F I N A N C E , E N R O L L M E N T, F U N D R A I S I N G A N D F A C I L I T I E S
CHAPTER 5
FINANCE, ENROLLMENT, FUNDRAISING AND FACILITIES Affirming Our Commitments In the economic environment of the past several years when PLU 2020 was being crafted, it might have been tempting for an institution less sure of its mission and less confident in its people and programs to overturn its fundamental purpose and take a radical new approach in reacting to market forces. The Pacific Lutheran University community’s confidence in our mission – a confidence that is sustained by a sound state of fiscal health – instead led the community to reaffirm the fundamental character of the institution as expressed through our mission statement and the pathways to academic distinction, and in so doing, we recognized the many things we do well that transcend short-term economic downturns. These times, however, did serve to renew an entrepreneurial and creative spirit among many persons on campus – a spirit and perspective that recognizes our strengths, and imagines how the synergies between the compelling nature of our mission and the demands of the marketplace can serve us well as we plan for the future.
As we shape the plans for our financial future – recognizing as we must our heavy dependence on the tuition and fees paid by our students – we must acknowledge that ultimately our resources serve our educational mission and our people who make it come alive.
Shaping Our Future As we shape the plans for our financial future – recognizing as we must our heavy dependence on the tuition and fees paid by our students – we must acknowledge that ultimately our resources serve our educational mission and our people who make it come alive. If we are to maintain and build upon our excellence, then adequate financial resources must be available and invested in the university. Where this means expanding the resource base and finding new sources of revenue to support our mission and to provide access to a PLU education for our students, then we must formulate those plans of action that will take us to that goal. 63