Setting Out Toward a New Summit
November 1, 2017
Dear Members of the Trinity Community,
As we approach our bicentennial in 2023, it is time for us to look forward and embrace a new Trinity, one that builds proudly on the strengths of our past. The Board of Trustees has approved with enthusiasm our new direction and our strategic plan, Summit. The plan reflects the work of the entire community, which came together to envision our future. I thank all of you who participated, whether you were one of the more than 70 campus community members who served on the Bicentennial Strategic Planning Commission or one of the countless others on campus and off who provided valuable input and feedback on the ideas and directions that shaped this plan. This is our momentum moment!
Today, we have a new North Star. It doesn’t point us in an altogether new direction; at its core is providing a rigorous, relevant, and transformative liberal arts education to intellectually curious, well-rounded students for whom Trinity is a first choice. It is a recommitment to the world beyond Trinity’s campus, both in Hartford and around the world. It is a resolve to achieve financial and environmental sustainability in a fast-changing landscape. It is a recognition that to remain relevant and retain the best faculty and staff, we must be inclusive as we move forward. It is an acknowledgement that we must better engage our powerful and well-connected network of alumni and friends. In other words, this plan is about you. Our next job is to create operational plans and tactics that meet our strategic goals. This is a job that requires all of us to work together.
As a first step, today we launch a new microsite for the strategic plan: summit.trincoll.edu. There you can see the plan in full, watch a video, learn about our implementation plans, and raise your hand to suggest ideas, ask questions, or offer your expertise. You can sign up for regular updates on our progress, and you can share the plan’s content with your social networks.
To oversee and advance implementation of the strategic plan, I have convened a multi-constituent, cross-functional Coordinating Group that will be chaired by Sonia Cardenas, Dean of Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. That group, whose membership is listed on the Summit website, will collaborate closely with trustees, divisional leadership and other groups within the framework of our shared governance structure to advance toward our goals.
For members of the campus community, please save the date, Tuesday, December 5. That day, during the Common Hour, we’ll celebrate the completion of the strategic plan and launch officially on our path to the Summit with an event in the Cave in Mather Hall. Hope to see you there!
Again, thank you all. We are bold, we are ambitious, we are engaged, we are Trinity. And Trinity’s future is exciting, indeed!
Sincerely,
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience
