Retiring Smith College President Carol Christ leaves a
legacy of exceptional scholarship and leadership in her years at Berkeley and
Smith.
In the aftermath of the economic collapse of 2008, President
Christ sensed a growing disconnect between internal and external audiences, and
forces. Some on-campus partisans felt
defensive and un- or under-appreciated as off-campus groups – some trustees and
the media – seemed to goad with provocative questions like “are ‘purposeful
inefficiencies’ outmoded” and “can you afford your values?!”
Guided by her passion for academe and a powerful practical
sense that proactive steps needed to be taken – earlier rather than later –
Carol launched the “Futures Initiative” at Smith.
Designed to be a candid educational exploration and dialogue, the
project engaged all stakeholders and asked them to test their assumptions, be
open to learning what they didn’t know, and come together with a shared sense
of purpose, specifically Smith’s prosperity but more broadly the future of
higher education.
What follows is President Christ’s conclusion to article
“The Power of Strategic Thinking,” which was published in the Spring, 2012
edition of AGB’s Trusteeship magazine and is offered as a model of modern
college leadership and responsible stewardship.
“The final test of the success of the initiative, however,
lies in the future – in whether the project has begun to build a culture of
strategic thinking and a willingness to experiment with pilot projects that
are, in some sense, bets about the future. There is already some evidence that
this is the case; several experiments with summer programs for high-school
girls and an online course for alumnae on financial independence, adapted from
our successful undergraduate program, are already in development. We will know
more when the working groups involved in followup projects report at the spring
board meeting.
“Whatever its concrete results, the project has taught us a
number of important lessons. Smith, like many colleges and universities, can
tend to live in a bubble. We all cultivate a kind of exceptionalism; we believe
that our own institution, whatever it is, offers a uniquely enriching experience
to its students. Many faculty and staff members, who, for the most part, spend
their careers at Smith, know surprisingly little about other colleges and
universities, particularly those outside their academic sector, and the primary
expertise of most board members is not higher education.
“It is therefore salutary for both boards and campuses to
take time to think systematically about trends affecting higher education
institutions. We currently live in a period of greater change in higher
education than any since the immediate post-World War II years. In such a
context, colleges and universities will be well served by developing a culture
of strategic thinking – asking, with a sense of curiosity and adventure, how we
can best avoid the risks and take advantage of the opportunities in our rapidly
changing world.”
