In May 2006, the Middlebury Board of Trustees voted unanimously to endorse a strategic plan, "Knowledge Without Boundaries." The plan is available on the Middlebury College web site at http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/planning. Hard copies are available on campus in Old Chapel and in the College Library.
The present report outlines the gains for our strategic planning agenda made during the period between our May Commencement and the beginning of the fall semester. For convenient reference, it lists these by referring to the specific numbered recommendations in the strategic plan.
#2 Seek more applicants with special academic talents.
The Admissions Office initiated a program in July and August under which visitors can elect to join an in-depth presentation by a faculty member, typically from the Arts, International Studies, or the Sciences. In July, Middlebury hosted 25 admissions counselors from lower income areas, urban outreach organizations, and science and math academies. None of these individuals had ever visited Middlebury before.
#4 Identify and recruit more top-rated academic applicants.
The admissions office reports that 45% of entering new students have academic ratings of 6 or higher on a 7-point scale, compared with 35% a year ago. This year 57 of the 100 students who received an invitation from us to visit Middlebury accepted our invitation to come to campus for a two-day program in early April. We ended up matriculating 23 recipients of that letter, compared with 14 last year, when we had no campus visit program for this group.
#5 Move gradually toward a voluntary February admissions program.
Of the 102 “Febs” matriculating this year, 74 (or about 73%) had expressed a willingness to be at least considered for February admission. Last year it was about one-third of the students who had expressed that willingness. In our publications and presentations, we continue to promote the concept of taking time off between high school and college.
#7 Increase the socio-economic diversity of the student body.
The College has seen an increase in the percentage of students receiving need-based financial assistance from 43% for the Class of 2010 (September and “Febs”) to 45% for the Class of 2011 (September and “Febs”). For the entire student body, we have 41% of students on aid this fall.
#8 Enhance recruitment and retention of students of color.
The number of U.S. students of color enrolling at Middlebury has grown from 122 in the Class of 2010 to 154 in the Class of 2011, a 25% increase. This change is the result of many diversity initiatives undertaken by the entire admissions staff, and it has been gratifying to see these efforts pay dividends so quickly.
#9 Maintain our strong international enrollment.
We experienced a significant increase in applications from international students this year, from 848 for the Class of 2010 to 1082 for the Class of 2011. Almost one-quarter of last year’s applicants were from the People’s Republic of China. Our goal this year was to increase the number of new international students who are graduates of one of the United World Colleges (UWC). Although the 65 international students enrolling this year is down slightly from 71 last year, the number of UWC graduates entering this year is 25, up from 17 last year.
#11 Create a financial aid advisory committee.
We have implemented the recommendation to have an Advisory Committee in Financial Aid. Director of Financial Aid Kim Downs serves as the chair.
#12 Continue to offer leadership in addressing the relationship between intercollegiate athletics and academic mission.
Dean of Planning John Emerson is the principal investigator of the national College Sports Project data collection and analysis project. The first reports to the Presidents of over 70 participating NCAA Division-III colleges will be issued in early October.
#13 Establish a systematic procedure for consultation between coaches and other faculty members about the balance of athletics and educational mission.
The Athletic Department sponsored a well-attended panel discussion last year entitled, "Athletics and Academics at Middlebury College: Finding the Right Balance." Coaches, other faculty members, and team captains served on the panel and most members of intercollegiate teams attended. Director of Athletics Erin Quinn has also appointed an Environmental Liaison from the department, Nordic Ski Coach Andrew Gardner, to ensure that our programs are in alignment with the environmental mission of the College.
#19 Enhance educational opportunities for staff.
A proposal for an improved dependent reimbursement program for staff and faculty was completed, and it received approval in early September. While not providing opportunities for staff members themselves, these changes do address directly the educational opportunities for their dependents.
#20 Support staff matriculation at Middlebury College.
A small committee from the administration has developed an initial proposal and will continue to refine it and review it with others this fall.
#23 Encourage staff participation in intellectual community.
President Liebowitz has appointed Lynn Dunton, Senior Special Gifts Officer in College Advancement, to chair a staff committee that will help us move forward on the recommendation to better engage the staff in the intellectual life of the College. Lynn’s committee is already meeting.
#24 Strengthen supervisory training programs.
The Office of Organization and Employee Development developed plans for a program, LeaderSkills for Supervisors and LeaderSkills for Managers, that will be offered to groups of about 15 staff members.
#28 Increase recognition of employees’ accomplishments.
Plans for a complete redesign of MiddPoints, the bi-weekly publication for College employees, were completed in time for a September introduction. This publication will provide enhanced recognition of employee achievements.
#31 Expand and support diversity in the staff and faculty.
Dean of Institutional Diversity Shirley Ramirez has organized a faculty work group on diversity initiatives. The group is exploring plans for a new intercultural center that may be located in Carr Hall. Dean Ramirez also organized a presentation and discussion on diversity issues for the annual Bread Loaf faculty meeting in early September. A nationally known scholar in the field, Professor Jeff Milem from Arizona State University, was the principal presenter.
#33 Increase faculty resources and enhance student-faculty interaction.
Led by Dean of Faculty Susan Campbell, a group of us in academic administration began a round of meetings in August with each Chair of our academic departments and programs. We are addressing the practicalities associated with better use of faculty resources to promote the strongest possible faulty-student interaction as we gradually move to increase the size of the faculty. A significant focus is on prospects for a universal requirement for every senior of a substantial experience in independent work, under the tutelage of a faculty mentor.
#39 Highlight the strengths of the sciences and arts at Middlebury.
Interdisciplinary courses in the arts are increasingly being developed and taught. Greek Tragedy in Performance, co-taught by Claudio Medeiros (Theatre) and Pavlos Sfyoeras (Classics), and Science as Art in Contemporary Theatre, taught by Cheryl Faraone (Theatre) and Stephen Abbott (Mathematics) are now on the books, with several others in the planning stages. The Center for the Arts staff prepared the fall edition of Curricular Connections, a web-based publication that summarizes the rich artistic resources that are here for students, faculty, and the surrounding community to enjoy. It outlines the arts and cultural events offered at the College, cross-referenced against relevant courses from Middlebury’s General Catalog. See http://www.middlebury.edu/arts/newspub/curricular_fall07/
#47 Make better use of current teaching resources with a goal of achieving a more competitive teaching load for faculty.
As outlined for #33 above, beginning this summer several members of the academic administration held meetings with chairs of departments and programs to explore the implications of recommendations made by the Educational Affairs Committee last spring. Our approach is an integrated one that considers teaching loads together with proposed curricular changes that will strengthen student-faculty contact. The meetings anticipate reports in October from each department and program chair on better ways to use available faculty resources while also strengthening the faculty’s mentoring of students.
#57 Explore possibilities for adding new sites abroad that support the undergraduate curriculum.
Middlebury’s new School Abroad in Arabic is in place this fall. In a parallel development, Middlebury College and Brandeis University have announced the establishment of the Brandeis University-Middlebury School of Hebrew, which will open in the summer of 2008. As Middlebury’s 10th Language School, it will be the newest summer program since the Portuguese School was inaugurated in 2003. Administrators anticipate an initial enrollment of approximately 40 students.
#61 Explore opportunities for future collaboration with the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Middlebury College and the Monterey Institute have developed plans to host a major conference on Global Education in January 2008. The conference is called ConnectEd; see: http://www.connectedconference.org/call-for-papers/
Middlebury College has established the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA), a summer language immersion program for pre-college students. The four-week residential camps will begin in July 2008, and will offer Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish. The 2008 sessions will take place on the campuses of St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont; Menlo College in Atherton, California; and Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
#62 Establish a liaison group to explore programmatic connections between the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Middlebury programs.
Dean of Faculty Development and Research, Sunder Ramaswamy, was named the project director of the Middlebury-Monterey Integration Initiative. Sunder will work with faculty and administrative colleagues who are involved in programmatic collaboration and with trustees from Monterey and Middlebury. He will serve as a point of contact between the two campuses, providing the two communities with progress reports on our ongoing efforts to deepen and extend the affiliation.
#63 Revise and expand the campus master plan to reflect the strategic plan.
Facilities Services staff members continued work on the developing plan throughout the summer. A draft of the proposed new master plan will become available this fall.
#65 Equalize housing opportunities for seniors.
A proposal for assuring housing opportunities within their commons for all first-year and sophomore students, accompanied by a more flexible room-draw procedure for juniors and seniors, has been developed. Dean of the College Tim Spears will explore the details with representative student groups this fall; the changes will affect the way the next room draw is conducted.
#68 Strengthen our environmental leadership and reputation.
Earlier this month the College was one of just four institutions recognized for achievements in sustainability by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
#69 Pursue alternative environmentally-friendly energy sources.
Work continued through the summer toward developing a biomass-fueled heating plant. The initiative is an essential part of Middlebury’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2016.
#77 Search for creative ways to reduce reliance on private vehicles.
The College has developed and introduced to students, faculty, and staff an environmentally-friendly alternative to bringing personal cars to campus. Through a partnership with Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing service, Middlebury will offer the college community access to two self-service Toyota Hybrid Prius Zipcars 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program is modest in size, but it may provide a model for further progress.
#80 Cultivate open dialogue with the Town.
President Liebowitz and other College officials held meetings this summer with town officials and with members of the Middlebury Business Association. One focus was on possible collaboration between the College and local businesses in the continued development of the downtown business area.
Resources Supporting the Strategic Plan: Perhaps most significant is College Advancement’s exciting plans for the $500 million Initiative launch on October 6, 2007, and the remarkably successful pre-launch campaign. These efforts are critically important to Middlebury’s ability to continue implementing the first two strategic initiatives in the Plan.
The examples outlined in this report illustrate the many efforts under way in the community to act upon the recommendations in the strategic plan. The College community is indebted to these individuals for their good work and leadership in advancing the College’s ambitious agendas.
— John Emerson
Dean of Planning
September 25, 2007