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President Carol T. Christ is holding small-group
conversations with students, faculty and staff about positioning Smith most successfully
for the future. Here's a summary of one of the discussions.
Following introductions, President Christ made brief
remarks about the strategic planning process and why it is important to address these
issues now. The last planning process occurred 10 years ago and resulted in the 20/20
plan. The 20/20 initiatives were funded through the "This is about Smith" campaign,
including the Brown Fine Arts Center, Campus Center, Olin Fitness Center, renovation
of the Lyman Conservatory, the Kahn Institute, Praxis, the Poetry Center, and the
Picker Engineering Program. President Christ explained that, following the successful
completin of these initiatives, she is undertaking a series of conversations on and
off campus as an important part of the next stage in the college’s strategic
planning.
President Christ posed two questions to the group for
consideration:
President Christ observed that alumnae often respond to the second question in terms
of broad capacities, such as critical thinking, writing, self-confidence, rather than
content areas. She noted that Derek Bok’s recent book, Our
Underachieving Colleges, has been influential in her thinking about whether or not we are doing all we can
for students through meaningful curriculum development.
She explained that the strategic planning conversations are intended to help identify
the most critical issues for Smith. What are our challenges? What are our greatest
opportunities, vulnerabilities, and priorities?
She then invited comments, suggestions, and questions.
A comment about the importance of critical thinking and quantitative reasoning opened
the discussion. The president emphasized that alumnae support the teaching of quantitative
skills even if they did not choose to acquire such skills at Smith.
Another participant suggested that Smith make better use of its facilities during
the summer and promote programs that enhanced its mission and educational purpose.
The possibility of post-baccalaureate study was addressed as a potential area of enhanced
programming for Smith, although not necessarily based on expanding the current graduate
program.
President Christ discussed priorities recently identified by the trustees, including
the thinness of the applicant pool, financial aid policies and achieving balance in
the allocation of resources. The trustees also emphasized strengthening the coherence
of the curriculum, the status and impact of campus social life, and sources of philanthropic
support as high priorities.
Several discussion threads addressed the sense that limited resources on campus had
had a narrowing effect on behavior among students and, more generally, across campus.
While budget balancing measures were necessary, it was noted that students feel less
empowered to do things on campus because of limited resources. It was pointed out
that budget tightening can also result in more creative uses of funds and greater
collaboration. In other situations, there is a growing sense of retrenchment over
the budget, even though, as President Christ noted, Smith’s overall resources
place it among the most wealthy colleges in the nation. She observed later in the
conversation that it was puzzling that many do not feel they have the resources they
need; this aspect of the current culture is a concern because resources at Smith are
proportionately greater than at most institutions.
Students’ ability to represent themselves effectively
to diverse audiences was cited as an important priority. Students should learn skills
that allow them to adapt to situations and constituencies across the various “silos” --
not only at Smith, but in the world. While Smith students may perceive themselves
as leaders already, there are distinct capacities that could be developed to allow
them to better understand and navigate diverse situations. Courses in public speaking
are oversubscribed, demonstrating an interest in better developing these skills. President
Christ noted that alumnae often cite their public speaking experience at Smith as
being very influential in their subsequent success.
Many students aspire to management positions that require excellent communication,
language and technology skills. It was noted that intense focus and self-confidence
can also have a flip-side that can be perceived as arrogance or a lack of curiosity
about others. Good managers must be curious about others and be able to empathize.
These are qualities that can be taught. It was suggested that public speaking and
effective presentation skills be integrated into the curriculum and also offered during
Interterm.
On-campus communications were also cited as important
to the overall health and success of the college. How faculty, students and staff
communicate with each other, across departments and through various forms of collaboration
have a great impact on the overall tone and effectiveness of college initiatives.
Discussion focused several times on issues of student diversity and, in particular,
students who were at Smith as first generation students and/or with significant financial
need. Are we giving these students what they need? Shouldn’t it be a part of
Smith’s commitment to financial aid and diversity that resources be allocated
to insure student success? Are we admitting students for whom it is a struggle to
attend Smith and then not serving them as well as we should? What are the implications
for students with high financial need (and high loan burden) who want to go on to
graduate school?
It was suggested that student employment could provide
better work experience for students while meeting the staff needs of many departments,
especially Dining Services. Questions arose regarding how student employment could
be tied more closely to leadership opportunities on campus and made more rewarding.
Topics were raised in the area of residence life, including questions of how technology
is changing the community atmosphere of houses. Some living rooms are virtually empty
because students are in their rooms sending instant messages to their own roommates.
This shifted to questions about the size and strength of the Smith community/communities.
Smith’s size makes it difficult to characterize our community as either large
or small. Would smaller class size enhance the sense of community? Would a closer
sense of community have a positive impact on alumnae identification and support? Or
does Smith’s larger size offer benefits to students that are not possible at
smaller institutions?
Questions about Smith as a community arose throughout
the conversation. The
strength of the community has an impact on its support and the affiliation Smith graduates
have with the college as students and over time. It was noted that, while Smith is
more diverse than ever before, its identity as a women’s college remains central
to its mission. The challenges and benefits of single-sex education for women today
need to be more fully considered and articulated, rather than assumed. What does it
mean to be “the largest women’s college”? How can we meaningfully
incorporate such a definition into the strategic planning and communications process?
Smith’s traditions and history were cited as sources of pride. Smith’s
history of activism and community service, as well as its exceptional collections
documenting women’s history and social service contributions, were cited as
strengths. At the same time, it was noted that a Smith education is a powerful asset,
and how that asset is put into practice and how students are taught to use it is important.
Concerns were also expressed about the amount of job search preparation students
receive or undertake. Interterm was suggested as a potentially ideal time to offer
programming related to career choices and job search preparation before the frenzy
of the spring semester begins.
The need for Smith students to seek greater balance between academic intensity and
healthy relaxation was broadly promoted. Students should be encouraged to “lighten
up” and to take themselves, their potential faults and failures and those of
their friends less seriously. This was linked to a need to take greater risks, as
well; not to accept failure but rather to learn resilience in the face of difficulties
or unforeseen circumstances. The ability to laugh, to show Smith as a place that does
have a “lighter” side (e.g., the fun of athletics, and not just their
intensity) was considered a desirable goal. President Christ shared news of a new
program being developed for Interterm called “Narratives of Success” led
by Maureen Mahoney and Jennifer Walters, with the commitment of a recent donor. The
program will encourage students to develop a more generous and realistic assessment
of what success means for them now and throughout their lives. It was suggested that
staff and faculty could also be influential in modeling balanced behavior for students—which
would require that they convincingly practice the balance to be modeled. Balance was
also related to community service. Students who participate most actively in community
service tend to express greater happiness and connection to the Smith community and
their experience at Smith. Interterm was identified as another opportunity to engage
students in community service, perhaps with off-campus opportunities such as relief
efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
Sustainability and its importance for the future of the college was emphasized. Issues
of sustainability permeate the campus, from physical plant considerations to curricular
programs to residence and dining decisions. It was suggested that decisions about
the future of the college and the use of its resources be made in consideration of
their impact on achieving an improved, more environmentally sound, and cost-effective
plan for sustainability in all aspects of campus life.
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