Be Bold
2028 Strategic Plan
It is an honor to lead Crown College in this exciting new season. The Lord has given our institution a Bold Vision for the next five years. I believe He wants to do miracles, more than we could ever hope or dream for, to His glory and praise.
— Dr. Andrew C. Denton
Crown College’s 17th President + Strategic Planning Task Force Chair
A New Season of Excellence + Growth
Strategic Context
NATIONAL ENROLLMENT
Even after losing nearly two million students over the last five years, projections show that college enrollments could drop another two million students by 2030. By 2028, nearly 48% of all college students will be students of color.
NACCAP ENROLLMENT
Christian colleges are also facing steep declines. Recent data shows enrollment at NACCAP schools declined by eight percent last year, while C&MA schools (not including Crown) dropped 21 percent.
COVID IMPACT ON ENROLLMENT
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the online disruption in higher education, causing students to become more comfortable taking classes online. Now they desire more engagement.
CROWN ENROLLMENT
Undergraduate enrollment is stronger post pandemic, but PSEO is threatened with elimination by state government, and competition for online students is intensifying.
OUR STATE AND CULTURE
Minnesota continues to become more hostile toward Christianity. Crown’s distinctly Christian mission presents an opportunity to become a beacon for families seeking a college that affirms their faith and beliefs.
OUR PROGRAMS
As Crown moves into a new era of excellence and growth, we have an opportunity to take our academic programs to a new level of quality and attractiveness, while deepening our faith integration.
OUR BRAND
Before his tenure, President Denton met with every employee individually, as well as key external constituents. One thing became abundantly clear: the Crown brand needs to be clarified and made more prominent in our region, among local communities, and with Christian families.
OUR COMPETITION
With five Christian colleges within 60 miles of Crown, it’s critical for the college to develop a strategy with a unique value proposition, a differentiated value chain, and the tradeoffs necessary to sustain the strategy.
PERSONNEL INVESTMENTS
Since 2021, Crown has invested in personnel in many departments. These investments have directly impacted the overall revenue of the college by increasing enrollment and providing a better student experience.
ACADEMIC INVESTMENTS
After launching a new Honors Program in 2022 and restructuring academics into three schools, Crown hired three deans, refocused academic programs, and revised curriculum. Crown was also successfully reaccredited by HLC and PELSB. Nursing graduates have had a 100% passage rate on the NCLEX for two years in a row.
FACILITY INVESTMENTS
Committed to going on offense, Crown College invested in nine major renovations: Dining Center, Student Center, Simpson Auditorium, Welcome Center, Faith Village Apartments, athletic weight room, athletic locker rooms, athletic training room, and Campus Store. We also built SPBI Hall, a 3-story residence hall that opened in fall 2023 and renovated classrooms in the west wing of Crown’s main academic building.
SAS ENROLLMENT GROWTH
SAS enrollment has had a 25% year-over-year new student growth and the largest class in nearly a decade. A strong admissions team, growing brand recognition, and investments in the facilities and academics contribute to this success. This year (2023), Undergraduate deposits are up 24%, while 50% of schools are down compared to 2022
(NACCAP May 1 Benchmarking).
Strategic Framework
As the public and private institutions of our region move further away from Christ, we will lean into our faith and establish Crown as the Midwest’s Boldly Christian College.
Brand Pillar
We will target the Christian market in the Midwest with a boldly Christian brand identity and message that is powerful and compelling.
Academic Pillar
We will develop academic excellence and biblical integration in every program to ensure students are spiritually and academically prepared.
Community Pillar
We will build an authentic Christian community and a culture of belonging that attracts and retains on-campus and online students.
Strategic Framework
Crown College is committed to being Boldly Christian, Academically Excellent, and a Lifelong Authentic Community that fulfills its mission, lives out its values, and achieves its vision.
OUR MISSION
Biblically-Based Christian Leadership
The mission of Crown College is to provide a Biblically-based education for Christian leadership in The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the church-at-large, and the world.
OUR VISION
The Midwest’s Boldly Christian College
The vision for Crown College is to be the Midwest’s boldly Christian College.
The three Crown Commitments form the bedrock of our strategic plan. They represent what we believe are the essential elements of our success over the next five years and into the future.
BOLDLY CHRISTIAN
As a boldly Christian institution, Crown College places Jesus Christ at the center of everything we do.
ACADEMICALLY EXCELLENT
As an academically excellent institution, Crown College commits to the rigorous pursuit of truth and wisdom while providing an exceptional educational environment to help each student excel in academics, vocational preparation, and their faith.
LIFELONG AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY
At Crown College, we commit to fostering an authentic and lifelong community, providing a sense of belonging to all students, employees, faculty, alumni, and friends.
Crown’s core values represent the behaviors we believe are critical to carrying out our commitments so we can fulfill our student-centered mission and achieve our institutional vision.
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
At Crown College, we value employee excellence through empowerment, integrity, stewardship, quality work, time management, development of expertise, meeting deadlines, and following through on commitments.
COLLABORATION
Crown College values a collaborative community that partners physically, virtually, intellectually, academically, and cross-departmentally to bring our institution to a new level of excellence.
KINGDOM DIVERSITY
Crown College values and understands the need for a culture of belonging and global engagement striving towards true unity in Christ affirmed in the scriptures.
INNOVATION
At Crown College, we value, encourage, and expect employees and students to be innovative in their roles and take ownership of their work.
HOSPITALITY
Crown College values an others-first approach to hospitality. We are a generous and friendly community in person and online, providing a sense of belonging to all who interact with us.
MAY 2021: President-Elect Denton has one-on-one meetings with all staff, faculty, and constituents.
JULY 2021: President Denton begins his presidency
MAY 2022: President Denton and Cabinet hire TG Three to begin strategic planning process
JULY 2022: President Denton appoints Strategic Planning Task Force; pre-meetings with TG Three begin
SEPTEMBER 2022: Day of Conversations with the Crown community and TG Three
SEPTEMBER TO OCTOBER 2022: Data collection from strategic planning meetings and from the Day of Conversations
OCTOBER 2022: Board of Trustees work on Crown Commitments and Values
OCTOBER 2022 TO FEBRUARY 2023: Appointed Pillar Groups with over 40 participants to work on a strategic planning Objectives and Action Plans
SPRING 2023: Board of Trustees affirm Crown commitments and values
FEBRUARY TO MAY 2023: Finalized Commitments, Values, Vision, Goals, Objectives
MAY 2023: Strategic Plan presentation
ESTABLISH THE CROWN BRAND AS THE MIDWEST’S BOLDLY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BY JUNE 2028.
Objective 1: Increase admissions, youth camps, training and clinics, and youth group events hosted on Crown’s campus or by Crown to increase brand awareness, enrollment, and revenue by 20% by June 2027.
Objective 2: Launch a brand campaign for internal and external brand awareness by September 2023.
Objective 3: Establish clear assessment mechanisms to measure the brand’s success by April 2024.
Objective 4: Launch a comprehensive “We are Crown” campaign by June 2024.
Objective 5: Develop a 10-year, boldly Christian, campus master plan that fully represents our brand by July 2024.
BUILD KINGDOM-MINDED RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT STRENGTHEN CROWN’S BRAND EQUITY RESULTING IN INCREASED ENROLLMENT AND GIVING.
Objective 1: Increase annual giving by 100% by July 2028.
Objective 2: Increase the percentage of alumni and donors who are regularly engaged in events, social media, and opened emails by 60% by July 2028.
Objective 3: Double the number of students enrolled in Crown College degree programs from pathway education by August 2028.
DISCOVER AND PROCLAIM CHRIST IN EACH ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE AS WE FULLY INTEGRATE FAITH INTO EVERY ASPECT OF THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE.
Objective 1: Develop and implement faculty training to think Biblically about respective academic disciplines and pedagogical approaches by August 2024.
Objective 2: Create assessment tools and curricular maps to demonstrate integration of faith into all aspects of academic experiences by July 2028.
Objective 3: Provide opportunities and funding to Crown faculty for a total of twelve academic presentations or publications related to biblical integration in the academic experience and within their discipline by July 2028.
DEVELOP ACADEMIC PROGRAMS THAT ARE ATTRACTIVE, VOCATIONALLY RELEVANT, ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS, AND LED BY CHRISTIAN EXPERTS.
Objective 1: Relaunch a graduate business program by July 2025.
Objective 2: Launch a new graduate program by July 2026.
Objective 3: Launch a doctoral program by July 2027.
Objective 4: Increase SAS academic programs (majors) to a total of 30 by July 2028.
CREATE A CULTURE OF BELONGING THAT LEADS TO A 10% INCREASE IN THE SIX-YEAR GRADUATION RATE BY SPRING 2028.
Objective 1: Equip employees to be informed and engaged in students’ lives through annual professional development and training starting August 2024.
Objective 2: Increase freshman-to-sophomore retention rate by 10% by August 2026.
Objective 3: Increase the graduation rate of students of color by 10% by May 2027.
IMPLEMENT A NEW MODEL OF ONLINE EDUCATION THAT PROMOTES INCREASED COMMUNITY AND ENGAGEMENT.
Objective 1: Conduct research that will inform the proposal of a new model by June 2024.
Objective 2: Develop a business plan for the new model by January 2025.
Objective 3: Launch the new model by August 2025.
| Outcomes | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 | Fall 2027 | Fall 2028 |
| 1,450 Students (On-Campus, Online, Graduate) 1 | 1,140 | 1,218 | 1,291 | 1,371 | 1,450 |
| Increase Operating Revenue by 30% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Increased Awareness of Boldly Christian Brand 2 | 33% | 40% | 45% | 50% | 55% |
| Double the Crown College Annual Fund 3 | No Increase | 15% | 17% | 15% | 16% |
Over the past decade, it was necessary to place a significant amount of energy into sustaining the organization. We are now at a place where we need to move into a strategic impact posture.
— Dan Scarrow, Board of Trustees, Strategic Planning Task Force Member + Board Liaison
