2020 Planning Retreat

The Board of Trustees of Memphis University School and the Steering Committee for its new strategic planning project held a joint retreat to formally launch a year-long process to develop a new strategic plan. 
The school’s previous strategic plan was finalized in 2012. This new effort comes at a time when the school is in a strong position with respect to enrollment, financial position, and reputation as a leading school for boys in Memphis, the state, and beyond. This new decade brings factors to be considered in preparation for the next 10 to 20 years, including demographic trends in the Memphis area, preferences by Millennials for educating their children, and evolution in technology, college environments, and careers of the future for which students need to be ready.

As Headmaster Pete Sanders remarked, this planning is being undertaken not for the sake of change but “to provide the runway to think ahead and anticipate change; confirm what the school does well; make choices rooted in the mission; and beyond staying relevant, to set a new standard and be the school of choice.”

As members of the Board and Steering Committee expressed their ideal outcome for the planning process, their views aligned around (1) a clear direction, (2) unified vision, (3) a progressive action plan that holds true to valued traditions, and (4) based on a thorough understanding of the dynamic market, solid preparation for the future.

During the retreat, work groups developed their top two choices for the school’s new strategic focus for the next five years. Additionally, they developed questions to be discussed by stakeholder focus groups in February and March.

Strategic Plan Focus Groups were created to discuss key topics outlined by the Steering Committee. These topics included the following:
  1. Student Experience – What Works and What is Needed for the Future?
  2. Top Faculty Retention and Recruitment
  3. Financial Sustainability in the Memphis Market
  4. Effective Branding and Marketing
  5. Physical Plant – Updating and Construction
  6. Alumni Engagement
 
Back