Dear Pitzer Community,
We write on behalf of the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) to update you on the College’s strategic planning process and to let you know about important opportunities to participate during the coming months.
Thank you to all who were able to participate in last week’s strategic planning meetings and activities, as well as the activities held during the first week of October. We are grateful that so many of you have taken the time to attend and contribute thoughtfully to the planning process.
Our activities to date have included the following, all of which have been facilitated by our strategic planning consultants, Keeling & Associates (K&A):
- Discussion during the October 4 College Council meeting, attended by approximately 110 individuals.
- Idea Wall exercises on Monday, November 5 and Tuesday, November 6 in the McConnell lobby, which was visited by students, as well as faculty and staff, over the course of six hours—drawing well over 700 responses to the six questions.
- Presentation and discussion during the October 12 Board of Trustees meeting.
- 48 individual and small group interviews, which were attended by approximately 225 faculty, staff, students, parents, and staff members from the Claremont Colleges Services.
- Meetings on November 5-7 with each of the three Working Groups to identify key issues to be discussed during the strategic planning process and to discuss data and information needed to consider these issues
Whether or not you had the opportunity to participate in these activities, we hope you will participate in a confidential online survey, open to all members of the Pitzer community (faculty, staff, students, parents, trustees, and alumni). The first phase of the survey is set to launch on Tuesday, November 27, and will ask questions about your experiences and your ideas and recommendations for Pitzer’s future. Your participation is essential to ensuring Pitzer’s next strategic plan truly reflects the goals of its community.
In addition to the survey, our next steps include the following:
- K&A will share a summary of the Idea Wall activities, including the number of comments and themes and ideas generated. We will share that summary on our website.
- Members of the SPC and Working Groups will meet regularly between now and the end of the semester to discuss emerging issues and ideas for the strategic plan.
- Members of the SPC and Working Groups may also engage additional members of the Pitzer community in conversation to ensure as many voices as possible are heard during this process.
- During intersession, K&A will analyze all of the data collected to date and create a list of preliminary themes. These themes will be shared with the College community during K&A’s next visit, likely in early February.
If you would like to share feedback on any of these activities, or the planning process in general, please feel free to contact the co-chairs or a member of the SPC
With best wishes for the remainder of the semester and a restful Thanksgiving break.
Brinda Sarathy and Don Gould
Co-Chairs, Strategic Planning Committee
