Rituals, Value and Progress

This fall, the College of Fine Arts will engage in one of the sacred rituals of academia: strategic planning. It turns out we haven’t practiced this rite in quite a while, perhaps never (alumni and former faculty, please challenge this assumption!)? Like most sacred rituals, it has its predictable gestures, actions and sequences, as well as a special vocabulary and a priestly caste of consultants — and we are working on costumes. To be perfectly honest, most strategic plans end up looking and sounding quite a bit alike, which can dilute their impact. If you can’t articulate what makes your contribution distinctive, what’s the point?

Furthermore, we seriously considered cancelling or postponing the exercise given the existential threats — severely curtailed research funding, barriers to international student enrollment and the attempt to erase decades of progress on access and equity — facing CMU and all research universities in the U.S. at this moment. But it occurs to us that now is precisely the time for us to start a conversation about our college and its values of humanity, humility, playfulness, curiosity and connection. It is precisely the moment for us to define, with razor sharp clarity, our value to CMU, to the community, to the world.

As the year progresses, you may hear from us with an invitation to participate in this conversation. The articles in this issue celebrate the contributions of our many brilliant alumni, students, faculty and staff. I hope that the values they illuminate will inspire (and reassure) you.

 | Dean Mary Ellen Poole