When University
leaders started the Envision process in the fall of 2001, I don't
think any of us realized how fruitful these discussions ultimately
would be. Working with Senior Vice President for Development and Public
Affairs Bob Sweeney, I saw the purpose of these Envision sessions
as an opportunity not only to consider each school's long-term goals
for the future, but to gain a sense of how these aspirations would
help to shape a vision for the University overall as it approaches
2020, the beginning of its third century.
In
partnership with the deans of each school, we found the sessions
to be frank, open, and productive exchanges about each school's
strengths and needs, as well as its core mission and values. Not
only did the sessions give me a chance to get to know better the
dean and many of the faculty members of each school, they helped
Bob and I get a clearer sense of where we should direct our energies
and resources to enable the schools and the University to achieve
their full potential.
There
were a number of common themes that emerged from the sessions, including
the emphasis on the student experience, the strong link between
faculty and students, the integration of honor and ethical values
into all aspects of University life, and the unique sense of place
at the University. These defining elements
of the University of Virginia experience will help us as we position
the University with the public, prospective students, alumni and
donors. We also identified some ongoing challenges
that limit our ability to grow and improve, such as the need for
graduate support and for new facilities, administrative barriers
to interdisciplinary work, and issues with recruiting and retaining
faculty, and we are looking at ways to address these.
The
school Envision sessions have sparked several additional sessions
that are helping us understand these areas of the University better
- Envision Miller Center, Envision Student Experience, and Envision
Diversity. We will incorporate the results of these sessions, as
well, into our plans for the University's future.
I want
to thank everyone who took part in the Envision process. I appreciate
their creativity and candor, and I look forward to their continuing
involvement as we work together to sustain and build the University
of Virginia.
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