Strategic Plan Update and Review (SPUR)

The Linfield College Strategic Plan Update and Review (SPUR) was an intense and inclusive process over a relatively short period of time to assess what has changed in the environment in which Linfield College operates, and what the thoughts of various constituencies within the College were about the vitality and applicability of the plan. The Linfield College Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the revision and update (referred to as “addendum”) to the plan at their February 2017 meeting. The addendum has been incorporated into the existing plan, but the full contents of the endorsed document are available for download as a PDF.

The SPUR committee also created a second document listing as many of the interesting and creative ideas that the committee thought ought to be considered, and if appropriate implemented. These ideas were generally more in the nature of possible implementation steps that might advance the broader goals of the plan, and those promising ideas are provided in a downloadable separate document, so that those thoughts and ideas can be considered and acted on by appropriate people or groups within the College community. 

Fall 2015 – winter 2017

President Hellie tasked the Strategic Plan Update and Review (SPUR) committee with reviewing progress on Linfield’s 2012 Strategic Plan to help determine what, if anything, needed to change in order to extend its lifespan from 2018 to 2020, allowing the College to defer the next planning process until after accreditation is completed.

The committee’s principal goal was to complete a proposed “refinement and extension” in the form of an addendum to the Plan to be presented to the Board of Trustees. The recommendations in the addendum reflects valuable input received from the campus community.

SPUR committee members

• Dave Baca, trustee, SPUR co-chair
• Susan Agre-Kippenhan, vice president for academic affairs/dean of faculty, SPUR co-chair
• Tom Hellie, president, ex officio
• Pat Cottrell, associate professor of political science, faculty trustee, social and behavioral sciences division representative
• Melissa Robinson, associate professor of nursing, nursing division representative
• Albert Kim, assistant professor of music, arts and humanities division representative
• John McKeegan, vice president and general counsel
• Gerardo Ochoa, assistant dean for diversity and community partnerships
• Catherine Reinke, associate professor of biology, natural sciences and mathematics division representative
• Sharon Wagner, professor of business, social and behavioral sciences division representative

Links/additional information

• CIC’s Securing America’s Future, Facts about Private Higher Education
• A Primer on the College Student Journey, Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education