Kean University Strategic Plan 2025-2030

As Kean University reaches its 170th anniversary, we stand at a pivotal moment in our institutional journey. Founded in 1855 as a normal school dedicated to teacher preparation, Kean has evolved into a comprehensive, research-focused university that serves as an anchor institution for our communities and a catalyst for transformative change across New Jersey and beyond. This strategic plan represents our collective vision for the next five years, a blueprint that will guide Kean’s continued ascension as an urban research university committed to excellence, equity, innovation, and impact.

The development of this plan emerged through a rigorous, structured, and inclusive university-wide process guided by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP). Our Strategic Planning Committee underwent months of intensive training through dozens of specialized planning modules, equipping them with best practices in higher education strategic planning, environmental scanning, resource alignment, and outcomes assessment. This SCUP-guided methodology ensured our planning process adhered to the highest standards in the field while maintaining Kean’s unique institutional context.

This comprehensive planning approach engaged students, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, and industry leaders through carefully designed planning teams, surveys, and collaborative working sessions. Through methodical synthesis and analysis, we distilled our shared aspirations through our six interconnected strategic core values that will define Kean’s future: Academic Excellence, Equity, Inclusivity, Wellness, Social Mobility, and Public Impact. These priorities reflect not only our institutional values but
also respond directly to the evolving needs of our students, the demands of an increasingly complex global economy, and our responsibility to address pressing societal challenges.

Kean University today serves a diverse student population across multiple campuses and through various modalities: our main campus in Union, New Jersey; Kean Ocean in partnership with Ocean County College; Wenzhou-Kean University
in China and our community of global learners through Kean Online. Our students represent the rich diversity of New Jersey and beyond, including significant populations of first-generation college students, working professionals, and historically underrepresented groups. We embrace this diversity as our greatest strength and are committed to ensuring that every student finds at Kean not just an education, but a transformative experience that unlocks their full potential.

The landscape of higher education is rapidly changing. Demographic shifts, advances in knowledge and technology, evolving workforce and regulatory demands, growing economic disparities and ideological divisions present both challenges and opportunities. This strategic plan positions Kean to navigate these changes proactively, leveraging our distinctive strengths while embracing innovation to meet the needs of current and future generations of students. As New Jersey’s urban research university, we are uniquely positioned to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application, to make discoveries and address real-world problems while preparing students for meaningful careers and engaged citizenship.

Our vision for Kean 2030 is ambitious yet achievable. We envision a university recognized nationally for academic excellence, where groundbreaking research addresses urban, regional, and global challenges; where every student, regardless of background, finds pathways to success; where diverse perspectives are celebrated and nurtured; where wellness is integrated into all aspects of university life; where we serve as an engine of social mobility; and where our transformative ambitions and impact are anchored in New Jersey but extend far beyond our campus boundaries.

This strategic plan is not merely aspirational, it is operational. Each strategic priority is supported by overarching goals and targeted strategies that will guide our resource allocation, decision-making, and assessment efforts over the next five years. The plan establishes clear accountability mechanisms while maintaining flexibility to adapt to emerging opportunities and challenges in our dynamic environment.

As we implement this plan, we will draw upon Kean’s enduring strengths: our dedicated faculty scholars who excel in both teaching and research; our passionate staff committed to student success; our engaged alumni who carry our mission into their communities and professions; our strategic partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations; and most importantly, our remarkable students whose talents, perspectives, and ambitions inspire everything we do.

The challenges before us are significant, but so is our resolve. By working collaboratively across disciplines, departments, and campuses—and by forming meaningful partnerships beyond our institutional boundaries, we will realize the full potential of Kean University as a transformative force for our students and society. Together, we will build on our proud history while charting a bold course toward a future of expanded opportunity, inclusive excellence, and lasting impact.

This strategic plan represents not an endpoint but a beginning—an invitation to the entire Kean community to participate in bringing this vision to life. As we move forward together, we reaffirm our commitment to our founding mission while embracing the challenges and opportunities of a new era. The future of Kean University starts now.

FROM VISION TO ACTION: KEAN’S STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION IN MOTION   

As Kean University journeys toward 2030, the strategic plan has evolved from a static document into a dynamic, action-driven roadmap for institutional transformation. With nearly 60 campus representatives from across colleges, divisions and student constituencies shaping our goals through SCUP training, and nearly 150 leaders trained in execution, we have built a comprehensive framework that turns aspirations into measurable progress. This structured approach, anchored in bi-annual assessment cycles, creates accountability, fosters reflection and empowers continuous recalibration, ensuring that strategic momentum is not only maintained but accelerated.

This shared commitment is guided by Kean’s six core values – Academic Excellence, Equity, Inclusivity, Wellness, Social Mobility and Public Impact – which provide both direction and unity across our campuses in Union, at Kean Ocean, Wenzhou-Kean University, Kean Online and the emerging Kean Jersey City location. As we prepare to celebrate our 170th anniversary, these values serve as the North Star for every action, ensuring that advising, research, teaching and program development are all aligned toward a singular institutional mission. Through this alignment, our vision to be a fiscally sustainable global leader in transformative and accessible education is coming to life through every goal achieved, every check-in completed and every strategy brought to fruition. 

This transformation is not the work of a few; it is the shared endeavor of an engaged and empowered community. From faculty innovating in the classroom, to staff enhancing student support, to students shaping campus culture, every member of Kean contributes to a strategic vision that is both bold and inclusive. Our collective actions, guided by intentional strategy and unified values, are forging a future where Kean is not only responsive to societal needs but a leader in addressing them. As we continue to align purpose with practice, we strengthen our identity as New Jersey’s premier urban research university where access, excellence and impact are not just ambitions, but realities lived every day.