Project Imagine Report | September 2020
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PROJECT IMAGINE 9.11.20 Table of Contents 1. PROJECT BACKGROUND a. Overview b. Acknowledgments c. Project Imagine Committee d. Guiding Principles 2. OUTCOMES a. Themes b. Big Ideas & Immediate Ideas c. Reports i. It’s time for the University to lead on social justice ii. A University for the City: building bridges between UR & the Rochester community iii. Go for the Gold: creating a vibrant sustainability community at UR and beyond iv. Creating an Ever Better Workforce v. Retooling for the future: becoming a changemaker campus vi. Becoming a vibrant year-round campus vii. Becoming the healthiest campus in the world viii. Any student anywhere, any patient anywhere ix. Financial transparency & efficiency 3. APPENDIX a. Approach b. Project Charter c. Workplan d. Additional References PROJECT IMAGINE 1 Project Background Overview The University of Rochester “has a long tradition of breaking boundaries—always pushing and questioning, learning and unlearning.” Embedded in our motto is the spirit of “meliora:” the progressive ideal to always do better. The University has embodied this spirit since its inception, through its work to abolish slavery, secure universal suffrage, and improve the well- being of all through advances in social justice, technology, humanities, and medicine. We are at a pivotal moment in not just our University’s history but in that of higher education. COVID-19 is forcing us to ask uncomfortable, overdo questions about how we work, where we work, and whom we serve. Our institution’s future will depend on our ability to challenge our assumptions of what could (and should) be part of a world class liberal arts education. Project Imagine was a 3-month long effort to face this challenge through a rapid, inclusive process grounded in the values and voices of our University. While there were many fascinating and diverse insights gleaned from this project, the almost 1,000 ideas submitted from our community illuminated one nearly universal desire: to hold fast to the deep-rooted progressive ideals of “meliora.” As our University strives to uphold these ideals, our community has made it clear that they remain optimistic, open-minded and ready to collaborate on solutions. What follows are a set of ideas, big and small. These ideas are rooted in our values while seeking to be audacious and provocative as they push us into new and previously uncharted territories. Some of these ideas are immediately actionable (indeed, many would like to see swift action taken) while others may serve as seeds for a future University-wide strategic planning process. This report is far from a strategic plan. The ideas are broad but not necessarily deep. The goal of this report is to inspire action, provoke thought, and provide an initial path forward for more robust future efforts and strategic planning. PROJECT IMAGINE 2 The ideas, several of which are linked to multiple themes and to one another, address some of the great challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light, including: ● Increasing the reach of the University both in the students it teaches and the patients it serves; ● Seeking to become a campus that values and fosters mental, physical, and spiritual health; ● Radically improving our campus sustainability efforts; and ● Striving for enhanced transparency in our administrative systems and decisions. All of the ideas will require change. And many will be hard. But change is at the heart of meliora and centered in our work to prepare our students to be changemakers who build bridges, in some cases physical ones, to the broader community. These changes are not limited to the classroom. They will impact staff and faculty as we strive to create an ever better work force that carries out the actions outlined here. This effort is a beginning, not an end, to a process that can prepare the University of Rochester for an ever better future. PROJECT IMAGINE 3 Acknowledgments Our committee would like to thank: ● The hundreds of University community members and many others who contributed almost 1,000 ideas. ● The many University members who contributed expert feedback, data, and historical knowledge. ● The University Communications team for helping us gather ideas far and wide. ● Karen Berger, Steve Biggar, Larry Bloch, John Covach, Mark Bocko, Rob Clark, Eric Fredericksen, Kathy Gallucci, Ed Hajim, Chioma Isiadinso, Amy Happ, Mary Ann Mavrinac, Sarah Mangelsdorf, Nate Micklos, Rachel Remmel, Paula Reynolds, Joan Saab, Aayush Sarkar, Anna Siebach-Larsen, Dan Singer, Cam Schauf, Dariusz Terefenko, Gerardo Torres Davila, Andrew Wolf, and the many other individuals who assisted our committee throughout this process. The Project Imagine team benefited greatly from previous work done by several formal and informal groups of faculty, staff, and students. Much of this previous work was self-organized and undertaken without a specific charge from the University. The motivation to take on this uncompensated and highly insightful work is representative of our community’s selflessness and passion for making the University of Rochester ever better. We are thankful for the output of these efforts, which were integrated into our process and frequently reflected in this report: 1. Student Association Black Lives Matter petition 2. Petition: Demand the University of Rochester be anti-racist 3. Space Invaders Demands 4. Climate Action Plan-Council Recommendations 5. Sustainability Report 6. Grad student Addendum to #ACTIONSPEAKSLOUDER demands 7. Innovate in Education Strategic Planning 8. The view from AS&E 9. The University of Rochester framework for lifelong competency development 10. Commission on Women and Gender Equity in Academia PROJECT IMAGINE 4 Project Imagine Committee • Maya Abtahian, Assistant Professor of Linguistics • Michael Anderson, Associate Professor Musicology, Eastman School of Music • Chris Apple, Men’s Soccer Head Coach • John Barker, Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty for Arts, Sciences & Engineering • Dewey Bazirake ’20, Graduate Student • Nomi Bergman ‘85, University of Rochester Trustee and President of Advance/Newhouse • Olivia Brumfield ’21, Neuroscience Major • Lauren Di Monte, Assistant Dean, Digital and Research Initiatives, River Campus Libraries • Roy Jones, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiology; Clinical Associate Professor of Computers and Information Systems • Narayana Kocherlakota, Lionel W. McKenzie Professor of Economics • Katrina Korfmacher, Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine • Frederick Liu ’23, Political and Computer Science Major • David Mitten, Professor of Orthopedics and Director of UR Health Lab • Julia Norwood ’20, Linguistics Major • John Osburg, Associate Professor of Anthropology • Sarah Peyre, Dean, Warner Schoolf of Education PROJECT IMAGINE 5 • Karl Rosengren, Professor of Psychology • Lydia Rotondo, Associate Dean, Education and Student Affairs, School of Nursing • Samantha Singhal, Co-Deputy Chief Information Officer • Shyanthony Synigal ’23, PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering • Joe Testani, Associate Vice Provost for Career Educational Initiatives Guiding Principles Our committee’s work was heavily influenced by four key guiding principles, which we worked to uphold throughout our process: 1. An openness to big and bold ideas that challenge our assumptions of what’s possible. 2. An egalitarian approach to idea generation that places no voice or opinion above another. 3. A transparent and inclusive process that gives every member of the UR community an opportunity to contribute. 4. A positive and optimistic mindset that focuses on strengths and opportunities rather than weaknesses. PROJECT IMAGINE 6 Outcomes Themes Through the dozens of interviews and hundreds of ideas we received, certain themes shone through as clear priorities for our University members. After receiving further feedback on these themes, subgroups created individual reports to showcase ideas and opportunities within these refined areas: 1. It’s time for the University to lead on social justice 2. A University for the City: building bridges between UR & the Rochester community 3. Go for the Gold: creating a vibrant sustainability community at UR and beyond 4. Creating an Ever Better Workforce 5. Retooling for the future: becoming a changemaker campus 6. Becoming a vibrant year-round campus 7. Becoming the healthiest campus in the world 8. Any student anywhere, any patient anywhere 9. Financial transparency & efficiency It’s clear from the raw data alone how much our University prioritizes these themes: PROJECT IMAGINE 7 Big Ideas (Next page) PROJECT IMAGINE 8 Reports Per our charge, the ideas in these reports have not been subjected to deep analysis or due diligence. They are summaries of opportunities for further exploration as part of a strategic planning effort, project or initiative. It’s time for the University of Rochester to lead on social 1 justice #Meliora #SocialJustice #FrederickDouglass #SusanBAnthony A university that is committed in word and action to ideals of social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion will naturally be a leader in engagement with the city and broader community, in developing strong interdisciplinary curricula, and graduating leaders and changemakers. Our statement below captures the ideas of many passionate people who have sought, some for a number of years, to make the University of Rochester a more socially just place. It seems to be well past time for the University to begin to translate these great ideas into action. Big Ideas I.