LALACS Strategic Plan
 
 
 
In the meeting on November 10, we came up with a list of what we would like to include in the Strategic Plan document, which is due in February.  I will be willing to write a draft document, using all of our ideas.  This posting is to discuss the aims of the Strategic Plan, and to recap the ideas we discussed on Monday.
 
I just came for a Department Chair/Program Director meeting, and received a lot of useful information about writing the strategic plan.
 
The Strategic Plan is asking for three hierarchical statements:
 
1) Vision:  What do we want to provide for students?  Where we do want to be in the year 2020?
 
3) Goals:  What do we want to accomplish that will help us reach our vision?
 
2) Initiative:  What programs / new faculty hires / scholarships / buildings needs to be put in place in order for us to reach our goal
 
Right now the goals and initiatives are intermingled, but we can fine-tune that later. Let’s not worry about that too much now.  The Provost has asked us to dream BIG.  So here are the dreams we came up with in the meeting. Please do let me know if you have any additions, objections or other dreams.  
 
STRATEGIC PLAN  IDEAS
 
VISION
In the year 2020, LALACS would like to be ranked among the top 10 Latin American Studies Programs for undergraduates in the nation.  We would like to provide students with . .  
 
GOAL/INITIATIVES

LALACS MAJOR
  1. 1. We believe that LALACS should become a full Major, and have all the perquisites of a Major Program:  two releases per year for the director, an operating budget, student work-study lines, a capstone course.
 
(Note:  we should include a few lines about why we feel having a major is significant -- because of student interest, external forces, etc.)
 
  1. 2. Dedicated Faculty Lines for LALACS
An Endowed Chair, and 3 dedicated faculty lines, only for Latin American Studies (1 in Latino Studies, 1 in Caribbean Studies, 1 in Southern Cone).
 
  1. 3.  Protected Faculty Lines for Departments with LALACS faculty
We would like the six faculty lines outside of Spanish that now have faculty with Latin American interests to be protected (i.e. Art History, Geography, Soc/Anthro, Religion)
 
  1. 4. We would like to have a Semester Abroad Program in Argentina in place.(Sentence about importance of this program to the college and to LALACS)
 
  1. 5. Scholarships:  We would like to have Named Scholarships.  Example: we believe that a Music Scholarship named for the great salsa singer Celia Cruz (a giant in the music world) would attract major funding from the Cuban American community, and would put Gustavus on the map nationally.  
 
  1. 6. International Students:  We would like funding to attract students from Latin America.  
 
 
Other Notes from the Chair’s meeting:
We should think about the commitment we expect from other departments to LALACS .  
 
We should always phrase vision, goals and initiatives in terms of student opportunities.  What are the opportunities that we want students to have that are consistent with the mission and goals of the program.
 
Our audience is:  The Provost and Deans, the Task Force, the wider campus
 
A summary version would be helpful.  
 
GAC_Strategic_Plan.pdf
 
 
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Notes about the Strategic Plan