Vision 2030 reflects the work of countless contributors who engaged in a thoughtful and inspiring seven-month process to envision the future of the College. Below is a glimpse of the process that cultivated our vision. 

Message from Dean Rachel Dunifon - Envisioning the future of our college

November 12, 2020

Dear College of Human Ecology community: 

The challenges we have faced and overcome this year are a true testament to the strength of the College and a collective commitment to our mission. Despite many distractions, we have stayed the course and each day continue to demonstrate the importance and impact of our work. 

In the spirit of that continuity, I am excited to announce that we are ready to launch one of the priorities I articulated earlier this year: a participatory, strategic visioning process for the College of Human Ecology. This activity will bring our community together to: 

  • Build upon the unique strengths and proud history of our college; 
  • Articulate a compelling, strategically sound vision for our future; and 
  • Identify the key priorities that will guide our work in strengthening the College’s scholarship, culture and impact.

Your input is essential to this process. Over the course of this academic year, with support from Anica Madeo and Kerry Sheldon of Bridgeport Consulting, we plan to offer ample opportunities for Human Ecology students, staff, faculty, and alumni to shape the future of our college. We know that many in our community face particularly significant demands on our time and energy right now. As such, we will offer several ways to engage in this process and promise to be thoughtful about any requests for your valuable time. 

Please watch for invitations to participate and updates about the process, which will also be published on this specialized webpage.

Looking forward to the conversation,

Rachel Dunifon's signature

Rachel Dunifon
The Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean

Visioning Process and Timeline

Phase I. Scoping, Design and Early Insights
October – November 2020

  1. Early insights; “key informant” interviews
    • Perspectives on CHE’s core identity, differentiating contributions
    • Contours of current landscape
    • Suggested critical readings and other resources
    • Insights to inform broader stakeholder engagement effort
  2. Begin scheduling interviews
  3. Begin benchmarking research, if indicated
  4. Begin meeting with Core Team (Dean, Assistant & Associate Deans, Bridgeport Consulting)
  5. Steering Committee launch

Phase II. Discovery, Data Gathering & Synthesis
December 2020 - February 2021

  1. Launch broader stakeholder engagement via small groups and community conversations
  2. Continue interviews
  3. Benchmark
  4. Continue Core Team and Steering Committee meetings
  5. Document emerging themes
  6. Draft the vision and strategic priorities

Phase III. Testing, Validation, Completion and Roll-out
March - August 2021

  1. Test and validate the vision and strategic priorities
  2. Refine and finalize strategic plan
  3. Continue Core Team and Steering Committee meetings
  4. Develop roll-out plan
  5. Close the process, publish the plan and celebrate

Overview of engagement and communication

Community engagement opportunities (April - May, 2021)

  • Department faculty meetings
  • Dean's Undergraduate Advisory Council (DUAC) meeting
  • Association for Students of Color (ASC) meeting
  • Staff coffee hour with the dean

Strategic Visioning completion and roll-out development (June - July, 2021)

Publish and celebrate the strategic plan (July - December, 2021)

More to come! We look forward to putting the strategic plan into action.