Academic Vision Plan Board Vote Announcement

I am pleased to announce the following motion was jointly recommended by the Academic and Institutional Affairs Committee and the Executive Committee to the Board, and was passed by the Hanover College Board of Trustees in their October 19 meeting:

The Trustees of Hanover College adopt the Academic Vision Plan of 2002 as the foundation for the future of the College.  The President and faculty of the College may proceed to implement the Vision to the extent possible within the current budgetary framework approved by the Board, and subject to the traditional means of governance. 

It is understood that the Plan will require substantial additional actions and resources over a number of years that are beyond the scope of the current financial resources.  Accordingly, the Chairman of the Board, in consultation with the President, shall appoint a Task Force of Trustees to work with Faculty and Administrators to bring recommendations to the full Board regarding a timeline for implementation, priorities, costs, and fund-raising feasibility.

There are several important implications of this Board action that I would like to highlight:

·        The Academic Vision, as passed by the faculty, provides direction over the next 10-15 years to take Hanover College to the next level.  The Vision should unite and guide the thinking and priorities of the entire Hanover College community as we move forward.

·        Efforts to implement the Vision should continue and be expanded.  Given the difficult near-term financial picture, we must be resourceful and creative to find ways to move the Plan forward.

·        To raise the magnitude of funding required to realize the Vision, the AVTF and others on campus will need to work more closely than ever with our trustees.  We will jointly develop a clear implementation and financial plan to support a major capital campaign.

In a related matter, the Trustee Development Committee met last Friday to develop a strategy for initial fund-raising efforts and application of the Lilly match toward the Vision components.  We will discuss that strategy at the next faculty meeting and in staff meetings.

Kudos to the strong faculty leadership to develop the plan and to bring it to this point.  I especially applaud those faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni who have comprised the AVTF in its multiple phases.  I acknowledge the good work of Jeff Conner, to prepare the Trustees, and Jane Jakoubek and Dennis McDonald for their steering the constructive discussions with Trustees last weekend.  Congratulations to you all for your good work.

Russell Nichols