Initial Meeting Insights on Hartwick's Strategic Planning and Experiential Learning (May 2013)

1. Initial Meeting at Hartwick May 16, 2013 Participants: Hartwick President, Margaret Drugovich Robert Corman Laura Landy Ari Goldmann

2. President’s Dimensions of Change

3. Experiential Learning • Hartwick community must clarify definition of “experiential learning” • Study Abroad • Primarily done during J-Term • 21st nationally in % of students participating • Independent Research • 30 – 35% of students participating • Internships • Area for improvement • Full-time internship coordinator recently hired • Community-Based Service Learning • Needs more organization • J-Term • Allows abroad experiences for students who can’t afford taking a semester • Quality of experience is more important than length • Student Showcase • Classes cancelled one day per year • Students share work with rest of community

4. Retention • Long uphill battle against attrition. Impacts: • Resources • Community morale • Reputation • First-Year Students • More involvement needed • First Year Student Experience offices has only two full-time employee • Bonuses for reducing attrition? • Financial aid • Liberal arts education seen as “luxury” by many middle class families • One of three students is Pell-eligible • Middle-class family’s can’t afford Hartwick because they are not considered to have “need” as defined by Fed • Poor advising leave students unaware that Hartwick can be more affordable than SUNY Oneonta

5. Reputation • Hartwick’s reputation is poor • Does not comport with strength of Hartwick • Hartwick “prepares [its students] as well as any undergraduate education in the country.” • The lack of “repeat customers” makes it hard to improve reputation • Impacts graduation rate • Press and guidance counselors tend not to think highly of Hartwick • Understands that Hartwick will likely never be on same level as elite liberal arts colleges (eg Amherst, Williams, etc) • Must accept teaching the students Hartwick has • React to these students’ needs, rather than forcing agendas based on the students Hartwick wishes it has • Many Hispanic, 1st generation students – not going to attract best/brightest/most wealthy

6. Curriculum / Program • Strategic Curricular Visioning Review (December 2012) • Studied whether the set of courses and majors available are relevant today • Evaluation of curricular demand, not a study of what will provide best ROI • Board views document as “anemic” • President believes its completion is “monumental” • Master’s Program • Course Delivery • What do liberal arts students need to know by graduation? • 3-year program an early success; honors program less structured

7. Faculty • One of few colleges giving raises to faculty (increase competitiveness) • Dispute over prospect of merit pay • Must give faculty more ownership of the future of the college • Long history of failed leadership • “Wild West” culture among older faculty, pressure for inertia • Younger faculty more enthusiastic – willing to teach the students they have in front of them • Likely enough support among younger faculty to outweigh older recalcitrance • We still should try to bring older faculty on board

8. Endowment • Drugovich: “A robust endowment will be the difference between small colleges that make it, and those that can’t.” • Has swept endowment money into budget to stay in black • Hartwick likely to have to bear more of the cost of tuition to remain affordable (less Federal money available)

9. President Margaret Drugovich • Strengths • Enthusiastic, tenacious, in for the long term (contracted through 2017) • Importance of project: “This strategic planning process…must be successful” • Has full confidence of the Board • Disruptive yet respectful, willing to think creatively and hear ideas • Excited about parallels between higher education and health care • Accomplishments • Balanced budget for first time in recent history • Raised competitiveness of faculty • Opportunities for Growth • Marketing awareness • Strengths-based, appreciative thinking • Willingness to be coached?