The Wake

In the next 10 years, the University of Minnesota aims to become one of the world’s top three research universities, according to the “Strategic Positioning Report” prepared by Provost E. Thomas Sullivan and a group of faculty and staff.

The group who prepared the strategic plan was composed of an academically diverse group of faculty and some distinguished staff members, but no students.

The two task forces working on refining the plan and putting it into action are also full of faculty and staff, but again, no students.

Students received monthly emails, since October, updating us on the strategic planning process, and inviting our suggestions. Five town hall forums discussed the plan and hoped to get input from the students and university community. Unfortunately, only about 300 people out of the university’s 60,000 students, faculty and staff members attended these meetings.

Does the student body understand the enormous task the university is attempting to undertake? If students are not included in the process, how can the university create a plan that will allow the university’s programs to flourish?

The administration has not even asked student groups such as MSA (Minnesota Student Association) to get involved with the planning process. “The strategic planning committee made no attempt to solicit the opinions or suggestions of MSA. Though they have been moderately receptive to the suggestions they get through e-mail and the town hall forums, they have done an inadequate job of incorporating students into the process,” says Nathan Wanderman, a freshman representative to the Board of Regents.

“Students are very much concerned about academic programs and we should help in creating the criteria for decision making concerning programs,” says MSA Vice President Amy Jo Pierce.

I believe a plan, that aims to change the whole image of the university, that has such lofty goals and good intentions, could only be made better with student input. After all, we are the next generation of professors and researchers that the university will be hiring to achieve this goal. We are the research assistants and teaching assistants that make new research projects and discoveries possible.

“The strategic planning process is extremely important for the university’s future,” says Pierce.

I agree. However, if students have no idea what is going on, they cannot and will not participate in the process. It is essential to communicate important messages, such as this, more effectively.

Town hall forums should be announced in student publications such as The Wake or The Minnesota Daily. Important information should be on fliers distributed throughout campus; posters could advertise the process on the bridge. We even have programs at Carlson and at the journalism school that specialize in marketing and advertising; they could create an educational campaign. Use students to get the word out, and appoint them to the planning committees.

The strategic plan states, “In many ways, the University exists to communicate … in the current changing environment, we must engage ourselves in conversations on campus and beyond to clarify the University’s ideals for ourselves and for our supporting constituencies.” In the future, students must participate in these conversations if this mission is to see completion.

Provost Sullivan, although contacted for comment, failed to return calls.

Sarah E. Bauer is a staff writer for The Wake and submits fortnightly editorial pieces concerning local media issues. She welcomes comments at office@wakenews.org.