The Strategic Planning process helped us to reimagine our programs, structures, and resources. The work was carried about by four committees.
On this page:
The diagram above contains four primary elements (described below) and two secondary elements (Board of Trustees and Alumni). All elements connect bi-directionally to #4, the Strategic Planning Committee.
- 1. Curriculum Review Committee - Focus on reimagining our programs Pillar 1.
- 2. Integrated Learning Committee - Focus on reimagining our programs Pillar 2, Pillar 3, and Pillar 4. Connected to the Curriculum Review Committee by the Teagle Bridge.
- 3. Structure and Resources Committee - Focus on reimagining our size, structure, and resources.
- 4. Strategic Planning Committee - Responsible for coordinating the overall activities of the strategic planning process with input from Board of Trustees advisors and Alumni groups.
- Share your ideas
1. Curriculum Review Committee
The Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) is charged with advancing Pillar 1 (a rigorous liberal arts and sciences education) by creating a robust and contemporary academic experience for our students. The essential knowledge, skills and experiences that students acquire are the foundation of a Gettysburg College experience and an education that prepares students for their lives.
Key questions
- What are the essential student learning outcomes of the Gettysburg College curriculum? What should all students know, be able to do, and experience by the time they complete the curriculum?
- How will we ensure these essential student learning outcomes are addressed in the curriculum? How will the curricular requirements be structured so that these essential learning outcomes are met?
- In partnership with the College faculty and academic departments/programs, how will the essential student learning outcomes be assessed?
- How will the curriculum and co-curriculum be integrated to enhance the College experience?
Members
- Sahana Mukherjee (Co-Chair), Associate Professor of Psychology
- Chris Zappe (Co-Chair), Provost
- Kathy Cain, Professor of Psychology
- Ryan Johnson, Associate Professor of Physics
- Nicholas Miller, Assistant Professor of Art and Art History (Spring 2021)
- David Powell, Associate Professor of Education
- Beatriz Trigo, Associate Professor of Spanish
Consultants
- Melissa Forbes, Lecturer of English
- Darren Glass, Associate Provost for Academic Assessment
2. Integrated Learning Committee
The Integrated Learning Committee is charged with making recommendations that will bring Pillars 2, 3, and 4 to life. The Integrated Learning Committee will be divided into three subcommittees that focus on each pillar.
Pillar 2 Subcommittee
The Pillar 2 Subcommittee will focus on empowering students to convert their aspirations into action in order to lead lives of impact. Central components of this work include a demonstrated commitment to: community and civic knowledge and engagement; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and ethical and effective leadership.
Key questions
- What knowledge, skills, and experiences do students need to recognize and respond to challenges and opportunities that arise in their lives and those of their communities?
- How will we leverage current and untapped resources to advance our students’ ability to engage effectively with complex questions and to generate solutions?
- How will we build more intentional linkages and connections among initiatives intended to promote community and civic knowledge and engagement; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and ethical and effective leadership?
Members
- McKinley Melton (Co-Chair), Associate Professor of English
- Julie Ramsey (Co-Chair), Retired Vice President of College Life and Dean of Students
- Jeanne Arnold, Chief Diversity Officer (Spring 2021)
- Carlos Aquino (Interim CDO) (Fall 2021)
- Rimvydas Baltadounis, Associate Professor of Economics
- Amy Dailey, Associate Professor of Health Sciences
- Caroline Hartzell, Professor of Political Science
- Andy Hughes, Executive Director of the Garthwait Leadership Center
- Salma Monani, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
- Gretchen Natter, Executive Director Center for Public Service and Assistant Dean of College Life
- Laura Runyan, Director of College Grants (Spring 2021)
- Hakim Williams, Associate Professor of Africana Studies
- Katie Mercer (Student) (Spring 2021)
Pillar 3 Subcommittee
The Pillar 3 Subcommittee will focus on enhancing co-curricular experiential learning. An important component of a Gettysburg experience is learning through practice, reflection, and application. This applied learning helps prepare students for richer, more meaningful, and more effective professional, civic, and personal lives.
Key questions
- What knowledge, skills, and experiences do students need to broaden understanding, to strengthen lifelong skills, and to prepare for career pathways as well as evolving lives?
- How can we ensure that every student graduates with hands-on learning experience, such as an internship, research project, or service learning opportunity? Is this a desirable goal? If so, how do we achieve this? Should these experiences be designed, organic, or both?
- How will we better leverage our geographical location to provide co-curricular experiential learning opportunities for our students?
Members
- McKinley Melton (Co-Chair), Associate Professor of English
- Julie Ramsey (Co-Chair)
- Mike Baker, Director of Communications
- Marc Goldman, Executive Director of the Center for Career Engagement
- Paul Miller, Director of the Garthwait Leadership Center
- VoonChin Phua, Professor of Sociology
- Sarah Principato, Professor of Environmental Studies
- Kathleen Regentin, Assistant Vice President for College Advancement
- Eric Remy, Director of Educational Technology
- Richard Russell, Associate Professor of Psychology
- Gail Sweezey, Dean of Admissions
- Jocelyn Swigger, Associate Professor Sunderman Conservatory of Music
- Adil Sarwar (Student) (Spring 2021)
Pillar 4 Subcommittee
The Pillar 4 Subcommittee will focus on developing a formal and systematic integration of the curricular and co-curricular experiences and equipping students with the skills to articulate, with clarity, what they have learned and how it has prepared them for success after Gettysburg College. The committee will also focus on redefining and structuring our approach to advising, mentoring, and coaching, which play important roles in this work.
Key questions
- How will we strengthen existing and create new networks to integrate academic and co-curricular learning more effectively?
- How will we assess the effectiveness of the integration of co-curricular and curricular learning?
- How will strong advising, mentoring, and coaching help students plan and integrate their academic and co-curricular experiences to prepare for a rewarding life and career after college?
Members
- McKinley Melton (Co-Chair), Associate Professor of English
- Julie Ramsey (Co-Chair)
- Scott Boddery, Assistant Professor of Political Science
- Rob Bohrer, Associate Provost and Dean of Public Policy Programs
- Josef Brandauer, Associate Professor of Health Sciences
- Veronica Calvillo, Associate Professor of Spanish
- Charmaine Cruise, Dean of Academic Advising and Student Support Services (Spring 2021)
- Chris Fee, Professor of English (Spring 2021)
- Monique Gore, Director of Multicultural Programming and Outreach
- Katy Mattson, Associate Director of Career Planning
- Andy Wilson, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
- Cindy Wright, Director of EES Student Success and Well-being
- Alma Contreras (Student) (Spring 2021)
Consultant
- Jennifer Bloomquist, Associate Provost for Faculty Development
Teagle Bridge
The Curriculum Review Committee and the Integrated Learning Committee will be connected by the Teagle Bridge. The College received a planning grant from the Teagle Foundation to explore how we might leverage the power of our location and history to graduate students prepared with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to have a meaningful impact on the civic life of their communities—locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Key questions
- How will we align the curriculum with our overall goal of graduating students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to have a meaningful impact on the civic life of their communities? (CRC)
- Are there opportunities for civic engagement and responsibility, with a particular focus on issues of diversity and inclusion, to be included as part of the mandatory First-Year Seminar? (CRC)
- Emphasizing the power of our location and history, how will we integrate the necessary components of civic literacy across a student’s four-year educational experience? (ILC)
- How will we connect co-curricular civic experiences back to the curriculum in a more intentional way? (ILC)
- How will we build on the First-Year Walk by offering additional anchoring experiences in the sophomore, junior, or senior year? (ILC)
- Are there opportunities for a January-term experience that look at examples set by leaders like Lincoln and Eisenhower to build on the knowledge and skills we seek? (ILC)
Members
- Kris Stuempfle, Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the President
- Julie Ramsey, Retired Vice President of College Life and Dean of Students
- Sahana Mukherjee (CRC), Associate Professor of Psychology
- Beatriz Trigo (CRC), Associate Professor of Spanish
- Nick Miller (CRC), Assistant Professor of Art and Art History (Spring 2021)
- Melissa Forbes (CRC), Lecturer of English
- Ian Isherwood (FYS), Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Caroline Hartzell (P2), Professor of Political Science
- Laura Runyan (P2), Director of College Grants (Spring 2021)
- Andy Hughes (P2), Executive Director of the Garthwait Leadership Center
- Rimvydas Baltadounis (P2), Associate Professor of Economics
- Gretchen Natter (P2), Executive Director of the Center for Public Service, Assistant Dean of College Life, Interim Director of LGBTQA
- Jocelyn Swigger (P3), Associate Professor Sunderman Conservatory of Music
- Katy Mattson (P4), Associate Director of Career Planning
- Veronica Calvillo (P4), Associate Professor of Spanish
- Rob Bohrer (P4), Associate Provost and Dean of Public Policy Programs
3. Structure and Resources Committee
The Structure and Resources Committee (SRC) is charged with reimagining the College’s size and structures to best amplify reach and impact, in addition to better aligning Gettysburg’s resources and expenses.
Key questions
- How will we steward and allocate our resources to maximize their long term productive use, realign annual operating expenses with expected revenues, and amplify the priorities that we have identified?
- Given the changing landscape of higher education, what is an appropriate size of the student body?
- How will we adjust to the changing environment to ensure that our student body is stronger in academic and other metrics while also being financially sustainable?
- How will we temper the ever-escalating pressure on net tuition by adding new sources of revenue and increasing philanthropic support from a wide variety of sources?
Members
- Beth Campbell-Hetrick (Tri-Chair), Associate Professor of Mathematics
- Dan Konstalid (Tri-Chair), Vice President of Finance and Administration
- Chris Zappe (Tri-Chair), Provost
- Brendan Cushing-Daniels, Associate Professor of Economics
- Darrien Davenport, Assistant Secretary to the BoT, Assistant VP of College Life (Spring 2021)
- Jeff Foster, Associate Dean of College Life
- Shelli Frey, Professor of Chemistry
- Mike Mattia, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
- Heather Odle-Dusseau, Associate Professor of Management
- Radi Rangelova, Associate Professor of Spanish
- Jack Ryan, Vice Provost and Dean of Arts and Humanities
- Megan Sijapati, Professor of Religious Studies
- Rod Tosten, Vice President for Information Technology
4. Strategic Planning Committee
The Strategic Planning Committee will consist of the co-chairs of the other committees and other members of the community. It is charged with ensuring an integrated, innovative, and inspirational plan emerges from the strategic planning process.
Key responsibilities
- Coordinating the overall activities of the strategic planning process
- Monitoring adherence to the guiding principles
- Integrating work from the Curriculum Review Committee, the Integrated Learning Committee, and the Structure and Resources Committee
- Ensuring broad community input during the strategic planning process
- Ensuring the effective engagement of the Board of Trustees Advisors Group and the Alumni Groups
- Communicating with the Gettysburg College community
- Ensuring timely progression of the strategic planning process
- Reviewing draft committee reports and providing feedback
- Producing the final report of the strategic planning process
Members
- Tim Shannon (Co-Chair), Professor of History
- Kris Stuempfle (Co-Chair), Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the President
- Beth Campbell-Hetrick, Associate Professor of Mathematics
- Anne Erhlich, Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students (Fall 2021)
- Barbara Fritze, Vice President of Enrollment and Educational Services (Spring 2021)
- Dan Konstalid, Vice President of Finance and Administration
- McKinley Melton, Associate Professor of English
- Sahana Mukherjee, Associate Professor of Psychology
- Tres Mullis, Vice President for College Advancement (Fall 2021)
- Julie Ramsey, Retired Vice President of College Life and Dean of Students
- Charlie Scott, Executive Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
- Carey Thompson, Vice President for Enrollment and Educational Services (Fall 2021)
- Jamie Yates, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
- Chris Zappe, Provost
Board of Trustees Advisors Group
A group of trustees will serve as a resource group to the strategic planning process. This group will provide insight and advice throughout the process, particularly to the Strategic Planning Committee, the Integrated Learning Committee, and the Structure and Resources Committee.
Members
- Charlie Scott (Convener)
- Gordie Beittenmiller
- Lauren Bright
- Bruce Chamberlin
- Marsha Comegno
- Skip Cowen
- Troy Datcher
- Lindsey Hough
Alumni groups
As part of the strategic planning process, alumni will be engaged to provide input informed by their perspectives as graduates of the College and as people experienced in how to lead lives of meaning and consequence.