College issues Strategic Plan update

Author: Anthony Adragna

Members of the College administration released a progress report concerning the implementation of the Strategic Plan on Feb. 13 describing efforts since September 2007 to achieve the Plan.

The report refers to over 30 specific goals outlined in the Strategic Plan and discusses what progress has been made towards those goals. Topics range from financial aid to senior housing.

Dean of Planning John Emerson said he remains pleased with the progression of the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

"The progress has been steady and encouraging," Emerson said. "A lot of staff members in many different areas and at different levels have invested a lot of effort into implementing the planning recommendations."

One of the larger goals of the Plan is to diversify the student body in terms of color and socioeconomic status. The Plan aims to have 43 percent of the body on need-blind aid and the progress report suggests that goal will be achieved in the next two years. The report lists the creation of a Financial Aid Committee and efforts to retain students of color as progress towards the larger goal.

Emerson said administrators would strongly consider student input when considering the question of financial aid.

"On perhaps our biggest recommendation, there is continual student input on the questions relating to financial aid," he said. "Some changes that will go into place here on campus respond directly to student concerns, and [Vice President for Institutional Planning and Diversity Shirley] Ramirez, especially, has represented those concerns well."

Another key goal of the larger plan is to clarify the commons system. The progress reports lists that the role of commons heads have been elucidated, that the commons will be included in parts of the curriculum and a new Convocation plan, with commons-based events led by sophomores have been developed.

Also included in the commons discussion has been the issue of housing options, which have been clarified thanks to the 4/2 Plan.

"The proposed implementation originated with recommendations that the SGA made to President [of the College Ronald D.] Liebowitz and to Dean [of the College Tim] Spears last year," Emerson said. "Students will see the direct results in the April room draw."

Another recommendation of the Strategic Plan is to require senior work in all majors. There is no definite timetable for the implementation of that recommendation.

"We are still in the inquiry stages of assessing whether senior work can be done in all majors," Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research Pat Manley said. "There is no definite time that is scheduled for this to be implemented."

Administrators have also updated the College's Master Plan to agree with the goals of the Strategic Plan, after finding the Master Plan did not include certain elements of the other.

"Chapter five of the Strategic Plan deals with the physical infrastructure of the campus and sets strategic goals for it," Associate Vice President for Facilities Susan Personette said. "The former Master Plan did not address these issues, so a new Plan was needed."

Personette said the full Board of Trustees will read and approve the changes to the Master Plan soon.

"Since late fall of 2007, the Plan has been in review by the Master Plan Committee, senior administrators and the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees," she said. "It will be distributed to the full Board within the next few weeks, and then the Board will discuss it at the May Board meeting. If all goes well, it is hoped that it will be approved in May."

Emerson thinks one recommendation that needs attention is the issue of balancing work and social lives while at the College.

"Perhaps the most interesting recommendation is the one that calls for attention to work-life balance," he said. "This one made it into the plan largely from student input at open meetings, and also because of concerns raised by staff members. It is an issue that is difficult to get a handle on. [Dean of Library and Information Services] Barbara Doyle-Wilch is chairing a group that is beginning to give it serious attention."

Despite the vast nature of the Plan, the College aims to have the recommendations of the Strategic Plan in place within the next 10 years.

"The planning horizon extends to 2015," Emerson said. "That said, there is a sense in which the Strategic Plan will never be finished, until the next one comes along."

In spite of all the changes contained within the Plan, the Administration continues to place the interests of current students first.

"The reality is that more attention goes to needs of current students than to the needs of students in 2015, but I hope the two share much in common," Emerson said. "The Eat Good Foods initiative certainly was not in the Strategic Plan, nor was the purchase of the Mill building to meet student needs for art spaces. But both of these initiatives are arguably consistent with recommendations that are in the Plan. The needs of current students certainly motivated these two projects."