Dear Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø Faculty, Students, Staff, and Alumni,
I write today to offer an update on Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø’s Third-Century Plan. While the University has created a webpage that offers detailed descriptions of the initiatives under the plan, and while we have been sending out monthly emails to the campus and to alumni, a general update of all the main initiatives of the plan might be welcomed at this time. This is especially true given the number of construction projects underway on the campus and the number of initiatives — capital and non-capital — that will become more apparent to the community over the next several months.
In the future, a detailed, annual update about the state of the University and its strategic direction will be sent from the Office of the President to all faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Recent developments, however — spurred both by Board of Trustee approval of capital projects and the strong support provided by the Campaign for the Third Century — prompt this extended and, by necessity, extensive, wintertime message.
It’s important to note, at the start of this letter, that the initiatives under the Third-Century Plan are quite wide-ranging; touching, as they do, every corner of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø’s enterprise. Several of these initiatives, such as the build out of the Middle Campus, will take years to complete. So, at best, this letter can only really provide a broad outline of the plan and our work currently being pursued under its direction.
It is also important to recognize that many activities that are deeply important to the University can’t be fully outlined here. This letter does not, for example, offer updates of the University’s Sustainability Plan nor the work being undertaken in conjunction with our DEI Plan. It does not speak to any single academic department, center or program, nor does it speak to issues of free speech and academic freedom or other larger issues much discussed in higher education today.
But, despite the limitations of its form, a general email update sent to the larger community does have its benefits given the scale and number of initiatives currently underway at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø.
For those who wish a more detailed update on the initiatives of the plan, please see the updates provided at . Further, please note that we will continue our practice of sending out monthly emails on specific initiatives currently underway.
This update is organized around, first, a review of those initiatives designed to attract and support outstanding students, faculty, and staff to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø. It then speaks of those initiatives related to strengthening Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø’s academic program. It concludes with brief updates on those initiatives related to student life, including athletics.
In the same spirit of greater communication and understanding, in a few weeks, Senior Vice President JS Hope and Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing will also send an update to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø faculty and staff. Their update will provide information on Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø’s current operations and on the development of next year’s operating budget.
It is my hope that this overview will provide for the greater Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø community a general outline of the Third-Century Plan, the activities that are already underway in connection with the plan, and a look at what we can expect over the next few semesters at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø.
I. Initiatives Related to Attracting and Supporting Outstanding Students, Faculty, and Staff
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø first launched its initiative focused on student access and affordability in the fall of 2020. The Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø Commitment began with the elimination of federal loans for all current and incoming students coming to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø from families with a total family income of $125,000 or less. Through that step, student loans were replaced by University grants. Today, this program has been extended to all students coming from families with incomes up to $175,000. Further, as part of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø Commitment, students coming from families with total income below $80,000 attend Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø tuition-free.
In just this past year, we have also introduced increased financial aid support for textbooks and other costs of attendance beyond tuition. Taking these new efforts into account, the University has increased its financial aid budget by $17 million, or nearly 30%, since 2016–2017.
These financial aid changes, combined with growing awareness of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø in the national spotlight, have played an important role in the increase in applications for admission to the University — which have once again topped 21,000. Just a few years ago, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø received approximately 9,000 applications per year, so this is quite a significant increase. Notably, and importantly, the application pool for the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø Class of 2027 is more diverse than was seen in recent applicant cohorts as measured by ethnic diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and geographic distribution.
Meanwhile, increased support for faculty in the past few years has meant incoming faculty now have access to significant start-up funds that allow them to launch their research careers at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø. More funding is available for faculty to attend and present at professional conferences and do research-related travel, and pre-tenure faculty are now entitled to take a year-long sabbatical to enhance their research. The next phase in the quest to attract and retain outstanding faculty is the move to a four-course teaching load, which will create the opportunity for faculty to devote more intensive attention to teaching, research with students, and their own scholarship.
We had as a primary goal in the Campaign for the Third Century the creation of 20 new endowed faculty professorships. Nothing provides a more stable foundation for a faculty than having sufficient endowment funds to support an ever-strengthening faculty. As of this writing, we have raised funds to allow for the creation of 12 new endowed professorships. Payments into these chair pledges will, in a number of cases, take a few years. But as we move on into the future these new funds will provide ever increasing support for the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø faculty and, thus, the University’s academic mission.
As we attract new faculty and staff to our community, we must also ensure that there is affordable,