Mad About Midd Strategic Plan not Feb friendly

Author: Dave Barker

I don't blame you if you missed the release of "Knowledge without Boundaries: The College's Strategic Plan." Reading macrotheory by flashlight would be more thrilling. A revised draft of the Plan, which sets out a roadmap for the future of the College, was presented to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 10 by the Planning Steering Committee.

On that same day, 110 February admits were in the middle of orientation. Perhaps the Steering Committee and the Board should have dined and cooked a s'more with the new Febs, as one of the Plan's recommendations calls for a gradual reduction and move towards a voluntary February admissions program. Trimming the size of the Feb class would erode Middlebury's uniqueness.

The idea of a smaller Feb class floated around campus offices long before strategic planning began. "The number of students in the program has gotten larger than was ever envisioned," Dean of Planning John Emerson said. Academic and social hurdles combined with the trend towards fall semester or full year study abroad motivated the Steering Committee's recommendation. "It's my impression that the theory behind this recommendation is an acknowledgement of the various points in which the Feb experience at Middlebury is different than the September experience, and in some ways, more difficult," Karen Guttentag, associate dean of student affairs and the organizer of February orientation said.

Indeed, the Feb experience is different, even a little quirky, and that's what makes it so valuable. Other schools accept a small number of students at mid-year. These groups are awkwardly assimilated into the student body and have little collective identity. With classes of 100 or more, a distinct community forms. Just look for the students these days who walk in packs and smile in subzero temperatures.

Reducing the size of the Feb class might retain a few students who would otherwise end up at a school like Williams to be able to start in September, but why drop a program to be more like other schools? "It is great that we are trying to be as competitive as we can with our peer institutions, but I don't want to see the U.S. News and World Report rankings taking priority over our individuality," SGA President and junior Feb Eli Berman said.

The adequate "critical mass" that the planning Committee hopes to achieve after gradual reductions could be 90, 75 or 60 students, according to Emerson. "One advantage of moving gradually to a smaller group whose needs we can better serve is that we can evaluate the effects of changes as we go along," he said. A Feb class with 60 students offers far fewer opportunities for bonding than this year's class of 110 students.

The admissions office's proposal of a voluntary program would attract students who know ahead of time that they want the time off. I wonder, though, if students even consider the Feb program when they apply in December. Come late spring, burnt-out high school students are more inclined to start eight months late.

Real world experiences gained during these eight months lead to a greater diversity of in-class discussions. Febs are also eager to dive into campus life after time off. I can think of at least one project that could use the fresh enthusiasm of the class of 2009.5: The revised draft of the Strategic Plan.