Meredith Forever: Strategic Plan Year Two Highlights

For more than a century, Meredith College has been Going Strong. And with the support of our community and the direction provided by Meredith Forever, the College is becoming stronger every day.

What does going strong look like? Increased enrollment. Expanded academic programs. Record-breaking fundraising. Engaged alumnae who are visibly and justly proud of their alma mater.

Below are highlights from year two of our strategic plan.

Educational Excellence

Piloted StrongPoints®, an innovative advising and personal coaching model

Completed Classroom to Career (C2C) pathways for every major

Celebrated our successful graduates – 98.5% are employed or pursuing graduate study within nine months of graduation

Engaged MAP-Works platform to better support high-quality advising and impact student satisfaction, retention, and degree completion

Initiated a partnership with WakeMed Cary, expanding Meredith’s Dietetic Internship program

Enrollment

Surpassed enrollment goal of 430 first-time, full-time freshmen by more than 40 students

Continued expansion of Alumnae Recruiting Meredith Students (ARMS) program

Selected first cohort for Broyhill Business Fellows program

Continued to improve retention rates, far surpassing our peers

Brought new name and emphasis to Wings – Adult Education at Meredith

Increased enrollment in the College’s pre-health post-baccalaureate certificate program

Established 1891 Club to increase student engagement and prepare for their role as young alumnae

Financial Strength

Raised $18,187,915 in Beyond Strong | The Campaign For Meredith – the largest fundraising year in our history

Finished the second year of the quiet phase with $31,067,826 in total Campaign giving

Raised $1,455,101 in annual giving, a 22% increase or $262,395 more than last year

Increased faculty/staff participation in annual giving to 60% – 10% over last year

Received $13,680 from the senior class of 2014, compared to $10,369 in 2013

Facilities and Technology

Built StrengthsLab in support of StrongPoints

Upgraded campus wireless network and completed recabling project for technology

Replaced windows in Jones and Wainwright for sustainability and aesthetics

Enhanced accessibility of meredith.edu through video captioning

Launched campus-wide intranet, providing internal platform for community engagement

Implemented new technology to support videoconferencing and distance education

Realized 45% in cost savings from energy management initiatives

Visibility

Completed first year of the new Meredith College | Going Strong branding campaign

Created new recruitment and fundraising marketing materials, supporting higher first-year enrollment and record fundraising

Increased traffic from unique visitors to meredith.edu by 67% in 11 months following launch

Increased social media fan base by 29% over previous academic year

Developed advertising to support renewed emphasis on adult learners

Quality of Life

Developed program in workforce flexibility

Enhanced accessibility of facilities

Out-performed peer institutions in 13 of 15 categories in “Great Colleges to Work For” survey

Launched “PEARLS,” a new student group focusing on health and wellness

Demonstrated ongoing commitment to faculty/staff wellness initiatives

Provided permanent salary increases for full-time Meredith employees

Emphasized sustainability through energy management and sustainable green and blue cleaning practices

Increased local food purchasing and reduced food waste while supporting student outreach through Campus Kitchens at Meredith College

To learn more about how Meredith is Going Strong, download the full Strategic Plan Year Two Highlights at meredith.edu/strategic-plan.