The first detailed draft of the strategic plan-a centerpiece of University President Frederick Lawrence's administration since its start-was released last week, and it drew criticism for what some perceived as its focus on the sciences and graduate schools, while ignoring the humanities and social sciences.

The draft-which administrators have stressed is a "work in progress," requiring more feedback-focuses on the academy and ways to improve education in areas such as the sciences, graduate schools and research, and indicates a desire to invest in hiring new, young faculty.

The draft frames Brandeis as "a small university, bringing together the virtues of a liberal arts college and a research institution." In this way, the draft states, Brandeis is distinctive among its peers.

Embedded in the draft is the tension between all that the University seeks to achieve and its finite financial means. It states, "we cannot afford to invest equally in every field, and so we must make strategic judgments about where we are able to attain and sustain national prominence."

Among its concrete initiatives, the draft promises to quadruple the budget for renewal of campus facilities to $10 million and create an updated campus master plan, two areas particularly relevant to student life on campus.

But the focus of the draft is the educational experience. It calls for the University to "grow and nurture key academic programs" and "strengthen selected departments," although it does not specify which departments or programs will benefit from these "strategic investments."

At the faculty meeting last Thursday, some faculty expressed general approval and appreciation for the development of the plan, but also addressed concerns about the draft's coherence and focus on graduate schools and sciences.

Prof. Peter Conrad (SOC) said at the faculty meeting that there was little mention of the humanities and social sciences in the draft and that, "this volume, as it's written now, attaches the future of Brandeis to the two professional schools and the sciences."

"I think we need to rethink, do we really mean it that we're going to be led by the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and [International Business School] and the sciences and everybody else is subservient or tied to that, or do we have a larger vision?" Conrad said. Some faculty present at the meeting, including Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Eric Chasalow (MUS) seemed to agree that the document didn't necessarily capture the social sciences.

"I agree with what you're saying here. In fact, it occurred to me also, meaning the part about the sciences, that we think of all the work we do here as changing the world and that that document doesn't really capture that," said Chasalow.

Prof. Len Saxe (Heller) said, "The first transformation of fundamental scientific discovery, if I'm remembering correctly, could be transformative, but why limit it to-I'll call it-the hard sciences, the biological sciences; how about the social sciences? The social sciences are more at Brandeis than global integration. Rebuilding the physical space of the social science quad is only part of the social science story at Brandeis."

Saxe added that the draft lacks coherence. "The way in which it forms the mosaic that we are and what we want to be didn't come through to me, and I think the next step in the process is 'how do we develop the coherence of the story?'"

In an email to the Justice following the meeting, Lawrence said the University's dedication to liberal arts and social sciences is sometimes taken as a given.

"As we move forward toward the final stages of the planning process, it is important that these commitments do not go without saying; we should explicitly state our commitment to the humanities and social sciences, which with the creative arts are the core of a liberal arts education," wrote Lawrence.
Alumni, and their potential to function as a base of fiscal support, also play a part in the draft.

"Our alumni are essential to the future of Brandeis. We must look to them not only for reliable and robust financial support. We must also draw upon them as a vital resource for recruiting students, for providing entr?(c)e to internships and employment, for making connections between Brandeis and the worlds of business, government, and the professions - in short, for extending the reach of Brandeis, nationally and internationally," states the draft.

Another goal is to "strengthen graduate education at Brandeis" - a theme prevalent throughout the plan, with proposals in later pages to strengthen the postdoctoral programs, build an additional complex for the IBS, and continue sustenance and repositioning of the Heller School.

The draft also wants to make Brandeis a first-choice destination for students. Among the actions that would affect the admissions process is an effort to decrease the acceptance rate.

"Gradually decrease admission rate while steadily increasing yield (number of students accepting offers of admission), raising students' academic qualifications and expanding student diversity," for example, is an action item.

Student Union President Todd Kirkland '13, who is on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, said he thinks the draft is "very well done."

"In terms of student participation, I believe student input has been an essential component of this process from the start," wrote Kirkland in an email to the Justice. "Although no students wrote the document, it is evident to me that administration understands and plans to help relieve many issues facing the student body."

Executive Senator Ricky Rosen '14 wrote in an email to the Justice, "I think that the Strategic Plan succeeds in outlining Brandeis' transformation over the next decade into a world-class academic institution."

Provost Steve Goldstein '78 said in an interview with the Justice following the faculty meeting that he welcomed the feedback. "I think the feedback is exciting. ... I love the way they process, I love the way they analyze it because they're such broad thinkers," he said.

This week, the administration planned three discussion sessions open to the entire community. One took place yesterday and the next two will be tomorrow from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Levin Ballroom.

The planning process began in fall 2011, when Lawrence appointed Goldstein to head the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

The initial timetable was to have a plan framework announced by the end of the 2011-2012 academic year and a final draft of the plan distributed by December 2012, according to Lawrence at an October 2011 faculty meeting.

The process was then delayed several times to allow more time for discussions to take place. Now, the draft of the plan will be discussed at the March Board of Trustees meeting and approved as a final version at the May Board meeting.

Brandeis has retained Elaine C. Kuttner of Cambridge Concord Associates, a consulting firm, to help with the strategic plan.

-Tate Herbert contributed reporting