“There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication.” – John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Colgate is a strong community, held together by common experiences and conversations. As we move through this year, I plan to write at least 13 columns for the Maroon-News sharing information on major issues on campus as well as some of my perspectives on Colgate. I hope these brief essays will encourage dialogue across the campus.

Much of what I will write about in these columns is addressed in the strategic plan that Colgate adopted last year. The plan is devoted to making sure that the Colgate experience – in and out of the classroom – is one that offers the intimacy, support, sense of community, and friendship of a liberal arts institution within the vibrant and robust atmosphere of a university. In a supportive community with a mission centered in the liberal arts, we search for excellence in everything we do. The strategic plan – which is the result of a year of analysis, study, and conversation – is devoted to realizing our potential as the nation’s leading liberal arts university. Already you can see the implementation of this plan at work: – In the remaking of the library into a library and global information center; – In efforts to expand opportunities for the arts; – In the development of centers and institutes where faculty and students can work together on some of the big issues of the day; – In residential education programs with new support for first-years, new leadership opportunities for sophomores and a variety of residential options.

In the coming weeks I hope to write about topics such as: diversity in our times and at Colgate; moving forward with the Broad Street community; accountability as the ethic of our times, and the model of the scholar-athlete. I am interested in hearing from you on these and other topics and issues. You can email me at [email protected], or visit me during my weekly drop-in hours, usually Tuesday from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Colgate’s strategic plan can be viewed online via the following link: http://www.colgate.edu/desktopdefault1.aspx?tabid=978