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Smith is a residential college, with nearly all of its students residing on-campus
and many of its faculty in relative close proximity. This offers great advantages,
in terms of the types of special academic and related programming we can offer as
well as the sense of a coherent intellectual and social community it imparts. We
must challenge ourselves to view the residential system for students as a critical
component of their educational experience. How can we develop the co-curriculum
to be even more supportive of the goals we have for the curriculum and more integrated
with it? Our discussion of skills and capacities offers an opportunity to do
this, as we consider the impact of the co-curriculum on such areas as leadership
skills, civil discourse, appreciation of multiple perspectives, the ability to balance
multiple commitments and handle stress, the ability to work in groups. Furthermore,
research shows that peer interactions contribute in important ways to the academic
success and accomplishments of students. We should think creatively about how
to structure the co-curriculum to support and encourage such interaction. We
have made significant progress in the area of student life over the past decade. What
are the next steps? As with the curriculum, some specific issues have emerged.
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Setting
the Context
Important Issues
Facing Smith
Enhancing
admissions competitiveness
Balancing
economic access with competing institutional priorities
Exploring the shape of the curriculum and intellectual
capacities
Investing in faculty development
Leveraging role as residential academic community
Examining
opportunities for
special academic programs
Articulating
Smith’s
distinctive position and advantage
Enhancing philanthropic support
Improving the climate for diversity
Aligning facilities planning with strategic priorities
Next Steps in the
Planning Process
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