Announcing the Rutgers–New Brunswick Academic Master Plan

September 7, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Over the course of this academic year, Rutgers University–New Brunswick will develop, establish priorities and strategies for, and operationalize the Rutgers University–New Brunswick Academic Master Plan (NB-AMP), a process that will inform the direction of our academic enterprise over the next five years.

The NB-AMP will closely follow the mission of the university and the vision President Holloway articulated in the three propositions that will be the touchstones of his presidency: Beloved Community, Academic Excellence, and Institutional Clarity.

Just as the universitywide Diversity Strategic Plan now being developed is focused on our aspiration to become a beloved community, the NB-AMP will focus on academic excellence and will include three components:

1. An academic vision statement that lays out our academic priorities for the next five years;
2. A plan for sustainable growth through an array of academic programs that reflect excellence and signature experiences, along with coherence and coordination among academic units; and
3. A pathway for progress through innovative research; inclusive pedagogy and student experience; and public service that impacts the intellectual life of our students, faculty, and staff.

These components will help us answer important questions about Rutgers–New Brunswick’s academic future. The first two are aligned with our University Mission to provide for New Jersey residents’ instructional needs, while the third aligns with our mission to conduct innovative research and perform public service that benefits the State of New Jersey, its residents, and its economy.

I personally wish to invite your participation in developing our plan. Throughout this effort, the process will be led by an NB-AMP Steering Committee and three subcommittees on:

• Vision Statement, Academic Priorities, and Communication;
• Program Growth, Academic Coherence, Infrastructure, Signature Programs, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration; and
• Innovative Research, Inclusive Pedagogy and Student Experience, and Public Service.

The members of the NB-AMP Steering Committee and subcommittees are listed here. These groups will reach out to our faculty, staff, and students to solicit their input through focus groups, surveys, and other means.

The pre-planning process began in July and is estimated to last through October; through November, the committees will collect data to inform the plan; from November to January, the committees will establish priorities and strategies; and we will begin operationalizing the NB-AMP during the spring and summer of 2022 in close collaboration with the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (EVPAA).

Further information about the NB-AMP, its committee members and timeline, and a link to provide input, can be found on the official NB-AMP website.

COACHE Working Group Recommendations

Our work on the Academic Master Plan will benefit from important information gathered over the past two years. As many of you are aware, Rutgers–New Brunswick partnered in the spring of 2019 with the Harvard Graduate School of Education Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) to conduct a faculty survey, the first step in identifying critical areas of institutional strengths and gaps.

During the Fall 2020 semester, we convened a COACHE working group of faculty representatives across the academic units including New Brunswick Libraries and the New Brunswick Faculty Council. The COACHE Working Group worked diligently to review the survey findings, meet with key stakeholders and administrators, consult with their academic units, and develop recommendations for the areas of research, governance and communication, and faculty development. During the Spring of 2021, the COACHE Working Group presented its recommendations at a series of town hall meetings, and invited faculty to prioritize its recommendations.

The COACHE Working Group’s recommendations and analysis of the faculty feedback are available on the COACHE website. The COACHE survey results, Working Group recommendations, and faculty feedback will be a critical component in shaping the Academic Master Plan.

Your Input

As always, I invite you to share your concerns and questions with your respective university leaders and support systems or directly with me via this online form. I will do my best to ensure a timely and effective response.

The NB-AMP is an exciting opportunity to influence the future of our institution, while enhancing its tradition of improving the public good through excellence in education, groundbreaking research, and impactful public service.

I thank you in advance for your participation in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick