New CAS Strategy Development

Starting in 2024, College of Arts and Sciences leadership began working on a strategy that will guide the college over the next five years. To ensure the strategy is inclusive and representative of the views of the faculty, staff and students who make up the CAS community, the college’s leadership held town halls and formed a 13-member committee to guide the process.

During the blueprint stage of the College of Arts and Sciences’ strategy development, faculty and staff provided feedback and ideas at CAS Community Conversations.

More than 100 faculty, staff and students helped develop the key strategic priorities that will serve as the college’s guiding star in the years ahead at CAS Community Conversation events.

Today’s students will most likely switch careers multiple times throughout their lifetime, and a liberal arts education promises to prepare them for that. One question that arose during strategy development sessions conversations was: How can we be sure we’re giving students a true liberal arts education?

“We’re very much wanting to look at the core curriculum and take it apart, start over and reshape it,” Poulsen said, adding that CAS needs to make liberal arts relevant in the 21st century. “What does the future look like if AI is a presence? How can we weave computer science and data science throughout the college? And what are our values, and are they different from what they were yesterday?”

“Our strategic plan is a chance for us to reflect on who we are as a community and what makes us distinctive,” Poulsen said. “We’ll use it to set high-level directions that align to our mission and guide our resource allocation.”