- Hilbert to invest in new student populations: international, online, Buffalo public schools, and athletics -
HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert College has announced, after nearly one year of planning, the implementation of a new strategic plan, Hilbert 2025. Since March of 2019, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and alumni have been engaged in intensive discussion and development around four distinct goals; 1) Enhancing the Franciscan Mission and Identity, 2) Growing Enrollment, 3) Strengthening Academic Performance and the Student Experience, and 4) Strengthening its Financial Position.
“I greatly appreciate the time, dedication, and hard work that has gone into developing the foundation of Hilbert 2025,” Hilbert President Dr. Michael S. Brophy said. “My hope is that the efforts of the Hilbert community will position Hilbert to respond to challenges and opportunities in the years ahead, while remaining innovative, engaged, and forward-thinking.”
Hilbert plans to enhance its Catholic and Franciscan identity by deepening its relationship with the college’s core values and heritage, which have been handed down to college from the founding congregation, the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph.
The college plans to diversify and develop its enrollment to, ultimately, increase the college’s head count back to its record-high, near 1,200 students. Hilbert will look to new populations and expand the impact of a Hilbert education to online and international students, while increasing graduate programs and implementing a more robust strategy in athletics. Hilbert has recently expanded its Say Yes to Education program and received a Higher Education Opportunity Program grant, which will make a Hilbert education possible for more students.
Hilbert will focus on strengthening its academic performance and the student experience, resulting in greater student success and retention. Hilbert plans to support an inclusive living and learning environment by increasing the diversity of its staff, faculty, and students, and enhancing resources for students. Expanding academic opportunities and educational experiences will help identify the college as the higher education hub for the Southtowns.
The college will focus on philanthropic growth, as well as investment in its campus assets, to strengthen, grow, and sustain the college. Hilbert plans to build a strong annual fund program and seek appropriate private, corporate, and public foundation and government funding. The college will develop and improve its technology infrastructure to meet the needs of today’s students.
More detailed information on Hilbert 2025 is available online at www.hilbert.edu/hilbert2025.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 800 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs in criminal justice administration and public administration, including a track in health administration.