As always at a Haverford event, the conversation was engaging and far-ranging. Below are some highlights and resources for you to review and share with your fellow Fords, including a strategic planning overview, updates from campus, and ways to engage with the College. 

The Strategic Plan

The Haverford 2030 plan is the culmination of a process that began in 2019. Facilitated by a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the process has been designed to elicit the creative, critical, and aspirational thinking of the Haverford community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, Board of Managers, and Corporation—with the goal of establishing a mission-centered, values-driven, community-led, and market-informed strategic agenda for the College leading up to 2030. In just a few short weeks, this truly crowd-sourced, comprehensive document will be shared with the Board of Managers for approval. 

Guided by nine strategic priorities—a vibrant liberal arts program; financial aid and access; ethical leadership, practice, and community engagement; radical listening and responsive dialogue; career and life opportunities; a robust financial endowment; investing in the people who make Haverford work; sustainability and the built environment; data and technology infrastructure—the Plan's key action areas of Aspire, Connect, and Transform (ACT) detail our comprehensive goals. These action areas, as expanded upon in the most recent draft of the emerging Plan, highlight ways in which we may invest in our community and translate the work of our mission and values through bold expression, creating better learning for broader impact.

Learn more about the strategic planning process, and read the most recent draft before it is submitted to the Board of Managers for approval, at hav.to/strategicplan. 

Our aspirations cannot all be met without investment from the community. As such, Haverford will soon be entering the quiet phase of a comprehensive campaign, aligned with the action areas noted above. We look forward to sharing more information about our emerging campaign goals and strategies in the coming months and years. 

Visit the strategic planning webpage

Fall Campus Updates 

The fall semester has been busy and vibrant, and our students are thriving. In August, we welcomed the Class of 2026 and, from Move-in Day to the Dorm Olympics, the excitement from our first-years was palpable. Recently, a hallmark of student life at Haverford, Plenary, reached quorum through Zoom and in-person attendance, and students put forward five different resolutions for discussion. 

In addition, the College enthusiastically welcomed many members of the college community back to campus during Family & Friends Weekend. The weather was beautiful and our incredible camps programs, from academics to athletics, were the central focus for all activities. Specifically, Wendy was delighted to participate in a faculty spotlight discussion with Assistant Professor of Classics Ava Shirazi, where both women compared their approaches to teaching and learning with our students. During the weekend, alumni, families, faculty, and staff associated with the Chesick Scholars Program gathered in celebration of their 10th anniversary. 

Finally, Haverford Athletics have a number of recent accomplishments of note, including the women's basketball defeat of NYU and the placement of men's cross country at 13th in the NCAA Division III Championships. Haverford also bid a fond farewell to Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Coach Fran Rizzo after a storied 32 year career. 

Engage with the College

As we complete the strategic planning process and enter into a comprehensive campaign, it is more important than ever to be up to date with the College, and your Haverford friends. Visit hav.to/stayconnected for volunteer information, news publications, social media links, and more. 

Specifically, we ask that you be generous with your donations, and with your time. 

The events we hold and the work we do is undergirded by the generosity of our donors. Large or small, every gift counts. We welcome contributions, particularly before calendar year end, at hav.to/give. Thank you for your support. 

Make a gift to Haverford 

For students and alumni alike, networking can be the single most effective tool for success in career exploration and searches for jobs and internships. Haverford Connect exists as a tool to encourage dialogue between alumni, families, and students—across areas of personal and professional interest. These connections can help establish important relationships and create access to a variety of career paths. All students, alumni, and families are invited to create accounts and start making connections at connect.haverford.edu. 

Join Haverford Connect

This event was hosted as part of a series—offering opportunities to gather together, hear College and strategic planning updates, and ask questions. Haverford College is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable community in which all of our members feel respected and welcomed. We celebrate differences of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, and military/veteran status among our students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, friends, and benefactors. We look forward to seeing all of you at our events. Questions about an event? alumni [at] haverford.edu (Contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement).