During an annual State of the University address, Chapman University President Daniele C. Struppa outlined a five-year strategic plan to position the 160-year-old university as “one of the great universities of the United States.”
“I think Chapman is at the point where we can really expect to be one of the great universities in the country,” Struppa said Friday, Feb. 10, as he delivered the address at the university’s Musco Center for the Arts.
The plan, dubbed “Our Path to Greatness,” aims to invest resources in five key areas: academic excellence, expanding health and science graduate programs, academic superiority, organizational excellence and campus projects.
On Saturday, the university kicked off a $500 million, five-year fundraising campaign, with a longer term goal of $2 billion by 2037.
The first major gift to the campaign was announced Saturday at the Chapman Celebrates gala – a gift of $5 million from Jim and Kay Burra, which will help establish the Burra School of Accounting and Finance within Argyros School of Business and Economics.
The Burras previously established an endowed professorship and Jim Burra has served on Chapman’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.
“Our donors are at the heart of our progress as a business school,” said Henrik Cronqvist, dean of the Argyros School of Business and Economics. “Their support allows us to create new and innovative programs and strengthen existing ones. The generosity of the Burras will allow us to prepare students for the dynamic fields of accounting and finance.”
More than $300 million was already raised during the campaign’s silent phase over the past five years, university officials said.
A lengthy list of planned academic initiatives include the expansion of programs for students from underrepresented communities and gaining formal recognition as a Hispanic serving institution, officials said.
The university also aims to improve student retention rates by providing more support for students outside the classroom, with an end-goal of achieving an undergraduate graduation rate of 89%.
“When I talk about the retention rate and I say this is the goal for the provost, it is really the goal for all of us,” said Struppa, who is in his seventh year as Chapman’s president. “Staff, faculty and administrators, we all have to play together to make that happen.”
To expand health science programs for graduate students, university officials may add new degree and certificate options by offering certificates in telehealth and certificates in virtual reality for medical professionals.
The university also plans cutting-edge upgrades for the Rinker Health Sciences campus in Irvine within the next five years.
Upgrades to facilities, technological upgrades and a revamping of polices are planned to enhance the workplace experiences for faculty and staff.
University leaders propose infrastructure upgrades that include the addition of a new student success center at the main Orange campus.
“We have a task force under our provost that is looking at exactly what is going to go there,” Struppa said of the student success center. “As we talk about our students, we want to have a place where they can find most of what they need to be successful.”
Also taking place is the renovation of a newly acquired residence hall to house students starting in the fall of 2024.
To help hit its $500 million fundraising goal, Chapman will look to strengthen support for all of the university’s 11 schools and colleges and bolster relationships with parents and volunteers in all areas, officials said.
