To: The Wellesley Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson and Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College Andy Shennan
Re: Strategic Planning Phase 2: Our Aspirations
Date: February 18, 2020
With the spring semester well underway, we have entered a new phase in the College’s strategic planning. The working groups have spent the past several months examining the current state of our four key priority areas:
Liberal Arts: How do we fully realize our mission to provide an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world?
Organization and Governance: How do our organization and governance need to change to achieve the “Wellesley of the future” we envision?
Wellesley in the World: How do we elevate our role as an educational institution, leader, and advocate for women’s education and empowerment in the United States and globally?
Community: How do we create an experience for students, faculty, and staff that instills a greater sense of belonging and connection and prepares students for a rapidly changing world?
Working group members have now conducted interviews with members of the community; reviewed critical documents, such as the reaccreditation self-study; and examined data from Wellesley and from our peer institutions. Based on their findings, they have developed this assessment of the current state of the key priority areas. With this foundation in place, the working groups are now poised to move forward into phase 2, during which they will outline the aspirations that will guide their recommendations and ultimately inform the strategic plan.
This transition from assessing our current state to establishing a strategic vision for the future is a pivotal moment in our planning, and it calls for the insights and best thinking of our broader community. That means you! We have designed a process that allows for maximum engagement in a relatively condensed time period. At the end of this three-week process, which begins February 20, our goal is for the working groups to be able to articulate a set of compelling aspirations that have been informed and validated by the community so that in the second half of the semester, they can develop recommendations for realizing the aspirations.
To make these consultations both stimulating and productive, we have created two ways for members of the community to engage:
- Larger group discussions that will include faculty, staff, and students and focus on each of the key priority areas.
- Opportunities to meet with working group co-chairs and/or members in smaller groups or individually.
The schedule for the larger group meetings is as follows (please note that you are welcome to attend more than one):
- Thursday, Feb. 20, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Alumnae Hall Ballroom
- Tuesday, Feb. 25, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Tishman Commons
- Wednesday, Feb. 26, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Tishman Commons
- Monday, March 2, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Alumnae Hall Ballroom
The working groups will also be hosting a series of smaller meet-ups:
- Thursday, Feb. 20, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Punch’s Alley (Organization & Governance)
- Monday, Feb. 24, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Cow Chair Room (Wellesley in the World)
- Thursday, Feb. 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Founders Link (Liberal Arts)
- Thursday, Feb. 27, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Punch’s Alley (Community)
The work we do together over the next three weeks will establish a kind of “true north” for the strategic plan and set the vision for all that follows. We encourage and look forward to your input. If you are unable to participate in person, please feel free to reach out to one of us, or to the co-chairs of the working groups. You can also submit feedback through the strategic planning website.
