Some initial thoughts: the Committee needs to hear about the many "Trents" that make up Trent University; it needs to develop its own TOR; timelines; it needs to be small enough to be nimble yet large enough to share the labour among its members; and the Committee needs above all else to have an authentic mandate. That is: we need to develop and implement a plan for the future and not a wish list of predictable platitudes. Some hard topics that need to be explored while planning for our academic future include the way we have structured graduate studies at Trent; course delivery models; financial challenges; program development in a fiscally challenging environment; class size; scheduling; and so on.
I just got back from the "small comprehensive universities meeting" - yes the acronym makes us "scum" - Despite this artifact, the meeting was very upbeat. It was a meeting of Research leaders from across Canada. Two important messages were; 1- that our "right" size enables us to truly use research to teach and 2 - Our strengths are very much tied to how embedded we are in our communities and environment (water, wildlife, health and aging). Without this, our research/teaching could be done anywhere - like any large urban center. I think we need to play up these strengths.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Trent is Trent not somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteI hope this site becomes a space for a lot of discussion.
ReplyDeleteI have a question to start.
What are the typical 'ingredients' of an academic plan, at a university level? Are there some examples of really good academic plans that we might refer to?
Thanks.
Ray
Most Academic Plans that I know of are based around some sort of traditional "SWOT" model--an analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. Another model deals with where have we been, where are we, where do we want to go, how are we going to get there?
ReplyDeleteThe problem for me in recommending other plans is that a truly significant academic plan has to be the right "shape", the right "melody" for the place it describes. IE, our plan has to be the right shape and tone for Trent and not Harvard or Nipissing. I have read plans I like--Carleton's is one--but I'd recommend simply searching a variety of University websites of "comparator" places to get a sense of the variety (and similarities) of plans.
One last thing: you'll find that most plans contain large dollops of platitudes. The usual suspects such as striving for excellence, enhancing the student experience, increasing research, reaching out to the community, and so on. Not that these are bad things, but without resources they are merely platitudes. We need a plan, not a wish list.
To me, studying at Trent is like studying at the cottage. The water, wildlife, nature trails, and peaceful, relaxed atmosphere encourage organic living and contribute to achieving clarity of mind. A clear mind can prepare students for thinking in creative ways and increases the sense of awareness and responsibility to the nature around us.
ReplyDeleteThe nature that surrounds us contributes to the specialness of Trent's Peterborough campus. There's no other place like it.
Thank you, Lee. I agree that the physical environment of Trent is more than merely context; it is an informing part of the whole fibre of the place. As if Nature=organic= clarity=clear mind=creative=awareness= responsibility=a critically self-reflexive citizenry.
ReplyDelete