| 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.
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.
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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