Jischke discusses plan for future of University

By Laura Pelner
Campus Editor

If you had a football team with a weak offense and a strong defense, would you spend more time with the offense to make it better, or would you spend more time with the defense to make it unstoppable?

This question was raised at the first strategic planning forum Wednesday afternoon. About 70 people, mostly faculty and staff, attended the first forum with the purpose of offering insights and suggestions for the draft of the University's strategic plan.

The football example was actually a metaphor for the relationship between the School of Liberal Arts and the Schools of Engineering, Science and Technology.

One person in the audience posed the question in an effort to show that the School of Liberal Arts, the "weak offense," was being slighted in the strategic plan.

Many people had the same opinion.

Margaret Rowe, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, said the strategic planning task force should remove some of the specific language that refers to science and technology programs because it creates an unnecessary distinction within the University.

"Why not be the best comprehensive University we can be?" asked Rowe.

William Rowe, professor of philosophy and Margaret's husband, said preeminence, which is the theme for the plan, is warranted for certain areas, but other programs in the University also deserve recognition.

The drafted plan calls for "world leadership in engineering, the sciences and technically based areas" but does not mention the same for the humanities. As the document reads now there would be "distinction in all (other) disciplines foundational to an outstanding comprehensive university."

"Preeminence ought to be the aim of all the schools," William said and he then added that preeminence might be too strong a word. "It's important we (Liberal Arts) be in the document, along with the other schools."

President Martin Jischke, who conducted the meeting and addressed everyone's questions and comments, said the plan had to include some choices. He said the goal is to take the whole university to the next level and there are a number of initiatives designed to do so.

However, he asked, should there be signature sectors where Purdue has the possibility to be distinctive in certain areas?

"If (the plan) results in something that appears to have no choices, and we aspire to be all things to all people, it will not work," Jischke said.

Almost two-thirds of the comments in this first forum regarded the draft's lack of support for the humanities. Numerous times people tried to change the topic but it always came back to liberal arts.

David Koltick, professor of physics, had a timely suggestion considering Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Koltick said one of the plan's goals should be strengthened by adding that Purdue should assume a role in maintaining national security so its heritage of the open exchange of ideas and the freedom to express visions can be sustained. Koltick said he sent this letter to the strategic plan task force on Aug. 31, long before Tuesday's tragedies.

Other people expressed concern over some of the peer institutions named in the plan, especially the Georgia Institute of Technology. William McBride, professor of philosophy, said Georgia Tech. is not a comparable university because it is not comprehensive.

Jischke will hold two more open forums for the drafted strategic plan — one from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19 in Stewart Center 306 and one from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 20 in Stewart Center 302-306. A full draft of the strategic plan is available at www.purdue.edu/oop.strategic_plan.

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Campus editor: Laura Pelner

Assistant campus editors: Kurt Esposito, Dave Stephens

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