The school’s faculty, staff, and students engaged in strategic planning activity for much of the 2003–04 academic year. The processes of assessment and consulting with faculty and students were followed by planning retreats for faculty, staff, and students, and the finalization of the goals and strategies presented here. The most critical part, however, is the implementation of the plan that will take place primarily in 2004–05 and extend into later years as necessary to accomplish our stated goals. To organize the implementation process, we have developed a detailed schedule for each strategy, and identified the responsible persons. We will track our progress as we proceed, and will incorporate what we learn from the process as we move forward.

While all faculty, staff, and students are being invited and asked to help, and some are taking critical leadership roles, much of the responsibility for action falls to the dean, the associate deans, and the staff of the dean’s office. Under the leadership of the dean, the office staff has undertaken a series of discussions and consultations that have led to a reorganization of the office and a realignment of responsibilities congruent with the goals and strategies laid out in the strategic plan (see chart).

Central to this reorganization is the addition of an associate dean for strategic initiatives; a strengthening of the development role of the associate dean for external relations; a more strategic role for the associate dean for academic affairs; the addition of a director of communications with direct lines to the dean and associate deans; and broader oversight responsibility for the senior associate dean for administration and finance. Additional administrative support for strategic priority implementation will be provided through a reallocation of efforts and possible limited hiring.

Several of the strategic goals require concerted discussion and debate as well as considerable high-level and detailed planning before implementation. For these areas, we have requested and received faculty, staff, and student volunteers who will work together with the dean’s office over the next several years to complete implementation. Working groups include 1) Graduate Programs; 2) Undergraduate Programs; 3) Communications; 4) Development; 5) Computational Facilities; 6) Analytical Facilities; 7) Computational Geosciences Initiative; and 8) Outreach.

Our mission is one of gaining new knowledge, training the next generation of leaders, and using our knowledge for the benefit of all Earth’s inhabitants. As we successfully meet each of the strategic goals set forth here, we believe that the School of Earth Sciences can be an even greater contributor to the university, the community, and the world.