Compass 2035

A Strategic Plan for Smith College

Smith’s strategic plan is powered by our mission and values, and by a long-standing belief that education can transform lives and strengthen communities. These principles, affirmed by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and the Smith College Board of Trustees, anchor Compass 2035: A Strategic Plan for Smith College and shape our vision for the decade ahead.

Smith is charting a bold course for the future with Compass 2035—a strategic plan that strengthens the college’s capacity to prepare every student for a life of purpose. Through a transformative liberal arts education, Smith nurtures intellectual development, analytical acuity, and curiosity among its students. Our residential liberal arts experience develops the whole student—mind, body, and spirit—by inviting students to explore questions that matter, practices that sustain growth, and ideas that spark imagination. Smith alums leave campus with more than a degree, they carry with them a sense of direction that helps them navigate a complex world with confidence.

Compass 2035 ensures that every Smith student has the tools, mentors, and experiences to chart their individual path through college and beyond. The plan’s four goals—reimagining learning and discovery, connecting education with purpose, strengthening a culture of well-being and belonging, and securing the college’s future—will guide the college over the next decade. A Smith education not only supports the success of the individuals who have been students here, it contributes to the collective good through our partnerships and volunteer endeavors with the city of Northampton, in the region of western Massachusetts, throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in the wider world. Together, the goals represent a compass for Smith as we chart a course to honor our history, build on our strengths, and innovate with imagination and courage for the years ahead.

Guided by the values that define us and the goals that galvanize us, Compass 2035 sets the direction for the decade ahead and serves as a critical tool as we prepare our students and our college to thrive with purpose, care, and a vision for a better world.

Compass 2035 will serve as Smith’s “true north” for the next decade—steady in its purpose, yet flexible enough to respond to change and embrace opportunity. Its role is to keep the college focused, nimble, and united around its mission and priorities.

In practice, Compass 2035 will guide how Smith directs its energy and resources. This new collegewide discernment practice will help promote efficiency, encourage collaboration, and ensure that resources are directed to the highest priorities. Each department will be encouraged to use the plan as a reference point in its own planning and daily work, so that institutional goals are reflected across the college.

Ongoing engagement with the campus community will remain central to the process, fostering transparency and shared ownership of the college’s momentum and learning along the way.

In early 2026, Smith will develop an implementation plan to guide how the goals of Compass 2035 are prioritized and phased in. This plan will also define how we measure progress and ensure that Compass 2035 remains adaptable, responsive, and aligned with the college’s mission.

Discover Everywhere

reflects the journey of curiosity across disciplines, cultures, and experiences that is inherent in a Smith education.

Lead Anywhere

invokes the confidence and agency that students learn at Smith and carry with them into the world as alums.

Belong Here

grounds us in the heart of Smith’s inclusive, vibrant campus and alum community.

Goals

Compass 2035 defines four interdependent goals that fall into two broad, interconnected domains: Academic Experience and Campus & Community. These domains articulate Smith’s ongoing vision and, together with the initiatives that follow, ensure that Smith remains both an exceptional place to learn and a thriving place to live and work.

Academic Experience

Goal 1: Inspire and support academic excellence, exploration, and discovery.
Goal 2: Prepare students for fulfilling careers and a lifetime of leadership.

Academic excellence and exploration lie at the heart of the Smith experience. Our open curriculum, exceptional faculty and staff, unique cultural assets, and vibrant co-curricular opportunities encourage students to center exploration in their Smith experience by asking bold questions, pursuing ideas across disciplines, and discovering their unique paths of inquiry.

Smith’s approach to education connects learning to purpose. From the first-year experience through senior year, students receive integrated academic and career guidance that links intellectual exploration to practical experience and professional growth. Through classroom and experiential learning, research, global and study away programs, partnerships with alum networks, and collaborative leadership opportunities, students learn to translate curiosity into transformative action.

Faculty and staff are central to this work. Smith will keep the college at the forefront of the liberal arts by continuing to invest in the growth of our faculty and staff at all career stages and by supporting ongoing excellence in teaching, innovation, and mentorship. As artists, scholars, researchers, and practitioners, the people who work at Smith bring real-world depth to every engagement with students in every space on campus.

Campus & Community

Goal 3: Foster well-being, belonging, and resilience across our community.
Goal 4: Strengthen institutional sustainability to ensure the college’s enduring contributions to the world.

Community well-being is the foundation of institutional sustainability. When students, staff, and faculty flourish, Smith flourishes. Rooted in this belief, the college embraces the concept of transformative inclusion—the understanding that every member of our community shapes the institution even as they are shaped by it. To strengthen well-being, belonging, and resilience across our community, we will build upon beloved traditions and create new shared moments of connection and joy.

Sustainability—both human and institutional—remains at the core of Smith’s future. Financial and environmental stewardship go hand in hand, supporting long-term stability while advancing the college’s commitment to climate responsibility. Through innovative strategies in operations, facilities, and resource management, Smith will continue to pursue the technologies that are environmentally responsible for our collective health, well-being, and sustainability. Smith will also develop a collegewide discernment practice to help ensure that college resources are directed to our highest priorities.

Connection & Continuity

The goals of Compass 2035 are deeply intertwined. Academic excellence depends on community well-being; belonging and resilience make exploration and collaborative leadership possible. Together, the key initiatives emerge from the goals and mark the beginning of Compass 2035 in action. Building on Smith’s historic strengths and propelling the college toward the vision set forth in this plan, Compass 2035 positions Smith to meet the future with confidence—advancing an institution that endures and a community that thrives.

Key Initiatives

The strength of Compass 2035 lies in the connections among the initiatives that advance its four goals. Each initiative reinforces the others, forming a framework that is bold, purposeful, and enduring. Together, they define the work ahead. Smith will:

  • continuing to meet the full demonstrated need of all undergraduate students; and
  • empowering students to participate fully in the Smith experience by expanding funding for all of the programs and services that enhance the experience and persistence of our students.

  • strengthening the first-year scaffolding so that students’ academic and co-curricular lives are more seamlessly integrated in the residential setting, providing every student with a sound foundation for their college journey;
  • ensuring all students have access to the deep engagement experiential learning opportunities that lead to improved persistence and achievement;
  • embedding career readiness and leadership development into every student’s Smith experience, with a focus on closing equity gaps and building connections with alums; and
  • increasing awareness of and access to curricular and co-curricular experiences that prepare students for global citizenship, engaged leadership, and meaningful careers.

  • investing in their development as researchers, creatives, and teachers at every stage of their careers;
  • expanding scholarship and research opportunities for faculty and increasing faculty-student collaborations across the college, including creating new initiatives and resources for faculty who want to work with students in the humanities and social sciences;
  • balancing and adapting faculty workload expectations to best support efforts across scholarship, teaching, and service; and
  • aligning spaces for teaching, learning, and exploration with current and emerging pedagogical and research needs.

  • forging new coalitions with colleges, universities, and other organizations regionally, nationally, and globally to expand curricular opportunities and affirm Smith’s role as an educational innovator and generous neighbor in the region; and
  • connecting on-campus learning with off-campus experiences, preparing students for study away and local community engagement that deepen and enrich their education.

  • elevating and reimagining spaces for athletics, recreation, and wellness;
  • strengthening mental health resources and accessibility supports;
  • expanding culturally diverse arts programming; and
  • designing spaces for reflection and connection that inspire discovery and purpose.

  • investing in sustainable, community-oriented dining that nourishes bodies, builds connections, and reduces waste;
  • aligning campus planning with the values of inclusivity and belonging;
  • celebrating and renewing Smith’s traditions to make them more inclusive and resonant with current students while preserving lasting connections with alums; and
  • creating shared moments across groups to strengthen communal bonds.

  • developing new modes of teaching and research to guide current understanding of AI’s social, cultural, educational, and environmental impacts;
  • expanding student, faculty, and staff experimentation with and training in innovative tools and resources;
  • preparing students for life and leadership by teaching them ethical principles for the rapidly evolving digital world; and
  • using technology to deepen insight into institutional operations and to strengthen decision-making.

  • adopting a collegewide practice to direct resources to the highest priorities, enhancing collaboration and reducing duplication;
  • investing in faculty and staff through policies, support systems, and training that sustain fulfilling careers and strengthen our mission-driven culture;
  • advancing Smith’s leadership in environmental sustainability through the integration of decarbonization, responsible resource use, resiliency, and adaptation across all operations; and
  • reimagining the uses of underutilized buildings and spaces to promote efficiency, sustainability, and community vitality.

3,988

responses to a Smith-wide survey in early 2025

322

community members engaged during 60+ listening sessions

288

responses received through online feedback forms

Strategic Planning Process

One year after Sarah Willie-LeBreton began her tenure as Smith’s 12th president, the college launched an 18-month strategic planning process designed to engage the entire community in envisioning the college’s future. The effort, supported by Wellspring Consulting, reflected the college’s commitment to collaboration and transparency.

More than 4,000 faculty, staff, students, alums, and trustees contributed their ideas and feedback through small group discussions, working groups, standing committees, and online surveys. A steering committee with broad representation guided the process, with additional input from the Smith College Board of Trustees.

At every stage, the plan was shaped by the voices of those who care deeply about Smith’s identity, history, and future.

Leadership & Contributors

Smith College is grateful to Wellspring Consulting for their partnership in facilitating the strategic planning process. Their guidance supported the steering committee’s work in synthesizing community input and shaping the framework for Compass 2035.

  • Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Smith College President, chair
  • Johan Aurik ’86, Smith College Board of Trustees member
  • Payal Banerjee, Professor of Sociology
  • Nathan Derr, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Chair of Biochemistry, Faculty Director of the Center for Microscopy and Imaging
  • David DeSwert, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
  • Ehle DeVaughn ’25, art: architecture and urbanism major
  • Daphne Lamothe, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Africana Studies
  • Joanna Olin, Vice President for Government Relations and Chief of Staff
  • Elena Palladino, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and AVP for Strategic Initiatives
  • Claudia San Pedro ’91, Smith College Board of Trustees member
  • ej seibert ’08, Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Care and Community Standards

Academic Exploration

  • Jennifer Joyce, Dean of the First-Year Class, co-chair
  • Daphne Lamothe, Provost and Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Africana Studies, co-chair
  • Minh Ly, Associate Director for Assessment, Institutional Research
  • Margot Audero ’26, government major
  • Janelle Bradshaw, Smith College Trustee
  • Terry-Ann Craigie, Associate Professor of Economics
  • Dawn Fulton, Professor of French Studies
  • Becca Thomases, Professor of Mathematical Sciences

Leadership & Career

  • Faith McClellan, Dean of Career Development, Lazarus Center, co-chair
  • Denise McKahn, Associate Provost, co-chair
  • Erin Cohn ’00, Director, Wurtele Center for Collaborative Leadership
  • Ehle DeVaughn ’25, art: architecture and urbanism major
  • Christie Kennedy ’10, Director of Engagement Programs, Alumnae Leadership and Career Engagement
  • Ann Silverman AC ’96, Smith College Trustee
  • Fraser Stables, Associate Dean of Integrative Learning, Louise Ines Doyle 1934 Professor of Art
  • Bozena Welborne, Associate Professor of Government

Community

  • Samantha Earp, former Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, co-chair
  • ej seibert ’08, Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Care and Community Standards, co-chair
  • Chris Aiken, Professor of Dance
  • Cecilia Edwards ’88, Smith College Trustee
  • Elizabeth Klarich, Associate Professor of Anthropology
  • Chiderah Emeakoroha ’27, government major
  • Bill Peterson, Professor of Psychology

  • Floyd Cheung, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
  • David DeSwert, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
  • Gretchen Groggel Ralston, Vice President and General Counsel
  • Lisa Howie, Chief Investment Officer
  • Heather Johns, Vice President for Communications and Marketing
  • Alexandra Keller, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of the College
  • Daphne Lamothe, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Africana Studies
  • Joanna May, Vice President for Enrollment
  • Joanna Olin, Vice President for Government Relations and Chief of Staff
  • Elena Palladino, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and AVP for Strategic Initiatives
  • Beth Balmuth Raffeld, Senior Vice President for Alumnae Relations and Development
  • Anne-Marie Szmyt, Vice President for Human Resources; Chief Human Resources Officer

Community Updates

Download the Strategic Plan (PDF)