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Buffalo Seminary Strategic Plan

 

Mission: Buffalo Seminary prepares a diverse group of young women to be engaged scholars and citizens, proud to shape society rather than be controlled by it, and ready to live and lead with honor, courage, and confidence.

What We Value at SEM: These values are the core beliefs at SEM that shape our community, inform our decisions, and guide our actions.

  • Women as Scholars and Leaders: We cultivate the intellect and independence of women, supporting them as life-long scholars and leaders.

  • Community of Belonging: We are a community of belonging. We embrace the richness of diversity in people and ideas and strive for an equitable experience for all.

  • Integrity of Character: We expect honor, compassion, and honesty in our words and actions.

  • Health and Resilience: We nurture the wellness of ourselves and our community, knowing it is essential to learning and growth. 

  • Global Perspective: We know that whether in school, in Buffalo, or in the world we must engage as empathetic and informed citizens.

 

Vision: 

  • SEM is reimagining when, where, and how learning happens.  

  • Our vision is to design personal, challenging, and transformational experiences that serve all of our community, at every age and stage. 

  • Why is this our vision? We know that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and that pathways to learning will continue to expand.

 

Strategic Choices: These choices are the core commitments that the school executes in combination, to achieve SEM’s vision and uphold its mission and values.

  • Flexible Learning by Design

  • Challenging and Relevant Curriculum

  • Thriving Community

SEM is reimagining when, where, and how learning happens, to design personal, transformational experiences. Grounded in our values and mission, we see our school as a perpetual community of scholars, where women have the flexibility to pursue their interests in research, work, service, leadership, arts, and sport. With new approaches to how we use time, space, and technology to educate, we expand opportunities for women to pursue relevant, meaningful learning experiences as they explore their unique interests and talents.

Why is this our vision? We know that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and that pathways to learning will continue to expand. SEM has the opportunity to develop programs with creativity, flexibility, and mentorship for women to access learning at different ages and stages. We believe this is the best way to fulfill our mission and ensure that SEM continues to lead as an inclusive, joyful, and pioneering community for young women of intellect and character.

 

Strategic Choices

These choices are the core commitments that the school makes. They focus efforts and resources, and by definition define what the school will not do. These choices are to be executed in combination, to produce conditions and outcomes to achieve SEM’s vision and uphold its mission and values.

Flexible Learning by Design

  • Articulate SEM’s educational philosophy, grounded in our mission, and based on current research in teaching and girls’ development. 

  • Reimagine how time, space, and delivery of school can evolve in line with our vision and mission.

  • Ensure rigorous attention to scholarship, individual needs, and student agency in learning design.

  • Explore new contexts for learning, such as work experiences, independent and collaborative projects, travel, and community service.

  • Re-define leadership for women as an expansive pursuit, where women, by building their talents, interests, and capacities, can make positive change for themselves, for each other, and for their community, in any part of the world, and in any context.

  • Cultivate our global perspective  by providing opportunities, and experiential learning that expand our community’s appreciation and understanding of the world around us.

  • Expand boarding options to develop personal and flexible learning opportunities for our students

 

Challenging and Relevant Curriculum

  • Continue to review and strengthen all aspects of the curriculum to ensure learners master the foundational knowledge and skills for advanced learning.

  • Build upon curricula to ensure development of our students’ social and emotional capacities and to include global perspectives and relevant academic subjects.

 

Thriving Community

  • Integrate wellness, equity, and inclusivity in every aspect of life at SEM.

  • Continue our commitment to making SEM a community of belonging through our work on equity and inclusion.

  • Engage alumnae and friends of the SEM community as mentors, advisors, and learners.

  • Commit to celebrating and sharing student and adult work.

  • Strengthen our commitment to a distinctive residential experience by ensuring a robust program and deeper integration across and between the day and boarding populations.

  • Invest in professional development for the faculty and staff, administration, and Board as the means to provide for SEM’s future. 

  • Examine and develop financial strategies to support our mission.

  • Assess enrollment strategies to ensure a thriving community.

  • Reaffirm our commitment to a culture of shared accountability.