Emory & Henry Trustees Vote to Approve Transition From College to University Status
Members of the Board of Trustees at Emory & Henry College reviewed and approved the new 2023-2026 strategic plan “Elevate in Excellence,” at its March 25, 2023, meeting that included a status change to move from a college to a private regional comprehensive university to be fully implemented as Emory & Henry University by Fall 2024.
Over the past decade, Emory & Henry (E&H) has added new master’s and doctoral programs in health sciences, education and now business, to its liberal arts bachelor’s degree offerings. Comprehensive universities are defined by Carnegie Classification, for those offering degrees at the master’s level and a few at the doctoral level. Just this year, E&H was categorized in the U.S. News & World Report rankings in Best Regional Universities (South) and ranked #20 with peers like Rollins, The Citadel, Berry, Stetson, Christopher Newport, Appalachian State, Tuskegee, Florida Southern, Charleston, Queens, Savannah College of Art & Design and Milligan.
“This transition is a huge milestone for Emory & Henry and all that it has accomplished for almost two centuries with its visionary leaders, talented faculty and staff, and a purpose to support the region and world with its resilient and well-rounded graduates,” said Dr. Michael Puglisi, Provost and Executive Vice President for the College. Puglisi led a steering committee composed of faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the Board of Trustees, to review and contribute to the strategic plan that also outlines five areas of focused growth over the next three years.
Throughout its 186-year history as Southwest Virginia’s first institution of higher education, Emory & Henry has been an education leader. During that time, E&H has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of students and the region. E&H was founded in Emory, Va., which continues to serve as the idyllic main campus location, and has since expanded to Marion, Va., home of the School of Health Sciences campus and Bristol, Va., home of the Intermont Emory & Henry Equestrian program. According to Puglisi, “Today’s world calls for the kind of forward-looking approach to higher education that Emory & Henry has always embraced, educating citizens to make an impact in our communities. Emory & Henry is taking the transformational step of announcing its status as a private regional comprehensive university while continuing its commitment to serve the Appalachian Highlands with a diverse curriculum, service learning and professional preparedness.”
“The new strategic plan ‘Elevate in Excellence’, takes E&H to a new level of delivering on the historic mission of the institution,” said 22nd President Dr. John W. Wells. “The plan recognizes the evolution of E&H to its current role as a university, reflected by its multiple campuses that deliver more than 90 academic majors, minors and tracks, nine master’s and two doctoral degrees, across diverse academic offerings. The new school structure remains rooted in the liberal arts while broadening its appeal to wider student audiences, and its expanding role as an economic driver in the region.”
See why we are elevating in excellence:
Elevate in Excellence includes five strategic emphases that will proactively and strategically elevate the position of Emory & Henry to meet the challenges in higher education. These emphases are:
- Expanding Academic Offerings: To be responsive to the expectations of students and to address market demands reflected in a changing economy, as well as to proactively respond to challenges that threaten the world of higher education, Emory & Henry seeks a more expansive approach to providing opportunities for a wider range of potential learners.
- Engaging Students: Emory & Henry has worked vigorously and successfully in recent years to enhance student life with an eye toward student satisfaction and retention. Knowing that more needs to be accomplished to renew the E&H student experience and energize those who deliver it, the institution is committed to supporting additional investments in student success, student engagement, athletics, diversity and inclusion and campus safety.
- Supporting infrastructure to support the growth that we envision: The plan strives to strengthen and sustain a productive workforce, build and maintain adequate and attractive facilities, and develop and expand programs, services and community partnerships.
- Leading in the Community: An integral part of the Appalachian Highlands region for nearly two centuries, E&H seeks to lead in regional economic and workforce development, foster valuable partnerships in problem-solving, utilize and enhance academic and non-academic programs in service to community objectives and continue to promote enhanced healthcare and healthy living. E&H is committed to serving as a resource to and partnering with businesses, governments, nonprofits, organizations and individuals who collectively seek to enhance the regional economic outlook. The future of Emory & Henry and our region are inextricably linked.
- Market a Distinct Value Proposition: The scope and demands of this strategic plan require Emory & Henry to refresh its brand to underscore the new University’s distinctiveness and to dramatically expand its visibility. The institution must build its brand alongside authentic, measurable guarantees and solid commitments to its students across the timeline of the student experience, including commitments to access, support and career success.
The new strategic plan will allow Emory & Henry to thrive as the premier private comprehensive university of the region. In doing so, the institution will support its foundational principles of excellence, liberal arts, place and diversity.
“Emory and Henry has a storied history and the foundation to that history is a theme of highly relational interactions between students, faculty, staff, and the Southwest Virginia community,” said Jaynae Wright, Class of 2023 and Student Government President. “I maintain that this is a theme that is present today and surely will be in the future as Emory & Henry evolves and expands. I leave E&H with a deep gratitude for the faculty who have mentored me and the Career Center that has polished me. Both have allowed me to achieve my dream of attending the University of Virginia to obtain my Master’s in Public Policy as well as my Doctorate of Education Policy (of which they accept only one or two students per year). The plans for growth at Emory & Henry, will allow the institution to grow its light and reach as a beacon for not only the Appalachian region, but also for people who are deeply committed to the pursuit of academic excellence.”
The transition to Emory & Henry University will be fully implemented and effective in Fall 2024. The graduating class of 2025 will be the first to have Emory & Henry University on its diplomas. May 2024 graduates will be the last to have Emory & Henry College on their diplomas.
According to Wells, “Emory & Henry seeks to be the premier private comprehensive university of the region. We will have a broad presence signifying that Emory & Henry is a university as great as the region, honoring the institution’s past and elevating and articulating the next iteration of higher education in the United States.”
Status Transition to University Q&As
See photos from the announcement to the campus community
Open gallery
-President John. W. Wells