Building on Strength is a strategic plan that advances the mission of Connecticut College for the 21st century. Officially adopted in Fall of 2016, the plan outlines goals and actions that will support state-of-the-art teaching and research and enriched opportunities for student engagement in order to create the conditions for equitable and sustainable communities in future generations—both on campus and in the world beyond. Using past successes to reflect on present challenges, the plan offers an ambitious agenda to move Connecticut College forward into its second distinguished century.

Faculty, staff, students and administrators spent the 2015-16 academic year listening to the insights, ideas and experiences of members of the campus community. Those conversations produced a consensus around three strategic priorities for the College’s future: achieving greater academic distinction; creating a more robust student experience; and supporting a just and sustainable College.

These three distinct but intertwined priorities form the structural foundation for this strategic plan: we seek to support a more diverse, just and sustainable campus and community through new efforts that will both enhance the academic distinction of this College and enrich the overall student experience. These priorities represent complementary and mutually reinforcing aspirations, motivated by a vision of an educational culture that makes it possible for everyone—students, staff and faculty—to thrive, to reach their highest potential and to contribute.