Students at Commencement

The Institutional Opportunity

The higher education landscape demands unprecedented strategic clarity and operational agility, in particular for small, regional, tuition-dependent private institutions. Methodist University is prepared to meet these current challenges with our entrepreneurial spirit through the strength of its professions-focused undergraduate and graduate programs and strong, undergraduate general education core that fosters the “power skills” necessary for success.

MU has and will continue to be an institution invested in improving and strengthening individual and community outcomes in Fayetteville, North Carolina. By forging a partnership with the regional health system to start a medical school (MD), something that neither organization could have done on its own, Methodist University has taken bold steps toward positioning itself as a vital regional partner and creating key pathways and opportunities for students and graduates in service to surrounding communities.

To move the University forward and to take advantage of this unique moment in its history, the work of the next executive vice president & provost will be guided by partnership with the president to develop the current University strategic initiatives into a next set of focused strategic priorities for institutional implementation:

Current MU Strategic Initiatives

  • Build a Comprehensive Framework to Advance Student Success with a focus on continuous improvement in student retention, persistence, graduation rates, and the overall student experience.
  • Extend the MU Reach by expanding online programs, community college articulations, and military and community partnerships.
  • Embed Career Readiness and Civic Engagement in Curriculum and Campus Life by providing intentional connections between academic and career advising, expanding on-campus and off-campus internships and professional experiences, creating coursework and research opportunities connected to the wider community, and mentoring to guide students in exploration of personal and professional vocation.
  • Commit to Belonging and Engagement by building a campus culture that embraces, celebrates, and creates policies and practices to uphold these values.
  • Increase Endowment in Support of Student Scholarships to create self-perpetuating funding to support students seeking a Methodist University education.
  • Partner with Cape Fear Valley Health to Advance a School of Medicine focused on educating a diverse population of expertly trained medical doctors attentive to the needs of rural and underserved populations, and becoming a national leader in interprofessional, team-based medical education.

Long-term financial sustainability and wise fiscal stewardship necessary to support Methodist University’s mission and current/next strategic priorities will be a key focus for the executive leadership team, including the next executive vice president & provost.