“I plan to establish a Commission on Academic Excellence that will provide a framework for our distinctive academic mission and, most important, re-center academic excellence in University life.”
—M. Lee Pelton

During the last five years, Willamette University has been guided by a set of strategic initiatives dedicated to substantially improving five aspects of University life: academic excellence, student life, diversity, visibility and technology.

Much has changed during the life of our strategic plan: The addition of new faculty and administrators has brought new perspectives. A weakened national economy and internal budget pressures have ecessitated adjustments, while our shortage of space to accommodate faculty needs has become more apparent and acute. Discussions in CLA on the changing role of teaching, research and scholarship have suggested the need for new methods of faculty support and work allocation. Meanwhile, the academic quality of the student body has increased at all of our schools.

As Willamette responds to these trends and developments, we are also careful not to become distracted from our vision of the University’s future. As I shared this spring in “The New Pathways,” my vision statement for Willamette’s next five years, I plan to establish a Commission on Academic Excellence that will provide a framework for our distinctive academic mission and, most important, re-center academic excellence in University life.

The commission will be charged to issue recommendations to enhance academic excellence. Cochaired by a member of the Willamette faculty and a member of the board of trustees, the commission will primarily comprise CLA, Law, AGSM and School of Education faculty, but it will also include students, staff and others able to provide helpful perspectives. To do its work well, the commission must fully engage the University community through forums, meetings and written communication. It may also wish to invite academic leaders from other colleges and universities to assist in its work.

The commission is not meant to substitute for the central role faculty play in academic governance, curriculum design, departmental or program priorities, but rather to stimulate and suggest new areas of academic interest and promise. I will ask the commission to identify a set of academic activities or “centers of excellence” that strengthen our academic mission, with priority given to those that cross disciplinary boundaries and increase opportunities for faculty development, research and scholarship.

The centers may unite existing programs and research interests or develop wholly new activities. They may take a variety of forms, from programs with offices, operating budgets and directors to faculty committees or clusters. Some may be established immediately, while others will need to be nurtured over longer periods of time.

No matter how or when these centers are organized, each should reflect the service to humanity embodied in our educational mission. They might, for example, include programs that increase international understanding and education, reaffirm sustainability as a core University value, deepen our understanding of ethics in contemporary society, or bring to life our commitment to social justice, citizenship and government.

The success and vitality of these centers will depend, in large measure, on the research interests of individual faculty working in their disciplines or with their colleagues. I envision that most if not all of the centers will be funded through external grants and gifts.

The Commission on Academic Excellence and the proposed “centers of excellence” are just two of many exciting developments at Willamette University. This edition of The Scene will focus on several other avenues of initiative currently being pursued that will continue Willamette’s long tradition of excellence, distinction, service and creative thinking.

M. Lee Pelton
President