Strategic Plan
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
FOR THE GREATER GOOD
For the Greater Good charts a clear and ambitious path forward—a vision shaped by collaboration, discernment, and a shared commitment to impact. The Plan articulates a unifying purpose: to elevate Loyola’s brilliance in Jesuit education, research, service, and leadership.
Our Mission
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This is more than a roadmap. It is a call to action, crafted through engagement with our community—our trustees, academic leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and Jesuit partners. It outlines an ambitious yet focused framework to champion innovation and meaningful growth, with clear institutional priorities and shared goals.
The Plan is organized around four enduring pillars, each anchored by strategic priorities that will remain constant. Within each pillar, we’ve identified flexible initiatives and measurable outcomes—allowing us to adapt, respond, and shine brighter as we move forward together.
All academic and administrative units across the University will use this Plan to align their own strategic and operational efforts with Loyola’s institutional vision.
Strategic Plan Framework
Pillar Priorities and Featured Initiatives
Priority A
Deliver a high-quality core curriculum, based in the liberal arts and taught in accordance with Ignatian pedagogical principles.
Priority B
Provide undergraduate, graduate, and professional academic programs and wrap-around support services that most effectively prepare students for successful futures.
Priority C
Ensure that all undergraduate students graduate having completed multiple high impact learning experiences such as engaging in research, experiential education, service learning, career exploration, and internships.
• • •
Featured Initiatives
▶ Comprehensive Review of the Core Curriculum — Starting in 2025–2026, a faculty-wide discernment process will evaluate the Core to ensure that it remains true to our Jesuit, Catholic intellectual tradition, continues to meet the needs of our changing student body,
and best prepares them to enter an increasingly complex world.
▶ Loyola Program Incubator — The Incubator, launched in 2024, supports faculty in identifying and rapidly creating new graduate and professional programs that are market informed, mission-consistent, and have strong potential for high enrollments.
▶ University-wide Student Success Plan — In 2025–2026, a workgroup will study Loyola’s student success efforts, explore best practices, and develop recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and impact of student success activities. Implementation of the plan will commence in summer 2026.
▶ Program Array Review — The Provost’s office, in consultation with faculty across the University, will lead a process to evaluate our academic programs. Determining which programs to sunset and which to retain will allow us to most effectively resource programs that will best serve our mission.
▶ Center for Faculty Development — In fall 2025, the newly reimagined Center will open to better support our faculty and ultimately student success as our faculty grow in all aspects of faculty life and activity.
Pillar Priorities and Featured Initiatives
Priority A
Increase Loyola’s engagement with and profile in the City of Chicago, the greater Midwest, nationally, and internationally among the Jesuit and Catholic university networks.
Priority B
Invest in and promote research and scholarly work that leads to solutions for problems that face our city, region and world.
Priority C
Enhance our national recognition for faculty expertise and innovative programs.
Priority D
Activate the Loyola alumni network as a resource for profile raising and impact.
• • •
Featured Initiatives
▶ Brand Strategy — Loyola will continue to implement a major initiative launched in 2024–2025 to develop a brand framework to define Loyola’s strengths, position the University among higher education competitors, and articulate the mission and values of Loyola in a consistent and authentic way.
▶ Investments in Research Infrastructure — In 2025 Loyola’s research reputation was recognized with the achievement of Research 1 (R1) classification by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Loyola continues to invest in high-impact research with the implementation of a new electronic research administration system which will enhance Loyola’s grants administration function and support groundbreaking faculty research.
▶ Loyola Alumni Network — Loyola will develop a comprehensive strategy to engage the 200,000-member alumni community to strengthen pride and affiliation with Loyola and provide opportunities for giving and participation in the next comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Pillar Priorities and Featured Initiatives
Priority A
Based on Catholic Social Teaching, the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and the Jesuit Apostolic Preferences, create a diverse and inclusive culture in which our educational mission can thrive.
Priority B
Strengthen the University mission and identity in response to changing circumstances.
Priority C
Develop faculty and staff expertise and engagement with Ignatian spirituality, Ignatian pedagogy, and Jesuit methods of inquiry and discovery.
Priority D
Promote the integration of the Loyola Jesuit Community into the life of the University through spiritual, intellectual, and social interactions and activities.
• • •
Featured Initiatives
▶ Campus Climate — Based on the results of a comprehensive Climate Survey conducted in 2024–2025, Loyola will develop strategies to strengthen our inclusive culture and deepen our educational mission.
▶ Hiring for Purpose — Loyola continues to implement an initiative launched in 2024–2025 to enhance faculty and staff hiring practices to ensure that the essential issues of mission and inclusivity are represented in the search and onboarding process.
▶ Mission Priority Examen — Loyola continues to advance its Jesuit, Catholic educational mission. The University will initiate discerning conversations around mission priorities in 2026-2027 in preparation for our peer review team in 2027–2028.
Pillar Priorities and Featured Initiatives
Priority A
Continually adapt enrollment strategies to meet the shifting landscape of higher education.
Priority B
Strengthen our institutional capacity for research and innovation.
Priority C
Develop first-class new and existing living, learning, and research facilities.
Priority D
Modernize Loyola’s core business processes and data systems.
• • •
Featured Initiatives
▶ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Transformation — In a major initiative started in 2024–2025, Loyola will modernize its core digital infrastructure including finance, human resources, and student systems. The new systems represent a significant investment in Loyola’s digital infrastructure with the goal of automating business processes, increasing efficiencies, and enhancing the overall user experience.
▶ Nursing and Science Building — The Nursing and Science Building is a major initiative of the Campus Plan. It will showcase excellence in learning and research with state-of-the-art classrooms and simulation facilities. The new building will serve as the gateway at the north end of the Lake Shore Campus.
▶ Student Success Center — The University-wide Student Success Plan described under Pillar I will inform the design of a new Student Success Center. This building will serve as a centralized hub of wraparound services for Loyola students, including tutoring, accessibility services, career advising, academic advising, and testing services. The building will contain auditoriums, classrooms, and study spaces. Together with the Nursing and Science Building, this project will transform the north end of the Lake Shore Campus.
Integrated Planning, Greater Impact
For the Greater Good does not stand alone — it is part of an integrated constellation of priorities that will shape our university’s future during the next decade and beyond.
Strategic Plan
Projecting future decade of planned innovation and growth
Campus Plan
Outlining proposed investments in facilities and infrastructure
Campaign Plan
Powering our priorities through philanthropic investment
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Together, these three plans form a powerful, interconnected blueprint. They align our aspirations, activate our mission, and energize our community for the journey ahead.
As members of a Jesuit, Catholic academic community, we are called not only to pursue knowledge—but to ignite it. To be sources of light in the lives of others. As we implement these plans, we invite every member of the Loyola community to see themselves in the Plan and to bring their brilliance, courage, and care to shape our future together.
For the Greater Good
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO moves boldly into the future in the steady light of our traditions—seeking God in all things, pursuing truth, and forming people for and with others.
For the Greater Good charts a course to enhance our academic excellence, elevate the impact of our research and scholarship, deepen our Jesuit, Catholic culture, and raise our leadership in higher education.
These are not simply goals on paper—they are commitments to action, to innovation, and to the greater good.
They are also commitments to one another. Every Rambler is a part of this shared work. Your time, your talent, your energy, and your generosity are the sparks that, together, ignite brilliance.
Care for the Whole Person
Extraordinary Academics and Research
Community-Centered Engagement
Global Connections and Partnerships
Operational Excellence
Care for Our World
