Article Summary: The Lake Land College Board of Trustees has officially adopted a new strategic direction centered on the motto, “Education that Fits Your Life,” signaling a shift toward more flexible, student-centered planning. The move sunsets the successful FY 2023-2027 “Growing the Laker Advantage!” plan, which saw the completion or integration of 94 out of 108 projects, to address future challenges like a predicted decline in college enrollment.

New Strategic Plan Key Points:

• New Motto: The college’s new strategic direction is guided by the motto, “Education that Fits Your Life.”

• Previous Plan’s Success: The outgoing “Growing the Laker Advantage!” plan, launched in 2021, successfully advanced 108 projects, with 47 fully achieved and 47 integrated into ongoing departmental plans.

• Future Focus: The new plan was prompted by research into a looming “enrollment and demographic cliff” and stakeholder feedback emphasizing the need for educational flexibility, streamlined services, and enhanced support for students balancing work, family, and learning.

MATTOON — Lake Land College is charting a new course for its future, formally adopting a strategic priority centered on the motto “Education that Fits Your Life.” The Board of Trustees approved the new direction at its July 14 meeting, a move designed to make the college more agile and responsive to the evolving needs of its students and community.

The decision sunsets the college’s FY 2023-2027 strategic plan, “Growing the Laker Advantage!,” which was launched in 2021. In a bi-annual report to the board, college President Dr. Jonathan Bullock praised the success of the outgoing plan, which guided the institution’s efforts in student success, employee excellence, and community engagement.

“Over the past several years, our strategic plan—Growing the Laker Advantage—has served as a meaningful roadmap,” Bullock stated in a letter to the college community.

The report detailed significant progress on the 108 projects undertaken as part of the plan. Of those, 47 were fully achieved, another 47 were integrated into departmental master plans for ongoing maintenance, five will continue under the new strategic direction, and six were thoughtfully sunset.

The shift to a new strategy was informed by internal research conducted in December 2024 on the “impending enrollment and demographic cliff” expected to affect higher education institutions nationwide. This was followed by focus groups in spring 2025 with approximately 100 students and employees.

“These discussions emphasized the value of educational flexibility, streamlined services, and enhanced support, especially as students increasingly balance work, family, and learning,” Bullock noted.

The new strategic priority statement reflects these findings: “Lake Land College will enable students to fit education within their active work and personal lives. We will streamline enrollment processes and technology, provide customer-centric schedules and learning options, and facilitate access to comprehensive support services.”

In the coming months, the college will develop a new actionable plan aligned with this vision, utilizing a rolling planning model to remain agile and responsive to community and workforce needs.