The process by which we have arrived at these priorities has been intentionally inclusive of a broad range of stakeholders (Reinert Center staff, Reinert Center Advisory Board members, other faculty, administrators, etc.) and has been informed by deep reflection on the Center's current state and various factors related to our broader context.
Throughout the fall of 2011 and spring of 2012, the Reinert Center's Strategic Planning Committee worked to develop strategic directions, goals, and objectives that are consistent with the Center's mission and that can position the Center well to achieve its vision. (Strategic planning committee members were: Dr. Debra Lohe, Reinert Center director; Dr. Gina Merys and Michaella Thornton, Reinert Center assistant directors; Dr. Darina Sargeant, associate professor in physical therapy and athletic training and Reinert Center Faculty Fellow/Advisory Board member; and Dr. Stephanie Mooshegian, assistant professor and chair of organizational studies in the School for Professional Studies and Reinert Center Innovative Teaching Fellow/Advisory Board member.)
During the strategic planning period, we collected many kinds of data to better understand the Center's current state (including visioning sessions, SWOT activities, a Service Quality Survey, and benchmarking research). We also considered a number of environmental factors - including institution-level educational priorities for the University; trends in higher education and learning technologies; and trends in faculty/instructional development more broadly - to ensure that we understood the complexities of both the local and national contexts for our work. Throughout, we took as our guide the framework of Ignatian pedagogy; this reflective process enabled us to identify key elements of context, to better understand our previous experiences, and to consider appropriate actions for the Center's future.
As we enter the next phase of our identity, it is essential that we continue this process and not see strategic planning as concluded for another three years. Indeed, as we move forward and undertake new initiatives, we also recommit ourselves to acting in ways that are consistent with SLU's Jesuit mission and the framework of Ignatian pedagogy. We remain committed to cura personalis (care of the whole person) for those whom we serve and to contributing our expertise to broader conversations about curriculum design and implementation, assessment of student learning, and purposeful integration of learning technologies in order to demonstrate care of the whole University. Finally, as demands for services and programs increase, and as we find ourselves involved in numerous new initiatives, it will be more important than ever to ground all the work we do firmly in our mission and our core values.