Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this quarter I outlined two College-wide management tasks that we need to work on this year -- strategic thinking and organizational culture. Accordingly, we established the College Planning Committee and the Work Place Quality Committee to help us move forward in these areas. I am pleased that progress has been achieved in both areas and I wish to acknowledge the work of both committees and their respective Chairs - Professors Bradley, Bolton and Lippke. In this email I wish to discuss future plans related to strategic thinking in our College.

On December 10, the College Planning Committee will convene an all-day facilitated workshop to review the results of the survey they distributed earlier this quarter and to update the College mission, vision, value and goal statements currently in place. In addition to the College Planning Committee, members of the Ad Hoc Undergraduate Curriculum Transformation Committee, divisional staff, and center/cooperative directors will be present.

In January, I will convene all-college faculty, all-college staff and all-college student meetings to solicit further comment, discussion and feedback on these issues. In total, these activities will provide an excellent forum for us to update our strategic plan for the coming years. I urge all of you to participate as fully as your schedule allows.

Formation of our Ad Hoc Undergraduate Curriculum Transformation Committee is complete and they are organizing their activities. I have asked the College Planning Committee and the Elected Faculty Council to convene college-wide faculty meetings in January and February for the express purpose of sharing current thinking and direction of the ad hoc committee. At these faculty meetings, input will be solicited from those present so as to help the ad hoc committee structure its thinking and actions. I hope as many faculty as possible attend these meetings.

On December 12, Bob Edmonds, Karen Russell and I meet with the Provost to discuss a variety of issues related to our College's strategic thinking. Specific topics to be addressed include changes and updates to our strategic plan, the budget situation, plans for addressing potential shortfalls, RCEP plans, and space needs. It is my intention to relate that we have made great progress over the past six months and have begun to transform the College. This transformation is, and will be, evident in the following areas: curriculum (both undergraduate and graduate as well as outreach); organizational structure; continuing emphasis on cross-campus interdisciplinary activities; migration to more of a self-financing model; increased research funding; and additional development activities.

B. Bruce Bare, Acting Dean