A series of strategic planning reports released Thursday suggest foundational changes to the College's educational structure, outreach expansion and promotion of engagement among students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The reports, compiled by the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, identify objectives in nine areas and will be presented with community feedback to President-elect Philip Hanlon when he assumes office on July 1. The working groups' ideas focus on reimagining undergraduates' academic and residential experience, expanding Dartmouth's global presence, integrating new technologies, developing graduate study programs, strengthening connections with alumni and improving College employees' experiences.
The working groups' conversations focused on providing students with the best possible education and developing the College as a center for discovery, Interim President Carol Folt said in an interview.
"The process engaged the community to think about how the world is changing and how we evaluate our programs in the context of that change," she said.
Sociology professor Denise Anthony, the faculty strategic planning advisory committee chair, said the final report will include suggestions from the Dartmouth community that do not correspond to any of the ideas presented in the working groups' reports.
"There is no plan for implementation," Anthony said.
The process aims to identify new ideas, programs or topics that the College should be considering in the nine working group areas.
WORKING GROUPS
The Global Dartmouth working group generated ideas about improving Dartmouth's international presence by increasing research in areas that have an international impact, establishing "hubs" in multiple locations around the world and requiring students to participate in a "significant global experience."
The College's level of recognition overseas does not correspond to its academic prowess, Folt said.
The Global Dartmouth group proposed the use of "Dartmouth University" to refer to the institution as a whole.
"The name College,' while tied to important historical developments and rooted in tradition, often miscommunicates Dartmouth's nature to potential global partners and prospective students, faculty and staff," according to the report.
Dartmouth is known for its study abroad programs and has a history of international involvement, so improving its global engagement would not require "dramatic shifts," Global Dartmouth co-chair Lindsay Whaley said.
"There's a real desire on campus to conceive of our educational mission in international terms, so that everything we do is connected to the world," he said.
The Students of the Future suggested creating new living-learning communities, redesigning the first-year experience and increasing opportunities for students to integrate community service and internships into their academic experience.
In order to allow first-year students to focus on learning rather than traditional achievement measures, the group proposed eliminating letter grades during the first year and replacing them with portfolios and written professor evaluations.
The group discussed how the College could use its resources to help broaden access to higher education for students in under-resourced schools, Maria Laskaris, senior executive strategic planning advisory committee chair and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, said in an interview.
Another proposal is to create a "College within the College," a living-learning community that would foster interaction between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. Called "Experimental Dartmouth," the program would serve as a "testbed" for innovative teaching methods and interdisciplinary learning.
Involving less than 10 percent of the student body, the program would individualize its curriculum based on student-generated questions, said Tom Cormen, Experimental Dartmouth co-chair and computer science professor.The Pedagogy, Teaching and Mentorship working group proposed creating a mentorship program that would match first-year students with an advising team of faculty, staff and upperclassmen students, mandate a mini-course on how to succeed at the College and require students to demonstrate their competencies in a portfolio at the end of their sophomore year.
Stating that engaging in research is a valuable way for students to learn, the group suggested that all seniors complete a mandatory "Dartmouth Project," which could take the form of a research-based or creative thesis, a community service project or an internship.
The Workforce of the Future working group suggested that the College focus on diversifying its staff, improving employees' health and happiness and promoting the notion that staff members are co-educators, working group co-chair and ethics professor Aine Donovan said.
The Alumni Involvement for Life working group proposed expanding opportunities for intellectual engagement with alumni, providing lifelong support and resources to Dartmouth graduates and increasing engagement between current and past students.
GATHERING FEEDBACK
All of the working groups emphasized prioritizing the improvement of students' education at the College, Folt said.
"At every single conversation, no matter who it was, the goal of giving students the greatest educational experience was always at the center," she said.
Some proposals would require the College to make "pretty big changes," which is why the strategic planning group is reaching out to the Dartmouth community for feedback before presenting its findings to Hanlon, Folt said.
"These are very thoughtful and are the types of ideas you want the whole community to embrace," she said.
The strategic planning website includes a response form for community members to share their opinions on the ideas presented. The comments will be monitored daily and directed to appropriate working groups, Folt said.
Feedback will be used to inform an abridged report that will consolidate the suggestions for Hanlon.
The College should continue to consider cost and affordability when developing new programs, Laskaris said.
"We need to think about how we make sure that students can take full advantage of all that Dartmouth offers regardless of their family's economic status," she said.
The ideas offered in the reports are suggestions rather than recommendations, Folt said.
"For a strategic visioning process like this, a lot of it is trying to guess what students four years from now want," she said.
The strategic planning process took longer than expected, and the committee wanted to release its findings as soon as they were ready, Anthony said.
"The timing isn't great or ideal, but at least it's out there," she said. "For some members of the community, break might be a better time to take a look at it."
Throughout the strategic planning process, a wide spectrum of Dartmouth community members collaborated to debate the College's future, and many have expressed interest in remaining engaged in the discussion, Laskaris said.
Staff writers Madison Pauly and Marina Shkuratov contributed reporting to this article.
