TO: The George Washington University Community

FR: Donald R. Lehman, Vice President for Academic Affairs

Throughout the 2001-02 academic year, the GW faculty, staff, and administration have done extensive work on the development of the University’s strategic plan for the next three to five years. The plan that has evolved is flexible and will require yearly review and updating. Most importantly, the plan is focused on fundamentals.

We chose to focus on the fundamentals of being an outstanding university, because that is what will sustain GW in the long run. Sustainability of our current momentum drives our focus on the fundamentals for achieving a higher level of academic excellence with an underpinning of a superiorly run infrastructure that supports the academic enterprise.

There is urgency in what we are trying to achieve. Some of the ultimate objectives present challenging hurdles for us. However, we believe that the basic timeframe of three to five years is such that we can solidly position GW for enhanced reputation and prestige.

The current strategic planning for academic excellence has its genesis in the strategic planning within the schools and other academic areas led by the responsible deans, associate vice presidents, and directors under my impetus over the last six years. These academic leaders and I have worked to use strategic planning as a framework for decision making with regard to programmatic directions, faculty hiring, and ultimately, resource allocation within Academic Affairs. In addition, the strategic planning within Academic Affairs has served as the basis for using measures of accountability to assess progress toward reaching established goals. Based on the annual evaluation of outcomes, the goals are carefully reviewed and updated. Close attention has been paid to the integration of each academic unit’s goals with the University’s six goals as they apply to the academic areas.

The University’s goals, linked to President Trachtenberg’s twelve vision points, set the

framework for the University’s strategic plan. The University Plan describes the three strategic outcomes that are sought:

· Raise GW’s level of recognized academic excellence.
· Uniquely position GW in the higher-education marketplace.
· Achieve a high level of operational excellence in all components of GW.

These are the primary efforts that shall bring to reality the products of the strategic planning process.

For any strategic planning undertaking, the results are the primary aim. However, it is important to realize the role of the completed process. Involvement of both faculty and staff in the discussions has created a sense of ownership relative to strategic directions. The thoroughness of the process used to develop the plan is a source of pride, and attitudes about the value of collaboration have been improved. An educational experience as to the academic and operational strengths of GW has taken place while, at the same time, a seriousness of purpose towards the implementation of the plan has been developed.

The preeminent driver in GW’s strategic planning has been selective academic excellence. We have educated ourselves about our existing strengths. We are using these strengths as the platforms from which we shall measure our progress over the next three to five years. Selective excellence, along with a basic underpinning logic, provides the solid foundation for what we have done.

The logic derives from the principle that what we do to uniquely position GW in the higher-education marketplace must come from leveraging our assets. The first major asset is the University itself, without which, there is no starting point. The academic strengths within the University comprise the central component of what makes the University as a whole such a valuable asset. Therefore, whatever we do must build primarily from existing academic strengths. The second primary asset is where the University is located; namely, the Washington Metropolitan area. Our aim is to leverage the assets of the Washington Metropolitan area to the highest possible level. We want to recognize the benefits of the presence of the Federal city, the international presence in the region, the high number of technologically oriented companies located nearby, the value of being in the center of where national security planning takes place, the resources provided by the many national science laboratories, the strength of the region as an arts and cultural center, the role that can be played by the many museums in educating our students, and the existence of many media and information bureaus. These assets can be leveraged through the formation of strategic alliances and partnerships. Such partnering provides the means towards important knowledge creation, whether through the synthesis of existing knowledge to create new understanding, or through the actual creation of new knowledge – things that truly were not heretofore known.

It is with this background that I commend to the reader the Report of the Strategic Planning Committee on Academic Excellence. The central focus of the strategic planning initiative is achievement of a higher level of recognized excellence in the education of undergraduate students at GW. Such emphasis does not relegate to secondary status areas that are critical to our being recognized as a prestigious institution; in particular, doctoral programs. An outstanding undergraduate experience depends on outstanding faculty members who are fully engaged in their scholarly work, providing service to the University and community, and committed to being scholars of teaching as well as scholarly teachers. Such faculty members are attracted to GW because it is a research institution and provides the environment for scholarly work of the highest order. Thus, the reader will find a proposal that concerns selective excellence in doctoral programs coupled with enhanced support for graduate teaching assistants at GW.

All proposals chosen for investment and development have been, and will continue to be, evaluated in the context of leveraging the assets of the University and the Washington Metropolitan area, and their contribution to the enhancement of the overall undergraduate experience obtainable at GW. Each undertaking will be rigorously reviewed on an annual basis with regard to achievement of specific goals, and the extent to which it is contributing solidly to the broader strategic outcomes sought by the University.

I hope you find the materials in this Report of the Strategic Planning Committee on Academic Excellence to be stimulating and thought provoking. Moreover, I hope the significance of what this community collaboration has produced is evident. It shall provide the foundation for GW’s continuing momentum and progress toward a higher level of recognition as an outstanding research institution providing a widely recognized, academically excellent, undergraduate education.