Dear colleagues,
As the two committees near completion of their work on the Strategic Resource Allocation project, I write to address the process going forward. I am anticipating submission of reports from the committees some time around May 1, but in any event before the end of this academic year.
Soon after these reports are submitted, they will be made available for review by members of the campus community. I want to underscore here, as both President Hurley and I have said in other venues, that a low quintile rating of a program or function does not necessarily mean that that program or function will be eliminated. The committees’ recommendations will rather represent a starting point for a continuing discussion of how best to position ourselves as an institution to strategically achieve our goals. To that end, the campus community will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations in the reports, both on-line and in town-hall settings.
I want to stress especially that President Hurley and members of his Cabinet are all committed to taking whatever time is required to solicit appropriate feedback from the campus community. We have no intention of rushing to judgment or trying to implement recommended changes after the faculty has dispersed for the summer. Assuming we receive the reports in early May, I would expect that the campus conversation I have described here will necessarily extend into the fall semester. It may even have to wait until then to get started in earnest.
That said, we will want to move as expeditiously as possible to address the recommendations raised in the reports. We will also be looking to link the insights and recommendations developed through this process to a new strategic planning process, set to get underway during the 2014-15 academic year as well.
We have a unique opportunity before us. 30 dedicated members of our campus community—37 counting those who served on the facilitation team—have spent the better part of the last year reviewing data and thinking long and hard, both individually and collectively, about our various programs and operational functions. My hope is that this deep dive into our programs and operations will help all of us sort through our short- and long-term challenges and opportunities. I hope too that by feeding this insight into the development of our next strategic plan, and by having the courage to make some hard but necessary decisions, we will be able to position ourselves strategically both to enhance the overall excellence of what we do and ensure that we are effectively meeting the needs of all the constituencies we serve, especially our students. To that end, President Hurley and I, along with other members of his Cabinet, will welcome your continuing participation as we review and respond to the reports of the two committees in the weeks and months ahead.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan
Jonathan Levin
Provost