PRIORITIES FOR PRESSIMONE’S FIRST YEARS AS PRESIDENT AND FOR NDC BEYOND 100
At the heart of Notre Dame College is a deeply felt and positive commitment to the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame and the important work done by the College in service to the greater Cleveland community and beyond. It is my hope to harness these resources and that energy to move the institution forward in the face of unprecedented challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 virus.
The women and men who serve there today embrace this mission. They see their work as truly transformative for each individual student. Students from various constituencies see Notre Dame as a place of opportunity. These are all elements that create a climate for success.
The College will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2022. The College must focus on life beyond 100. In light of these realities, this vision for the first year of my presidency is tentatively titled Notre Dame College: Beyond 100 and encompasses a 10-point plan organized around:
GOVERNANCE
A vibrant and engaged Board of Trustees is vital to the survival of many institutions in the broad not-for-profit sector. Notre Dame College has benefited from such a Board. The College is thankful for this service above and beyond expectations. In addition to regularly scheduled board and committee meetings, the administration will develop a method for regular reporting of key dashboard data so that the Board is never surprised by changing trends.
The principle point of contact between the Board and the College remains the President. Trustee philanthropic support and efforts to open doors to others who could support the Notre Dame mission is a vitally important part of Board service.
COLLEGE CULTURE
The campus needs all community members to bring best efforts in alignment to serve the greater good and seek greater efficiencies. Everyone must understand the big picture. Communication must be as transparent as possible. The identity of the College in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame gives life to many of the majors, particularly those in the helping professions. It drives Notre Dame to be an opportunity college and to serve the needs of the greater Cleveland community.
A key leadership goal is to engage the campus community in order to get to know them and to have them know the new leadership.
BUDGET AND FINANCE
Demonstrating sound financial planning for the coming fiscal year and subsequent years and achieving a balanced budget are critical steps. Given the impact and the uncertainty created by COVID-19, multiple financial models will be anticipated that bring the College to a balanced budget. Notre Dame will focus on cash flow, refinancing and annual revenue and expense predictions. The College has enacted significant expense reductions over the last few years, so long-term solutions will consider revenue.
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
The enrollment team continues every possible effort to recruit new students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels throughout the summer and throughout the year for the multiple starts in online, adult and graduate programs. In addition, administrators will continue efforts to re-enroll current eligible students. Going forward and looking toward the fall of 2021, enrollment efforts will focus on specific program-related recruitment and a better balancing of the financial aid award structure.
Key to this will be the identification of flagship programs that will serve as market leaders for the College. An enrollment professional will be embedded within each of these major divisions and will work with faculty to determine appropriate recruitment goals. Each division head and recruitment professional will be held accountable for the achievement of each goal. This model must also allow for the undecided, uncertain or undeclared student.
GROWTH
In order for Notre Dame College to be successful, it must have a growth strategy. Growth will explore new markets, partnerships and collaboration and the expansion of existing programs. The president will assemble a growth task force to complete an opportunities assessment, and the resulting document will give rise to further market research and study.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESTRUCTURING
In order to change the culture of leadership at the institution, changes have been and will continue to be made as necessary. A fundamentally different and, by necessity, smaller administrative structure maximizing the talents, skills and abilities of those who remain and who are eager to serve the mission of Notre Dame has been implemented. Efforts in this area could stand as an example for creating sustainable models for mission-rich and impactful institutions.
MARKETING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, COMMUNICATIONS
Today’s prospective students demand an interactive experience online. Similarly, the campus visit experience must also be consistent with the social media and virtual experience. To that end, Notre Dame must redesign the welcoming experience for students who come to visit the campus. The president is the chief brand ambassador for Notre Dame. He must travel throughout the community creating relationships and telling the story of Notre Dame. While much of the College’s marketing efforts will rely on aggressive social media, there is still much to be said for strong, interpersonal engagement. The president must also be supported by an effective internal marketing and communications process.
PHILANTHROPY
The College must return to a higher level of annual unrestricted philanthropy in support of the operating budget. There remains great passion for the work of Notre Dame within its alumni and friends’ community. The College will need to raise some philanthropic venture capital to implement needed immediate improvements. Conversations with major donors to the College have already taken place, and they are fully supportive of the College. The advancement team will have a renewed focus on alumni engagement and deferred giving will become a routine part of major donor discussion.
ASSESSMENT
The College strengthened its assessment culture and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. For the new fiscal year, cabinet members will develop goals for the year, and these will provide the basis for performance evaluation. Cabinet members will be encouraged to create appraisal opportunities for staff as well.
THE FUTURE
There is much to be done. With properly aligned and efficient action, the College can achieve its goals. There will be challenges. The assurance that Notre Dame can continue to carry out its mission started by the Sisters of Notre Dame nearly 100 years ago should fill this community with hope.
Notre Dame College is vitally important to the greater Cleveland area and to the many women and men who walk its halls or who sit in virtual classrooms. Part of the work of the president is to tell that most important story wherever or whenever possible. Trustees, faculty and staff will serve as ambassadors for Notre Dame, as well.