When the University chose “grand challenges” as the organizing theme for the strategic plan, it called on all collegiate units to draw on their strengths in order to engage society’s most pressing issues in more meaningful ways. For CLA, this presented a great opportunity not only to showcase our existing areas of excellence, but also to consider new and creative ways to apply our unique talents for the greater good of our state, our nation, and our world.
The depth and breadth of our research and curricular strength make CLA particularly well-positioned to respond to the University’s call, most notably around the challenge of building vibrant communities that enhance human potential and collective well-being in a diverse and changing society.
We also have much to contribute to the grand challenges on sustainable, healthy, secure food; as well as environmental protection and economic development. Moreover, CLA can and should be active participants in defining additional grand challenges around which the university can focus sustained research and curricular attention. CLA will participate enthusiastically whenever and wherever the college can make a significant contribution to these efforts.
Why identify participation in the grand challenges agenda as one of the five goals of the CLA Roadmap?
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Research and Creative Excellence and the CLA Roadmap
The CLA Roadmap promises a relentless focus on research and creative excellence. This focus fits our position as a land grant institution, a liberal arts college, and is critically important in our quest to achieve our vision of becoming a destination college.
The essentials of a land grant public research university are world-class research, outstanding instruction, and service and outreach to the state. But these are not only essential elements of a land grant research institution. They are essential elements of the liberal arts as well. I have been emphasizing repeatedly that whether on campus or off campus, we will be on offense—and not defense—when talking about the College and the liberal arts. We will advocate, not apologize.
The liberal arts at a land-grant research institution must be rooted in a community of world-class scholars who infuse their research and expertise into their teaching and their service and outreach. Research and creative excellence are vital for what they do off campus. They contribute to the understanding and solution of important problems and they advance human knowledge. Research excellence is, then, the foundation for the liberal arts at a land grant institution. The stronger we are in research, the better we serve students and the public.
The essentials of a land grant public research university are world-class research, outstanding instruction, and service and outreach to the state. But these are not only essential elements of a land grant research institution. They are essential elements of the liberal arts as well. I have been emphasizing repeatedly that whether on campus or off campus, we will be on offense—and not defense—when talking about the College and the liberal arts. We will advocate, not apologize.
The liberal arts at a land-grant research institution must be rooted in a community of world-class scholars who infuse their research and expertise into their teaching and their service and outreach. Research and creative excellence are vital for what they do off campus. They contribute to the understanding and solution of important problems and they advance human knowledge. Research excellence is, then, the foundation for the liberal arts at a land grant institution. The stronger we are in research, the better we serve students and the public.
Student Readiness and the Liberal Arts
The CLA Roadmap calls for CLA alumni to be superbly prepared for the next stage of life after campus. In addition to educating our students to be well prepared to engage in civic life, we must also give them the confidence that their liberal arts training has left them well prepared embark on their career path. Students—and prospective students—who know we are deeply committed to their readiness will consider CLA a prime destination. We need to attract large numbers of high-achieving, CLA-first-choice students by offering them something different and better.
When we think about the liberal arts we quite rightly often emphasize their value in teaching students to think critically, to excel in communication, to develop problem-solving skills, to ask new questions, and to gather and evaluate evidence from multiple sources, among other skills.
But the liberal arts do more.
When we think about the liberal arts we quite rightly often emphasize their value in teaching students to think critically, to excel in communication, to develop problem-solving skills, to ask new questions, and to gather and evaluate evidence from multiple sources, among other skills.
But the liberal arts do more.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Roadmap Goal Teams
In my Road Ahead address on October 22, I shared my vision for CLA to become a destination college, and outlined five goals for the College that will enable us to achieve this vision. On October 28, we released the CLA Roadmap, which serves as the canvas upon which we begin to detail how we reach these goals.
Each goal has a Roadmap Goal Team composed primarily of faculty, staff, and students, who will deliberate and share their thoughts and guidance around the goal, and begin to shape our path toward it through a series of specific recommendations. We aimed to build teams that were representative of our major intellectual traditions, without becoming unwieldy in size, so that we gain in our deliberations from a variety of insights and perspectives. At the same time, the Goal Teams were built with a sense that this is a collegiate process, and not a process to lobby or advocate or represent any particular narrow interest.
The underlying focus for each team is the same: What will make the College great on this goal?
Each goal has a Roadmap Goal Team composed primarily of faculty, staff, and students, who will deliberate and share their thoughts and guidance around the goal, and begin to shape our path toward it through a series of specific recommendations. We aimed to build teams that were representative of our major intellectual traditions, without becoming unwieldy in size, so that we gain in our deliberations from a variety of insights and perspectives. At the same time, the Goal Teams were built with a sense that this is a collegiate process, and not a process to lobby or advocate or represent any particular narrow interest.
The underlying focus for each team is the same: What will make the College great on this goal?
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