Southern Chester County Connections Fall/Winter 2019 Edition

Page 41

|CONNECTIONS|

Realizing strategic plan central to Lincoln University’s next chapter

Courtesy photo

An aerial image of the Lincoln University campus in Lower Oxford.

By Natalie Smith Staff Writer

L

eading a university takes myriad talents and skills, and certainly one of those must be the ability to envision how the institution can best prepare its students for life after graduation in a swiftly changing world. Dr. Brenda A. Allen, president of Lincoln University, knows this well. The 1981 Lincoln undergraduate alumna returned in 2017 to take the reins of the recognized Historically Black liberal arts college. Once in the position, she said, “I started looking around at Lincoln -- where it was today and where it’s been historically.” In her research, she noted, there were “places where we ——For

had really grown and had become stronger over the years, and some places where we needed to pay some attention, especially given the context of small colleges and small, Historically Black colleges.” Those colleges needed to understand, redefine and recommit themselves to their mission and to do that by determining their distinctive niche. To hone and clarify the objectives, Allen appointed a Strategic Planning Council comprised of students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees. Building on data gathered in 2015, the resulting strategic plan -- “Reimagining the Legacy: Learn. Liberate. Lead.” – was implemented in April 2018. Its stated mission is threefold: “Providing a rigorous liberal arts education featuring active and collaborative

news and events visit www.scccc.com——

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