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The college begins its efforts from a position of considerable strength, with a
talented and engaged student body, an excellent faculty distinguished for its teaching
and research, dedicated staff, substantial financial resources, and extraordinary
facilities. The new plan will build on the momentum of the last strategic plan
from the 1990s and its related fund-raising campaign, whose initiatives have propelled
the college forward in recent years.
The college embarks on the planning process in the wake of a period characterized
both by bold new investments and by financial constraint and restructuring. In
recent years, Smith has established the first engineering program at a women’s
college and one of the few found at a liberal arts college. This initiative, coupled
with projected investments in the sciences, signals the college’s intention
to address the critical shortage of women in science and engineering. A major
renovation of the fine arts complex and additions and renovations to the Lyman Plant
House have expanded Smith’s already enviable resources in these historically
strong areas. Smith has enhanced its athletic facilities with the Olin Fitness
Center. The newly constructed campus center is the centerpiece of our effort
to balance the strong, small-scale residential environments of our house system with
opportunities to socialize across house boundaries and to coordinate and enhance
student activities. In addition to these new and renovated facilities, Smith
has initiated a number of bold and imaginative programs over the last several years:
Praxis, the Center for Women and Financial Independence, the Poetry Center, the new
program in landscape studies, and the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute.
In the last few years, we have also strengthened the financial position of the college
through careful planning. We have stabilized the financial aid discount rate, reduced
the draw from the endowment, made compensation more competitive, and increased funding
for renewal and replacement of the college’s existing facilities.
Recent accomplishments provide a sense of momentum in several areas critical to
the intellectual vitality of the college, while budget planning efforts ensure that
we are moving forward on solid financial footing.
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Setting
the Context
External trends
Admission &
financial aid
Academic program
Student life
Diversity
Financial & other resources
Important Issues
Facing Smith
Next Steps in the
Planning Process
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