January 2, 2008
Open forums slated to discuss Purdue strategic plan
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue faculty, staff and students and the Lafayette-West Lafayette community are being asked to help chart the course of the university at three strategic plan open forums in January.People also can contribute their ideas through a new blog on the strategic plan Web site at https://www.purdue.edu/strategic_plan/2007-13
"Our goal is to engage a broad audience through the forums and the blog," said interim Provost Victor Lechtenberg. "It is critical that we incorporate the voices of people on campus, in the community and across Indiana into our next strategic plan."
Lechtenberg and George Bodner, chair of the University Senate, serve as co-chairs of the strategic plan steering committee. The 18-member steering committee, which includes the leaders of eight strategic plan working groups, will draft the plan.
Purdue President France A. Córdova appointed the working groups in November. Each is focusing on a key area: student success and the student experience; large-scale research and its infrastructure; economic development; quality of life in the workplace; globalization; campus design; synergies between science/engineering and liberal arts/social sciences; and attracting students to careers in the STEM disciplines - science, technology, engineering and math.
Representatives from the working groups will attend the forums, which will be on the following dates:
* Monday, Jan. 7, 3:30-5 p.m. Lawson Computer Science Building, Room 1142. Working groups: campus design, globalization, and quality of life in the workplace.
* Tuesday, Jan. 15. 6:30-8 p.m. Lawson Computer Science Building, Room B155. Working groups: economic development and large-scale research and infrastructure.
* Thursday, Jan. 24. 10-11:30 a.m. Lawson Computer Science Building, Room 1142. Working groups: This will be a general forum for discussion on all topics.
The Lawson Computer Science Building is at the corner of Third and University streets on the West Lafayette campus.
A forum on Dec. 10 concentrated on student success and the student experience, attracting students to careers in the STEM disciplines, and synergies between science/engineering and liberal arts.
"We were excited to see how many people wanted to participate in planning Purdue's future at the December forum," said Bodner, the Arthur Kelly Distinguished Professor of Chemical Education. "We hope to receive the same enthusiastic response in January."
In addition to the campus forums, several regional focus groups also are being planned around Indiana for the economic development group.
Questions developed by the working groups for the open forums are posted on the blog.
"Visitors to the site can answer the questions posed by the working groups, provide general comments, and view and respond to posts from other participants," said Rab Mukerjea, director of strategic planning and assessment.
The Web site also will provide updates on the planning process.
For those who cannot attend a forum and do not have Web access, comments can be sent to Rab Mukerjea, Hovde Hall, 610 Purdue Mall, Room 200, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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