Seeking Students to Join The New School’s Strategic Planning Working Groups
A message from Dr. Renée T. White, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Dr. Lara Penin, Professor of Transdisciplinary Design
Dear Students,
As some of you are already aware, this fall The New School has embarked in earnest on a Strategic Planning Process, which will serve as a touchstone for the university’s present and a pathway into its future. This process aims to be carefully thought out, inclusive, and inspiring – an invitation to a dynamic, campus-wide conversation about the university’s mission, vision, and values, and how these should shape our future priorities and the strategies we use to pursue them. More details are provided in this overview, which you may read at your convenience.
At the end of last semester, we formed the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which includes student representatives (you can view the committee membership and formal charge on our website). The Steering Committee is leading a deliberative, inclusive, and rigorous inquiry into the core values of The New School in order to identify, define, and formalize areas of need and themes to inform the university’s future. We have also engaged a community partner, FLOX Studio, to help guide us in this work and ensure that every member of the New School community has an opportunity for robust and meaningful participation with the planning process. FLOX was identified for their innovative, progressive approach to creating safe and inclusive spaces and celebrating stories by narrating them authentically.
Student voices are crucial to this work. We want you to help lead the charge for change by sharing your stories and ideating the future you wish to see for The New School. As such, we are pleased to now announce our call for participation in the Strategic Planning Working Groups. The Steering Committee has formulated four working groups organized around themes that reflect the four pillars of President McBride’s Framework for Fearless Progress. Those groups are:
- Working Group 1: Access & equity
- Working Group 2: Student support & community
- Working Group 3: Cultural and civic life in NYC
- Working Group 4: Integrated university
We would now like to invite students to nominate or self-nominate for the Working Groups above using this FORM, which also provides further details about the structure and composition of the groups and the time commitment involved (weekly meetings, with some periods of more intense engagement). This is a great opportunity to get directly involved in a key university-wide initiative. Please note that you may be eligible to obtain work study credit for your service on a Working Group.
The deadline for submitting nominations is Wednesday, October 12.
If you have any questions please feel free to reply directly to this email. Please stay tuned for more updates about upcoming community engagement opportunities, including focus groups and the next event in our Community Dialogues series.