Community Conversation

Friends:

Two weeks ago over 700 people gathered in Lund Arena for a "Community Conversation". All parts of the campus community were represented, students, faculty, administrators, support staff, alumni, and the entire Board of Trustees. While not startlingly new, the results of discussions around 70 tables were very constructive, instructive and forward-looking. Importantly, we also had the opportunity to simply spend a bit of time together, getting to know others we don't normally encounter on campus. We took a little time out to listen to and learn from each other.

The discussions have been summarized and are now available. If you have any comments or additional perspectives you wish to add (especially those who were not able to attend), please send them to conversation_feedback@gustavus.edu.

Other opportunities to offer feedback about the community conversation summary will be provided through open meetings (dates/times to be determined) with me and/or one or more of the deans and vice presidents. All of the original notes from each of the tables are available through Director of Institutional Research Dave Menk if you wish to review them.

The results of this conversation are being fed into our long-range planning process as we think about a "shared vision" for Gustavus. My hope is that we can weave this perspective on our future into all of our planning work from academic program planning, to thinking about our college/church relationship, to fundraising priorities, student life experiences, budget planning and other components of our strategic plan.

Special thanks to all those committed people who believed enough in the value of this exercise to plan and execute it so very well.

Jim Peterson
President