Dear Members of the Gettysburg College Community,
I am writing to update you on our College’s new strategic planning process.
As I noted in my presentation on October 29, “Living Our Promise: A Prelude to the Strategic Plan,” the important work before us seeks to reinforce and build upon the College’s considerable strengths, while also calling on us to be more purposeful in providing our students a robust, relevant, and integrated academic and co-curricular student experience. To that end, we have begun to talk about the Four Pillars as the framework of a Gettysburg education. Through our next strategic plan, we will reimagine our programs (the Four Pillars – who we are and what we do), our structures (how we do it), and our resources (how we support it). Our planning process will guide the work of the College for the next several years and will inform choices for our next fundraising campaign.
I anticipate four committees in the strategic planning process. The first is the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC), which is already underway advancing the work in the first pillar—creating a robust and contemporary academic experience for our students. Provost Chris Zappe and Professor Sahana Mukherjee co-chair the CRC. The second is the Integrated Learning Committee (ILC), which will bring pillars two, three, and four to life. The ILC will be co-chaired by Julie Ramsey and Professor McKinley Melton. The third is the Structure and Resources Committee (SRC), which will reimagine our size, structure, and resources. Dan Konstalid (VP of Finance and Administration), Professor Beth Campbell-Hetrick, and Provost Chris Zappe will serve as the tri-chairs of the SRC. Related to the work of the SRC and in response to the BARC report, I have asked Jennifer Bloomquist (Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Dean of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Programs) and Jeff Foster (Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students) to conduct a review of the College’s diversity infrastructure to assess if our current network of offices and programs might be organized to operate in a more integrated way. Finally, Kris Stuempfle (Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the President) and Professor Tim Shannon, will co-chair the Strategic Planning Committee. This committee will include the co-chairs of the other committees, as well as additional community members and will be responsible for ensuring that a truly integrated, innovative, and inspirational plan emerges from the process.
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 inclination to have a meaningful impact on the civic life of their communities—locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Two additional groups will contribute to the strategic planning process—the Board of Trustees Group and the Alumni Group. The Board of Trustees Group will be convened by Charlie Scott, Executive Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, and will provide insight and advice throughout the process, particularly to the Strategic Planning Committee, the Integrated Learning Committee, and the Structure and Resources Committee. The Alumni Group will be convened by Tres Mullis, VP of College Advancement. Alumni will be engaged in the strategic planning process 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.
I encourage you to visit the strategic planning website for additional information about committee members and draft key questions that will focus the discussions of the committees. The website also includes a feedback form for you to offer your comments, questions, concerns, and ideas.
I look forward to working together during this strategic planning process as we shape the next chapter in the future of Gettysburg College. This is important and exciting work!
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano