Town Hall Meetings on 'Foundation of the Future'

Please mark your calendars for one of two "Town Hall" meetings (tentatively scheduled in Wilde Auditorium) that will provide an overview to faculty and staff regarding the Foundation of the Future initiative, and more specifically, the work of the two Foundation of the Future task forces to date:

- Wednesday, February 1, 8:30 a.m.

- Friday, February 3, 1:30 p.m.


What is Foundation of the Future?

President Walter Harrison provided a compelling message to the campus community earlier this academic year outlining the need for a comprehensive program review and prioritization process that he has titled "Foundation of the Future." In his November letter to faculty and staff, President Harrison explained that Foundation of the Future “is a process of program review and prioritization for all academic and administrative programs” with a goal of determining where to focus our resources without increasing our overall budget. Further he noted that Foundation of the Future is not a strategic planning exercise, but it will help provide the basis upon which our next plan can be built.

Two groups were also announced in November: the Academic Programs Task Force, co-chaired by Professor Harry Workman and Professor and Associate Dean Katherine Black, and the Administrative Programs Task Force, co-chaired by Norm Young, Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Management, and R.J. McGivney, Associate Dean of University Programs.

See the membership of the two task forces.

The two task forces have been busy at work since November—first in day-long retreats with consultant Larry Goldstein, then meeting independently. They are ready to provide a campus update in collaboration with Provost Sharon L. Vasquez and Vice President of Finance and Administration Arosha Jayawickrema, who are serving as “champions” of Foundation of the Future.


Statement of Purpose

To help guide the work of both the Academic Programs Review Task Force and the Administrative Programs Review Task Force, the following statement serves as the purpose of the program review and prioritization exercise:

As the University of Hartford builds its Foundation of the Future, we will emphasize those programs, services, and initiatives that optimize the following factors: 1) university-wide impact or importance; 2) clearly demonstrated demand, and/or opportunity; and 3) greater benefit than cost. Decision making will reflect our strategic directions, demonstrate the shared values of our diverse community and be guided by our mission.

The task forces play essential roles in Foundation of the Future. Before an action plan can be crafted by the administration for presentation to the Board of Regents in the fall, the important work of creating measures and overseeing the review and prioritization of programs is the first step. In order for this process to be as transparent and inclusive as possible, the task forces are finalizing their drafts of review criteria and weighting of the criteria as well as a format/template for the review reports. These will be posted next week for public comment using a specifically designed electronic process (similar to that developed for the NEASC Self Study).

Please watch for email announcements from the task force co-chairs later this week with instructions for responding and links to the appropriate site. Materials will be posted for comment January 30 thru February 5.