summary-of-strategic-planning-pan-college-breakout

1 GRAND SUMMARY OF NOTES Pan-College Convening on Strategic Planning Input Breakout Groups April 12, 2019 Attendees: 100 campus members of faculty, staff, students, and trustees Breakout Group Facilitators/Notetakers (Affinity Group for Session #1): Theresa Bedoya/Thomas Gardner (Staff/Trustee) Colleen Cashill/Amber Eve Anderson (Staff) David Gracyalny (Staff) Don Jones/Marissa LaBant (Staff) Tiffany Holmes/Renee Rendine (Faculty) Gwen Keathley/Issac Gertman (Staff/Trustee) Doug Mann/Jennifer Golden (Staff) Kevin Griffin Moreno (Faculty/Deans) Sheri Parks/Kai Crosby-Singleton (Students) 10 Debra Rubino/Scott Stone (Staff) Facilitators were asked to conduct the following input conversations in two breakout discussion sessions (the topics were meant to prompt substantive input, and not as restrictive frameworks): • Input Breakout Discussion #1 (affinity groups) • (For faculty and student affinity tables) What would Integrative Education look like in your classroom? (For staff affinity tables) What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? • Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as possible, and then agree on or top recommendations • Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations • Input Breakout Discussion #2 (mixed group) • What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? • What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? • What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? INPUT BREAKOUT DISCUSSION #1 Notes (unedited, except for minor typo corrections and explanations of acronyms) Group (Staff/Trustee) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● Collaboration with Johns Hopkins / expanded HEMI / further internship opportunities ● Showcase student work to broader communities (local / Baltimore and beyond) ● Bring more community partners (members of the community, local people) to MICA ● ADCAP broadened, deepened ● Continue to further BDS (Baltimore Design School) relationship but also BSA (Baltimore School of the Arts) (more of this other K-12 schools?) ● MICA more involved in the city, more engaged with local neighborhoods, more visibility ● How MICA & Baltimore differs from SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) & Chicago, etc / Institution & The City ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● More advertisement / more visual presence in Baltimore Cultivate broader and deeper understanding of MICA in Baltimore (e.g annual fashion show as Baltimore event) Use physical atomized / dispersed / networked urban campus to advantage (vs Hopkins, et al) Constitution Day! A phenomenal event develop broader Baltimore-connected presence Look unflinchingly at the two recent NYTimes articles on Baltimore, talk about them, teach & critiques these Staff on-boarding (knowing & understanding MICA’s culture, what shapes MICA, etc.) especially re: DEIG (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Globalization) Some staff have little reason to leave office Literally, physically not integrated How to change this? How to dismantle institutional silos Develop co-curricular model in Res-Life; Res-Life collaboration with other programs FYE? Staff and others to have talks to learn what MICA community is up to; make this a central part of the work, the job not merely extracurricular or so-called professional development Many good initiatives over the years, but follow-through is a problem Some staff have not taken a MICA class, how to offer more and more direct understanding of the MICA curriculum, teaching and learning How to facilitate staff-faculty interaction, incentives Brown bag lunches for staff only with talks from outside folks or MICA folks (informal presentations, talks) Doug Mann example invites MICA folks in to talk to staff more of this; how can this be selfinitiated, more organic; point is: how different areas of the college understand each other, i.e., Integrative at Home, among ourselves (MICA community) ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● See above list ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Deepen and expand MICA’s commitment to art & activism (especially here in Baltimore) ● Invite Baltimore folks to MICA events, talks, sharing improve outreach how does MICA become seen as a go-to community partner Group (Staff) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● Entry-level opportunities and advanced-level opportunities to develop leadership skills outside of the classroom happens in community engagement ■ Partnership with Union Baptist Headstart program ■ Students go to morning program and support a teacher in the classroom ■ Opportunity to integrate art into the curriculum ● Integrative education takes the limits off students - honing into what they want to postgraduation - we should offer classes outside of the art curriculum, like business classes, entrepreneurship, etc ■ Creating special interest communities, for example, opportunities for curating on campus, etc - Developing job-based skills ■ Collaboration across the board throughout the institution ■ Intro classes to help students know what they want to when they graduate ■ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Art & science collaborations (prosthetics), 3D models for scientists, etc - collaborative throughout Baltimore ■ MICA alums working at JHU, making videos and graphic design in the field of science Number one question from parents is what is my son or daughter going to after graduation? ■ There are so many tech and science opportunities for artists - creating some of those for students at MICA ■ Are there opportunities to become managers of studio spaces on campus, etc.? Looping parents and alumni into student networks Bringing parents, staff, alumni into the classrooms to establish real-world connections with students that will last them throughout their lives ■ Start in the early years, not just the 4th year Engaging students with the idea that art is interdisciplinary (this happens in Sculpture, at least), but how is sculpture, for example, social, etc., not object-based - talking about the environment that art creates, rather than the objects themselves How to synthesize classroom skills with life skills - working with Career Development, etc making more connections across campus between Res Life, Academic Affairs, Campus Engagement, etc ■ Campus is siloed, if we know that as staff, students can sense that - how can they put all the pieces together if we can’t? ■ Rather than “partnering” if event is somewhat aligned, what would it look like if departments/faculty/staff plan programs from the beginning? ■ Campus-wide program that was academic/fun/career-focused - peer-to-peer reviews ■ Create intentional opportunities for all areas across campus to make it easier for students to access information about every aspect of the school and the impact and influence it will have on their education and their future ■ Don’t wait until they are upper-class students Start career development from their first year ■ Particularly important for the parents ■ Co-curricular classes in residence halls One-credit courses, dialogue classes (Professional development courses like in grad school) Create pathways teaching students other skills Resumes and cover letters - how you write - need to learn the business side Love the slide for parents - our foundation for integrative educational approach Get students LLC’s before leaving campus Virtual mentoring by alumni for building a business Need to know how to manage yourself/your studio/business ideas Create opportunities for competition (that might exist at larger state institutions) - competitions for jobs on campus Building a culture at MICA that they aspire to Students always need a mentor → Facilitate mentorship situations - knowing how to apply for shows, curate shows, running your own business, etc ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● See above list ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Demographics of MICA & higher education are changing significantly - many more international students - DEIG is very specific to US (such as pronoun usage) - addressing gaps for international students to engage with these ideas ● ● ● ● ● International students are required to come a week earlier than all other students - they have a lot to catch up on before school starts, but could be approached in a way that integrates both international and non-international students to create dialogue One-credit classes and/or making space in classes for international students Creating a buddy-system or semester-long classes to address acclimatization of international students Acknowledge how strong American culture is around the world - international students that are already here vs first-time coming to America for MICA Engage with real-life outside of the classroom - issues for both students and faculty that are international Group (Staff) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● More difficulty seeing how this relates to the FAs Is it unified or will there be specific to different areas of the curriculum? ● Is it connecting art and design with real-world applications? ● Like the sound but what does it mean, what is this? ● Is this like writing where you learn to write within in professional business writing, legal writing, editorial writing, etc.? ● How does MICA facilitate cross/inter-collegiate partnership?? ● Are we discussing other ways that we integrate “real-world work” outside of internships, exclusively? ● How we bring greater access to content that is meaningful to practices in other industries that MICA does not naturally have in its current curriculum? ● How we open up existing opportunities and better communicate these existing opportunities to current students? ● Where does entrepreneurship already exist in the curriculum and when/where can it be added? ● How to get more participation? ● How to be successful adults, addressing deficits in the way they are whole people in the world Financial literacy, workplace negotiations, erecting appropriate boundaries, mutual relationships, moving into adulthood, selfcare, mental wellness, communication (some specific issues for international student) ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● Infuse into the DNA of the institution: systems that support mentorship approaches (peer, faculty, programmatic and cross-functional mentoring) and identifying the right external partners (for rightsized and most impactful integration); that improve knowledge and access, communication systems; that prepare students for post-graduation life; that integrate Civics education toward their understanding what matters to them’; that cultivate their grit and capacity to search and find resources and information; that help students to identify their capacity and ability to deploy those assets in a professional context (transferable skills); that identify their goals and grow their agency for self-advocacy ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● (No entry) Group (Staff) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● Idea of using liberal arts model -creating more well-rounded students; ability for students to be nimbler as far as navigating through different career paths Alumni relations survey students expressed this concern/opportunity It’s important for MICA to look at where there are opportunities to intersect with other areas; i.e collaborations with medicine, etc ● Showing students how to transpose ideas into creating career paths Figuring out a way for students to find their niches How can people from different backgrounds work together to transpose? Possibly not limiting students by major; if a student is a painting major and has an interest in another area, e.g., fashion; communicate the idea that you can be more than just one major… ● Experiential education; hands on showing/real world projects/mandatory internships ● Encouraging more collaboration between majors how can we connect more interdepartmentally? ● Is there an opportunity to come in as a freshman to come in with more of an exploratory major? ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● Sharing alum success stories ● Can each student be paired with a mentor in some way to explore real-world experience? ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Possibility to have faculty more informed on what resources are available to students ● Partnerships/Study Abroad/Mentorships… across other institutions How can we expand our network of mentors? More fieldwork opportunities for students ● Can we involve more alumni possibly to come back to present workshops? Is this a new way of giving back, instead of offering a monetary donation? Possibility of live-streaming so that more students could have the opportunity to benefit ● Many alumni have expressed concern about not having resources after graduation Can we offer alumni access to resources for a limited time after graduation? Group (Faculty) ● What would Integrative Education look like in your classroom? ● Reconfiguration of academic enterprise—Faculty and student collaboration on projects (around topics, competency based) ● UG immersive, continuous, hands-on learning (3 week intensive) ● Intercultural project example (Dartmouth- organized around small lumps of time, internships, projects It’s the norm to move off campus) ● Community based- social practice—address ethics as ideas move into practice; also address/teach history of race in US and globally ● Break up semester system (how you fit things in?); e.g., office of development (monument quilt, wings project) tie together support so that all students can access it (funding/opportunity) ● Ethics— (students care about the work but need to be provided with framework to articulate ethics/responsibility) it’s our responsibility to provide depth re fabricating things from life We need science Our ability to support students in this way needs work ● Look to community-based instructors to show the way/ pull their voices into this new work (vs GTI) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Lib Arts and Art History faculty read the room in terms of content How to model classrooms around that awareness Add lessons organically/responsively? Customize lessons and classes based on need Integrated teaching approaches co-teaching Classes integrated with one another to allow cross pollination Evergreen State College- every class is co-taught (i.e Field biology/lit) Research… always Deepen research Better structures needed to model/ teach this Support for faculty, support for library Research initiatives developed by faculty and reacted to by students Lack of consistency in terms of what students are getting, (still need core competencies) perhaps the overlap should happen in sophomore year and higher PT faculty important bc the PT person is valuable bc of the specific field work they are doing (specialized knowledge) Draw on people in community based on needed topics Open ended classes can go in radically different directions (same faculty/different results) how to navigate? How to meet same SLOs? Student experience integration of international students Thrive with Baltimore is positive, but how to make that mission relevant to international students? How to help Int’l students work on peer teams Ongoing issue What faculty need to teach to their best? Not just faculty prof development We also need student prof development on this issue (Valeska, excellent resource) Deep skillfulness in collaboration Collaboration between diverse backgrounds needed Back to radical reconfiguration… de-tribalizing classroom is important but what about overall structure changes? What does a BFA mean?4 credit classes? (more in depth Fewer irons in the fire) Technical skills taught in credit courses? flexible/frequently offered Why Bauhaus notion that everyone has to sit in the same classroom every year? (Radical shifts in what students need/ already know) ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● We are asked to transform through DEIG but the language in bullet points don’t mention/address it ● We are already doing a lot of this but then students ask, “now, where I go?” entrepreneurial ● Integrated—understanding how partnerships work ● Majors? Broad-based education, but individual skill sets needed ● IS student senior should be able to take any class desired ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Internationalizing curriculum ● Continuing to define/redefine definition of integrated education (definition sounds like what we already do) (it sounds like we’re going to have to take a position) ● School and life being more closely connected (integrated) ● Emphasis on DEIG—domestic students need to travel How we make it possible to make financial aid allow for study abroad? ● Access—greater access to museums, etc (rather than visit somewhere in a given semester… fieldwork) ● Can a semester abroad become a degree requirement? ● Drexel—most intensive internship program (1 each year) ● Bullet points help give a shape to the definition The definition feels limited 7 Group (Staff/Trustee) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● Fibers alumna, NM based artist working on the Wolverine (Logan) film, branching out to unexpected venues from art Branching out to anything instead of expected career paths Skills can be taken to an unexpected venue ● Engage learning (and how people learn) by delivering in different ways of teaching, different perspectives Different offices and activities can support this Students learn from faculty AND staff (professional skills, discipline); e.g., work study = learning from staff ● Story of 1966 alumna that became a board member Got a business degree from another school at family’s advice MICA now integrates business Now makes jewelry, it all started at MICA MICA is continuing to update curriculum to support business, to support students to have agency to live with less struggle in career “How to put life together as an artist.” ● How are we preparing our students to take our students anywhere in the world? Attract different cultures and perspectives Integrate more cultural perspectives into learning at MICA to prepare students to go out Make a student’s capacity/potential unlimited ● How we better support students in their departure from MICA Support students to bolster résumé’s, sponsored projects Industries are changing and job descriptions often expect years of work experience Can we quantify parts of the curriculum/sponsored projects/classroom experiences as actual work experience so they are ready for these positions? How can we better prepare students to apply for jobs? Might we provide more internships opportunities Students learn through work study ● How we educate students that they have maximum flexibility and so they can be flexible in outcomes? We need to be not outcome-driven entirely but be education-driven How are we preparing these minds and practices for maximum flexibility? Can you leave MICA and something radically different? Strata of challenging education provides maximum flexibility to allow students to move anywhere—to better prepare for the future We don’t know what they are going to be in the future How might we think about powerful traditions from the past and integrate them with new forms of knowledge? Rethinking those basic things as we pull them into interdisciplinary experiences Not to abandon the rich precedent for art schools to foster ingenuity before moving onto the euphoria of new things ● “Learning to learn,” acquire deep knowledge, and challenge their imaginations and reflective capacities The kind of outcomes come from deep well of understanding and knowledge the arts bring in a unique way to student learning ● To what we have not done before How we revisit what is critical to an arts education and carry that forward to new possibilities? Be imaginative re how students adapt in the future ● Story: Illustrator / sign painter and how a tradition is still in demand Continue to tell the stories of our alumni successes to allow for incoming students to imagine possibilities ● Grammar school doesn’t teach cursive anymore—signature is identity Losing the tradition of hand skills and connection with thinking A critical factor to cognitive development is through mark making—the mark we make on the world and the physical activities We know there is an intimate relationship between what we in our hands and how we think Origins of our learning starts in the world and with making, etc and communication ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● Make a student’s capacity/potential unlimited no matter where they want to go Creating the maximum flexibility without diminishing their creative outcomes; part of the continuum of the educational possibilities Facilitate students with how they navigate needs and abilities and integrate acquired skills into other arenas Example: instead of studying one thing at MICA (like ● ● ceramics), students will explore social engagement, personal practice, and prof development—it is not just one thing but it is many things There are many possibilities Not losing the foundation and tradition of arts education while looking to the future with integrated learning How we bolster integrative experiences for students and staff (the greater MICA learning community)? How we continue to feed the One-Team spirit? Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Integrating beyond the degree: MICA as lifelong resource for students, shift technologies and skills (open loop university / Stanford) Elongated interpretation of lifelong learning / shorter engagements / certificates Integrate MICA into the lives of our graduates beyond the degree ● Excitement of being part of a future with fresh possibilities ● Different: things have come to a light—a new way of looking at education and outcomes Students are less isolated in their thinking—they embrace practice, entrepreneurial ideas, and social change ● Like the idea of supporting a joyful world We bring joy to the world With their creativity students bring things to the world and make it a joyful place It values us It continues to understand that and appreciate that in that way is great ● Maybe we need to rethink the delivery of education, specialization after training—learning continues Space between learning experiences? ● Apprenticeships / supplement classroom experience with real world experience Group (Staff) ● What would Integrative Education look like at MICA? ● More field work and out-of-classroom experiences that allow students to see professionals in real life, as well as coursework that connects students with the community in a collaborative way (an example that was given was when the Library of Congress approached a MICA faculty member to see if a wayfinding course could be built into her class to help show everything that the Library of Congress has to offer and is available to the public); creating a curriculum that focuses on the artist as a whole that also teaches them how to interact with the rest of the world (building artists into entrepreneurs as well training them to be part of existing businesses, organizations, and other entities and offering classes on wellness, finances, language, etc.) ● Building facilities and spaces that allow everyone to incorporate these things ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● Language classes should be incorporated into MICA’s studies and should be available on campus rather than through an exchange program with JHU because it seems necessary for students studying art history as well as those who could potentially international travel as part of their career; Create a curriculum that focuses on teaching the whole student rather than just art education (wellness, finances, etc.) ● More ethical trainings (Title IX, DEIG, etc.) for all members of the MICA community as well as those who interact with then on a regular basis (even contractors) because they interact with them on a regular basis ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● What are our values as an institution and using those to determine what kind of initiatives we want to put in place as well as what entities with whom we want to interact? Expanding upon this, we must make sure that, when we institute new things, that they will definitely work 9 Group (Faculty/Deans) ● What would Integrative Education look like in your classroom? ● Need to include Graduate, Undergraduate, and Open Studies ● For students in online programs, it would be more connection to resources that are physically here, e.g., career development, digital resources, making info more transparent - what is the online student’s relationship with MICA? How are they connected? How can they get their resume worked on? What is their engagement with alumni affairs, commencement, etc ● Defining who is considered a “student” in this process - age-restricted? E.g ADCAP students? ● Open Studies students - they don’t even get MICA emails - where they fit in, how are they treated? ● How our international population continues to be included and integrated into the work of the campus, the culture of the campus ■ For example: need to develop more programs that help them connect better with faculty and other students Too often it’s easy for them to stay in their own bubbles They want to connect with native-born students; we need to make this easier and more transparent Requires work on academic and student support mechanisms ■ Are we looking at national or global when we say “ _” ● Effect of robotics and automation - these are going to have a profound influence on art, culture, and design Integrative Education should create the student as the advocate/arbiter for art and culture in a technologically changing world ● Integrative education means curriculum If you want the student to have access to a world class curriculum, you have to teach them about history, politics, science Our population is changing Let’s have a curriculum where people can learn and discuss We need a comprehensive science course ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● A well-rounded international representation Can we diversify that by building different international partnerships in different countries? Faculty exchanges? Build a more diverse cultural context? ● Align curriculum and career development with job market realities ● Have more job prep - how to prep students to get through the interview process How can they translate their training and education and experience into language that’s appealing to an employer? ● Have real structure to financial literacy What comes before UpStart Venture Competition? What does it look like to offer workshops or classes that are multi-tiered? How you figure out financial aid, open a checking account, get funding? [e.g Financial Social Work curriculum] ● What types of careers are we preparing students for? Does the pay balance out the cost of going here? ● A lot of our disciplines have started their own professional development courses Is it necessary for us to offer something for everyone, or we let different disciplines structure their own? There are professional practice courses, but they’re geared toward fine arts Can we open that up? Let’s connect them with Open Studies and Community Education programs ● In IT education, there are “boot camps” to help someone get skillsets that will increase their skills in a particular area MICA should have a boot camp in partnership with particular corporate partners to develop students’ job-market-relevant skills When alumni return to take particular courses, often employers pay for it 10 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● You have to pay attention to the development of the student An 18-year-old has different brain development and needs than a senior or grad student What is appropriate for students at each stage? Tailor interventions for students at different ages/stages For international students - their financial and career development needs are different Change practice of treating Baltimore like a studio or a lab Make sure that the work that MICA is doing in the community is consistent and of elevated ethical standards Every student doing community-based collaboration should get a history of Baltimore, understand the dynamics of the city - especially first-year students Stop thinking of Open Studies as a separate entity Administration needs to model this Our classes would be benefit current students as well as community members, but people don’t know what’s available, e.g classes offered at a discounted rate There needs to better communication across all three units, undergrad, grad, and open studies How Open Studies students get academic advising? ■ There’s been some turnover at MICA New people don’t know what Open Studies is People need better orientation and onboarding Capacity: in space use, materials, etc - if we want to run a fibers course, they have the space, the staff, are they willing to have “us” in “their” space? How can students get DFab tutorial, woodshop orientation, etc The history of Baltimore needs to be a part of sophomore year and as they grow and mature They need to be exposed to all the things that are happening in the city Paula Phillips teaches the Finding Baltimore class - open it to non-freshmen Move Open Studies into the Main Building! Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● Prepare students for financial success right at the start of their time at MICA through postgraduation ● Give students a well-rounded education that speaks to where they are at different stages of their educational development ● A One MICA approach requires that we don’t treat different categories of students differently, and that we have inclusive collaboration among undergrad, grad, and open studies Group (Students) ● What would Integrative Education look like in your classroom? ● Basic-multiple intelligences and different learning styles, Howard Gardner styles used in the classroom: spatial, conceptual, visual Teachers assume that students are not learning if they not meet the expectation of students learning the way that they learn ● Design classes a good job, introduce many things and teach branches individually, however, may not expand on the basic idea in higher classes Expanding on the foundations without knowing what the students bring to the table Lack of vertical integration ● Art, Design, and culture in the center of the chart seem very career focused, yet the curriculum is not as career focused at the moment There could be career development integrated into the classroom experience rather than only in the Meyerhoff Center Seniors are a bit terrified in their final semester ● If each class had one student learning outcome related to career, that would be an improvement ● Grad students: In Reinhart, there are so many hours devoted to papers and lectures, the students get a bit lost in how these things are applicable in job skills The student would like to have career-focused to be balanced with artistic and personal development Though this is specifically 11 ● ● ● ● ● program-based opinion Academic integrated with a real-world outcome, not necessarily studio time Undergrad: Came to MICA for a life change, first two years: skills, and craft 3rd year: studied abroad and has begun to focus on career Filmmaker: Has always been mindful of collaboration and has not separated out the search for the development of necessary people skills and selfmarketing As a grad, he is pushing himself because he realizes that this a powerful network to grow with Entering Grad, he felt the different levels of preparedness because he was not met where he was because he came with a skillset under his belt that his peers did not have Do students need a cohort: provide the same tools in a classroom so that the students have a forum Can a thread connect a number of people to a similar goal? Professors that are not challenging the students and the students would like them to step up Faculty give permission to integrate ideas from other classes Encouraged to think of each piece as a potential portfolio piece The students are the most inspirational part of MICA, regardless of background, they are invested in making better ● Come up with as many examples and ideas re Integrative Education as this table can, and agree on or top recommendations ● The desire for more opportunity to personalize the curriculum and each student to determine what they need ● Understanding of the different cultural fluencies ● Multiple Intelligences ● Any ideas you would like to offer for any of the four themes? Agree on or top recommendations ● To Give up some of MICA's power The very specific culture that MICA was built on is prevalent even without “otherness” as a part of the students’ personal identity Being put into situations that challenge our weakness Being receptive to entering spaces that MICA has not traditionally ■ White privilege, colonialism, MICA’s history, and social context, should be taught as part of Freshmen seminar Understanding history will be necessary to understand the power structures of Baltimore if MICA would like to ask its students to be a part of the change ■ For MICA to fully support the students Partnering with other schools and BDS is such a small school and partnerships with BCPS BDS is great but limited What about places outside the art sector? ventured ● Strengthening systems- providing more support for international students- language and the unfairness of staff will dismiss students that not speak English as a first language ■ Writing Center by appointment only does not help students that will need resume support ■ Lack of international faculty can recruit based on the % of the international student so that the language and cultural barriers can be overcome ■ Classes for ESL student are limited if verbal abilities are stronger than reading or writing skills ● A specific number of jobs delegated to international students would make space for international students to earn a living while enrolled ■ Increasing the number of jobs on campus open to an international student that speak English and their heritage language without pigeonholing students especially jobs supporting other international students Currently, the MICA store and library are only for the work-study students How can the institution use the limited number of work-study allotments more strategically? Teaching assistant jobs with predominantly white teachers, especially on critique day 12 Group 10 (Staff) ● What does Integrative Education mean to you? ● Well-rounded education and prepares you for the career field after graduation ● Able to make an impact in the community More than just education in the classroom, partnerships in the community ● Practicing those skills while you are in school as part of the curriculum, real world partnerships ● Partner with other universities, research-based institutions, partner with community centers ● In the residence halls students can understand the value of the network and the connections in the residence halls and how they can be applied outside of the residence halls later ● More accessible, if it’s connected to multiple different disciplines then it can be talked about by anyone Also able to identify new donors, new partnerships that might not have been able to find that connection otherwise ● Money management, paying taxes, save money, budget building, real world skills, understand debt, career choices ● Broad mindset and skills that goes beyond the classroom curriculum It’s the full art Not just art school but also other disciplines, business minded ● Inclusive, crosses borders ● Built into the curriculum Have to participate in some type of experience as part of a graduation requirement ■ Every course there were opportunities to make it more integrative ● Community connection ● Business partnership ● Cross disciplinary partnerships ○ Major problem-solving initiative or business building opportunity to collaborate ○ Faculty still has the creative freedom to decide what sort of experience will connect to the lesson they are teaching but having more resources to choose from ■ Create long standing traditions and opportunities that if you take this class you complete this experience ● Leadership roles on campus should count There aren’t enough leadership roles available on campus for everyone so how you find opportunities to create leadership opportunities ● What kind of ideas you bring to the table to make this happen? Bold ideas to make this achieved ● Before during and after - Some students get skills and some don’t It’s skill building before during and after (alum) the college tenure We sometimes delay that skill building to the very end when students are about to graduate ● Top tier students who can access the resources but there are students at the bottom who find resources because they are struggling But the larger middle group might not be getting any focus/capture They are doing OK, but how we enhance it? Policy, structure and implementation Some people know how to use those resources (like the library) and others don’t ● Mentorship from class to class, Seniors to Freshmen, lessons learned It might happen in some disciplines (animation) but not in all ● A campus app that can integrate information It’s on a phone It’s where they are in terms of what they are used to It’s in a mode they are familiar with Can integrate with Canvas K12 schools already utilize something similar We still have to make sure that it’s accessible 13 ● ● Consistency An evaluation at the end of the semester where students can self-identify what they need Built into res-life or academic advisors to help connect students to resources Peer advisors, etc Assessment driven decisions about what resources are needed ● Instead of trying to have the entire college this major lift, would it make sense to have this be a concentration or a minor instead of trying to get EVERYONE on board to this initiative ● A concentration limits exposure to students We should at least try to go big and get all students involved in this opportunity ● Specific Ideas for the themes ● DEIG - barriers that already exist in trying to get minorities on campus (faculty, students, etc.) Is there a fund that is helping pipeline populations onto campus? If so, is it enough? ■ Haiti for example, is a hyper artistic community How we help underrepresented communities have access? ● Sustainability - $$$ How can we attract different types of students and give access if at the end of the day can they afford it? ■ Are we considering it? Are our graduates employed, ROI? ● How are international students networking? If they are leaving the state/country after graduation, how we keep them connected? ■ Does their playing field/access/community look the same as domestic students? ● Might have the skills but not know anyone (OPT program, years after they graduate) ○ Career development office is trying to make pathways and connections but our focus is still U.S focused We need to expand networks to an international office ● Sustainability - Cut the waste New things with less money After the 2008 financial crisis, we definitely slimmed down our budgets and still thrived How we cut the waste and apply it to new initiatives and to students? ● Classroom content needs to be more than art and design It has to be embedded into the curriculum Faculty chairs need to hold faculty accountable that they are doing it ■ Buy in and accountability needs to happen so faculty are excited to it and it’s being implemented thoughtfully ● Normalize the alumni experience Not everyone will be a famous practicing artist It has to be introduced that there are plenty of career fields outside of art that is still creative and you can earn a living ● Capacity - We rarely have the opportunity to sit down and share ideas and actually be innovative Where are the faculty staff partnerships? ■ The curriculum partnerships can easily be found but we honestly haven’t tried very hard to bridge those connections ● Faculty in the residence halls, living learning communities, extended orientation for the first weeks where programs are supporting classroom lessons ○ Institute a system to create these idea-sharing and planning partnerships ○ It’s currently siloed People rarely leave their lane ○ Has to be from the top ○ There’s too much turnover at this college and ideas and partnerships aren’t sustained from year to year ■ Retain the talent! ■ Students need to also be a part of the conversations 14 INPUT BREAKOUT DISCUSSION #2 Notes (unedited, except for minor typo corrections) Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Convening working group in UG - cross-constituencies; how we build collaborative curriculum that doesn’t currently exist; creating curricular paths for students beyond program / degree constraints & existing structures ● More places and time for student curricular experimentation ● More life-skills classes; foundational / societal knowledge (needs to be credit attached) ● Financial literacy; adult life skills; health and wellness courses ● How to move beyond the zero-sum of credits (adding without subtracting and also not making new offerings extra-curricular) ● More classes that are less than semester long (snackable classes) / modules / build upon the U+ ● Public lectures recorded and viewable online / live streamed / examine methods of delivery ● Public lectures or events attendance as part of class requirements ● How to foster / support a broad range of offerings (attendance, esp for undergrads) ● Pam Steffanuca and video capture technology; MICA’s own platform ● Radical curriculum development ● No Alumni: You arrive at MICA, receive your degree and are forever part of the MICA family, lifelong teaching and learning ● Open enrollment; or at very least critically examine gate-keeping (disciplinary, institutional) ● Remote classrooms; classes live-streamed / projected ● Building corporate partnerships for funding, esp / specifically for Art & Design; research arenas; e.g.: College for Creative Studies & Ford (Detroit) ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Money for scholarships If we want to be serious about DEIG, we need money It’s essential So, fundraising ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● (No entry) Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Add to expectations of DEIG initiative - hiring more equitably, but also cultivating a more diverse group of candidates so in 20 years there are more people ● What are the things our graduates are doing with their degrees? ● Communicate with the community what our people are doing at MICA - to feel empowered to even apply to go here, bc so often they think they can’t even afford to apply ● DEIG should be more integrative, not separated from the rest of the Strategic Plan - it should be the lens through which we see the whole plan ● Themes & should be overlapping, not separate ● Equity & Inclusion should show up more in our institution (before hiring) ● Centers (for identity & inclusion, student activities, etc.) actually separate what we’re trying to accomplish rather than integrating them 15 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Gaps between faculty and staff so that we can’t talk about what’s happening in the classroom and how centers for students could support what’s happening there or NOT happening there Students, faculty, staff need more opportunities to talk and address gaps As a student trying to collaborate or have events feels like creating an entirely new system - bc they are here for such a short time, it feels impossible/frustrating Students feel that they are the lowest on the totem pole Teaching students how to be advocates (for themselves) - how advocacy can affect them for the rest of their lives Meeting students where they are - at the dining hall, at student activities staff meetings ■ Certain students are more inclined to be involved, others are more inclined to leave Peer-to-peer mentorship training More leadership training opportunities for faculty, students, staff and administration to get leadership training at the same time Share non-western class offerings with other constituencies across campus, like student activities, center for identity & inclusion DEIG should not be separate but integrated Equity issues - Having our values show up in all aspects of what we Centers aren’t inclusive - they are seen as silos - that’s their job Everyone should know where to get information It seems disjointed Feel students are at the lowest level and don’t have any power and can’t communicate what they need to the people in charge Need to have things written down, need policies Lack of public spaces Need STRUCTURES & PHYSICAL SPACES for students/faculty/staff to congregate and work together - speak to retention efforts Need a community space that isn’t just an office - a place where all people to meet and communicate and collaborate Need a platform for students to talk freely about the curriculum - they need to see actual change Sammy is trying but there is a difference between theory and practice Don’t feel like it’s real It isn’t said enough and really don’t have the power to speak at faculty and board meetings Need advocates to get what they want and deserve Create opportunities for students that are already demonstrate the ability to advocate Provide leadership training Lots of stories from students that admissions/advising are saying Art History doesn’t matter You don’t need to take those classes Talking about how faculty and staff don’t get along and the negative impact on the students - staff and faculty must be collaborating Tensions building - if we came together it would be better for the whole school Faculty talks down to staff We need to challenge the culture - how can we work together to create amazing students to change the world ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● (See above) ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● Cross-collaboration between faculty, staff, students, administration ● Integrating DEIG goals into all elements of the strategic plan ● Learning outcomes for co-curricular development 16 ● ● ● Collaboration of community, staff, and faculty Put theme above all else as the framework - the umbrella No idea what’s going on the classroom Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Bringing in some of our partners to discuss how and empowering those partners to share and support MICA ● To Promote change, bring thought leaders to campus and have forums, discussion and debates ● Have “industry” inform our thinking ● Sending more students into outside organizers to learn and grow our understanding and help to build connectivity ● The importance of apprenticeships ● Growing out network of mentors from outside of MICA ways to foster those relationships in meaningful ways consistent with our GEIG mission ● Student newspaper model Student run enterprises where students try to be an adult while there is still space to fail and grow Learning what you like and don’t like within the “industry.” ● Leveraging partners and sponsored projects to get back for MICA, internships, jobs, mentorship, participation in symposia ● Build students’ sense of productive competition, not necessarily a destructive competitive spirit but one that focuses on individual student agency ● pipeline of real-world experiences, more staff and institutional support, identifying systems to define whom should be a partner, breaking down silos between activities so that everyone at MICA is leveraging partnership resources ● SPEND the MONEY, build opportunities to have students learn more, apply for micro grants, get the experience, buy them assets that follow them into their careers (computers, software, tools, space, etc.), etc ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Infrastructures and resources for greater international travel, students, staff, faculty ● Cultural awareness training for all to build awareness about who we our students are and what is unique to their cultural perspectives ● What are still too siloed ● Some many different vehicles for communication, more centralized communication so that messages are heard and well understood, internal communications specialist ● The paradox of choice? ● Each area selects an event to share with the community each year ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● ● ● More focus on Baltimore, other schools, what are the assets of the city, are they getting outside of MICA, in particular our international students How we articulate these important messages more broadly and SPEND the MONEY on marketing and advertising? More published work about what is happening at MICA 17 Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Add business classes; taxes, financial literacy ● Language classes; offering classes for faculty in order to gain a better understanding of international students ● Open ended, practice-based class schedules ● Mandatory classes i.e history of racism in the US ● More collaboration between faculty, staff and students ● Replacing work-study with internships; a student should leave having gained an applicable skill Can work study students receive a credit i.e 1.5? ● Can we implement a system that would require advisors to observe student’s classes with the hopes of gaining a better understanding of teaching style to better assist with placing students with the best faculty for them? ● More cross-fertilization for students ● Exchange program for students to study at another design school for a semester; RISD, SCAD, etc ● The cost of MICA admission needs to decrease//PT faculty need to be paid more-commensurate of what FT faculty are paid (what is our vision//what are our priorities) … possibility of moving away from the discount model; more need-based scholarship ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● (No entry) ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● Incorporating some type of financial//business-oriented class for students Practical, real-world advice/instruction on how to navigate things after graduation//career readiness program//career fair ● Improving infrastructure of support for international students ● Making MICA more affordable ● More connection with Baltimore, the world through DEIG; cultural shift ● Working to form a bridge between education and career; utilizing faculty relationships to aid in this ● Embody equity within the institution; i.e adjunct pay ● Student Union ● What are the ways in which we can come together as faculty and staff to improve experience for students? ● Staff onboarding could offer a piece involving MICA culture, history, campus tour; could include a faculty intro, etc ● Equitable staff pay, support (underpaid, overworked) Can staff be offered the option of a sabbatical? ● Embedding use of pronouns into MICA culture; offering education on the subject Can this be integrated into some sort of training? Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Supporting students (the whole person) infrastructure 18 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Finances- debt, money management, taxes, incorporating into professional development (how to engage students on these issues? (Start 1st year and continuing financial literacy) Find balance between school and life balance Experiential learning (internships/ time in the field) how to/if require Massive shift What does this look like from a marketing perspective? How to we explain to students what we do? If we can’t understand it how to we share it? MICA needs a signature program (what’s recognized?) (what is the image we are cultivating for ourselves?) Start after MLK Day Do a 3-week intensive before the start of school Synthesized immersive experience offered prior to spring semester (still 15 class meetings) Students need all of the skill sets (studio class with business component?) (transferable skills) Parent concerns- in traditional programs of studies, seniors often have careers lined up prior to graduation Cooperative education- 99% students did it (6-18 weeks) during which students are not students Utilize the quarter system (each 10 weeks) to enable this practice Immersive/ real world educational experiences that allow students to “practice” real life skills ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Classroom space (managing space, temperature, usability) ● Elevator issues- handicap accessibility problems We lost a prospective fiber student due to inaccessibility (ADA compliance issues @ Station bldg.) When the elevator breaks in Lazarus, handicapped students can’t access their studio During commencement two years ago, a broken elevator in Fox prevented a handicapped parent from seeing his daughter’s exhibition ● Systems are lacking (snail pace/ snail mail) students are aware of this ● Large overall campus access to space (siloed spaces) ● Co- teaching desired but budget does not support ● Digital literacy is crucial- expert knowledge of Photoshop, illustrator, web literacy and lens-based documentation need faculty who can teach said literacy ● Cost- tuition dollars ● Alumni survey- still paying off student debt while being asked to help ● Back to culture- senior class gift Setting an example… students see the benefit of alumni gift so they want to pay it forward and will want to give back post-grad ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● ● DEIG the “G” should be a priority from 2019-2026 only one full time international recruiter Will need more support to entice more international students Changing the culture to adapt to (and respect) drastic change (comfort with ambiguity) Group (Group and Group combined for the second discussion; see notes under Group 8) Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Field placement for students upon graduation (for some fields, doing training and work ahead of time during college is integral to helping them find work in the field); additionally, coursework outside of their major to teach them collaboration and generate new ideas for how their major can work with other fields 19 ● ● ● ● ● Fifteen-week semester; finding new ways to assign credit to create new learning experiences for students Create a pipeline for people in the area who want to study art to come here; engage people in the Baltimore community; being more rigorous about helping this come into fruition The cost of education is a barrier for a lot of people: Some Ivy League schools have open, online courses for anyone who wants to take them-is this something MICA could do; Additionally, can the Advancement department generate more money to also help with creating more scholarships and financial assistance? Social integration opportunities-art education here does not necessarily have to be career based but could be community-based Are we maximizing the current resources we have and are we utilizing things to the extent we could (fab and print labs)? ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Access to study abroad programs: This is cost prohibitive to many students-is there a way to make this more reachable for many students? ● The transportation system in Baltimore is awful, and MICA tries to help with this by having an internal transportation system in place However, the department is tiny and MICA is growing at an exponential rate Can we grow our resources to allow them to better offer transportation services? ● Understanding what partnerships MICA already has in place and with whom they have existing relationships This will allow the community to create contacts, networks, and use existing resources with current organizations as well as give them ideas with who they could contact to create new relationships Having a map to show areas or places within Baltimore so that students can find things they need would be helpful if it were on social media sites as well as online and being sent through email ● Text communication tools could be used to give information to everyone regarding certain issues (inclement weather, free resources, emergencies, etc.) Personal devices are attached to everyone nowadays, so this is a good way to spread information ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● ● If we want to be excellent and offer our students the best experience, then we have to make sure that staff and faculty are rewarded for excellence and given professional development, fair salaries, and opportunities to move to higher positions/build a career at MICA This will likely cost money up front, but would be worthwhile in the end Offer classes in life skills: doing taxes, managing your finances, building a resume and writing a cover letter, etc Having students interact with the Career Development office on a more regular basis so that they can leave MICA with a plan for their future (and a job) Introduce a culture of giving (whether with finances or time): Mentoring students, helping create internships, tutoring, etc Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Create programs that give students general life skills to prepare them for life after MICA, specifically for business culture There is a systemic gap between what students really need and many of the skills they’re learning They don’t understand the life skills they lack Colleges used to be institutions that taught you how to think; now we have distinction between trade schools / 20 ● ● ● ● professional certification programs, and universities that are seen as leading to white collar jobs We need mentorship programs Create partnerships with corporations to give students work experience while at MICA Do we need to break it up and look differently at how students learn? Should they have 2, 4, 6, 8-year options? Can we build partnerships with companies and have students to commercial work while they’re at MICA? It could be short-term and project-based Students don’t understand fundamentals of tech and systems that are used in business Students don’t even know how to format emails Create non-traditional mentorships for students, e.g non-MICA, alumni, senior-freshman Integrative should mean courses and trajectories that integrate life skills and career development Non-traditional mentorships would open students’ eyes to what they don’t know This is especially important for first-generation and international students Smaller faculty to student ratio at MICA ensures greater collegiality, focus on students Make curriculum more porous: incorporate more student perspectives, let students shape their own degrees, take mini-courses Traditional academic model has been very top-down There are models of close work between faculty and students that could be productive, e.g students supporting faculty on special projects (c.f Ryan Hoover work) We don’t have independent pathways for students to describe their own degrees Gets at question of what is “core,” and how that relates to integrative education ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Resources, e.g tech, printing, financial support, are not accessible to everyone at MICA who needs them Seniors especially are panicking as a result ● Staff department budgets prevent them from adequately supporting students, faculty, staff, and other departments (e.g communications, events are stretched thin) ● Silo-ing at MICA is due to paucity of resources, rather than to entrenched attitudes ● Staff turnover means that people can’t fully participate, MICA can’t fully benefit from their talent Academic departments can’t retain admins for more than a year More efficient use of buildings could alleviate this ● Research best practices at other institutions ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● We need to have a solid foundation of systems, policies, and structures that govern what we do, help us innovate in our roles, make people feel supported ● Talent retention - faculty and staff - for institutional memory, improving outcomes ● Better recruitment and support for international students - the G in DEIG ● Making all alumni want to give to the institution - extend resources to them Group ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Will employers be able to ask pay history, as the institution moves towards retention and DEIG? It perpetuates lower salaries for marginalized people This acts as a barrier to a staff that would otherwise diversify the faculty by offering a noncompetitive rate The best candidates often walk away because of pay and students suffer ● Pay increase that reflects the quality of their work rather than the accumulation of responsibilities or title change This practice reinforces the status quo Positive recognition is an ongoing process rather than an award 21 ● ● ● Lack of support for initiative once they are launched rather than systems that sustain work, i.e the lack of people to carry forward work Or a scale to grow a program as it launches rather than a year to year plan when prototyping Empowering the people by giving time to explore and grow with a role Individualized staff growth programs Research as an integrated part of the classroom experience To build a population of students that grow with a process, like a fifth-year fellowship to stay on a program You can’t post-bac at MICA if you attended the undergrad ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● Review of job positions and how they are manned Positions may not flexible based on leadership ● Utilization of staff interest and focus, that allows them to learn and work specifically, heightens empowerment and retention ● Staff and Faculty as related to integrative education, there is limited professional development available as far as tuition remission ● Flexibility to structure classes in the way that the professors see best, i.e length of the class, as students that can check in based on where they are in the education ● Study hall/ tech office for the artist by mentor/ faculty ● Integration of self-care, time management, health, mentorship and personal development, whole person care ● Whole person care for the faculty and staff i.e integration of to 10 minutes to introduce campus resources or wellness center ● Faculty and staff in the same room to discuss techniques and socialize ● Need have time to just be students rather than juggling multiple jobs ● Faculty and staff lounge ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● Scheduling staff that will allow professors flexibility to adjust classes to the needs of the student ● Embracing the changing world, by building a system that embraces flexibility and consistency as fundamental ● Videos or tutorials to teach fundamentals uniformly - educational media capacity Group 10 ● What are the most important and boldest ideas or directions we might follow for developing Integrative Education at MICA? Please describe ● Infrastructure and funding were put into place before the ideas were generated ■ We often have wonderful ideas but no resources to implement ● The soft phase of capital funding is in place Once we know what the goals are, we can put that in front of donors to convince them to invest in our future ● All students should be doing some sort of research, synthesize ideas and research, discuss it, critically think about spheres of influences outside of the art world(s)/classroom ● No tuition ■ Accessibility for all Would enable open enrollment to students who could integrate our classrooms in different ways ● Would make our classroom learning less about lessons and more about a truly integrative experience 22 ○ ● ● ● DEIG, entrepreneurialism, professionalism, etc would be fulfilled as a result of this one idea ○ College experience not based on credits, classes, etc but based on experience and meaningful exchanges and collaborations ● Would also make opportunities for engagement in the Baltimore and global community ■ Study abroad and internships were a required part of the curriculum and accessible for anyone ■ More support for alumni as they transition into the creative career Additional resources and access to MICA after graduation Similar to the AICAD fellow program with other schools but a similar program for artists of color from the Baltimore community that could come in and teach at a full-time level/salary at the college What would it mean to have a DEIG/Baltimore social justice training element that was part of the undergrad grad faculty staff experience? ■ Help with admission and HR recruitment as this is what we are all about ● Mandatory, incentives, training staff and faculty to help facilitate the experience with students ○ Possibly pay related Hours completed = pay increase Continued learning community for faculty/staff part of the job performance evaluation and incorporated as not necessarily a must but it’s part of the components of the evaluation Considered as part of the complete evaluation ● What we not have now (e.g., capacity, systems, programs, etc.) that we need to have in order to achieve our goals? ● More staff, more compensation for current staff who are overburdened ■ New staff to focus on these initiatives ● We have a tendency to never say no, we take on too much and the resources rarely increase ○ We can’t control the time it takes to implement these things It is a finite resource and we need to account for it by creating support for the initiative ● Community based learning is a huge undertaking and will need structure and resources in order to successfully implement ● Sponsor projects that is easy for faculty, staff and companies that take tremendous efforts that go above the usual curriculum ● Ideas for income streams? (donors, tuition, etc.) ● Sponsored projects - company comes and wants to a project in the classroom they would pay a fee to so ● Be careful not to lose our focus of who we are as we chase the money to be new and exciting It might warp the traditional mission of the institution ■ Look at these partnerships that we are forming and make sure they align with our values and missions ● Don’t allow one partnership to lead the entire college in one direction ○ Be ready to walk away when our paths differ Live our values ● What else should be a priority for the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan? ● The E in DEIG - If we are truly trying to be a cog in the wheel of diversifying the art and design world, are we truly looking for those partnerships and seeking out ways to expand our pool of partners and not getting stuck in going with what we know/comfortable with ● Put MICA first - Focus on the infrastructure 23 ■ ● Are there existing practices that aren’t being fully funded/resourced? ● YES! However, there are instances when we have to wait years to fund it because it’s not in the budget ○ Take a chance and live the values and support them We sometimes have great ideas but no opportunity to actually implement them or it takes YEARS to pull off Be bold ● Less talk, more action Immediate action while we work on the long-term ideas What are things that need to be addressed ● Burdens on positions that don’t allow time to think about in order to move forward the plan thoughtfully ■ Back to the bigger issue of time There’s no ability to actually the day-to-day work AND the innovation ● Burnout is real and stifles innovation Causes turnover, idea dies ○ It’s a MICA pattern where we chase initiatives and ideas but actual long-term implementation doesn’t come to fruition (typical institution problem, often cyclical) ● Provide more communication that helps bring offices together to prevent duplication of work ■ Provide transparency, give direction and focus ■ Collaborations across depts/staff/faculty needs to be built into the routine ● We still come back to time MICA feels like a BIG college and less humanity and relationship building Partnerships are easier when you have a rapport with colleagues ○ It’s at the heart of “integration” and that collegiality has been something that has set MICA apart from other colleges and kept many people here We don’t want to lose it