Phase 2

Beginning Stages of Planning

  • Strategic Enrollment Initiative

    This initiative involves developing a new comprehensive strategic enrollment plan for Emerson College focused on its mission, fostering growth, and ensuring excellence. It emphasizes strategic recruitment in key markets, utilizing data analytics to enhance enrollment, optimizing financial aid, and strengthening Emerson’s positioning. Key aspects include promoting inclusive access while boosting success through innovative programming, improved partnerships with high schools and communities, and retention strategies for undergraduate and graduate students. The strategic enrollment plan will attract, enroll, and retain an inclusive student population, supporting Emerson’s long-term goals and priorities.

    Performance Targets Include

    • Expand the number of overall applications by 10% and increase overall undergraduate enrollment by at least 10% over Fall 2025 numbers by Fall 2026
    • Expand graduate enrollment by at least 15% over Fall 2024 numbers by Fall 2027

    Goals Supported

    • Goal B.1 : Enhance Emerson Los Angeles and increase engagement and recruitment in targeted US cities and regions
    • Goal B.2 : Enhance Kasteel Well, global programs and partnerships, and increase international student recruitment from targeted regions

  • Community Arts and Media

    Emerson College is endeavoring to advance and shine a spotlight on the professional arts and media that serve, support, and advance our local and campus communities. Through the Community Arts and Media (CAM) Initiative, we will strengthen and coordinate all community-facing, professional arts and media initiatives across the College. While Emerson’s core teaching and learning mission is paramount, greater strategic and tactical alignment of the arts and media with that mission will also be a primary goal of CAM, along with increasing Emerson’s community visibility and impact while exploring opportunities to increase revenue. 

    Performance Targets Include

    • Develop and implement a new organizational structure for CAM by Fall 2025
    • Ensure all student internships within the arts and media units have formal linkages to academic programs by Fall 2026

    Goals Supported

    • Goal B.4 : Expand external engagement and integration with our local communities through arts, media, service, and civic engagement

  • Internal Communication

    This initiative focuses on how the College fosters communication with and among members of the Emerson community. By developing people, processes, and products to support these efforts, the College will communicate administrative and academic priorities and goals more clearly and foster multidirectional communication with people across our campuses. These efforts will promote organizational alignment and bridge-building, supporting both the elimination of redundancies and the force-multiplication of efforts through shared intelligence. More effective internal communications will empower community members to feel engaged with and champion the Emerson College brand.

    Performance Targets Include

    • Develop a comprehensive plan for campus internal communication leveraging multiple communication channels by Fall 2025 with plans of implementation for Winter 2026
    • Expand internal communication satisfaction by at least 10% annually from Fall 2026 to Fall 2028 as measured by internal satisfaction surveys

    Goals Supported

    • Goal C.2 : Strengthen internal communication, engagement, and collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and administrators

  • Institutional Research and Data Initiative

    This initiative will evolve the College’s institutional research capacity to holistically track the student journey from admissions to job placement to drive opportunities that improve yield, retention, engagement, and outcomes. It will also assess performance against the strategic plan by measuring outcomes of strategic initiatives, identifying risks or new opportunities based on trends, and performing continuous peer benchmarking and environment scanning to perform mid-term adjustments to the plan. This initiative will perform targeted market analysis to identify opportunities and workforce needs to inform the launch of new programs and identify strategic partners in industry for institutional leaders to pursue. Finally, the goal is to build a team that will serve as the central hub for ongoing analysis of program effectiveness and institutional efficiency, lead accreditation processes and compliance reporting, and reduce the administrative burden of departments College-wide. 

    Performance Targets Include

    • Launch a comprehensive plan for campus-wide Institutional Research and recruit a new leader for IR by Fall 2025
    • Establish and maintain a prototype dashboard for assessing strategic plan progress by Spring 2026

    Goals Supported

    • Goal D.2 : Develop coordinated enterprise data systems, analyses, and infrastructure to inform strategic decisions and direction

  • Emerson Experience Initiative

    The new Emerson Experience Initiative will draw upon our communication and arts strengths to create more creative and vibrant campuses and more dynamic and joyful experiences for all Emersonians. This initiative will contribute to our local, national, and global communities; break down barriers; and provide touchpoints for connecting with neighborhood communities in Boston, Los Angeles, and Well. It will also increase meaningful experiential and community-based learning opportunities for Emerson students. Thus, it should bring more laughter, fun, and positivity to all Emersonians. 

    Performance Targets Include

    • Establish a comprehensive plan for increasing student, faculty, and staff satisfaction and joy within their respective campus experiences by Spring 2026
    • Increase year-over-year self-reported well-being and satisfaction across all audiences on all campuses starting in Spring 2026

    Goals Supported

    • Goal C.1 : Support a vibrant community culture and experience that fosters creativity, curiosity, belonging, accessibility, and well-being
    • Goal C.4 : Use facilities strategically and creatively to enhance the Emerson experience

  • Campus and Facility Master Planning

    This campus-wide initiative will create a new Campus Master Plan to optimize space utilization and maximize the efficiency of existing facilities to support faculty, staff, and students while planning for future growth and evolving institutional needs within the existing footprint. It will adjust deferred maintenance to ensure buildings are well maintained; strengthen community collaboration; and create an accessible, vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and engagement and strengthens ties with the City of Boston. Finally, it will enhance campus sustainability by implementing environmentally sustainable practices to reduce the College’s carbon footprint, ensuring long-term operational resilience and preparing the campus for future environmental challenges. This effort will provide sufficient support and planning for regular renewal and support of existing spaces. It will also plan to integrate efforts across multiple campuses, ensuring that resources, facilities, and programs evolve to meet the College’s long-term goals.

    Performance Targets Include

    • Plan and finalize a new comprehensive facilities master plan by Summer 2026
    • 10-year Institutional Master Plan (IMP) as required by the City of Boston by 2027

    Goals Supported

    • Goal C.4 : Use facilities strategically and creatively to enhance the Emerson experience

  • Executive Education Initiative

    Building on the initial gains of Professional Studies, Emerson will investigate its potential role in the landscape of executive education, offering non-credit courses and micro-credentials to post-baccalaureate professionals seeking to increase their expertise in specific areas. Offered by existing faculty, accomplished alumni, and high-profile professionals in their fields, these courses and programs will situate Emerson in a new market in Boston, LA, and internationally. 

    Performance Targets Include

    • Create a plan for a new executive education program to pilot in Los Angeles, Boston, and/or online by Spring 2026

    Goals Supported

    • Goal D.1 : Increase financial strength through innovative academic and programmatic offerings, increased philanthropy, and operational efficiencies