Ben Doster
What is our Mission?
The mission statement of Elon University is “Elon University embraces its founders’ vision of an academic community that transforms mind, body, and spirit and encourages freedom of thought and liberty of conscience”. Our speaker was quick to explain how Elon is living up to the mission statement by continuing to expand and admit a higher caliber of students than they have in the previous years. Attending school here, it is easy to see evidence of this mission statement in the way things are run around campus.
Who is our Customer?
Due to the fact that Elon is currently a non-profit university, they actually have no customers. However, the closest thing available would have to be the students who pay tuition in order to attend school here. The Elon University customer is not the traditional customer that many other non-profits deal with because the Elon customer is looking to get a benefit out of the education that they are paying for. Due to this, Elon is held to higher standards than many other non-profit organizations.
What does the Customer Value?
In the case of Elon University, the students who attend and more often than not their parents who pay their way, value a solid education that is worth the price put on it. People who attend college here are not solely concerned about the money that they are paying, but also the value and reputation that a degree from here carries. No one wants to attend a school that is looked down upon by employers and colleagues in the future.
What are the Results?
The results of all this are a University that has expanded and is planning on continuing to expand rapidly in the future. The budget of Elon went from 33 million in 1993 to 211 million today, and the acceptance rate has continued to drop steadily as a more talented group of students have continued to apply here in the recent years. Due to the fact that Elon is a non-profit university that does not pay taxes, they have been giving back to the community in more ways than one by building lit sidewalks, sewer lines and even by stimulating the economy of Elon and Burlington by 23 million dollars each year.
What is our Plan?
It is the plan of Elon University to continue growing in phases as they have in the past. Elon makes new plans about every nine years to build new buildings in order to expand the campus. Many if not all of the plans are usually completed on time, with some of them scratched and others tweaked. Elon still plans on expanding off of the McMichael science building, building more dorms and an exercise facility in the Daniley commons area. All of these improvements are paid for using contingency funds and excess tuition that is not put in an endowment account.
Overall I am very impressed with what they are doing to Elon University in the years to come. The virtual map of the expected campus was more than many could ask for and should be a great addition to an already great campus. It was very interesting learning about our own school today instead of a local business.
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