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Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Earlier today, the Monarch Nation joined together for an inaugural, signature event, Forward-Focused. This 60-minute event provided a special opportunity to pause, reflect, and reimagine this great institution as we revisited our historic past, celebrated our recent progress, and planned for our promising future, while also closely examining and thoughtfully considering emerging trends and limitless possibilities.

March 13, 1930 is a pivotal date in the history of Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã. Just one month away, we will mark a 95-year journey, which started with the Board of Visitors of William and Mary, who met to accept the old Larchmont School building. This was the first step in establishing the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary – now Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University. Since September 12, 1930, when the doors officially opened, we have made incredible progress and left an indelible mark. In fact, Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã’s footprint of today is unrecognizable from our humble beginnings, which included 59 courses; five sports teams; and 12 clubs and organizations. We served 206 students through the dedication and expertise of 17 faculty. That is how the story of Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University started, but that is not how or where our story ends.

During today’s event, as I walked through the significant challenges and issues facing our industry and our institution, I encouraged those in attendance to reflect on how Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University can and will emerge even stronger and well-positioned to lead on the national and international stage. This is our focus, and this is our future!

Trends and Challenges
When considering key trends and challenges for higher education in 2025, there are seven critical areas to focus on. Due to demographic shifts, enrollment challenges highlight the urgency for innovative solutions with varying types of institutions across the nation experiencing significant declines since 2010. As a cornerstone of our institution, student success is a clear focus of our daily work in order to address issues like dropout rates among undergraduate students, especially in the first year of their individual journeys. The rising prominence of non-traditional students, comprising a growing majority of undergraduates, suggests a shift towards accommodating diverse educational needs. In 2015, 40% of undergraduate students at American universities and colleges were non-traditional, according to Center for Law and Social Policy. And, today, the National Center for Education Statistics states that approximately 70-74% of undergraduates are non-traditional students and growing. As such, a platform to bridge the skills gap by aligning educational offerings and opportunities with labor market demands is needed and being met through skills-based learning. The expansion in online education is notable with substantial market growth projected and further fueled by immersive learning models. AI's permanent role in the academy is anticipated to personalize learning experiences, strengthen research capabilities, and enhance administrative efficiency. Finally, alternative funding options are deemed essential for ensuring financial sustainability and advocating for diversified revenue streams beyond traditional undergraduate enrollment. This is just a snapshot of the many areas impacting our worthwhile mission, daily work, and ultimate outcomes.

Forward-Focused: Monarch Momentum
In the Fall of 2023, you heard me take you on a journey of universities that looked like Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University a decade ago before losing 30 to 50 percent of their students. In the Fall of 2024, you heard me share more recent trends and the keys to our success, such as doubling down on student success, revenue diversification, online learning opportunities, leveling up the digital experience, and the mobility mindset.

As part of today’s presentation, I shared specific examples of how Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University will weave the lessons of yesterday and the solutions of today to secure our bold future. And, I very clearly and confidently shared that we cannot get there without you – our students, our faculty, and our staff. You are the key to our success, and you are how we can and will get there!

Fast-Forward to Today
Our students of today expect a different educational experience. The world in which they live and work is enhanced and enabled by technology whether they connect with us face-to-face or online. For the campus connection, we must remember that the classroom of the 1930s has evolved due to the amazing work of our world-class faculty and now is the time to take another bold step forward. We will focus on creating classrooms and physical learning environments of the future - not just smart classrooms, but immersive experiences. We will pursue opportunities for enhancing classroom lessons with technology enabled supplemental resources. The campus experience has to be an adventure, which inspires and transforms the learning of today! For the digital connection, the expectations and the assurances to students that the online experience does not mean sacrificing the essence of being connected to the Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University community! Online education has evolved from the 1970s to satellite teletechnet days to Zoom rooms and now cutting-edge virtual environments. We will deliver this experience, along with the campus experience, to ensure Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University provides high-quality learning pathways that align with the student lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

Our faculty of today need more from our institution. They need our support and investment. They need cutting edge technology and equipment whether they are teaching on-campus or online. They need the opportunity to tap into their areas of expertise in ways that were not always available! They are faced with meeting students where they are and taking them where they need to be, while balancing increasing administrative tasks that take away time from teaching and research. We need to wrap services and support structures around our faculty, while adapting to the ever-evolving landscape and specialized tools. We need to open doors for creativity. We need to provide robust workshop and training opportunities, innovation labs, and collaboration spaces – all with customized supports for teaching and learning, as well as applied research. The bottom line is that we will invest in the space and infrastructure needed to support our faculty as they navigate the new world of education and research.

Our staff of today create and provide the infrastructure necessary for students to thrive by equipping them with the information and tools to improve their experience. We need to make your jobs easier. While creating continuous opportunities for learning and developing, this is our moment to reimagine the work process in which we engage our campus. Tools, such as Salesforce, AssistNOW, Monday.com, Cloud Computing, MonarchMind, and LinkedIn Learning, are a critical part of this effort. Institutions that embrace AI and improve business operations will win the future. Those who reject innovation will find themselves struggling to compete or even survive! As such, we will focus on how AI can advance our infrastructure – all with an emphasis on critical tools and training for staff to be as effective and knowledgeable as possible.

As we think about all of these opportunities and realities, we must not lose sight of our ambitious vision, worthwhile goals, and belief in the possible. These critical elements are what set us apart from our competition. They are what make us unique as an institution. And, they are what define the Monarch experience at the individual and collective level. Ultimately, they are what will drive us to modernize our practices, adopt new approaches, and pursue continued progress.

Despite all of the barriers, obstacles, and unknowns before us – many of which I highlighted during today’s event, please remember this. We are strong, and we will be successful. How can I be so certain? Because of Monarchs. Monarchs are decisive in our actions; Monarchs are determined in our work; Monarchs are devoted to our cause; and, as Monarchs, we are driven toward opportunity and focused on the future. Decisive, determined, devoted, and driven – this is what will pave the way to the Old à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã University of tomorrow – a tomorrow and a future that we will build and achieve together as a forward-focused University!

With Monarch Pride,

Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
President