2008 Woodie Awards
Mad About Midd
Strategic Plan not Feb friendly
Dave Barker
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: Opinions
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I don't blame you if you missed the release of "Knowledge without Boundaries: The College's Strategic Plan." Reading macrotheory by flashlight would be more thrilling. A revised draft of the Plan, which sets out a roadmap for the future of the College, was presented to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 10 by the Planning Steering Committee.
On that same day, 110 February admits were in the middle of orientation. Perhaps the Steering Committee and the Board should have dined and cooked a s'more with the new Febs, as one of the Plan's recommendations calls for a gradual reduction and move towards a voluntary February admissions program. Trimming the size of the Feb class would erode Middlebury's uniqueness.
The idea of a smaller Feb class floated around campus offices long before strategic planning began. "The number of students in the program has gotten larger than was ever envisioned," Dean of Planning John Emerson said. Academic and social hurdles combined with the trend towards fall semester or full year study abroad motivated the Steering Committee's recommendation. "It's my impression that the theory behind this recommendation is an acknowledgement of the various points in which the Feb experience at Middlebury is different than the September experience, and in some ways, more difficult," Karen Guttentag, associate dean of student affairs and the organizer of February orientation said.
Indeed, the Feb experience is different, even a little quirky, and that's what makes it so valuable. Other schools accept a small number of students at mid-year. These groups are awkwardly assimilated into the student body and have little collective identity. With classes of 100 or more, a distinct community forms. Just look for the students these days who walk in packs and smile in subzero temperatures.
Reducing the size of the Feb class might retain a few students who would otherwise end up at a school like Williams to be able to start in September, but why drop a program to be more like other schools? "It is great that we are trying to be as competitive as we can with our peer institutions, but I don't want to see the U.S. News and World Report rankings taking priority over our individuality," SGA President and junior Feb Eli Berman said.
On that same day, 110 February admits were in the middle of orientation. Perhaps the Steering Committee and the Board should have dined and cooked a s'more with the new Febs, as one of the Plan's recommendations calls for a gradual reduction and move towards a voluntary February admissions program. Trimming the size of the Feb class would erode Middlebury's uniqueness.
The idea of a smaller Feb class floated around campus offices long before strategic planning began. "The number of students in the program has gotten larger than was ever envisioned," Dean of Planning John Emerson said. Academic and social hurdles combined with the trend towards fall semester or full year study abroad motivated the Steering Committee's recommendation. "It's my impression that the theory behind this recommendation is an acknowledgement of the various points in which the Feb experience at Middlebury is different than the September experience, and in some ways, more difficult," Karen Guttentag, associate dean of student affairs and the organizer of February orientation said.
Indeed, the Feb experience is different, even a little quirky, and that's what makes it so valuable. Other schools accept a small number of students at mid-year. These groups are awkwardly assimilated into the student body and have little collective identity. With classes of 100 or more, a distinct community forms. Just look for the students these days who walk in packs and smile in subzero temperatures.
Reducing the size of the Feb class might retain a few students who would otherwise end up at a school like Williams to be able to start in September, but why drop a program to be more like other schools? "It is great that we are trying to be as competitive as we can with our peer institutions, but I don't want to see the U.S. News and World Report rankings taking priority over our individuality," SGA President and junior Feb Eli Berman said.