2011-2016 Progress Report
December 14, 2016
Dear members of the Northwestern community,
We are pleased to share with you this five-year progress report on the Northwestern University Strategic Plan outlining major achievements since the plan was unveiled in 2011. This ambitious plan and the concurrent fundraising effort, We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, have advanced the University in remarkable ways during the five past years. This update highlights the significant successes that already have occurred across the University and identifies additional areas of emphasis for the future.
Major accomplishments have been made by our faculty, students and staff in each of the plan’s four categories, or pillars: Discover, Integrate, Connect and Engage. They include everything from the transformation of the University’s facilities and increased opportunities for students to faculty research advances to Northwestern’s enhanced academic preeminence and deepening connections with its local, national and global communities. These achievements, together with the many other initiatives underway across Northwestern, provide a strong framework to guide the University for the next five years. The impact already can be seen in a sharp increase in competitively awarded federal research funding to support Northwestern faculty in their pioneering research and in record numbers of applicants for admission.
In addition, the "We Will" campaign already has crossed the $3 billion mark on the way to its $3.75 billion goal, well ahead of schedule. This extraordinary effort is helping provide the necessary financial support to achieve the goals of the strategic plan.
With your help and the ongoing commitment of the Northwestern community, we’re confident that the University will continue to build on these successes and achieve even more. Thank you for all you have done in the past five years to make this happen and to contribute to what comes next. We encourage you to read the report.
Sincerely,
Morton Schapiro
President and Professor
Daniel Linzer
Provost and Professor