Determining the course

Keeping in account the trends and developments and based on analysis of our own organization, we will pay extra attention to the following areas in the period 2004-2008:

• Educational development. We aim to increase the personal guidance of students and the knowledge potential of our staff members in their areas of Christian practice.
• Knowledge transfer. We aim to be more than an educational institution. We want to be a knowledge center for interested parties in churches and others in society.
• Organizational development. We aim to continue developing internally as a working community of and for staff members. Externally, we must also position ourselves more clearly and forcefully.

The following pages provide in more detail the strategic aims of each area of attention. The main idea is to enhance and expand on our strongest qualities, as well as provide new policy measures.

Educational devolopment
Students who choose the CHE experience the added value of excellent quality professional education having a transparent Protestant Christian identity.  Christian view on the profession (identity) and competency based learning (expertise) governs education at CHE. Important reference points for our educational institution are its small scale and personal environment. Students can count on extensive personal guidance. 
We choose for a quality care system that determines whether we meet accreditation demands, and that also guarantees our mission and strategic aims. 
We want to enhance and expand our bachelor programs, providing the possibility of flexible learning routes. In cooperation with academic universities, we offer tracks that provide admittance to related master programs. We want to participate actively in an international network of related institutions and European funding programs.
We aim for facilities that clearly tie in with a knowledge center and a campus community where students and staff members learn from each other and help each other grow. Our principle idea for future housing is creating a campus.
High quality information and communication technology is necessary for developing knowledge and facilitating external access to this knowledge.

Knowledge transfer
Based on expert knowledge of identity and professional practice, CHE combines the search for meaning (also within the profit sector) with an increasing need for knowledge and professional practice in churches, communities, and the non-profit sector.

Through CHE-Transfer, we make knowledge available to interested parties on a commercial basis. This includes providing courses, training sessions, conferences, coaching and consultancy, and applied research. Our services are also offered on a non-commercial basis, or against relatively low prices, because we want to serve the community by making knowledge available. This is done through publications, conferences, participating in discussions in newspapers and magazines, presentations, lectures, joining social debates, functioning as knowledge center, and the adoption of projects.
These aims call for an inventory of existing knowledge. This combines explicit, codified knowledge (such as course material and publications) with implicit or tacit knowledge gained by experience. Research based on, for instance, exit interviews with departing staff members, or intervision, is made possible.
Since the demand for knowledge from the community is constantly changing, and knowledge is rapidly outmoded, we seek new knowledge. Research on educational products/concepts and applied research is undertaken. Lectorates and knowledge committees are set up. 
A lectorate is a scientific research and education unit chaired by a lector for improving on education and professional practice.
Each educational department must engage in a systematic inventory – on policy level – of their own knowledge needs and which knowledge demands they pick up from their professional environment. Look for more information on the site of the research group Social Innovation which is part of the department People & Organization.

Organizational development
CHE is an eminent knowledge-intensive institution, with high qualified staff members. In our center for education and knowledge, they serve as the crucial means of success. Personnel policy therefore has the highest priority. We want to be a good and attractive employer, creating an inspiring working community for our staff members. We want to be a place where people feel at home, where we can develop and learn from each other. This calls for a consistent policy of the inflow, flow, and outflow of staff members.
The realization of the strategic plan leads to a shift in tasks, responsibilities, and competencies. Because the managers play a key role in fulfilling the process of change, it is necessary for management to be adaptive. This will be supported by an intensive management development track.
CHE is a relatively small institution. We require decisive power and scale increase on all levels in order to achieve our ambitions. We will cooperate more closely with the Christian University de Driestar in Gouda and the Reformed University Zwolle. In addition, we want to play a leading (international) role in bringing together organizations of Christian professional education and knowledge centers with related missions or aims.
Through active and professional marketing communication, we want to position ourselves more clearly, particularly in the Ede region. The substance and style of communication must clearly and consistently carry out the special position of CHE to the various target groups.