Making of the College 2.0 Task Force

The Making of the College 2.0 Task Force met in 2006-07 to discuss President Ralph Hexter's Making of the College 2.0.

Introduction
In the spring of 2006 Hampshire College President Ralph Hexter began a process of discussions with faculty, staff, and students on issues raised in his essay, "Making of the College 2.0." In the fall of 2007 he appointed a committee (listed below) to oversee the continuation and expansion of this process and to engage faculty, staff, and students in conversations about "our collective vision of the college and its future." In charging the committee he wrote:

"I am asking your committee to lead a series of conversations with faculty staff and students, using "Making of the College 2.0" as a starting point, that consider the "what" -- not the "how" -- of Hampshire College. The committee is not to undertake strategic planning, a later phase of this work; rather it is to engage the community in a thoughtful consideration of Hampshire's mission and identity. This is a large and serious undertaking, and has the potential to help shape college policy and practice for years to come."

President Hexter also asked that the discussions be designed to cross the traditional lines of schools and of constituent groups, and he provided a draft list of questions that might be used to provide structure to conversations. His questions, and the revised versions developed by the oversight committee, are intended to be starting points for discussion, not to limit the topics that can be discussed.

The process developed by the oversight committee has three main parts:

1. Meetings of small groups of faculty, staff, and students, facilitated by members of the oversight committee.

2. An interactive online forum.

3. A questionnaire.

All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to participate in one or more parts of this process. Open informational meetings will also be held when the process begins and when it concludes.

The products of this process -- minutes from meetings, contributions to online discussions, completed questionnaires, etc. -- will be presented to President Hexter for his consideration in May, 2007. The oversight committee will note highlights and patterns when presenting the results to President Hexter, but the committee is not charged with summarizing the views of the community, drawing conclusions, or making recommendations. The expressed views of the community will be presented, unfiltered, to President Hexter for his consideration, to serve as the foundation for future discussions or initiatives.

All Hampshire College faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to participate in the Making of the College 2.0 process. If you would like to participate in a small group meeting then please fill in the form at http://mc2.hampshire.edu/ or contact Diana Henley-Fernandez at x6188 by Friday, February 16, 2007. The oversight committee will plan meetings that combine volunteers and randomly selected community members, with the aim of balancing representation among faculty, students and staff.

The online forum is available continuously at http://mc2.hampshire.edu/. You can log in with your Hampshire email (HampNet) login/password. Anyone wishing to make an anonymous posting to the online forum can do so by sending an email message to one of the oversight committee's co-chairs.

The questionnaire is available online at the forum website (http://mc2.hampshire.edu/) and in paper form at various locations around campus. Completed paper questionnaires should be submitted to the President's office in Cole Science Center.

The oversight committee welcomes contributions from all faculty, staff, and students, and joins President Hexter in expressing deep appreciation to all who participate in a process that "has the potential to benefit the college, its students and future students, in many important ways."

Members
Elly Donkin (co-chair) Professor of Theater

Lee Spector (co-chair) Professor of Computer Science

Terell Richardson ('06)

Annie Rogers Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology

Lise Sanders Assistant Professor of English Literature &amp; Cultural Studies

Melissa Scheid-Frantz Multi-Cultural Director/International Student Services

Natalie Sowell Assistant Professor of Theater

Katie Spero ('03)

Jason Tor Assistant Professor of Microbiology

Alex Torpey ('05)

Beth Ward Director of Development

Online Forum
There was an online forum, meant for the Hampshire community to take part in discussions. Notes from the small group meetings are posted there. The forum can still be viewed here: https://intranet.hampshire.edu/mc2/phpBB2/index.php

Forwarding Letter
The task force concluded with this letter, sent to the President: [[Media:MC2ForwardingLetter.pdf|MC2.0 Forwarding Letter]]