March 2005 Update

Middlebury's 2005 strategic planning officially began on January 5 when the 11 Planning Task Forces and the Planning Steering Committee met together in McCardell Bicentennial Hall for a "kickoff" meeting to prepare for the work ahead. President Ronald Liebowitz and Dean of Planning John Emerson addressed the assembled group and reviewed the broad goals for the year-long planning process, its organizational structure, and the timetable for various phases of planning. Soon after this meeting, President Liebowitz announced the membership of the planning groups. In the following week, the President wrote to all Middlebury alumni/ae and parents to provide an introduction to Middlebury's planning, encouraging members of both groups to contribute their thoughts and recommendations about the future of the College.

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Highlights from Two Months of Planning Activity

The Planning Task Forces and the Steering Committee have each met regularly, in most cases weekly, since early January. After reviewing the charges provided to the Task Forces, and adding, as they were encouraged to do, additional issues identified by their own members, the task forces began to develop an understanding of the challenges involved and to build a context and background for their work. President Liebowitz and Dean Emerson both stressed that the charges for each group provide guidance in identifying some potentially important issues, but that they should not constrain the Task Forces from framing additional goals and priorities for their work. The broad charges for each Task Force are designed to invite flexibility, imagination, and innovation in developing responses well-suited to the issues and questions raised (see www.middlebury.edu/administration/planning/structure).

Several Task Forces have found it useful to draw on expertise beyond their own membership.  For example, the Task Force on Composition of the Student Body invited members of the Admissions Office and the Financial Aid Office to meet with them to provide Task Force members with "crash courses" in these areas. They also held a joint meeting with the Faculty Council to explore issues related to intercollegiate athletics.  The Task Force on Faculty Resources met with the Educational Affairs Committee, a standing committee elected by the Faculty, to review data on faculty teaching loads and find out what needs are not currently being met. Most of the Task Forces have one or more Advisory Members who are asked to provide specific expertise and perspectives when called upon to do so.

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Student Interest

In the first week of Winter Term, President Liebowitz and Dean Emerson held an open meeting for the student community that was organized and hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA) at the Grille.  The level of interest and discussion among those who attended was intense.  Not surprisingly, many questions from students centered on issues of student life, housing and dining, and the Commons, but students also discussed aspects of the curriculum and faculty resources. Most student members of the Planning Task Forces were present. A week later, the Middlebury Campus carried a detailed and informative front-page article about planning.

With the beginning of spring term, student interest showed signs of growing.  A seminar in research methods taught by Professor Peggy Nelson (Sociology) is making plans to survey a random sample of students to gather their views and attitudes about subjects that will be of interest in planning. The Student Government Association is actively encouraging its own members and other students to participate in various open meetings hosted by the Task Forces; SGA Vice President J.S. Woodward, who is also a member of the Planning Steering Committee, is working energetically with SGA President Andrew Jacobi in seeking other opportunities for student input

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Faculty Involvement

The Task Forces include a significant number of faculty, but there is also a strong desire for involvement among the faculty as a whole, and planning issues have been incorporated into several regular faculty meeting venues in order to ensure the widest possible discussion of relevant topics. The January meeting of the Faculty was lengthened to accommodate smaller breakout groups for lively discussions of many of the issues identified in the Task Force charges. The success of the format used in January led to a similar set of discussions at the March faculty meeting; the Faculty engaged specific questions related to the curriculum, and faculty resources, and other matters on which the Task Forces sought faculty perspectives.

President Liebowitz and Vice President of Academic Affairs Alison Byerly have now met over informal lunches with most academic departments to explore issues that are important for these groups and talk about general trends in the curriculum.  Soon they and Dean John Emerson will host a series of small lunch meetings to hear from individual faculty members about what they deem especially important for the College's future.

One goal in defining the roles of the Task Forces was to avoid having them follow traditional organizational lines.  Rather, we wanted to choose themes that could bring together students, faculty, staff, and administrators to engage agendas that cut across lines that sometimes seem to separate us into constituent groups. All eleven Task Forces include members from the College Staff and these staff members have been energetic and vital contributors to the planning process.

The Task Force on Staff Roles and College Mission recently spent a full day hosting one-hour meetings for staff members and managers to engage in some brainstorming and gather ideas for further study. By all accounts, these meetings involved vigorous discussions that compared and contrasted the highly varied contributions of staff to the College's core educational mission with the role of the faculty. Although staff members understand that faculty members have full responsibility for the academic program and the curriculum, they also recognize that their own work is critically important in a variety of ways to the successful operation of a first-rate residential liberal arts college.  Many staff members pride themselves on the direct contact they have with Middlebury students, whereas others see their own contributions as being generally invisible to students, yet necessary for the College to function as smoothly as it does.

The Task Force on Institutional Change and Culture is unusual in having a somewhat amorphous yet far-reaching assignment. It is asked to address some institutional issues that President Liebowitz believes are especially important: encouraging creative approaches to our work; fostering a willingness to take risks; nurturing a College-wide appreciation for successes when they occur in particular areas of the College; and continuing efforts to promote and support diversity of all kinds in all venues at the College.  A portion of this Task Force's work involves meeting with the other Task Forces to assist them in addressing these issues of institutional culture as they relate to the particular assignments of each Task Force.

Many dozens of alumni/ae and parents have already responded to President Liebowitz's invitation for input in January. We have received thoughtful and occasionally provocative advice and perspectives in the form of e-mail messages, letters, and personal communications. Dean Emerson has channeled this input to the appropriate planning Task Forces. The messages received have frequently led to lively discussions at planning meetings and have stimulated us to think about many possibilities that go beyond the agendas suggested in the initial charges to the Task Forces.

President Liebowitz began a series of off campus meetings with alumni and parents on March 2 in order to provide a context for and an update on the planning process. The President's tour has covered Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles so far and the meetings have drawn large crowds. The tour continues for the rest of March and April; here's the schedule.

A survey has been prepared and will be mailed to all alumni and parents in April. The survey addresses some broad issues and is intended to gather information about what alumni and parents value most about the Middlebury educational experience.  The information gathered by the survey will provide useful perspectives for the Planning Steering Committee this summer as the committee reviews the reports from the Task Forces. 

On February 10-12, the Middlebury Board of Trustees met in Middlebury. After their business meetings concluded on Saturday, they assembled in Kirk Alumni Center for a Trustee retreat that extended throughout the afternoon. The retreat focused on an overview of College finances and strategic planning, followed by breakout sessions that explored the College's core academic mission and broad academic reputation.  Among the many perspectives emerging from the deliberations was a clear understanding that the quality of a Middlebury education is perhaps best reflected by our graduates, in their many accomplishments in a wide range of venues throughout the world.

At least three open planning meetings are being held in March.  Two of these, hosted by the Planning Steering Committee, have as a theme the College's academic excellence and reputation. Each of these meetings will begin with three 5-minute presentations by a student, staff member, and faculty member to help stimulate thinking about our core academic mission. Presenters on March 16 will be J.S. Woodward '06; Arlinda Wickland, Director of Student Fellowships and Health Professions; and Priscilla Bremser, Professor of Mathematics. On March 30 the presenters will be Eli Berman '07; Karen Guttentag, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs; and Stanley Bates, Professor of Philosophy.

Middlebury's academic excellence attracts outstanding students, and these students in turn further elevate the academic standing and reputation of the College. The Task Force on Composition of the Student Body, led by Psychology Professor Michelle McCauley, held an open meeting on March 9 that was attended by around 40 students, staff, and faculty. Participants identified qualities they value most in the present student body, and they explored how they would like the student body to continue to evolve in future years. Some people mentioned the diverse interests and talents of many Middlebury students as particular strengths, yet commented that our students may be "spread too thin" with so many activities competing for their energies. Others characterized our students as members of a caring College community with selfless commitments to serve their local community and, indeed, a world community. Several students expressed a hope that Middlebury students might be more actively aware of issues and needs in the world that surrounds us – part of a more "activist" community. Some speakers saw the student community as rather homogeneous in its attitudes and backgrounds, whereas others noted the evolution over the last decade of a much more diverse student community.

This report describes where the planning process has come so far, but we still have a long way to go, and there is plenty of opportunity for further input, both from people here on campus and from members of Middlebury's extended community. The Committee on Planning Middlebury's Future invites you to add your ideas to this continuing dialogue. You need not restrict your thoughts to the topics mentioned here, or even to those listed among the Task Force charges; all ideas are welcomed. Please forward e-mail to Planning@Middlebury.edu.

John Emerson

Dean of Planning

March 15, 2005