I’d like to remind everyone of the listening sessions that will be starting next week in the context of the strategic visioning process. The purpose of these sessions is to collect our thoughts on what academic excellence means in the context of the educational mission of Ithaca College. A schedule of listening sessions can be found at https://www.ithaca.edu/visioning/schedule/
By next spring, the strategic visioning exercise will have enabled us to identify six to eight priorities that we will focus on the coming years as part of our journey “to become the standard of excellence for residential comprehensive colleges.” The listening sessions are conversations with ourselves, a way of thinking out loud, in order to identify our core values and how we intend to realize those values more fully.
The listening sessions will be between 60 and 90 minutes long. With the assistance of the co-listeners, there will be an opportunity in each session for small group conversation focused on identifying our core academic goals and what we need to do to achieve them. We will then ask people to share their thoughts with everyone present. One of the most valuable elements of the process is the opportunity for us to listen to each other. How rare it is for faculty, staff and students to hear each other’s thoughts on what is most important in our educational community!
I have been asked by a number of people whether it makes sense to proceed with the strategic visioning process at a time when economic uncertainty is forcing budgetary reviews and reductions in spending. Indeed, this is a question the Board of Trustees weighed carefully at its meeting two weeks ago. The answer given by the trustees, which I wholeheartedly support, is that budgetary constraints make it all the more important to be thoughtful, thorough, and successful in identifying our core priorities. More than ever, we must focus on the areas in which our educational mission demands excellence. In other words, we cannot afford NOT to undertake this strategic visioning.
I look forward to seeing you at one or more of the listening sessions.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20081105140453307