Welcome to the spring 2008 issue of art/sci. The greater part of this issue is devoted to experiential learning in the College of Arts and Sciences. A special section (pages 14-23) will introduce you to some of our most resourceful undergraduates—young people who have initiated ambitious research projects locally and overseas; who have worked as policy analysts and advocates to improve children's well-being in Ohio; who are practicing the art of cultural journalism by writing about University Circle.
I'm sure you will be impressed by the remarkable opportunities available to our students, thanks to the support of our alumni and friends.
Another kind of opportunity has recently opened up for the College. Under the leadership of President Barbara Snyder and Interim Provost Jerold Goldberg, the university has embarked on an intensive strategic planning process, and we in the College are busy exploring who we are as an institution and what we can or should become. One of our primary aims is to develop a plan that will receive broad assent from all of our stakeholders. To that end, we are seeking everyone's participation in the process.
I am delighted to say that our faculty has already assumed an active role. Just to give you some idea: On December 20 of last year, we called for faculty volunteers to serve on seven task forces, in areas ranging from undergraduate education to facilities to institutional collaborations. Within three days, all seven task forces were duly constituted, with participation by more than a quarter of the faculty. By January 8, each task force had completed its initial report. This is extraordinary.
It is too early to predict the exact contours of the strategic plan. But the goals emerging from the process are, I think, ambitious.
The strategic planning steering committee, in a preliminary report, stated: "Our standard is for the College to have a reputation for excellence that would place us in the top tier of our aspirational peer group, both in attractiveness to potential undergraduates and in the quality and productivity of our research enterprise." Those aspirational peers include the University of Chicago, New York University, and Johns Hopkins. The time scale for the kinds of transformations under discussion is on the order of two decades.
As we move forward, we will be relying on your ideas, involvement, and support to secure the College's future. In the meantime, I hope you will take pride in all of the achievements and forms of excellence on display in this issue.
Cyrus C. Taylor
Dean and Albert A. Michelson Professor in Physics