MMC Community Memos

Date:   May 21, 2017
To:       MMC Faculty and Staff
From:   President Kerry Walk
Re:      Approval of the Strategic Plan for 2016 – 2021*

I write to announce that at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees, on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, a resolution approving the 2017 – 2021 Strategic Plan was unanimously adopted.  As a result, on July 1, 2017, a new Strategic Plan will take effect.  The Board’s full endorsement capped the approval phase of the planning process, which involved, in turn, unanimous approval by the Faculty Council, the President’s Cabinet, and the Board’s Executive Committee.

The 2017 – 2021 Strategic Plan, Contemporary and Compelling:  Envisioning MMC’s Future, provides a flexible blueprint for differentiating the MMC educational experience; developing more effective internal systems; meeting facilities and space needs; taking a data-informed  approach to enrollment management; developing new mission-centric revenue streams; promoting a diverse and inclusive college culture; communicating the College’s visibility and unique value proposition; and enhancing fundraising, among other objectives. 

I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC), co-chaired by Katie LeBesco, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, and Jill Stevenson, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and President of the Faculty Council, for their year-long service to the College.  The SPSC membership may be found at the end of this message.  Thanks to the skilled facilitative leadership of the SPSC, the entire MMC community was involved in the strategic planning process, which has resulted in a plan that reflects the highest aspirations of our community while providing specifics for implementation. 

To all who gave of their time and talent to develop the new plan, please accept my gratitude, as well as that of the Board of Trustees.

With appreciation,

Kerry Walk, Ph.D.
President

Strategic Planning Steering Committee

• Katie LeBesco, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty (Co-Chair)
• Jill Stevenson, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and President of the Faculty Council (Co-Chair)
• Ann Aguanno, Professor of Biology (elected by the Faculty Council)
• Jennifer Brown, Associate Professor of English and World Literatures and Chair, English and World Literatures Department (elected by the Faculty Council)
• Christine Gregory, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Diversity, and Title IX
• Andreas Hernandez, Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies
• Ann Jablon, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Carol Jackson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
• Nancy Lushington, Assistant Professor of Dance (elected by the Faculty Council)
• Richard Sheldon, Assistant Vice President for Academic Administration
• Erica Stein, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Arts
• Diana Zambrotta, Director of Auxiliary and Real Estate Services
• Alexis Garcia ’18, Student
• Taylor Harris-Butler ’18, Student (served Fall 2016)
• Angela Lanaris ’18, Student (serving Spring 2017)
• Maria DeInnocentiis, Assistant Vice President for Financial and Registration Services (serving Spring 2017)
• Michael Salmon, Dean of Academic Advisement and Student Retention (serving Spring 2017)
• Jim Rogers, Dean of Admission (serving Spring 2017)

*Adapted from the May 21, 2017, Presidential Communication to MMC Faculty and Staff

MMC Community:

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) is pleased to circulate the final 2017-2021 Strategic Plan—Contemporary and Compelling: Envisioning MMC’s Future. We believe this plan reflects the key insights and priorities that have emerged from our research and community conversations over the last eight months. It reflects our response to feedback on the drafts circulated in February and March, and represents the culmination of our committee’s work.

In accordance with MMC’s commitment to shared governance, the Faculty Council will vote on a resolution to approve this document at its next meeting on Monday, April 17^th. If approved, the President, in consultation with the Cabinet, will review this final draft. If approved by the Cabinet, the President forwards the plan to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee then presents the final plan to Board at its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 9^th and the Board votes on a resolution to approve this document. If approved, the plan will go into effect on July 1^st. This timeline, along with a description of our entire process, can be found at: https://www.mmm.edu/strategic-planning/

Thank you again for your engagement throughout this eight-month process. We are enthusiastic about the vision and priorities of this Plan, and confident that it supports the academic enterprise that is the heart of MMC.

Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC)

Katie LeBesco, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of the Faculty (Co-Chair)

Jill Stevenson, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and President of the Faculty Council (Co-Chair)

Ann Aguanno, Professor of Biology

Jennifer Brown, Associate Professor of English and World Literatures and Chair of the English and World Literatures Department

Maria DeInnocentiis, Assistant Vice President of Financial & Registration Services, and Executive Director of Center for Student Services

Alexis Garcia, MMC class of 2018

Christine Gregory, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Diversity, and Title IX

Taylor Harris-Butler, MMC class of 2018

Andreas Hernandez, Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies

Ann Jablon, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Carol Jackson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Angela Lanaris, MMC class of 2018

Nancy Lushington, Assistant Professor of Dance

Jim Rogers, Dean of Admission

Michael G. Salmon, Dean of Academic Advisement & Student Retention

Richard Sheldon, Assistant Vice President for Academic Administration

Erica Stein, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Arts

Diana Zambrotta, Director of Auxiliary and Real Estate Services

MMC Community:

 The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) is currently revising the first draft of the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and will circulate a second draft to the entire community no later than this Saturday. This is a more complete draft that includes a timeline for implementation and criteria for assessment. It is also the last draft before the final plan is circulated in April and submitted to the Faculty, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees for a vote. We therefore invite your input during this final round of feedback. To facilitate that, we are holding two community conversations next week. These conversations are scheduled for Monday, March 13^th from 10:00-11:00am (Regina Peruggi Room) and Thursday, March 16^th from 5:00-6:00pm (Commons West). Full-time faculty members will also have the chance to discuss the draft and offer feedback at the Faculty Council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 13^th. As in the past, we will provide anonymous ways to offer feedback at each of these meetings. You should also feel free to email your comments to any member of the SPSC. The full committee membership is listed below.

As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback as we work toward the final version of the plan. You can always look at the SPSC webpage to review our process and timeline, and to review other information related to our work (including pictures): https://www.mmm.edu/strategic-planning/

We hope to hear from many of you at next week’s meetings. All our best.

Katie and Jill

Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC)

Katie LeBesco, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of the Faculty (Co-Chair)

Jill Stevenson, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and President of the Faculty Council (Co-Chair)

Ann Aguanno, Professor of Biology

Jennifer Brown, Associate Professor of English and World Literatures and Chair of the English and World Literatures Department

Maria DeInnocentiis, Assistant Vice President of Financial & Registration Services, and Executive Director of Center for Student Services

Alexis Garcia, MMC class of 2018

Christine Gregory, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Diversity, and Title IX

Taylor Harris-Butler, MMC class of 2018 (served Fall 2016)

Andreas Hernandez, Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies

Ann Jablon, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Carol Jackson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Angela Lanaris, MMC class of 2018

Nancy Lushington, Assistant Professor of Dance

Jim Rogers, Dean of Admission

Michael G. Salmon, Dean of Academic Advisement & Student Retention

Richard Sheldon, Assistant Vice President for Academic Administration

Erica Stein, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Arts

Diana Zambrotta, Director of Auxiliary and Real Estate Services