statement of Philosophy and Purpose remain the same. Saint Mary’s remains dedicated to its mission as a “pioneer in the education of women” and to preparing students for an “array of careers,” with six nationally accredited majors , a high level of faculty-student collaboration, and a broad-based liberal arts foundation. The Plan’s vision statement, says President Mooney, is a “snapshot of what we hope Saint Mary’s will be after we accomplish the goals of the Strategic Plan.”
President Mooney, who was inaugurated in January 2005, is the first alumna to serve as President of the College. She brings to the Strategic Plan her extensive background in Catholic higher education, both in the classroom and as Notre Dame’s vice president and associate provost from 1996-2004. Since taking office, President Mooney has focused on improving general education, diversity, and campus resources. Her commitment to the Holy Cross philosophy means that the Holy Cross education offered at Saint Mary’s “focuses on embracing all of human knowledge and attends to the spiritual foundation [of its members]."
Included in the seven goals of the Strategic Plan are “provid[ing] educational excellence equal to that of the best colleges in the nation,” “sharpen[ing] our focus as a Catholic and women-centered community,” and diversifying the campus. They support what President Mooney calls the “non-negotiables,” the vision for Saint Mary’s future. These are four commitments: providing students with an excellent academic experience, being a Catholic and Holy Cross college, and being a residential, women’s college. “Stay tuned,” says President Mooney, “I think the next five years for Saint Mary’s College will show that we are truly on a ‘Path to Leadership.’”
