December 12, 2003

VISION 2004: An Interim Report from Dr. Marcellette Williams

The initial work on exploring dimensions for a 21st century land-grant university within a framework and vision for the liberal arts and sciences at MSU is well underway.

On November 17, I began facilitating the focus group discussions initiated by Provost Simon. These will continue through December 17. Reflective of faculty interest in having such discussions and the large number of people who wanted to be involved, we more than doubled the number of focus groups originally scheduled.

Included have been thematic discussions centered around cognitive science, behavioral neuroscience, ethics, world languages and cultures, gender and ethnic studies, Integrative Studies and general education, writing and communication, graduate education, humanities, social sciences, technology, and visual arts, media, design.

In addition to an open session for faculty, staff, and students scheduled for December 17, invited participants have included faculty in relevant disciplinary and professional programs, graduate and undergraduate students, student and faculty academic governance leaders, University Distinguished Professors, newly appointed faculty, assistant and associate deans, chairpersons and directors, and deans.

A broad range of ideas and observations are emerging, and I am keeping careful track of the conversation content. I appreciate the candor, insightful and creative perspectives, and the proactive thinking that have characterized the focus group conversations. From my experience, these are especially rich discussions and will be significant as the Provost formulates her views on the framework and vision for the liberal arts and sciences at Michigan State University.

While our original plan anticipated posting a summary of these discussions on the Office of the Provost web site by mid-December, the inclusion of additional focus group sessions and the expansion of participation by members of the MSU community have required that we adjust our timeline a bit. At this time, I anticipate that the summary will be provided to Provost Simon and posted to this web site before the middle of January.