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Strategic Plan

Foundation for the Future | 2024-2029

As we celebrate 100 Years of our Tradition of Faith, Knowledge, Service, the Father Ryan Leadership Team and Board have been looking ahead to the next 100 years of fulfilling the school's mission.

 

This resulted in the development of a new strategic plan launching in concert with Father Ryan's centennial and propelling us further toward our vision.

 

We believe this plan will advance our mission and vision and create a foundation for the future of Father Ryan High School.

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Message from the President - May 2024

Dear Father Ryan Community,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful start to the summer season, and I pray that it brings you time with loved ones and space for reflection.

I am personally reflecting on the 2023-2024 school year with incredible pride. We graduated another exceptional class of students, who are moving on to their next chapters with a foundation of faith, knowledge, and service instilled upon them during their years at Father Ryan High School. We just wrapped up an incredibly successful admissions cycle, exceeding our targets and preparing to welcome over 200 new students to our community for the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, our families’ support of our annual fund is at an all-time high, demonstrating deep engagement in our school and our mission. We have so much of which to be proud.

This summer, we also will begin sharing more about our upcoming 100th anniversary celebrations. As we honor a century of Father Ryan’s legacy, the Leadership Team and Board have been looking ahead to the next 100 years of fulfilling the school’s mission to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.

With this in mind, I am pleased to announce the development of our new, five-year strategic plan for Father Ryan. We believe that launching this plan in concert with our centennial celebrations illustrates our focus on creating a foundation for the future of Father Ryan and advancing our mission and vision for years to come.

This strategic plan is the result of nearly two years of work, including extensive market research and engagement of various stakeholders within the Father Ryan community. As you will see, our “north star” for all our efforts is our mission, which we trust will continue to guide us forward.

We are immensely grateful for a supportive group of families, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and clergy who collectively believe in Father Ryan, and we are eager to maintain transparent and productive dialogue about the progress of the strategic plan and future of the school.

I hope you will take a moment to review the plan, and reach out to me with questions, comments, and ideas. Your engagement is part of what makes Father Ryan successful.

Blessings to you all,

Paul Davis '81

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The Strategic Planning Process

The development of our new 2024-2029 strategic plan was led by our Leadership Team and Board, who formed a Steering Committee to oversee the planning process in 2022. The process was supported by outside consultants, Tyton Partners, who were selected in 2023 based on their expertise supporting independent schools in similar processes.

Over the course of a year, in-depth market research was conducted to understand the dynamics of our community and Father Ryan’s position within the Catholic education and independent school landscapes. In addition, primary audience research was conducted in the form of surveys, interviews, and focus groups with Father Ryan’s key stakeholders.

The outcomes of this research informed the recommendations and development of the plan and will help build a foundation for the future of Father Ryan High School.

Overview of the Plan

The new strategic plan was developed with the purpose of advancing our mission and vision into the future and is structured as follows:

  • Five (5) year plan will be implemented 2024-2029.
  • Father Ryan’s mission statement serves as the ”north star” to which we are all aligned.
  • Two (2) guiding principles support the mission and guide all strategic planning activities.
  • Five (5) strategic priorities emerged as the most pressing to focus on in the coming years.
  • Research-based narrative statements better inform and direct the development of measurable objectives.
  • Measurable objectives connect back to the strategic priorities.

Our Mission - Our North Star

Father Ryan’s mission statement serves as the “north star” to the plan, centering everything we do; all elements of the plan should directly support the mission statement.

Father Ryan’s mission is to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.

Guiding Principles

These two guiding principles serve as the foundation of future strategic initiatives; these principles support the mission and guide all strategic planning activities.

1. Father Ryan High School will deliver a student experience that leverages forward-looking and traditional learning models to drive whole student formation.

2. Father Ryan High School will deepen its investment in further embedding the school as a pillar of spiritual, academic, and personal growth in the Nashville community.

Strategic Priorities

Five critical priorities emerged through primary research data collected from focus groups, surveys, and interviews. These will drive the go-forward strategic objectives for Father Ryan High School.

  1. Create the opportunity for each student to achieve his/her fullest potential.
  2. Emphasize learning beyond the classroom.
  3. Grow and develop faculty and staff who are prepared to support the next generation of learners.
  4. Ensure a robust pipeline of prospective students.
  5. Enhance financial resources, allowing Father Ryan to improve access to high-quality Catholic education and flourish for generations to come.

Accountability

To ensure success of the plan, our Leadership Team and Board have set clear roles and responsibilities to facilitate successful implementation and ongoing accountability of the school’s activities against the plan. The Strategic Oversight Committee was selected by the Board and includes current and past Board members, as well as other leaders within the Father Ryan community.

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Creating a Foundation for the Future of Father Ryan
and Advancing our Mission and Vision for Years to Come