The Centennial Strategic Plan 2.0: An Introduction

October 13, 2020

By Taylor Stockdale

To thrive for 100 years a school must stand for something important and indissoluble. Its mission and values must remain relevant and inexhaustible. And finally its stewards, over the Webb and flow of decades of challenge and difficulty, trend and fad, must act with unceasing commitment to its purpose. Above all else, from our founding, Webb’s stewards have devoted themselves to nurturing and inspiring young people to know right from wrong, to live and lead lives of honor and moral courage. This is our living legacy and the strong foundation on which we look ahead to the next century.

As you may recall, in February of 2012 the board of trustees and the senior administrative team gathered for a two-day working retreat to begin the process of developing a 10-year strategic plan that would see Webb through The Centennial Years and beyond. Our work was robust, including a board oversight committee and five independent study groups, each formed around a distinctive quality of the Schools and composed of students, teachers, staff, alumni and parents. Each group did independent research, conducted surveys, completed site visits at schools and colleges, and more. In total, these study groups included more than 200 volunteers and met over 50 times combined.

Out of this work we created The Centennial Strategic Plan 1922-2022. This document has guided our efforts over the last seven years and led to a multitude of major accomplishments. Among these I would include:

1)    A dynamic, new, innovative cross-disciplinary curriculum of our own design,

2)    A stronger, broader and more diverse national admission program and profile,

3)    An increased endowment focused on financial aid and faculty development and support,

4)    A doubling of the campus footprint with purchase of 80 acres of hillside property,

5)    An increase in resources to the Alf Museum to solidify its world class status,

6)    A deepening and broadening of our commitment to developing leaders with honor and moral courage.

These accomplishments, and many others, stand as the bedrock for Webb’s next 100 years. And so, looking ahead and led again by the board of trustees and senior team, we spent another two-day working retreat reviewing progress and recalibrating our goals for the final few years leading up to The Centennial. Again, it was a robust and generative process led by trustee Wendin Smith ’89, Ph.D. and Sanjay Dholakia ’87, chairman of the board. What follows in The Centennial Strategic Plan 2.0 is again the sum total of this work—and a road map for Webb as we prepare to celebrate The Centennial. With your partnership and strong commitment to our mission and values, I know that Webb will continue to thrive and prosper in the century ahead.

Details
October 13, 2020

9:41 AM PDT