Implementation

Strategic plan implementation

Wellesley matters to the world because we are more than a college. A Wellesley education is an experience of intellectual discovery leading to lifelong empowerment. It is also an intervention in the world—a loud statement about the principle of valuing the capacities and concerns of all of our students, and about the potential of women’s education and leadership to unlock brighter futures for everyone. As we approach our sesquicentennial, our community is rapidly evolving, as is the world in which and for which we prepare our students.

We embrace the challenge of reimagining the Wellesley experience for this moment and becoming an institution that defines what an inclusive, globally engaged liberal arts college can look like in the 21st century. Boldly and with purpose, we will amplify our mission “to provide an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world.” 

Our strategic priorities include:

Advancing a transformative education

Increase the transformative effect of the education we offer by elevating inclusive excellence, by renewing our curriculum, and by adopting a consistently holistic educational philosophy.

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Goals
  1. Place inclusive excellence at the center of the Wellesley experience
  2. Align educational programs to address a shared set of overarching objectives reflecting the strength of the liberal arts tradition, the diversity of our students, and the nature of the world into which they graduate
  3. Renew the structure of our academic program and draw the greatest possible value from finite resources by reducing the siloing of our academic departments and prioritizing interdisciplinary cooperation
  4. Characterize Wellesley’s educational program with holistic design and by embracing of the world beyond the college as a partner in the the work of educating leaders and changemakers
Completed Project Highlights
  • Core Objectives of a Wellesley Education, Provost’s Office & Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy
    In May 2022, the members of Academic Council affirmed the Core Objectives of a Wellesley Education brought forward by the Committee on Curriculum & Academic Policy after a year-long consultative process. These core objectives are the key principles guiding the work of recasting the degree requirements and departmental and program curricula.
  • Advising Surveys & Retreat, Provost’s Office & Student Life
    Faculty along with administrative staff from the Division of Student Life and Career Education attended a full-day retreat focused on advising, with the goal of ensuring that we are creating the conditions for every student to flourish through access to the powerful advising resources of our community. Prior to the retreat, a faculty survey on advising was conducted to better understand faculty advising loads and attitudes around advising. A student survey focused on the student experience related to advising. Both of these projects provide a foundation for creating an integrated and inclusive advising program.
  • Ilene Beal ’67 Scholars Program Pilot, Office of Admission
    Through this program coordinated by Admissions and supported by staff and faculty across the campus, 20 members of the class of 2026 were selected as the inaugural scholars. Largely first-generation, low-income students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, these Scholars embody Ilene Beal’s commitment to “. . . hard work, graciousness, and an abiding care for others.” The Beal Scholars participated in a pre-matriculation onboarding with selected staff and faculty, received travel funding to campus, a startup grant for first-year transition purposes, and a laptop. Although their onboarding is complete, Admissions will continue to monitor their transition and assess the program which begins as a four-year grant focused on our goals of providing a coordinated and personalized approach to advising and of inclusive excellence.
  • First-Year Student Advising, Student Life & Provost’s Office
    Building on the foundation proved by the advising survey and retreat completed in the 2021-22 academic year, several areas of Student Life and the Provost’s Office engaged in work to strengthen our advising system. The first step of this process was to make changes to the first-year advising program. Implementation of the new first year advising structure began in summer 2023.  The new advising program provides clear guidance for faculty on their role as first year advisors and strives to even the distribution of advisees across advisors.
Current Project Highlights

 

  • Recasting Degree Requirements, Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy & Provost’s Office
    Following the work on the Core Objectives of a Wellesley Education, the Office of the Provost is working closely this year with the Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy to reimagine the structure of a Wellesley education and distribution requirements, refocus our curriculum to make more space for courses that cross the boundaries between disciplines, and ensure that this new curriculum centers humanistic study, the social sciences, and STEM.

Elevating Wellesley’s role in the world

Redouble our commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality, understanding that it is inextricably linked to other dimensions of equality and justice, and advance those fundamental values through systematic, unapologetic, institution-wide engagement with the world.

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Goals
  1. Develop the structures and capabilities to elevate our role in the world
  2. Use our institutional voice to advance women’s empowerment and gender equity–embracing our role as a leader, convener, and catalyst
  3. Align our centers and institutes to increase Wellesley’s impact in the United States and globally
  4. Partner with our alumnae and the Wellesley College Alumnae Association to strengthen our efforts to empower Wellesley’s graduates to be a force for change in the world
  5. Amplify the visibility and impact of faculty research and support faculty who use their research to inform conversations in the public square
Completed Project Highlights
  • The Economy She Deserves Summit, Communications & Public Affairs and Wellesley Centers for Women
    In spring 2022, Wellesley convened the Economy She Deserves virtual summit in partnership with Spelman College and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. More than 2,000 people from across the world joined to hear researchers, public leaders, and policy makers—including members of our faculty and alumnae—discuss ways to make the economy more equitable for all. The Summit supported our goal of strengthening collective efforts to achieve gender equality and justice globally.
  • Science Complex Opening Celebration, Communications & Public Affairs, Science Complex Staff, & Development Office
    To mark the opening of our newly transformed Science Complex, Wellesley convened a half-day series of events in October to celebrate the power of STEM. We opened with remarks by President Paula A. Johnson and Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and followed with a keynote speech from Reshma Kewalramani, CEO and president, Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Afterwards, a panel of leaders from higher education, government, life sciences, and technology discussed changing the culture of STEM.
  • Wellesley Magazine, Wellesley College Alumnae Association and Communications & Public Affairs
    Wellesley magazine has increased partnership opportunities with Communications & Public Affairs to showcase stories of trailblazers and changemakers among our alumnae in both profiles and feature stories. Content is developed in alignment with institutional strategic goals and objectives. Editorial collaboration has allowed video content that expands upon written content. Through cooperative partnership, Spotlight stories expand the audience for key institutional messages, such as the Severance Hall renovation, the Science Complex opening, and magazine stories provide a deeper exploration on topics where Wellesley’s institutional voice is activated, such as Toward an Equal Economy.
  • New Brand Positioning and Visual Identity Refresh, Communications & Public Affairs
    Beginning in spring 2021, Communications & Public Affairs undertook an effort to update Wellesley’s story in a way that reflects who and what the College is today, the ambitions of the strategic plan, and our impact on our students and the world. Informed by research, the new brand positioning and refreshed brand identity allows us to communicate more powerfully and consistently across audiences. New visual identities guidlines were released in Fall 2024.
Current Project Highlights
  • Digital Archives, Library and Technology Services (LTS)
    LTS continues to focus on expanding the impact of the College’s distinctive collections by creating and managing digital collections of the College’s Archives and Special Collections. This year, LTS expanded their efforts to enhance the College’s digital collections, including staffing, hardware purchases and software upgrades. Going forward, LTS will be expanding the College’s born-digital archives capacity. Efforts to enhance the College’s digital collections allow important cultural heritage and scholarly work to be available to researchers and scholars on campus and globally.
  • Website Redesign, Communications & Public Affairs and Library and Technology Services
    Communications & Public Affairs has teamed up with LTS to begin a comprehensive redesign of the College’s website. The new site will reflect Wellesley today, and it will make it easier for visitors to find the content they need while inspiring prospective students, faculty, and staff to join our community. As part of this project, we will redesign the wellesley.edu site to better serve external audiences, and we will build an intranet containing content relevant only to internal audiences.

Strengthening organization & governance

Reform our organization and governance so that we both ensure broad and meaningful participation in the life of the College and enable effective and agile decision-making.

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Goals
  1. Increase transparency regarding the locus of decision-making authority in different domains and allocate that authority to stakeholders with the relevant expertise and accountability
  2. Focus our organizational structures and work toward clear institutional priorities
  3. Redesign organizational processes to be consistent and non-redundant across the College as well as broadly understandable to stakeholders
  4. Involve the trustees in the implementation of the strategic plan
Current Project Highlights
  • Review of Academic Council Committees and Faculty Governance Structure, The Agenda Committee engaged in a multi-year process that determined ways that Committees of Academic Council could be restructured in order to give faculty a more efficient and impactful role in College governance. In fall 2023, a number of these changes were formally written into legislation. In particular, changes were made to the way members of certain committees were selected and some redundant committees were eliminated. Additionally, the Agenda committee has developed a new Pilot Advisory Committee to the President, initiated a liaison system to enable cross communication between committees, is embracing a chair/vice-chair model to create smooth transitions in committee work from one year to another, and is developing a website where faculty can easily find materials from Academic Council.
    • Updating Alumnae Group Governance, Wellesley College Alumnae Association, Finance Office & Library and Technology Services
      Alumnae volunteers are the frontline of alumnae engagement with Wellesley. In support of an effort to modernize the decades-old alumnae group structure and reduce risk, complexity, and cost, the WCAA, in collaboration with the Finance Office and LTS, created a new centralized treasury management system to support alumnae groups, eliminating the need for individual bank accounts and tax entities. Alumnae groups are also adopting a sustainable and inclusive membership model that prioritizes philanthropic support of Wellesley.

    Building community

    Ensure a residential experience for our students and a community for our faculty and staff that promote a shared sense of belonging, and foster a campus culture that is collaborative, respectful, and adaptable.

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    Goals
    1. Strengthen our residential community to promote a sense of belonging, inclusion, and wellness for every student
    2. Strengthen the workplace ensuring that inclusive excellence is a lived experience for all faculty, staff, and students
    3. Ensure that Wellesley provides an environment in which faculty and staff are encouraged to achieve their professional goals and to be effective stewards of the college’s mission and priorities
    Completed Project Highlights
    • Summer Community Lunches & Tours, President’s Office & Facilities Management
      During summer 2022, the President’s Office hosted community lunches twice per month. The lunches brought faculty and staff together in community with each other to enjoy their lunches from home and some ice cream and cold beverages. In addition, the Facilities staff hosted tours featuring some of the campus’s most iconic spots, in an effort to bring faculty and staff together to learn more about the campus and to welcome new members of the community.
    • Campus Climate Surveys, Office of Institutional Research, Student Life, Human Resources, & Provost’s Office
      The College has engaged in several community surveys to gain an understanding of community members’ experiences and community dynamics. Data from these surveys has helped to inform new initiatives.
    Current Project Highlights
    • Residence Hall Renovations, Facilities Management & Student Life
      During summer 2022, the College embarked on a multiyear renovation plan to update Wellesley’s residence halls, which are the hub of community building for students. In addition, the residential upgrades will create accessible housing in each of Wellesley’s three residential neighborhoods. Each residence hall is a two-summer project. Severance Hall was completed and work in Tower Hall began in summer 2023.  Work on Claflin Hall will begin in summer 2024.