At last week’s Matriculation Convocation, President Carter shared with our community a framework for a new way of collaboratively working together to strengthen our university. At the conclusion of her address, she called on Lawrentians–faculty, staff, and students alike–to join together to transform Lawrence into a university that is poised to lead in the new higher education landscape.
Bolstered by the sense of urgency that comes with the external challenges at hand, Lawrence will create five guiding coalitions that will serve as accountable, integrated groups bound by opportunity, strategy, and action. Consisting of a volunteer army of Lawrentians from across the university, they will form strategic visions and initiatives to move us forward. They will also work and be authorized to remove barriers so that they are able to generate short-term wins, sustain acceleration, and ultimately institute change.
Each coalition will be provided a charge and timeline for the work. Structurally, each will have co-leads (at least one faculty member and one staff member) who facilitate the group’s work and will consist of members from multiple layers of the university hierarchy and will represent all constituents—faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni. Members of the coalitions must have a sense of urgency and a commitment to the change initiative at hand. Our five guiding coalitions and their co-leads are:
- Visioning Our Five Priorities—Jason Brozek, Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs & Associate Professor of Government & Jenna Stone, Associate Vice President of Finance
- Full Speed to Full Need—Cassie Curry, Director of Major & Planned Giving & Jake Frederick, Professor of History
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism—Connie Kassor, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies & Jacklyn Fischer, Assistant Director, Career Center – Health Professions
- Athletics—Kim Tatro, Director of Athletics & Gary Vaughn, Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Coordinator, Innovation and Entrepreneurship program
- 175th Anniversary—Ed Berthiaume, Director of Public Information & Lina Foley-Rosenberg, University Archivist
All members of the Lawrence community have the opportunity to participate, step up and act like never before. Everyone, regardless of role, can engage in this process.
If you are interested in joining a guiding coalition, please email Alice Boeckers, executive assistant to the president, at alice.o.boeckers@lawrence.edu by Friday, September 24. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your Cabinet member or one of the leads listed above. Coalition membership will be finalized and communicated with campus by September 30.