The Life West Strategic Plan is a “great opportunity for us all at Life Chiropractic College West to learn, think, collaborate and grow. This strategic plan is not just a dream or a vision. It is a roadmap that will guide Life West as we embark on the next development phase,” said Dr. Ron Oberstein when the plan was launched in 2019. The current plan is focused on always enhancing graduate outcomes and the student experience, and on setting the college up to continue to thrive into the future, all while remaining grounded in our core value of Lasting Purpose – to Give, Do, Love and Serve from one’s own Abundance.
Key to the success of the plan is student involvement. Deep in the implementation of these strategic initiatives are the Student Council President Sagi Hebron and Vice President Sophia Grandstaff. As they were discussing updating the Student Council Constitution, it became apparent that something was missing. Basing their approach off of the Lasting Purpose values, they asked each other, “what is it that we’re actually doing as part of the plan?” The answer – not much. From this fundamental question arose a clear path of action. Student Council identified the two Strategic Initiatives in which they could have the most impact and committed to taking action by revising the Student Council Constitution to include committees in Community Service and Diversity and Inclusion.
Our current plan is focused on always enhancing graduate outcomes and the student experience, and on setting the college up to continue to thrive into the future, all while remaining grounded in our core value of Lasting Purpose – to Give, Do, Love and Serve from one’s own Abundance.
An initial event of the Student Council and D&I Committee recently took place in the form of a virtual community forum to provide space for discussion around recent violence towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, and the current climate in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community (BIPOC). Additionally, the D&I Committee held a virtual symposium during Friday Seminar introducing the framework that will guide the college over the coming years, create awareness of the committee and its purpose, and invite students to actively foster systemic change on campus.
The Community Service Committee has also been hard at work, coming up with several ideas on how to serve Hayward and surrounding areas in order to give back to the communities students call home, while incubating and learning the way of the Chiropractor. In collaboration with the campus bookstore, the Student Council has created a quarterly contest in which students submit designs for Life West gear. The winning design will be produced and sold in the bookstore with 100% of the proceeds going to a local charity that aligns with our ethos of Lasting Purpose. The goal is to create relationships throughout the community that Life West can foster for years to come.
Student clubs have also been encouraged to develop their own ideas. Equality Council holds another very successful regular event on the weekends. They select a spot, gather together, pick up trash, and talk to passing community members about Chiropractic. Another very successful event was held by the Student Council in February. The Life West student body partners with Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center every February for the annual Have-A-Heart Campaign, and 2021 was the most successful fundraising year to date! Once again the college received the winning Golden Heart Award with a record collection amount.
Our students have shown that they are committed to sharing the responsibility for achieving the initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan. They are intent on creating a campus culture that embraces diversity and inclusion and celebrates service within and outside of the college. Their example shows that Lasting Purpose is not just etched on the campus walls; more importantly, it is sewn into the fibers of the souls that give their time at the college to serve humanity out of their own abundance.
