Imagine, Macalester: December Update

Dear Macalester Community: 

Heartfelt thanks to the many of you who already have participated in our Imagine, Macalester strategic planning work. It’s energizing and exciting to hear your thoughts and dreams about the future of the college.

We write today with an update on that work, and an invitation to those of you who have not participated yet to please do so. We continue to build out our strategic planning hub, which includes detailed updates and timelines on the planning process. Please check it out.

At the end of October, members of the college’s Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA) committee hosted a webinar to discuss this overview of the college’s financial model. If you’d like to watch, recordings are posted on the “Get Involved” page.

Last month, we hosted two campus kick-off sessions, one for faculty and staff, and one for students. Participants gathered in small groups to discuss questions about Macalester’s future and brainstorm ideas for making a Macalester education even more distinctive. More than 250 members of our community participated, and others shared their feedback using this strategic planning survey following the events. For those of you who are curious, recordings of the sessions also are posted on the “Get Involved” page.

Last week, we had a day-long orientation with our Strategic Planning Champions, who developed plans to host listening sessions with their key constituents. Please watch for opportunities to join them in conversation, or reach out to them directly if you’d like to participate in an upcoming session. 

At the end of next month, we are hosting two town halls — one for alumni and one for current parents. If you’re a member of either of these two groups, we’d love to have you join us.

Parent town hall registration
Alumni town hall registration 

Looking ahead, we plan to share drafts of high-level themes with the Board of Trustees at the end of February. Members of the community will have opportunities to share thoughts on those high-level themes in March and April — watch for an email from us in early March. Then, we will develop a draft plan between April and August, with the goal of sharing a final version with the community in September. 

We’re grateful to the many members of the community who are participating as leaders in this work — from members of SPA to our Strategic Planning Champions. This work gets stronger when more voices are heard, and you are helping us ensure everyone in our community has the opportunity to participate.  

In addition to the listening sessions being offered, you are welcome at any point in this process  to offer input in two ways: by taking the strategic planning survey, which is tailored for each college constituency, or by emailing suggestions to [email protected]. 

With appreciation for your partnership, 

Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera, President
Dr. Lisa Anderson-Levy, Executive Vice President and Provost

December 13, 2021