微密圈

Dear 微密圈 Community, 

鈥屸�孖 write to share an update on our Strategic Planning process, including the next steps and timelines for completing the next Strategic Plan this fiscal year. One of our major input steps, the call for white papers that suggest proposals, projects, and goals for the College, just concluded last week with resounding success: We received 78 individual and group white paper submissions! I am so proud of and grateful to our entire community for this robust effort 鈥� during such a busy time, everyone really answered the call and offered their thoughtful input to this important process. 

鈥孉s you鈥檙e aware, we have formed five major themes of the next Strategic Plan, with the following campus leaders designated as the 鈥渃ontent experts鈥� for each: 

• 鈥孴he Residential Student Experience: Adrian Bautista, dean of students and VP for student affairs, and Josh Maxwell, SGA president, co-chairs, Subcommittee on Student Affairs 
  鈥孋reativity and Academic Excellence: Dorothy Mosby, dean of faculty and VP for academic affairs
• Sustainability:
  • Financial Sustainability: Dan Konstalid, VP for finance and administration, IPPC Subcommittee on Budget and Finance 
  • 鈥孍nvironmental Sustainability: Tarah Rowse, director of sustainability programs and assessment, and Kurt Smemo, associate professor of environmental studies and faculty director of sustainability, Campus Sustainability Subcommittee
• 鈥孖ncreasing the Endowment for Need-Based Financial Aid: Jess Ricker, VP for enrollment and dean of admissions, and Carey Anne Zucca, Collyer VP for advancement
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Joshua Woodfork, VP for strategic planning and institutional diversity and Masako Inamoto, associate professor of Japanese, co-chairs, Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding (CIGU)

鈥孫ur period of gathering input on these themes from all our constituencies is now drawing to a close, and we seek to share back with our community the expansive input that has come in, as well as shape that feedback into cogent and exciting recommendations for consideration in the eventual final Strategic Plan for 微密圈, 2025-2030. This process follows two guiding principles: 鈥�

1. 鈥孲eeking and gathering a wide and highly representative array of feedback from all our constituencies 鈥� staff, faculty, students, Board members, President鈥檚 Cabinet, Extended Cabinet, Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC), and more.
2. 鈥�Respecting the knowledge and leadership of our content experts 鈥� those individuals at the College who are leading the outreach and feedback process in their own areas of professional expertise 鈥� and seeking their shaping guidance on the wide array of inputs. 

鈥孋onsequently, we have developed the following steps and dates to guide this next stage of the work:&苍产蝉辫;鈥�

1. Prior to the Dec. 6 staff and faculty meetings, each鈥� person leading one of the 鈥渢hemes鈥� of the developing Strategic Plan will review all the inputs and feedback in their area and produce a summarizing memo.
2. Prior to the Dec. 6 meetings,鈥� the summarizing memo will be shared with me, Joshua Woodfork (chair of the Strategic Planning process), and Smriti Tiwari (associate professor of economics and vice-chair of Strategic Planning). We have asked the individuals to be sure the memo also includes an explanation of the processes used to gather input and construct the summary.
3. At the Dec. 6 IPPC, staff, and faculty meetings, each content expert will present a concise oral report to the audiences on the main threads, themes, and any specific items of feedback they think are especially promising and/or important for consideration in the next Strategic Plan. This will include suggestions about what to de-emphasize or sunset at the College, as well as an explanation of the processes used to gather input and construct the report.
4. Following the Dec. 6 meetings, each context expert will prepare from that summary memo a set of recommendations (anywhere from 3-7 recommendations) that they want to favor for consideration in the Strategic Plan.鈥� This will include an explanation of the process to move from the array of inputs to these specific recommendations. They will share these recommendations with me, Joshua, and Smriti through in-person, half-hour presentations/discussions during the week of Dec. 10.
5. From all this rich and varied material 鈥� the summary memo, the Dec. 6 presentations, the recommendations, and the discussion about the recommendations 鈥� as well as from all the other Strategic Planning inputs ranging from the Campus Master Plan to the Visions and Values Project to all the notes and summaries from various forums and meetings over the past 15 months and more 鈥� I will work to construct a draft of the next Strategic Plan between Dec. 13 and Jan. 17. I can then share this working draft with Joshua and Smriti, President鈥檚 Cabinet, and IPPC, and eventually with the entire campus community by or before Feb. 7. That date will allow me to revise any parts of it based on this community feedback prior to presenting the draft to the Board of Trustees at the February Board meetings.鈥疐ollowing the Board鈥檚 review, we will have the Board feedback to incorporate 鈥� and of course the Board will be particularly focused on ensuring our goals align with our resources; and additional revision and community-sharing through late February and early March, with a final version of the Plan ready for the Board to approve at their May meetings.

鈥孖n summary, we are moving from broad-based, inclusive community input to a sharpening of that input from the content experts on our campus. From this material and process I will share with the campus a draft Plan in early February, from which we will continue the dynamic of input, feedback, revision, and further sharing as we move the Plan to its final version for the Board to consider in the spring. 

鈥孫f course, if anyone has questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me, Joshua, and Smriti. I continue to hold office hours specific to the Strategic Planning work and I am always available to discuss any aspect of this project. I am grateful to Joshua and Smriti, to the Cabinet, to IPPC, and indeed to everyone who has participated in this work. 

鈥孴his is a huge collaborative effort, and if we consider the Campus Master Plan, the Visions and Values project, and the Middle States accreditation work, there have been literally hundreds of contributors to our Strategic Planning process over the past three years. It鈥檚 exciting to be closing in on the culmination of that work. 

鈥屸�孉ll best, 

鈥孧arc C. Conner 
鈥孭谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟