Endicott College Receives $25,000 Davis Educational Foundation Grant to Support Strategic Planning

Endicott College has received a $25,000 Presidential Grant from the Davis Educational Foundation to support the development of the College’s next strategic plan, a community-driven process that will help guide Endicott’s priorities and growth over the next five to 10 years.

The grant will support Endicott’s work to engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, advisory board members, and other stakeholders in examining the College’s future, with particular attention to institutional sustainability and student affordability. The Davis Educational Foundation recognized Endicott’s leadership in engaging the campus community in this work.

“Our next strategic plan needs to reflect not simply where higher education is headed, but who Endicott is and what our community believes we can become,” said Endicott College President Bryan Cain, Ph.D. “The best way to answer those questions is together. This support from the Davis Educational Foundation will help us bring more voices into the conversation as we determine the priorities that will shape Endicott’s next chapter.”

Endicott has partnered with external consultant ACT to help guide the strategic planning and drafting process. Initial conversations with key internal stakeholders are already underway, with broader community engagement beginning this fall.

As a next step, faculty and staff are invited to participate in two campus listening sessions on October 14 and 15 (RSVP here). The sessions will provide opportunities to reflect on their experiences at Endicott, identify the College’s strengths and opportunities, and share perspectives on how Endicott should evolve over the next decade.

Students will also have opportunities to contribute through a session with the Student Government Association, while surveys will extend the conversation to students, alumni, and advisory board members. Additional opportunities for community input will continue as the planning process moves forward.

The feedback gathered through these conversations will help Endicott identify shared priorities and develop a strategic plan grounded in the experiences, ideas, and aspirations of its community. The resulting plan will serve as a roadmap for the College, largely focused on how best to strengthen the student experience, maintain affordability, respond to a rapidly changing higher education landscape, and position Endicott for long-term success.

“This is an opportunity to think expansively about what Endicott can be over the next decade while remaining grounded in what makes this College distinctive,” Cain said. “The more perspectives we bring to the table, the stronger that vision will be.”

The Davis Educational Foundation was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.