Priority Areas

A. Curricular Innovation and Development

• Assess the “Weissman Core” at the Weissman Curriculum Committee and faculty levels to consider possible updates to align with Weissman’s and Baruch’s mission and vision statements for pedagogical evolution and student success, including intellectual advancement and critical thinking.
• Assess graduate program curricula and College-wide goals and opportunities to consider possible updates to align with Weissman’s and Baruch’s missions and vision for success.
• In coordination with the other schools, continue to evaluate and launch new majors, minors, graduate programs, and nondegree programs to meet students’ intellectual and professional needs.
• Plan an annual Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Summit with students, staff, faculty, and alumni to evaluate progress on the implementation of our Strategic Plan. The focus of the summit will be, “Where Are We Now?”
• Engage a Weissman data analyst to leverage institutional research data for advising and program development, help develop a deeper understanding of student progress through Weissman programs, and identify important benchmarks and hurdles to improve the Weissman student experience.
• In partnership with College units, identify retention gaps and lower success rates for underrepresented students and take necessary steps to improve these measures.
• Implement an ongoing Weissman student survey every 1-2 years, depending on the student program, to assess student progress, success, and satisfaction.

B. Expand Access to Internship, Leadership, and Experiential Learning Opportunities

• In alignment with College goals, conduct a coordinated study of how many Weissman students complete internships and/or participate in Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (ExCEL) The survey will cover the nature of the activities (what and where) that Weissman departments offer and uncover and reduce barriers to student participation.
• Grow the Weissman Student Ambassador program, including seeking grant opportunities.
• Form a task force with faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students to inventory the current landscape and make recommendations to build new ExCEL programs and opportunities.
• Create collaborations between graduate and undergraduate internship and experiential research opportunities.
• Build a Humanities Internship program in collaboration with other departments and the Starr Career Development Center.
• Increase opportunities for learning outside the classroom in the field, through partnered or independent research, or in labs.
• Further integrate the Weissman School into the Executives on Campus program and expand opportunities for students to participate.
• Ensure every Weissman major provides all students with at least one opportunity for an internship, faculty-mentored research, or other ExCEL experience by graduation. Expand opportunities for graduate students to participate in faculty labs, guided research, and other ExCEL experiences.

C. Weissman as a Center for Student Success: Streamlining the Weissman Student Experience

• In partnership with College offices, strengthen Weissman’s network of support services to enable Weissman students to navigate the School’s academic and administrative support as seamlessly and stress-free as possible, to decrease time to graduation, and to increase Weissman students’ sense of belonging by aligning academic support, mental health counseling, and financial aid assistance.
• Strengthen bonds and coordinate communication between Advisement and Orientation and Weissman’s academic departments and graduate programs.
• Provide feedback to key administrative offices, including the Starr Career Development Center, Executives on Campus, and the Office of Alumni Relations and Volunteer Engagement, regarding obstacles to Weissman student success.
• Develop new initiatives for first-year and new transfer experiences in coordination with College-level units also engaged in this work.
• Identify support mechanisms for Weissman students in academic and mental health distress.
• Focus on mental health resources for Weissman students as part of the School’s core identity by partnering with internal and external resources, including Baruch’s Counseling Center, to develop joint programs and strengthen key partnerships.
• Using data analysis, design a system of course availability that better meets student needs.

A. Enhance Weissman’s Innovative Research Capacity and Reputation

• Expand support for research through incentives, awards, and partnerships with grant-writing consultants.
• Regularize and strengthen the pilot Research Reassigned Time Program for post-tenure faculty.
• Streamline processes for internal research funding applications.
• Support opportunities to host academic workshops and conferences at Baruch.
• Expand avenues to disseminate and celebrate faculty research achievements.

B. Expand Interdisciplinary Initiatives

• Expand support for ongoing and new interdisciplinary and interschool research and teaching collaborations.
• Assess and replicate recent successes in interdisciplinary cluster hiring.
• With cross-school and cross-department participation, support ongoing and new interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Create collaborative clusters among faculty to address complex challenges.
• Identify spaces conducive to faculty interactions and collaborations.

C. Enhance Faculty Development Opportunities at All Levels

• Foster mentorship and knowledge sharing appropriate to the faculty member’s career stage.
• Support junior faculty through mentorship programs.
• Organize workshops for career advancement.
• Develop mentorship programs for chairs.
• Enhance opportunities for such programs as faculty writing groups.
• Assess current hiring, onboarding, and support practices for part-time faculty across departments to create consistency and share resources, with attention to DEI.
• Share resources and practices for hiring, orientation, retention, assessment (peer observation), departmental inclusion and leadership, and faculty development.
• Design clear communications outlining faculty support initiatives.

D. Enhance Teaching Innovation

• Articulate the value of teaching for students’ academic, professional, and personal success in order to elevate the importance and joy of teaching.
• Clarify the goals of a Weissman education in the liberal arts and sciences, including analytical reading, critical thinking, debate and public speaking, writing, research methods across the disciplines, and scientific, mathematical, and ethical reasoning.
• Collaborate with College pedagogical centers, including the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Schwartz Communication Institute, and the Digital Learning Hub to empower full- and part-time faculty with technological advancements and teaching innovations.
• Encourage experimentation with pedagogical methods and novel methods of assessment.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement in teaching practices.

A. Engage College-Serving Offices to Promote the Weissman Identity and Weissman Opportunities Internally and Externally

• Engage in a branding exercise for Weissman to articulate and advance the core values of a Weissman education and Weissman’s mission to produce innovative thought leaders for New York City and the world.
• Develop an initiative to identify the channels through which the Weissman identity, values, and mission can be communicated and develop a proposal for implementing elements across channels.
• Build and activate a Weissman alumni network.
• Design a fundraising plan for Weissman departments and initiatives.
• Promote student and faculty achievements that highlight the value of a Weissman education.

B. Strengthen Student Identification with Weissman and Create Lifelong Weissman Alumni Ambassadors

• Promote the value of Weissman’s programs and a Weissman degree in students’ long-term career and personal success. Generate new events and recruiting materials for prospective and admitted students and families including a new student orientation.
• Improve communication with Weissman majors and minors at both the School and department levels to ensure student
• Develop Weissman’s branding through marketing materials and the creation of Weissman-specific student traditions.
• Continue to expand the celebration of Weissman staff, faculty, student, and alumni success through initiatives, such as awards and recognitions, alumni panels and events, and research symposia, and in The Weissman Newsletter.
• Expand the Student Ambassador Program to communicate the value of a Weissman education to prospective students.

C. Inspire Faculty and Staff to Communicate the Uniqueness and Impact of a Weissman Education and the Weissman Community

• Support staff development, including travel to conferences and workshops, to advance their professional profile and engagement within the Weissman School.
• Host an Annual Community Forum to assess Weissman’s progress toward strategic plan goals and to adjust and realign efforts as needed.
• Create new Weissman faculty (adjunct and full time) orientations in coordination with departments and Faculty Affairs.
• Create orientation and ongoing support for department and program leaders.
• Promote internal branding of Weissman on syllabi and learning management systems (LMS) sites.
• Ensure that faculty successes are amplified and celebrated publicly and through all possible outlets.
• Create opportunities for faculty experts to interface with media outlets as appropriate.

A. Engage New York City as a Liberal Arts and Sciences Laboratory for Faculty and Students

• Expand engaged, community-based research and teaching strategies, including experiential learning, internships, and collaborative research, with the support of Baruch’s ExCEL office.
• Support faculty research that transforms New York City and addresses local, national, and global problems.
• Expand campus-community collaborations and partnerships.

B. Build and Activate the Weissman Alumni Network

• Support Weissman departments’ efforts to build alumni connections and tie these to networks and opportunities already established by the Office of Alumni Relations and Volunteer Engagement (OARVE) and the Office of College Advancement.
• Connect Weissman students and alumni through the Starr Career Development Center, the Weissman Graduate Career Services Office, the Office of Student Life, the Undergraduate Student Government; through mentorship programs; and through alumni panels.
• Share Weissman alumni success stories in The Weissman Newsletter, social media, Dean’s and Associate Dean’s presentations, and other public forums.
• Build and continue to maintain Weissman-specific social media networks on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) to develop relationships between students, alumni, and the Weissman School.

C. Recognize and Celebrate Weissman Staff

• Develop educational opportunities, including community engagement and wellness programs.
• Promote professional development for staff to encourage career, personal, and intellectual exploration as well as advancement.
• Enhance staff recognition opportunities.
• Form a staff advisory council to collaborate on programs and events for staff and advance recommendations.
• Ensure robust support and communication for staff in mastering new technologies and practices.

D. Strengthen Collaborations Between Weissman and College-wide Offices to Achieve Weissman’s Strategic Plan

• Starr Career Development Center: Enhance Weissman student-specific programming.
• Alumni Relations and Volunteer Engagement: Build and activate the Weissman alumni network.
• Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs: Promote Weissman culture and identity.
• Admissions: Enhance strategies to recruit Weissman
• College Advancement: Establish Weissman-specific goals within the upcoming capital campaign.
• Advisement: Explore possibilities of Weissman-specific advisement.
• Study Abroad: Expand the number of Weissman students studying abroad.
• Experiential and Community Engaged Learning: Support Weissman faculty and student initiatives.
• Weissman Dean’s Council: Expand and engage the Weissman Dean’s Council to advance success of Weissman students, faculty, and staff.
• Campus Facilities and Operations: Establish clear communication and partnership regarding Weissman faculty, student, and staff needs.

E. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

• Assess the impact of the Weissman DEI initiatives to date and refine the initiatives moving forward.
• Integrate existing efforts of the Weissman DEI Alliance with the implementation of the School’s Strategic Plan to ensure that each priority is achieved with a commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Advocate for assessment of and revision to faculty hiring and retention policies with particular attention to BIPOC candidates and faculty.
• Assess and improve undergraduate and graduate student advisement in coordination with relevant College units and carefully weigh the wide range of factors that may contribute to social and academic challenges and opportunities.
• Explore targeted support mechanisms for underrepresented faculty, including limiting service demands.