An Invitation to Build the Next Chapter
This plan is not a prophecy. It is a covenant — between this institution and the long line of teachers, healers, and ministers who have stood on College Hill for 155 years. It commits us to a clearer mission, a stronger financial model, deeper community partnerships, and an unflinching commitment to academic excellence rooted in our American Baptist heritage.
Over the next five years we will refocus our academic portfolio around our health-sciences leadership, deepen the Hilltop Core liberal-arts experience, modernize student support, accelerate enrollment in adult and graduate pathways, and steward our financial resources with new discipline. Above all, we will honor the people — students, alumni, neighbors, staff, faculty — whose loyalty has made this hilltop a home.
The plan was developed through twelve months of consultation: 4 town halls, 28 listening sessions with faculty and staff, 6 alumni roundtables, 2 student-life cohorts, and surveys returned by more than 1,200 alumni and friends. The result reflects our institution's honest assessment of itself — and its determined hope for what comes next.
Dr. Margaret H. Sullivan
President, Alderson Broaddus University
What We Will Build Together
Six interlocking commitments. Each pillar has measurable outcomes, owners, and a five-year reporting cadence to the Board of Trustees.
Academic Distinction
Recommit to the Hilltop Core liberal-arts curriculum. Launch a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) by 2028. Earn re-accreditation for every specialized program. Hire 18 new full-time faculty across five years.
Health-Sciences Leadership
Complete the Pickett Center for Rural Health Innovation by 2028. Grow the PA program to 80 students per cohort. Launch a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Maintain top-quartile licensure pass rates.
Student Experience & Belonging
Close all six-year graduation-rate gaps among demographic groups. Modernize residence halls (Battler & Blue first). Expand mental-health services. Strengthen advising and career-coaching from day one to commencement.
Financial Vitality & Stewardship
Reach a $90M endowment by 2031. Grow alumni giving participation from 42% to 55%. Diversify revenue with adult, online, and graduate programs. Achieve operating-budget balance every fiscal year.
Faith, Service & Identity
Reaffirm AB as an American Baptist university where faith is welcomed and difference is respected. Expand the Storer Lecture and chaplaincy. Strengthen partnerships with American Baptist churches and Appalachian communities.
Place, Stewardship & Community
Adopt the 2030 Sustainability Plan: carbon-neutral operations, zero-waste dining, 74 acres of native landscape restored. Deepen partnerships with the Town of Philippi, Barbour County Schools, and the regional health system.
What We Will Achieve By 2027
Twelve concrete milestones to anchor accountability in the first year of the plan.
Break ground on Pickett Center
$42M facility for rural health innovation. April 2026.
Hire 6 new full-time faculty
Health Sciences, Education, Business, and Humanities.
Launch DNP feasibility study
Targeted launch in Fall 2028.
Renovate Battler Residence Hall
Phase 1 of multi-year housing modernization.
Increase alumni-giving participation to 47%
From 42% baseline in 2025.
Adopt 2030 Sustainability Plan
Board action by December 2026.
Expand chaplaincy
Add a part-time interfaith chaplain in Wilcox Chapel.
Reaffirm HLC accreditation
Mid-cycle review submitted in October 2026.
Launch online MBA cohort
Fully online 18-month accelerated track. Spring 2027.
Modernize advising platform
One-stop student-success technology by January 2027.
Endow 6 new scholarships
Including the new Storer Centennial Scholarship at $250K.
Annual progress report
Published openly in March 2027 with metrics, finances, and Board response.
How We Will Hold Ourselves Accountable
The Board of Trustees has appointed a six-member Strategic Plan Oversight Committee, chaired by Trustee Whitney Carter-Lin (BSN '99, RN, MHA), with two faculty, two student, two alumni, and two community-member observers. The committee meets quarterly and publishes a public dashboard each March with metrics on every pillar.
Plan progress is also reviewed at every Board meeting, with a full annual reckoning each summer. The University's President provides a written report on each pillar; pillar owners (cabinet members) report on their measurable outcomes. The full plan, current dashboard, and quarterly minutes are posted at ab.edu/strategic-plan/dashboard.
The plan is a living document. We expect to adjust priorities as circumstances change — but we will not adjust our commitment to transparency about what we promised and what we delivered.