Buena Vista University Launches New Strategic Vision: Building Beyond Expectations
The ten-year strategic vision focuses on initiatives set by three core themes.
Buena Vista University (BVU) has unveiled a new ten-year strategic vision, Building Beyond Expectations, centered around helping every student unlock their greatest potential to build better lives and stronger communities. Departing from the traditional five-year planning approach, Buena Vista University President Brian A. Lenzmeier, Ph.D., has forged a new path for the institution.
“We are embracing a culture of continuous improvement to build a BVU that is beyond where we are today and beyond what our constituencies think we are capable of,” said President Lenzmeier. “In order to fully achieve our vision, we must be innovative and bold in our initiatives and must act in a more agile and flexible manner, evaluating and adjusting our strategy regularly."
To ensure the effective implementation of Building Beyond Expectations, BVU has adopted an annual strategic planning process to assess the needs of existing programs and to identify key initiatives that will help the university achieve goals set within three core themes: Building Outcomes, Building Community, and Building Connections.
"Our three core themes epitomize the fundamental strengths that BVU has long embodied as an institution: our outcomes, community, and connections," said President Lenzmeier.
Building Outcomes focuses on initiatives that will provide students with personalized growth opportunities, empowering them to reach their greatest potential in their courses and in the residence halls, recital halls, studios, laboratories, and playing surfaces where they spend time outside of class. Success in the Building Outcomes theme will be evident through increased retention and graduation rates for all our student populations.
Building Community prioritizes investments in the University’s working, living, and learning environments. Successful initiatives in this theme will help BVU optimize use of learning and working technology, will update the student learning spaces, and will include investments in the faculty and staff work experience.
Building Connections emphasizes the university's extensive network and endeavors to build even stronger connections with prospective and current students, alumni, and benefactors, allowing BVU to provide students with unparalleled access to top-tier resources. Initiatives in this theme will focus on sustained realistic enrollment growth and fundraising to support scholarships, faculty and staff, programs, and facilities.
Several initiatives under the Building Beyond Expectations vision are already well underway. These include the new apartment-style residence hall set to open Fall 2025 and the expansive health science partnership with Des Moines University. BVU has also introduced new cocurricular programs, including women's wrestling, and launched two online Master of Arts in Teaching programs.
“We are thankful for the people who came before us, who left BVU with the resources that make it possible for us to launch this ambitious ten-year vision,” said President Lenzmeier. “And I am looking forward to all of you joining us on this journey, which will set BVU up for success for decades to come.”
To learn more about Buena Vista University's ten-year strategic vision, Building Beyond Expectations, please visit bvu.edu/building-beyond.