One is open communication. Fall semester has witnessed the expansion of that kind of conversation essential to the healthy functioning of a university. A group of dedicated faculty established the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, sponsoring a series of vital discussions on everything from multiple intelligences to faculty assessment of instruction. Conversation opened up across campus in other ways also, with the most notable example perhaps being the open budget forums that were held in various schools, colleges, and other administrative units. These figures and allocations are not secret, and as these budget hearings demonstrated, need broad participation in order to create a budget request and direction that makes sense for us all.
Communication is our educational essence as well.
I've said often that true education is conversation, is grounded firmly in the kind of dialog, known at least as far back as Socrates, that inspires real learning. Other than the significant weight gain I've noticed in the aggregate faculty, this new venture has been a great success, with over 450 meals taken under its auspices last semester, by Marriott's final count. I keep recalling Gerry Adkin's statement at this August's retreat about the mission all becoming simple if one merely thinks of the kind of educational experience we offer in terms of what you'd design, ideally, for your own offspring. I'd like to add one more avenue to expand communication. At a recent kitchen cabinet meeting, Larry Elowitz suggested I reinstitute the practice of President Bunting of soliciting questions each month, on any topic or particular burning issue, and selecting two each month to answer.