Envisioning the Future

When thinking of the future, usually flying cars and spaceships come to mind. However, at Campbellsville University, some see a different future: Vision 2025 - Preparing Christian Servant Leaders.

This document is designed to cast the future direction of CU in a broad approach and to move CU to a higher level of quality and excellence.

"We want to continue the movement," said John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations, "We need to continue moving forward."

Every five years, the University looks at the progress it has achieved, and sets goals for the next five years, while looking at each year to analyze and adjust.

"With Vision 2025, we have a roadmap with possibilities to get to the end of the road. New roads may be built between now and then, but the main road will still be the same," said Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president for academic affairs.

Vision 2025 is a document that acts as a blueprint for the next 15 years for Campbellsville University. The main goal for the plan is extremely high.

"We want Campbellsville University to become one of America's top premiere Christian Universities," said Chowning.

To do this, a plan has been emitted through the Vision 2025 document: "Over the next 15 years, CU will seek to provide academic programs that provide graduates with viable professional paths and employment opportunities that encourage lifelong learning in a global world."

"It's hard to say how we will improve academic programs and student activities, said Cheatham, "It's hard to say if this course or this course will be added or cut; if this building or this building will be built or improved."

As the official title of the plan states, CU is preparing Christian servant leaders, as well as focus on academic excellence, ethics, and other Christian standards.

"We want CU to become recognized as a place of excellence with academic achievements, and to encourage our graduates to have a Christian overview, whether they become lawyers or doctors, or whatever they want," said Chowning.

The vision indicates that the university still plans to expand and grow with off-sites (such as Louisville and Elizabethtown), maintain a low student-to-faculty ratio to provide a more personal education experience, create more facilities and programs, and maintain its historical Baptist identity and focus on the Christian faith. It is believed that the pursuit of excellence in Christian higher education is the core upon which the Vision 2025 must be built.

"We live in a global community, and have a responsibility to welcome diversity and diverse students all over the world," said Chowning, "we welcome students who are non-Christian, in hopes that maybe one day we can inspire them to believe."

"The footprint of the university will continue to grow," he said.

The history of Vision 2025 is rather recent. Shortly after the 2006-2007 centennial celebration, Dr. Chowning and Dr Carter, president of Campbellsville University, began initiating a visioning process for the campus' second century of higher Christian education. After spending two years putting everything together, they spent another year holding several meetings with faculty, staff, students, and other committees before fine-tuning the plan.

Why have the plan for only 15 years? Why not go for 10 years, 30 years, or 50 years?

"We felt that the 15 year period made a lot of sense," said Chowning, "It's in five year increments. Going beyond is broad. 15 years is manageable."

"It distinguishes us. A lot of people are using 2020, so we felt we should use 2025," he said.

With the stock market crash, Campbellsville University knows the challenges for the future.

"Who would have thought that the market would crash?" said Chowning, "We are always analyzing and adjusting as we go."

In the Vision 2025 document, President Michael Cater states: "We face both challenges and opportunities in the years ahead as we seek to move to the "next level" of academic excellence, student success, stewardship of resources, and seeking to be a Christ-centered community of learners. The transformation of Campbellsville University has only begun."

There may be no signs of flying cars or shapeships in the future, but there is a change that Campbellsville University has challenged itself with, and it is determined to succeed.

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