NCForward: Strategic Vision Plan

NCForward

The NCForward Strategic Vision Plan reflects a collective effort to articulate a strategic vision that will guide both short- and long-term operational plans for North Central College.

Built on the College’s founding values and its history of academic excellence and community engagement, NCForward addresses the challenges of an evolving higher education landscape. It sets a strategic direction to ensure the College remains sustainable, inclusive and innovative.

Mission Statement

NCForward reaffirms North Central College’s mission:

We are a diverse community of learners dedicated to preparing students to be curious, engaged, ethical, and purposeful citizens and leaders in local, national and global contexts.

Five Key Pillars

NCForward prioritizes five key pillars:

  1. Institutional Identity

    Define and strengthen the College’s institutional identity by articulating a clear value proposition.
     
  2. Student Experience and Engagement

    Create a comprehensive, high-quality student experience that focuses on student success, fosters wellbeing, and extends the impact of student learning beyond the classroom.
     
  3. Financial and Operational Sustainability

    Develop and implement a sustainable business model to deliver a high-quality, affordable education.
     
  4. Community Values

    Articulate and ensure adherence to the College’s core values that underpin how we engage with one another and others as a community committed to guiding principles rooted in our mission.
     
  5. People: Faculty and Staff Experience

    Advance efforts to recruit, retain, and support high-quality faculty and staff, enabling the College to support students and deliver on our mission.

“In a rapidly changing higher education landscape, NCForward positions us to adapt and thrive while staying true to our purpose as an institution. That purpose is to deliver a transformational, high-quality education that intentionally integrates the liberal arts with pre-professional and professional studies, resulting in exceptional postgraduation outcomes for our students.”

Abiódún “G-P” Gòkè-Pariolá
President, North Central College