Hampshire College Strategic Plan

We Need Your Input!

The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) has completed its work. We are now sending you the list of initiatives, in draft form, that the SPC has selected for consideration in the next phase of the process. These initiatives are the culmination of the all-community visioning forums in February and the subsequent work of the SPC. This list of initiatives is not final. In the next stage it will be pared down to a more manageable number. In July, that list of initiatives will be assigned to the appropriate departments/experts who will then create implementation plans, assess both costs and the feasibility of raising resources.

We are bringing these initiatives to the community at this stage because we want to open the process up at a this critical turning point. Given that all of these initiatives are still being discussed, this is a important opportunity to have your voice heard in framing these issues.

Below, you will find a table of contents with links to each of the proposed initiatives. The are organized under the 7 general themes of the document:


 * Academic Vitality
 * Enhanced Student Life
 * Diversity and Internationalization
 * Environmental Sustainability
 * Capital Assets and Financial Sustainability
 * Participation and Governance
 * Reputation and Constituent Relations

Many of these themes have sub-headings, under which related initiatives have been grouped. Clicking on the title of any initiative will send you to a page with a more detailed description, where you can add your comments by editing the page. This process is designed to make it easy to jump to the initiatives that are important to you; feel free to comment on as many or as few initiatives as you wish. We're looking for your thoughts on the importance of the initiative, how to frame the issue, things that may be missing, and any additional comments that you might have.

You can find the whole draft document here.

You can also submit responses via the intranet by clicking here.

Allocation of Positions and Resources in Support of the College’s Mission and Values

 * Resource Planning


 * Balancing the Curriculum

Developing State-of-the-Art Spaces and Learning Centers

 * The Library as a Learning Commons


 * Center for Learning, Leadership, and Teaching


 * Model Laboratories and Studio Spaces


 * Studio/Art/Design Space


 * Theater Space


 * Music Program


 * Natural &amp; Cognitive Sciences: Improved Facilities and Expanded Lab Spaces

Support for Interdisciplinary and Cross-School Programs

 * Program Evaluation and Needs Assessment


 * Partnerships and Collaboration

Optimizing the Student Academic Experience

 * Improve the Navigation of Hampshire's Academic System


 * Balanced Workload


 * Faculty and Staff in Schools and Academic Programs

A Round Presence at Hampshire College

 * Food, Farm, and Sustainability


 * Research the Feasibility of Summer Credits

Encouraging Healthy Lifestyles and Choices

 * Implementation of Spring 2011 Tobacco Task Force Recommendations


 * Community Support for Students Needing Assistance


 * Campus Wide Student Health Initiatives


 * OPRA


 * Accessible Campus

Spaces for Living and Learning

 * Community Center


 * New Student Residence


 * Health Services


 * Accessible Housing Options


 * Role of Mods in Healthy Living


 * Student Run Cafe

Increasing Student Diversity

 * Financial Aid for Target Populations


 * Adequate Support for Diverse Populations


 * Feasibility Study on the Recruitment of Veterans

Increasing Faculty and Staff Diversity

 * Incentives to Support and Retain Faculty of Color


 * International Visiting Faculty and Scholars

Diversity in our Academic Program

 * Faculty Development


 * Black Studies Program


 * Additional Support for Baldwin Scholars


 * Analysis of Course Offerings

Campus Internationalization

 * Increasing the Number of International Students


 * International Recruitment Resources


 * Internationalization of the Curriculum


 * Dean of Multicultural Education/International Study/World Languages


 * Inclusion and Integration of International Students and Scholars


 * Administrative Support for International Study

International Educational Experiences

 * Support for GEO


 * Greater Integration of Study Abroad Programs in the Hampshire Curriculum


 * Financial Sustainability and Access


 * Increasing Financial Aid for Short Term-Field Courses

Sustainability Across the Curriculum

 * Curricular Sustainability Theme


 * Applied Sustainability Opportunities

Further Developing our Sustainable Infrastructure

 * Sustainability Revolving Fund


 * Green Roofs


 * Energy Meters

Sustainability Transportation

 * Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions


 * Commuter Services


 * Shuttle Bus to the Hampshire Mall


 * Fleet Vehicles

Land Use, Food, and Farm

 * Land Use Plan


 * Perennial Food Crops


 * Linking Sustainable Food Production with Consumption


 * Sustainable Management of the Physical Grounds

Building our Main Sources of Wealth

 * Enrollment


 * Hampshire Fund


 * Endowment

Preserving Our Capital Assets

 * Master Plan


 * Deferred Maintenance


 * Emergency Preparedness


 * Campus Appearance (FPH)

Participation and Governance

 * Representation


 * Community Participation


 * Communication and Transparency


 * Governance Effectiveness and Clarity

Developing and Promoting Institutional Identity

 * A Facilitated Discussion of Themes, Messages, and Visual Identity


 * Presidential Advisory Committee on Image Development


 * Student Affiliation Study

Communicating Effectively with External Stakeholders

 * Examine Resource Needs of Key External Messaging Offices


 * Examine Web Content in Relation to Audiences


 * Admissions Location and Tours

Informed Communication on Campus

 * Education and Transparency for Informed Decision Making


 * Support and Further the Work of the President's Communications Committee


 * Survey and Implementation of Best Communications Methods


 * Sharing Information about Alumni Engagement

Creating a Culture of Philanthropy

 * Faculty and Staff Participation


 * Parent Participation


 * Alumni Participation


 * Student Participation

Comments about the Whole Document
Feel free to add any thoughts on the framing of the document as a whole, any missed areas, the implementation process, or any further comments here (you can do this by logging in and clicking edit):


 * I appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into distiling and articulating these ideas. Many of the issues are well-stated, and the solutions good. However, the document does not read like a strategic plan - it's more like a list of problems with possible solutions. I have a hard time seeing how this works as a cohesive plan to guide Hampshire for the next several years. How do these things fit together? What are the recurring themes? Where is the line between "strategic goals" and "damage control"? - Alynda Wood
 * This is very comprehensive, and honestly overwhelming to me. I too would like to see an overarching theme or vision, focusing more on where we are going than on getting the car running. Great work gathering all these ideas, and I hope now we can arrange them and scale them to a workable plan.
 * I would like to echo Alynda's comments.
 * It’s clear that all of us are needy for resources to maintain and enhance opportunities and facilities. It seems that the elements of this document are like a deck of cards from which we will pull a few and then give them our blessings and alms. It will inevitably lead to winners and losers and the associated struggle between them. Perceived fairness is really important to our community so an unusual amount of public agreement will be necessary to stem bickering and resentments. Part of the strategy of this plan ought to be not only in what to do, but how to do it. Do we support strong areas or do we make promises to do what we have not done before? Should the curriculum be a level field or reflect the terrain of student interest. How do we promote openness, sustainability, and independence of study in ways that we can afford? The other part of strategy is understanding how what we do and don’t do affects everything else. What will be the trickle down effects of support and neglect. With limited resources we’re often not choosing what to support, but what to neglect. It’s not been only deferred maintenance, it’s been deferred everything. John Gunther
 * I strongly agree with the above comments. To be brutally honest, I am disappointed in this strategic plan. The "Academic Vitality" section is particularly disgraceful, as it is simply a laundry list of Cool Things we wish we had money for, without any sense of overall strategic vision. Worst of all, there is little to no mention of innovation. I had hoped that at least one item would focus on innovation and education in the 21st century. We should hold a conference on education in the 21st century- how better to raise Hampshire's profile while simultaneously providing a space for us to look critically at ourselves and the education we provide? - Ananda Valenzuela