Aerial view of the SLU clocktower and Cupples House

Living Our Institutional Vocations: Saint Louis University Academic Strategic Plan

Saint Louis University’s Five-Year Academic Strategic Plan

Guiding our scholarly work is SLU’s Academic Strategic Plan, a five-year collaborative road map inspired by the Jesuit Apostolic Preferences and developed through an inclusive, transparent process for all who have a stake in SLU’s future.

Download the Academic Strategic Plan (PDF)

Explore the Academic Strategic Plan's Five Priorities

A female professor instructs a row of students

Priority One

Teaching and Learning

Consistent with our Ignatian educational identity, SLU will prioritize inclusive, evidence-based, learning-centered instruction.

A male professor lectures in front of a full classroom

Priority Two

Research, Scholarship and Creative Work

As SLU pursues Carnegie Research 1 status, SLU will prioritize research, scholarship, and creative work that enhances our scholarly strengths and advances our Jesuit mission.

Priority Three

Advancing Well-Being and Equity

SLU will prioritize creating a culture of holistic well-being for all students, faculty, and staff.

A man gestures toward a white board with formulas written on it

Priority Four

Expanding Access and Reach

SLU will prioritize our obligation to lead the expansion of student access to Jesuit higher education—locally, nationally, and globally.

A classroom of students listens attentively to a lecture

Priority Five

Institutional Planning

SLU will prioritize institutional planning principles and processes that ensure alignment of resources and capacities, supporting growth that is ambitious but responsible.

All Strategic Priorities

The Academic Strategic Plan establishes the priorities that will guide our use of human and fiscal resources for the next five years. We’re excited that we had input from hundreds of students, faculty, and staff in the development of the plan, and all will be included in the plan’s implementation"
— Mike Lewis, Ph.D., Saint Louis University Provost

Living Our Institutional Vocations

A hallmark of Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy is the iterative cycle of critical self-examination, reflection and action. This process is predicated on an informed understanding of our historical and contemporary context and the specific institutional and environmental experiences that influence each stage.

Engaging in regular academic strategic planning throughout the University is, for Jesuit universities, a fundamental expression of this cycle.

Implementation of the Plan