Brandeis: The 5-Year Plan

As Provost Steve Goldstein sent out in an e-mail earlier today, President Lawrence is soliciting input from the faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students in order to devise a 5-year plan to put Brandeis on the right track.

For faculty and staff, this will take the form of planning sessions group meetings.

Undergraduate students, on the other hand, will "convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys," and the Graduate Student Association will likewise organize events for graduate students to contribute their input.

In addition, Goldstein announced the members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. It is comprised of: Gannit Ankori, Ben Gomes-Casseres, Karen Hansen, Tim Hickey, Anita Hill, Fernando Rosenberg, Susan Birren, Lisa M. Lynch, Bruce Magid, Michaele Whelan, Malcolm Watson, Herbie Rosen, Michael Singer, Jonathan Davis, Barbara Mandel, Bart Winokur, David Bunis, Andrew Flagel, Elaine Kuttner and Dan Feldman.

Soliciting input as to the future of our University is a good initiative, and would be even better if the news was accompanied by concrete plans for how this will play out, as it was for the faculty and staff, who were sent Doodle polls to fill out to organize their meeting. We will see how this process plays out, but until then, students can still follow up on the initiative by e-mailing Student Union President Herbie Rosen or others involved to suggest how it should be conducted.

The most promise opportunity was Goldstein's mention of a website that will go up in December to document all of the ideas these groups come up with. This is a good way for the whole Brandeis community to be involved in the decision-making process if they choose.

I'm also confused as to why graduate students' input will be gathered in a different way than undergraduates:

With Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, undergraduates will convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys. Similarly, the Graduate Student Association will solicit input via a series of events and online opportunities. 

Is there a significance to this distinction? I'd like to know how graduate students feel about the text of the e-mail and their role in the process.

Read the full text of the e-mail below, and share your views on this news.

Dear Faculty, Students and Staff,

As you know, President Lawrence has initiated a strategic planning process for Brandeis University. As a community, we will envision our desired future in the decades ahead and create a 5-year plan to start us on that journey.  I write to share two important steps that mark the beginning of the process.

First, strategic planning discussions are being scheduled and we ask you to register:

Faculty

·      Please sign up for a planning session using the following link:

https://sys2.unet.brandeis.edu/bwebforms/view/Faculty_Sessions/

Staff

·      Please sign up for a planning session using the following link:

https://sys2.unet.brandeis.edu/bwebforms/view/Staff_Sessions/

You will receive confirmation of date and time shortly after registering.

Students

·      Students have selected a different process.  With Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, undergraduates will convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys. Similarly, the Graduate Student Association will solicit input via a series of events and online opportunities. As these events are scheduled, you will hear more.

All ideas and feedback will be carefully documented, synthesized and posted on a strategic planning website to go live early in December. These materials will serve as the basis for development of the strategic plan.

Second, I am pleased to announce the membership of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The talented and diverse committee is comprised of faculty (one each from Heller, IBS and the four divisions in Arts and Sciences); the academic deans; undergraduate and graduate student leaders; trustees; and members of the senior administration (the attachment lists members by name).  I will chair the committee.

President Lawrence and I are deeply grateful to committee members for their willingness to assume this demanding service, and we thank the Faculty Senate Council for its guidance during the committee selection process. We also thank you, in advance, for your participation. We need your input to produce a vibrant and successful plan that will propel us into a future as bold and discerning as the act of our formation.

 

Sincerely,

Steve A.N. Goldstein ’78, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P.

Provost and Professor of Biochemistry