Ohio Wesleyan is America's University for Ambitious Self-Discovery. OWU helps students discover not only what they want to do, but who they want to become. Our strategic plan guides us in fulfilling this mission and vision.
Higher education places enormous pressure on 17- and 18-year-olds to choose a major, career, and life direction before they have had the opportunity to discover their interests and capabilities. Institutions designed around the already-decided student often make exploration costly, confusing, or risky.
As America's University for Ambitious Self-Discovery, Ohio Wesleyan is responding directly to the needs of the "exploratory majority" – students who come to college uncertain of what they want to study and the up to 80% of students who change majors at least once. With this innovative market identity, OWU provides students with space to explore, grace to change direction, and support to turn evolving interests into meaningful lives and careers.
Ohio Wesleyan's strategic plan uses five pillars to translate our market identity into action. These pillars are our north star, guiding OWU's priorities, investments, and work:
Explore boldly: There's way too much pressure on 17-year-olds to figure out life. Ohio Wesleyan helps students and their parents understand that college should not be a transaction, but a transition into adulthood. OWU absorbs the risk by declaring that the University is a safe place to explore boldly and graduate on time.
Find your path: Ohio Wesleyan is leading the nation as the premier liberal arts university for first-generation college students. Students arrive at college with different levels of knowledge, preparation, and readiness to do college the traditional way. OWU meets students where they are, delivering graduation pathways that adapt to each student's needs. For some students, those pathways may intentionally be more than four years to accommodate extended internships, longer-term study abroad, and more.
Learn by doing: Ohio Wesleyan will transform the "OWU Connection" into the nation's most visible, best‑funded, and most fully integrated experiential learning program at a liberal arts university. This means not only continuing to deliver life‑changing results, but also ensuring that prospective students and their families understand the distinctiveness of OWU's hands-on learning opportunities from the start.
Prepare for what's next: Ohio Wesleyan doesn't believe students should have to choose between a broad education and career-advancing skills. OWU delivers both. Faculty create courses and experiences that empower students to think critically, communicate convincingly, and solve problems creatively, while also instilling the confidence to translate those abilities into real-world impact.
Make a difference: We leverage Ohio Wesleyan to make a better world. We don't just teach students how to succeed; we show them how to make an impact. OWU students find opportunities to contribute to Delaware, Central Ohio, and communities worldwide while discovering the issues and causes that matter to them. In helping students, OWU simultaneously elevates its national reputation for boldness, kindness, and innovation, and delivers measurable benefits to the Central Ohio region.
Next steps: Ohio Wesleyan's strategic plan, market identity, and five pillars demonstrate what OWU's animating spirit of boldness, kindness, and innovation can accomplish.
As we work together to envision what's next, Brian Rellinger, executive director of the strategic plan, will invite participation, convene implementation teams, and connect our work across the plan.
We are America's University for Ambitious Self-Discovery. We are Oh-Wooo!