Xaverian Brothers High School The Strategic Planning Process

Our strategic planning work began in early 2022 as members of the administration researched the meaning and purpose of strategic planning, the various methods through which such plans are constructed, and the inherent value that strategic planning can provide schools and organizations. Additionally, in an attempt to gain insight and perspective, we held conversations with schools that recently developed strategic plans. Xaverian’s leadership also interviewed a strategic planning consultant whose efforts are specifically tailored to Catholic schools in an attempt to understand further the complexities associated with successful strategic planning.

Ultimately, Xaverian decided to develop its plan independently while consulting with the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School Office Executive Director, Dr. Patrick Slattery. While pursuing this course, the school’s leadership was adamant that all major constituents have an opportunity to propose their thoughts on the future of Xaverian. Students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, and members of our board of trustees all offered their perspective on the strategic plan. These thoughts and recommendations contributed to the foundation of this strategic plan.

To conduct this effort, Xaverian formed a six-person strategic planning committee led by Head of School, Dr. Jacob Conca ’94 and Principal, Dr. Michael Nicholson, P ’29.

The strategic planning committee’s primary goal was to lead the school community through the development of our plan. We surveyed our current students, parents, faculty, staff, administration, board of trustees, and our recent alumni. Focus groups were held with our faculty, staff, administration, board, and alumni, all with an eye toward understanding the opportunities before us. An analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) was developed at the suggestion of our board of trustees to further aid in our thinking and planning.

Our work was developed as we analyzed Xaverian through the following six themes and their corresponding aspirational statements.

Mission and Identity

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that all of our programs, initiatives, and activities are fully animated by, and aligned with, our Catholic and Xaverian mission and identity.

Community and People

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that the people within our community are properly supported and nurtured as they engage in all aspects of Xaverian. Paramount in this effort is the growth, care, and development of our students - the primary reason our school exists.

Program (academics, athletics, campus ministry, community/culture/equity, counseling, extra/co-curricular activities, fine arts)

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that all aspects of our new and existing program are of the highest caliber, aligned with our pursuit of excellence, and grounded in our mission as a Catholic and Xaverian school.

Facility and Infrastructure

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that our facilities, infrastructure, and grounds are developed, maintained, and utilized in a manner that allows us to fully maximize all aspects of the Xaverian program.

Finance and Advancement

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that all of our financial and advancement activities remain fiscally responsible and in full alignment with our stated mission. As fiduciaries of Xaverian, ensuring that Xaverian remains fiscally strong in both the short- and long-term is vital to our efforts.

Admissions and Enrollment Management

Aspirational Statement: We aspire to ensure that Xaverian remains accessible and affordable to as many young men as possible. Maintaining healthy enrollment at all grade levels is essential to sustaining the breadth and depth of our programmatic offerings.

During the 2021-2022 school year, every member of our faculty, staff, and administration was invited to participate on a thematic committee dedicated to examining Xaverian through one of our six themes noted above. In addition, these committees worked to generate independent reports dedicated to reviewing Xaverian through their particular lens. The primary function of each report was to propose both short- and long-term goals for potential inclusion within the final version of our strategic plan.

Finally, the strategic planning committee, informed by synthesized data gathered from surveys, focus groups, and thematic committee reports, developed the strategic plan. The result is a plan with a collaborative vision and strategy developed by community members representing all of our major constituent groups. This is an important element of our process, as the successful implementation of this plan will require sustained collaboration with the same dedicated constituents.

In the section that follows, you will see the results of our collective efforts. Most importantly, you will see seven strategic priorities. We intend to begin work on these priorities now. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to chart the future of Xaverian. We hope you enjoy reading Xaverian’s Strategic Plan - Redefining Strong.