17³Ô¹ÏÍø

Dear Students and Colleagues, 

I am excited and inspired to embark on the next phase of strategic planning at the College. Before I explain what this second phase will look like, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the significant foundational work that was done in the first phase by the Strategic Planning Committee and this community. Led by Co-Chairs Ellen Keohane ‘83, Chief Information Officer, and Professor Ken Mills, Chemistry, the first phase of strategic planning invited everyone in our community to participate. While this participation started in person in early 2020, due to the pandemic, the in-person work shifted to remote. Dedicated committees and subcommittees continued to branch out to obtain more feedback. This generative phase was successful as it identified the major themes and resulting questions that form the basis of our work in Phase Two.

In this second phase of strategic planning, my hope is to turn these themes into future-focused strategies so that we will have a plan in place by next fall. To do this, I will call to conversation members of our community in a randomized fashion to participate in a series of focus groups this fall. Those randomly invited to participate in a focus group will receive an email this month from the Office of the President and will be asked to RSVP. The questions will have participants engaging in a dialog about 17³Ô¹ÏÍø and Worcester, DEI and our Jesuit Catholic mission, our culture and community, shared governance (for faculty and staff focus groups), and our academic program. 

Over the next two months, we will conduct three focus groups for staff, three for faculty and three for students. In the winter, I will update and engage leadership and the Board of Trustees in this work. Then in the spring, we will conduct external focus groups with alumni, prospective students and parents, and members of the Worcester community. This process will give me the opportunity to begin participating in the strategic planning process by listening. I am excited to hear directly from members of our community about their hopes and ideas for the future of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø.

As many of you know, I am already asking questions and listening. Whether we cross paths at the Hoval, you invite me to a meeting, or we attend an event together, you should know that these other informal and formal discussions are having a meaningful impact on the vision I am imagining for all of us at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. My desire is to be present and deeply engaged in this community, and I hope you have a sense of that already.  

In the meantime, there is work to be done now. First and foremost, we are committed to our Jesuit Catholic mission-aligned work in diversity, equity and inclusion:  

• Our finalists for the Vice Provost of DEI, our chief diversity and inclusion officer, are currently interviewing. Our hope is that we will have our new colleague with us early in the next calendar year and that we will move forward together with continuing to implement our anti-racism plan. 

• We have hired two professionals in Admissions, one will focus on coordinating our DEI recruitment efforts and the other on International recruitment. 

• Our Board is working with consultants at Diversity@Workplace in the planning of a DEI workshop in November for all trustees. 

• The Office of Human Resources offered anti-bias training this fall for employees. 

• Faculty are engaged in efforts to expand our curricular offerings including a new Justice and Equity requirement as part of our common requirements, a discussion of a new academic program in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and conversations about strategies to support inclusive excellence across the College. 

• Student Government has already begun to lay the groundwork for next spring’s Unity Week as a precursor to establishing an annual ENGAGE Summit. 

And there is surely more that we as individuals and community members are doing and will do this year in this space.

Another area of focus for me in the year ahead is our workforce. We need to ensure we have the structure and roles in place to support 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’ future success. Now that we have new HR leadership, we will evaluate how we attract, recruit, develop, reward and retain our workforce. Some of this important work has begun with our new fall training offerings, healthcare plan and the reorganization in Human Resources.

Lastly, we must address our housing challenges. We have had a bed shortage for a number of years which we have addressed assigning students to triples and quads or by housing students at The Edge. We also know that we will need to either renovate or rebuild many of our residence halls. With members of the Board we are exploring a variety of short-term options for housing, and through the strategic planning process we will develop a larger vision for the development of living spaces that will support our residential learning community into the future. These ideas will be incorporated into the development of a master plan for the campus as a whole.
 
Before I sign off, know that these past three months with you have been wonderful. I truly appreciate your openness and warmth. Soon we will celebrate this new beginning officially with the inauguration festivities. My family and I cannot wait to share this occasion with you all!  

Sincerely,

Vincent D. Rougeau
President