The Ithaca College Board of Trustees and President Tom Rochon announce the full details of a strategic visioning process that will be carried out during the 2008-9 academic year. Its purpose is to identify a short list of areas on which we need to focus in order to become stronger as a community of learners.
In an action passed unanimously on October 23, the board resolved that the process will begin with in-depth listening to the ideas and goals of the Ithaca College community. The resolution further stated that a proposed plan identifying specific priorities and programs in support of academic excellence will be presented to the board at its May 2009 meeting.
Unlike an institutional plan, strategic visioning does not attempt to map the entire College by specifying goals for each school, program, office, and division. Instead, the strategic visioning process will lead to identification of several areas of action in which an additional investment of energy, money, or perhaps just focused attention will enable us to better embody "the standard of excellence for residential comprehensive colleges, fostering intellect, creativity, and character in an active student-centered learning community."
The strategic visioning process began on October 7 with a presentation by Jeff Selingo, Ithaca class of 1992 and editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Mr. Selingo emphasized that there will always be a demand for high-quality education, and outlined a number of skills that he believes will be essential in a 21st-century college education. Slides of that portion of Mr. Selingo's talk may be found at the new Strategic Visioning Process website:
Strategic Visioning Process
The strategic visioning process will now continue with on-campus listening sessions to hear the ideas of the College community on how Ithaca College can advance in academic excellence. Sessions open to all college faculty, staff, students, and alumni will be held on November 11, November 14, and December 3. In addition, sessions will be held for students only on November 12; for staff only on November 18; and for faculty only on November 17 and 18. There will be a session for the Ithaca city and town communities on December 6. In addition, a web-based session is being organized for alumni and other friends of Ithaca College who are unable to attend an on-campus session. See the website above for times and places of each session.
President Rochon will attend each listening session as the "chief listener." He will be assisted by co-listeners drawn from various constituencies on the Ithaca College campus. Co-listeners include faculty members Laurie Arliss, Barbara Audet, Janet Galván, Hormoz Movassaghi, and Ellen Staurowsky, as well as retired faculty member Arno Selco. Additional co-listeners are staff members Yolanda Clarke, Sue DuBrava, and David García, as well as students Kyra Hickman '09 and Daniel Mahoney '11. Members of the board of trustees will also attend each listening session to better understand the ideas and goals of the College community.
The work of the co-listeners is not to formulate a strategic plan, but rather to assist each other in fully understanding and synthesizing the vision of excellence that comes from the College community. Based on the input received at these listening sessions, President Rochon will work with the deans and vice presidents to produce a draft strategic vision that identifies areas in which we have an opportunity to reach for a higher degree of accomplishment. Each area identified will be closely tied to the academic vision and mission of the College.
After review by the trustees at their February meeting, there will be a second series of meetings during the spring semester, at which members of the campus community will have an opportunity to comment on these priorities and how they might be achieved. The board of trustees will be asked to review the resultant strategic vision at its May meeting.
For a period of three to five years following approval of this strategic vision, we will make every effort to advance our level of accomplishment in the identified areas. Specific programs for advancement will be developed and, where necessary, supported with additional funds or personnel. Measures of achievement and quality will be identified for each priority area, and the success of each program innovation will be gauged.
The Ithaca College Board of Trustees and President Rochon join in asking you to bring to the strategic visioning process your best thinking on how Ithaca College can move to the next level of excellence in its educational mission.
Guiding Questions for the Community Conversations
How can Ithaca College become "the standard of excellence for residential, comprehensive colleges, fostering intellect, creativity, and character in an active student-centered leaning community"?
- What are the key elements of mission that define Ithaca College as a community of learners?
- What are the most important issues and opportunities that we should address?
- What are the existing assets and strengths that will serve as a foundation for achieving the goals identified above? What new assets and strengths need to be developed?
- Five years from now, what should be the defining characteristics of an IC education? These may relate to our students, faculty, curriculum, approach to teaching and learning, community partnerships, academic and administrative support systems, quality of student life, or other dimensions.
- How will we measure our progress?
