A Note from Dean Badia Ahad

This is not that kind of plan.

Perhaps we shouldn’t even call it a “plan.” A framework? A compass? Whatever the designation, it is my sincere hope that this living expression of our collective ambition defies convention by embracing what makes Oxford College truly exceptional: its people.

When I arrived at Oxford College in August 2023, many asked about my “vision” for the college. While I could immediately name any number of exciting opportunities, I recognized that the most compelling vision for Oxford would not emerge from my “vision” or any single perspective, for that matter, but would reflect the wisdom, experience, and aspirations of our entire community.

This realization shaped our approach to creating what is before you. The plan emerged from the collaborative efforts of faculty, staff, students, and administrators across disciplines, ranks, and units. We are profoundly grateful to the many individuals who contributed their insights, expertise, and enthusiastic love for Oxford to this process. Over several months, three working groups came together to explore how we might strengthen what makes Oxford special and reimagine what is possible. They identified ways to deepen our academic programs, enrich student life, reimagine our physical spaces, and better support the people who embody our mission. We listened closely. Through emails, conversations, and community feedback, what emerged is a sincere reflection of our shared hopes, challenges, and commitments.

Each of the plan’s four core commitments reflects this conviction: advancing Oxford’s distinctive academic mission ensures our students receive a transformative education; building sustainable financial and operational strength safeguards the resources needed to support that mission; and deepening community impact and partnerships extends the values of a liberal arts education into the broader world.

Our implementation committee will ensure we remain on course while helping us adapt as circumstances evolve. This document is not etched in marble but inscribed in possibility.  It is rooted in our values while setting us on a path to national recognition as a distinctive and distinguished liberal arts college experience.

Beneath the goals, key performance indicators, and action steps lies something more fundamental: hope. In the recent book, Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis, Norman Wirzba describes hope as “a way of being in which people commit themselves to the healing of our wounded world and, in doing so, communicate a future worth striving for.” It is my sincere hope that, through our collective efforts as outlined here, we will better equip our students to truly understand the beautiful versatility of a liberal arts education—and, in turn, imagine the world anew.

That vision begins with how we define the purpose of education itself. We reject the false divide between the liberal arts and pre-professional pursuits. At Oxford, we affirm that deep engagement with the arts and the sciences cultivates the curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking that shape not only better physicians, attorneys, and business leaders but better citizens. By investing in both academic excellence and the formation of character, we prepare graduates with intellectual agility, moral clarity, and a heart for service who are ready to apply their wisdom in pursuit of the greater good. This is the essence of a liberal arts education, and it lies at the very heart of who we are and what we do.

Our strategic vision is rooted in four core commitments that chart an ambitious and enriching path ahead—beginning with the power of a liberal arts education, expanding outward to engage the world, sustained by the people who animate our mission, and uplifted by the spaces that foster connection, discovery, and belonging. For each commitment, we will pursue a set of tangible strategies to bring these commitments to life. These strategies translate aspiration into action, guiding our community forward with clarity and purpose.