Pathway Forward & FY23 Impact Report
November 2023
Dear Brits,
Since the day I set foot on campus, I realized Albion was a different kind of place. Students here are engaged deeply in campus and community life and have an insatiable curiosity. Alumni bleed purple and gold and are always eager to share with me the people and programs who highlighted their Albion experience. Faculty and staff don’t just look at service as an add-on to their work, they are wholly committed to our students, the campus, and the community.
While change is constant, certain aspects of the Albion experience endure. Albion graduates learn how to think critically, their connection to learning is forged through close relationships with faculty and staff and abundant and meaningful experiential learning opportunities. This prepares them to lead across various facets of life and work.
Albion’s value proposition uniquely positions us to lead amid a rapidly changing higher education landscape, where the value of residential, liberal arts education and college, in general, is constantly questioned. Delivering on our mission requires the ability to be nimble and act boldly to confront unprecedented challenges brought on by increased competition in the higher education sector, economic and societal pressures, demographic shifts in college-age populations, and more.
Over the course of the past few months, our campus has begun discussing some of the particular headwinds facing Albion College and ways we need to prepare ourselves to thrive in the future. While much of our work currently is focused on reducing expenses, the work we do to innovate our curriculum, to expand experiential learning opportunities and career connections for students, and to invest in student-facing spaces is critical for recruitment, retention, and student success and satisfaction.
Thanks to the ongoing support of our alumni and friends, Albion is well-positioned to meet the unprecedented challenges shared throughout our industry as well as those challenges more unique to our campus and schools like us in the Upper Midwest.
Albion College’s reputation as a leader in delivering a high touch and applied educational experience for all students is a credit to the hard work, dedication, and innovative thinking of our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. We are so grateful for the many ways you contribute to this mission. Together, the future for Albion is bright!
Regards,
Wayne