OUR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Building the Next Frontier
In October 2024, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) initiated a comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning process designed to advance its mission and vision in innovative and impactful ways. Building upon a legacy established over the past century, FNU is uniquely positioned to address the evolving needs of students nationwide as they prepare to serve their home communities as advanced practice nurses and certified nurse-midwives.
The Strategic Plan for 2030 will be a five-year plan to optimize the success of students, faculty, and staff. It will be developed through eight distinct phases. Three strategic priority pillars have been identified, with corresponding work groups composed of representatives from across the institution. This planning initiative invites the FNU community to envision and shape a bold and transformative “Next Frontier.”
MISSION
Our mission is to provide a high-quality education that prepares nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to work with all people, with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.
VISION
Our vision is to transform the health and well-being of individuals, families, and populations, and to promote healthcare equity by increasing access to highly skilled nurse-midwives and advanced practice nurses.
F
Forward Thinking
We will be innovative and recognized as a leading university for graduate nursing.
O
Operationally Excellent
We will incorporate policies, procedures, and systems which serve as an effective infrastructure to support the university’s mission.
C
Committed to the Success of all Faculty and Staff
We will maintain an intentional focus on faculty and staff development, recognizing that their growth fuels student success.
U
Unparalleled in the Quality of Curriculum and Clinical Experiences
We will fully prepare students to provide care in their home communities to meet the complex needs of individuals, families, and populations.
S
Student Ready
We will be student ready and will offer seamless support services to promote the success of all students, from recruitment through completion.
WHY PILLARS?
A university’s strategic pillars are its areas of strength and core activities. These pillars will guide us in shaping our strategies and initiatives and should assist us in our priority setting for this cycle of our strategic planning. Finally, these pillars will provide an intentional framework for the university, guiding our decisions and resource allocation to achieve our mission and vision.
PILLAR 1
Academic and
Clinical Excellence
PILLAR 2
Student Success
PILLAR 3
Innovation, Operational Excellence, and Strategic Positioning
Planning Phases
Phase I: October 2024-January 2025
- Held strategic planning brainstorming session during October 2024 Board of Directors meeting
- Conducted strategic planning retreat with consultant to explore priorities and perform SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) analyses
- Submitted strategic planning outline, mission, vision, pillars, and university-level goals for approval at January 2025 Board of Directors meeting
Phase II: February-March 2025
- Ratified revised mission and vision through shared governance
- Collected faculty, staff, and unit leader feedback via surveys
- Analyzed survey responses and identified common themes
- Shared survey themes with faculty, staff, and Board of Directors during spring meetings
Phase III: March-April 2025
- Identified lead facilitators for strategic planning process
- Formed Steering Committee with cabinet members and faculty/staff/student co-leaders
- Appointed leaders to focus on each of the three pillars (Pillar I: Academic & Clinical Excellence, Pillar II: Student Success,
& Pillar III: Institutional Efficiency, Sustainability, and Growth) and formed faculty/staff committees
Phase IV: May-July 2025
- Committees finalized draft recommendations for goals and metrics within each pillar
- Steering Committee to review and analyze the submitted goals and metrics from each pillar team
- Finalization of overarching goals and metrics
Phase V: August-September 2025
- Steering Committee analyzed goals for each Pillar to complete a gap analysis and refined university-level goals
- Unit leaders from across the institution began to establish high-level priorities aligning with the strategic plan
- Board of Directors reviewed and contributed to the Phase V version of the university-level strategic plan
Phase VI: October–November 2025
- Unit leaders, in consultation with their associated President’s Cabinet members, developed annual work plans for 2026 in alignment with the approved strategic plan.
- Finalized the drafting and alignment of seven President’s Cabinet–level goal sets and 28 unit-level goal sets to outcomes.
Phase VII: December 2025
- Steering Committee led a transition from SMART goals to outcomes and measures in preparation for the implementation of the strategic plan
- Steering Committee assured incorporation of any missing priorities within our plan
- Outcomes and measures approved by our Office of Institutional Assessment
- President and COO completed a final gap analysis of the university-wide outcomes
- Steering Committee assured the incorporation of any missing priorities within our plan
- President’s Cabinet 3-Year Outcomes mapped to the 4 “perspectives” of the Balanced Scorecard
- University-Level KPIs identified
- Additional performance measures mapped to 5 Domains
Phase VIII: January 2026
- Final measures for Year One (2026) outcomes submitted to the Office of Institutional Assessment
- Frontier 2030 Strategic Plan presented to the Board
- On January 28, 2026, the Frontier 2030 Strategic Plan, including the Pillars, Overarching University Goals, Priorities, Priority Goals, and Three-Year Outcomes, was accepted by the Board, subject to the normal budget process, which occurs each April.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click the arrows before each question to expand and view the answer.
How do I get involved?
If you have comments you’d like to share, you are welcome to contact the President’s Office by emailing Eileen Frazier at Eileen.Frazier@Frontier.edu. Be sure to let her know which pillar you’d be interested in working on. You are also invited to submit ideas and feedback here.
How is this different from our previous strategic planning process?
Faculty, staff, students, the President’s Cabinet, and the Board of Directors have been included in this dynamic process over the course of an entire year. Input and ideas have been gathered, and updates have been reported to faculty, staff, and the Board at regular intervals.
How are you ensuring an opportunity for feedback?
Faculty and staff have been surveyed for their overall “big picture” ideas. Faculty and staff were invited to join the committees and working groups for Phase IV work. As specific priorities have been identified, key stakeholders were consulted for their input. There will be continual opportunities to respond to updates/presentations in live meetings. Submitted ideas and feedback will be referenced throughout the upcoming phases. Finally, you may reach out to any member of the President’s Cabinet at any time to share your thoughts.
Will my voice matter?
Your voice does matter. Faculty, staff and students are working together to identify the top priorities of the institution for the next three-to-five-year cycle. As the plan is finalized and goals/objectives/measures are set and refined over the coming years, they will be built on the work of the committees, workgroups, and feedback received.
What are the next steps?
Year One activities will be implemented and evaluated on a quarterly basis. Outcomes of these activities as well as status updates on key performance indicators will be shared out with key stakeholders on an annual basis.