Table of Contents
VIII. Strategic Initiatives
A. The Academic Program
Primary Objectives: Enhance the quality and distinctiveness of Muhlenberg's approach to liberal arts by emphasizing the intellectual links between theory and practice, by building on our traditional strengths in pre-medical science education and the arts, and by capitalizing on campus commitment to civic and personal values. (Supports Strategic Goals 1- 4).
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Develop and expand "Praxis Pedagogies" as a distinguishing feature of undergraduate liberal arts education at Muhlenberg
"Praxis Pedagogies" is a term that incorporates a variety of initiatives that build stronger links between theory and practice - in the classroom, studio, laboratory, and field. Such approaches will extend rather than replace current curricular emphases on critical thinking, textual analysis, and the development of skills in written and spoken expression, and will supplement and enhance traditional pedagogies in many disciplines. Praxis pedagogies include:
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Student research. Support for a wide range of approaches isintended to substantially increase the percentage of Muhlenberg students engaged in significant research, independently and in collaboration with faculty, during the academic year and during summers, on and off campus.
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Service learning. Service learning links classroom theory and textual analysis with fieldwork in the community. This pedagogy is already a growing and successful presence in the Muhlenberg curriculum and is a natural fit with the College's strong culture of community engagement and with our mission to prepare students for lives of leadership and service.
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Values exploration. Expanded opportunities to encounter curricular diversity and to engage in coursework that explores the ethical dimensions of different disciplines and professions (often building on or relating to programs developed by Muhlenberg's Center for Ethics) will be important priorities; opportunities for students to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relationships between our own and other cultures will require changes in our study-abroad structure to maximize student reflection on the study abroad experience, and increase opportunities for off-campus study.
Implementation
- Add 10 new tenure-track positions over the next five years in key areas that strengthen traditional departments and support development of interdisciplinary curricular initiatives, as determined by the President and Provost in consultation with faculty representatives and the Academic Policy Committee.
- Ask the Academic Policy Committee of the faculty to consider a reduction in the graduation requirement from 34 to 32 course units; this change, combined with the proposed increase in faculty, might result in an adjustment of the teaching load and redeployment of faculty time for more substantial engagement in Praxis pedagogies.
- Substantially increase the number of summer research stipends for students.
- Substantially increase the number of research assistantships enabling students to assist faculty with their research according to guidelines to be developed in consultation with the Faculty Development and Scholarship Committee.
- Increase other resources for faculty development to fund faculty development priorities to be defined in consultation with the Faculty Development and Scholarship Committee.
- Increase resources for library acquisitions in support of student and faculty research as prioritized by the Library staff in consultation with the Library Committee, and faculty liaisons to academic departments and programs.
- Utilize Mellon grant and other resources to provide incentives and mechanisms for the development of service learning and values exploration courses within existing departments and majors (in progress as of summer, 2004).
- Initiate faculty study process to explore new and affordable models for expanding study abroad opportunities.
- Create an ad hoc faculty committee to explore the possibility of recognizing community engagement on student transcripts and prepare recommendations for submission to the Academic Policy Committee.
- Initiate a comprehensive academic program assessment structure to provide reliable information about the quality of our academic program. Assessment tools may include departmental self-studies, material prepared for PDE and Middle States reviews, institutional participation in the National Survey of Student Learning, and other appropriate indicators as recommended by faculty committees charged with curricular oversight (e.g., Curriculum Committee, Academic Policy Committee, Writing Program Committee). The newly authorized Board of Observers Visiting Committee program will also play a role in this initiative.
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Strengthen the Natural Sciences
Muhlenberg's distinguished reputation in the natural sciences is jeopardized by inadequate and outdated laboratory and classroom facilities. Moreover, the inadequacy of our science facilities is a major obstacle to strengthening laboratory science, which is an increasingly important component of science pedagogy.
Implementation
- Invest approximately $15,000,000 in new and renovated science facilities (in addition to the $3.2 million invested in Trumbower renovations since 2000).
- Consider additional faculty lines in the natural sciences as part of the planned increase in the size of the tenure-track faculty (see above).
- Continue the current planning processes initiated by the faculty in the Science Division to develop a vision for the future of science education at Muhlenberg.
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Address Critical Facilities Needs in Art and Music
The rapidly growing size and quality of Muhlenberg's Art and Music offerings has resulted in facilities needs that must be satisfied to assure the future success of these programs. Art studios are crowded and lack natural light; there is a shortage of music classrooms and rehearsal space.
Implementation
- Use the upcoming inauguration of the visiting committee program to allow the Art and Music departments to identify and prioritize key departmental needs.
- Invest approximately $1,000,000 in expansion of art studio facilities and retrofitting of existing facilities to meet music department needs.
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Develop new academic programs that build on existing strengths and hold the promise of significant appeal to current and prospective students
As faculty members and committees propose curricular initiatives, decisions about resource allocations must be made in ways consistent with the overall aims of the plan. While additional curricular initiatives may be considered in the future as faculty planning is more fully developed and resource requirements are more clearly defined, the plan currently endorses the development of two proposals: a minor in public health and a major in film studies.
Implementation
- Finish planning for a public health minor to meet increasing student and faculty interest in this field, and to provide students with the foundation to enter a graduate program in public health; refer to the ad hoc Public Health Planning Committee and the Curriculum Committee for review.
- Explore a film studies major, building on student and faculty interest and the College's existing strengths in communication, literary studies, theatre, and other related fields; create an ad hoc film studies planning committee to develop a proposal for submission to the Curriculum Committee.
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B. Academic Services
Primary Objectives: Further distinguish Muhlenberg as a caring intellectual community that supports students with different learning styles and strengths and provides excellent support in students' realization of their postgraduate ambitions. (Supports Strategic Goals 3 and 4).
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Establish an articulation agreement with Thomas Jefferson University College of Health Professions Building on our successful current Articulation Agreements with Drexel College of Medicine (4-4), University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (3-4), and SUNY College of Optometry (3-4), Muhlenberg will seek to execute with Thomas Jefferson University an Articulation Agreement for pre-professional students to earn a BS degree from Muhlenberg and continue on at Thomas Jefferson for an MS in Occupational Therapy, a DPT in Physical Therapy, or an MSN in Nursing, allowing students to complete graduate work in a shortened time frame.
Implementation
- Discussions with TJU were initiated during spring 2004.
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Create an Academic Resource Center
Building on the College's strengths and reputation in academic support services, we will combine related services in a central operation designed to strengthen the academic program, further develop individual potential, and attract and serve gifted college-bound students from diverse backgrounds. In addition to the current Academic Support Services, the Center will include: Disability Services, and a Testing Center. It is possible that the Writing Center will occupy this space as well.
Implementation
- Expand space within Seegers Union to accommodate combined service operations including increased space for testing accommodations (See 12. below).
- In consultation with the Writing Program Committee, determine whether the Writing Center should be relocated to the Academic Resource Center.
- Increase operational budgets to provide clerical and student help as well as additional operational expense.
- Provide resources, including new endowment, to institutionalize many of the disability services created by the federal appropriation during 1998-2003.
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Establish a Center for Career and Pre-Professional Advising
The current Office of Career Development and Placement will continue to serve as a source for information about choice of major and career but will also provide additional related services important to students' future success, including advising for pre-health and pre-law, administrative work associated with Postgraduate Awards Initiatives, facilities for self-assessment and for students to identify a variety of opportunities for experiential learning, and an attractive site for connections with alumni and prospective employers.
Implementation
- Expand space within Seegers Union to accommodate the new Center.
- Increase operational budget to provide additional part-time staff support.
C. Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular Life
Primary Objectives: Make the student experience at Muhlenberg notable for the quality, variety, and educational value of its co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences, providing students with opportunities to integrate intellectual, spiritual, physical, civic, and social life in creative and powerful ways. (Supports Strategic Goals 2,3, and 5).
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Expand System of Living-Learning Communities.
Muhlenberg enjoys a competitive advantage in the variety of its residential options for students, ranging from traditional residence halls (including one single-sex residence for women), to clustered residential suites, to fraternity and sorority houses, to semi-independent living (MacGregor Village), to independent living (apartments and M.I.L.E. properties). This variety can be further developed to create living-learning communities that forge stronger links between the residential experience and the intellectual life of the campus.
Implementation
- Develop living-learning settings where students complete coursework within a residential facility, beginning with a prototype experience in Hillcrest House during the 2004-2005 academic year (students in Hillcrest House will enroll in one shared course, taught in the House, each semester).
- Expand group interest housing within the M.I.L.E. properties, where students with designated interests live together and work on common initiatives that can benefit the community.
- Enhance the sense of community within residence halls by providing more and better educational and social programming
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Create New and Improved Student Housing.
Muhlenberg should provide housing that anticipates the changing needs of our students, complements our educational programs, and fosters living-learning communities, while emphasizing variety, quality, and proximity. We must continue to improve the physical condition of designated residence halls with the goal of making them competitive with housing at benchmark institutions, through regularly budgeted maintenance and renovation. We must replace the decaying "temporary housing" in MacGregor Village with attractive, functional, and durable student housing, increasing the number of beds to diminish our dependence on the more distant (and leased) Tremont Apartments.
Implementation
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Invest approximately $3,500,000 in new housing on or near the site of the current MacGregor Village, with a minimum of 60 bed
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Strengthen the Relationship between Athletics and the College's Academic and Enrollment Objectives.
Athletics within a liberal arts setting can provide a powerful educational experience as well as assist the College in achieving its enrollment and gender balance goals. Muhlenberg's athletic program is currently a source of pride, but we must ensure that it remains a safe, competitive, and well-managed activity that consistently meets NCAA and Title IX standards, that student-athletes are representative of the College's academic standards and participate fully in the life of the campus, and that Muhlenberg teams remain formidable competitors within the Centennial Conference.
Implementation
- Complete fund raising for the new 40,000 s.f. / $12,500,000 addition to the Life Sports Center. Develop program initiatives that make the expanded LSC inviting for all students and a focal point for campus life and energy.
- In consultation with the College Committee on Fitness and Athletics, continue to expand and improve efforts to recruit Scholar-Athletes.
- In consultation with the College Committee on Fitness and Athletics, develop and implement a plan for staffing and programming that promotes greater diversity and gender equity among students who participate in athletics.
- Add a full-time head coach in field hockey to create more equitable coaching loads (effective Summer, 2004).
- Develop "Coaches as Educators" initiatives to engage coaches more productively in scholar-athletes' academic experience.
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Revitalize the Greek System's Role in Leadership and Character Development.
This initiative acknowledges that Greek life can have value within the context of the mission of the College by providing living communities that foster growth and learning. While past campus relationships have been framed primarily by the contributions of Greek life to the social life of students, this initiative calls on Greek chapters to re-examine their standards in scholarship, leadership, service, socialization, and character. The goal of this initiative is to create a shared vision among College constituencies as to the future for Greek life.
Implementation
- Act on information and advice to be submitted in Fall, 2004, by the President's Ad Hoc Planning Task Force on Greek Life (including faculty, student, staff, and alumni representatives).
- In consultation with the College Committee on Student Life, formulate a relationship statement and processes outlining expectations of all who interact with Greek organizations: students, College administration, alumni, and national fraternity and sorority
offices.
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Enhance and Augment Facilities for Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular Life through the Expansion and Renovation of Seegers Union.
Designed approximately 40 years ago for a significantly smaller campus population, Seegers Union is currently a popular and successful, but severely overtaxed and overcrowded facility. Substantial, phased expansion and renovation will be required if Seegers is to continue playing a vital role in campus co-curricular and extra-curricular life and academic support services (see above VII.B.2, 3).
Implementation
- Beginning in 2005, invest approximately $3,500,000 in an addition to and renovation of Seegers Union that will provide expanded office, instructional, and meeting space for the Center for Academic Services, the Career and Pre-Professional Advising Center, Student Activities, Greek Leadership Development, and Community Service functions, as well as flexible space that can provide additional dining and meeting venues.
- Redesign and renovate the Red Door to provide improved student social space.
- Acquire scheduling software to more efficiently manage campus event scheduling.
- Investigate the feasibility of creating a convenience store within Seegers Union.
- Beginning in 2009, invest approximately $11,500,000 in a second addition and renovation program that will remedy undersized dining area and outdated food preparation, food storage, and food servery facilities.
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Enhance Support for Religious Life and for Student Leadership Development.
Expand support for student leadership and other service activities that emphasize values, personal growth, skills development and experiential learning as described in the Fundamental Institutional Values statement (see Attachment 1). Strengthen the program infrastructure for Religious Life activities.
Implementation
- Develop programs that emphasize student leadership development through an internal grant program that involves both student life and religious life. Double available space for Newman Center activities (Summer, 2004).
- Stabilize Hillel Director's status by making her an employee of the College; recruit additional Hillel programming staff as permitted by fund raising results and support from Hillel International upgrade Hillel to Foundation status. (Summer, 2004).
- Secure endowment for Chaplain's office programming and religious life activities as opportunities arise.
- Refocus and Expand Student Social Life through Integration of Curricular, Co-Curricular, and Extra-Curricular Activities While Expanding Off-Campus Opportunities and Use of Off-Campus Venues.
Implementation
- Create a higher level of student satisfaction through better coordination of existing events and addition of social and other events.
- Continue efforts to include students in planning; encourage use of students as performers, technicians, and organizers of events.
- Assist students in developing more varied social opportunities in the broader community beyond the campus, through the LVAIC consortium, development of the 19th Street area, and other partnerships.
- Increase integration of multicultural programming opportunities and take greater advantage of the opportunity to celebrate diversity on and beyond the campus.
D. Finances, Facilities, Technology
Primary Objectives: Ensure that Muhlenberg has the financial capacity, technological infrastructure, and facilities to achieve all its strategic objectives while assuring the availability of adequate resources for our successors; maintain the campus as a beautiful and efficient venue for the pursuit of our mission. (Supports Strategic Goals 1- 6).
- Augment Classroom Technology to Strengthen and Enhance Pedagogy.
Implementation
Utilizing regularly budgeted funds for capital improvements and existing staffing:
- Add TechWall technology, as needs are determined, to the remaining general-use classrooms and in other appropriate teaching spaces.
- Achieve real-time response in classroom technologies support by acquiring remote management tools, Help Desk staff dedicated to this function, and classroom telephones.
- Expand training offerings that will help faculty to convert teaching material and use new materials in TechWall settings.
- Continue to expand functionality at the TechWall podium based on priorities identified by the College Committee on Information Technologies.
- Provide mediated videoconferencing abilities in spaces such as Miller Forum and Lithgow Auditorium.
- Strengthen the Security and Reliability of the Campus Network.
The campus network is now a fundamental tool for research, teaching, and management. Its security, adequacy, and reliability are essential to Muhlenberg's continued progress in virtually every area of endeavor. Additional technical staff will permit implementations of the following actions:
Implementation
- Consolidate over 35 fiber segments on new and improved panels that will improve reliability, simplify troubleshooting, and improve integrity of operational aspects.
- Consider additional wireless service in public zones on campus to support collaborative computing using laptops, PDAs, and other portable devices.
- Acquire and install software to provide Email users with further protection from Spam and virus-spawned or virus-laden messages and to avoid related disruptions.
- Recommend to the College Committee on Information Technologies further investigation of more effective electronic communication on campus.
- Acquire and install software to enforce proper log-ins and perform vulnerability scans against each student PC prior to granting campus computer network service, thereby reducing problems related to viruses, worms, and other threats.
- Expand emergency power capabilities to safeguard electronic communication capability during emergency situations. (Protection already exists for voice communication.)
- Create a Long-Range Capital Plan.
Muhlenberg needs to establish systematic financial planning to assure funding of ongoing facilities and major equipment needs (capital renewal) and to address emerging goals and priorities of this and subsequent strategic plans. A Capital Plan, periodically updated, will: insure a comprehensive view of all needs with appropriate prioritization before any commitment is made to a proposed project; allow for orderly planning relative to fundraising; and allow for distribution and timely consideration of deferred maintenance, thereby avoiding disruption of building use and services.
Implementation
- Beginning in FY'06 we will annually budget increased funds for special projects to address ongoing building repairs and other ongoing maintenance short of major renovations and construction.
- Beginning in FY'05, funding plans will be developed in advance for major construction projects that are strategic priorities (including new buildings and major renovations), utilizing fundraising, bond issue proceeds, reserve funds, and excess revenues.
- Create an Improved Green Campus Core.
Muhlenberg's attractive campus is a strategic strength, important both for recruiting and for the quality of life of all faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This initiative will create a more open and aesthetically pleasing inner campus in the areas between the playing fields and Trumbower and the area between the Life Sports Center and Ettinger Hall.
Implementation
- Beginning with the completion of the Life Sports Center addition and science renovations, invest up to $1,000,000 to complete design and landscaping to produce two new attractive campus quadrangles characterized by green space, walkways, and outdoor gathering, program, and recreational space.
- Except for limited access by service vehicles, relocate all interior parking to lots at the edges of campus.
- Beginning in 2009, invest approximately $3,500,000 to relocate maintenance sheds, plant operations functions, and parking to the periphery of the campus, renovating the current plant operations offices for academic, administrative, or student life purposes.
- Preserve the Campus Tree Legacy.
We will initiate an ongoing campus tree replacement and maintenance program in order to preserve this valuable asset for current and future generations and retain the natural beauty of the campus. Many of the older Norway Maples lining the streets bordering campus were planted about the same time - likely in the 1940's. They are in poor condition and are increasingly susceptible to disease as well as insect and storm damage and will need to be replaced before long. Although many of the inner campus trees are thriving, others are in need of attention. Trees mature slowly; consequently, replacement efforts must begin immediately.
Implementation
- With the help of faculty and others, create an ongoing plan for annual tree acquisition and replacements, targeting specific locations on campus and species to be acquired.
- Using a recently completed tree survey, create an annual tree maintenance program to protect the campus tree inventory.
- In a planned tree replacement program, invite faculty and students to consider opportunities for labeling of trees, studying tree maturation processes, observing tree cultivation and management practices, and studying the impact of species diversification.
- Consider fund raising opportunities to support this effort.
- Develop a "Muhlenberg Village" Through Selective Real Estate Acquisition and Incentives for Faculty Property Acquisition.
By increasing the number of faculty and staff living in the neighborhood adjacent to the campus, the College can increase faculty and staff participation in campus life, reduce the need for faculty and staff parking, stabilize the neighborhood by attracting more families, and create more of a "walking campus."
Implementation
- As current budgets permit, acquire strategic properties at fair market value for current and future needs of the College, giving highest priority to acquisition of privately-owned properties within the Institutional and Government Zoning District.
- Beginning in 2009, create incentives for faculty and staff to purchase or rent property near the College.
E. Admissions and Financial Aid
Primary Objectives: Increase Muhlenberg's academic selectivity and cultural diversity through effective marketing and strategic utilization of financial aid resources (Supports Strategic Goals 3,5, and 6).
Muhlenberg's admissions and financial aid office will, by 2009, seek to increase the number of applications from 4,100 to 4,500; increase the average SAT scores of matriculating students from 1212 (Class of 2007) to 1250; maintain an acceptance rate under 50%; and increase multicultural enrollments from 7.9% to at least 10%.
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Improve Market Research and Refine Marketing Messages and Materials.
The College's current marketing messages are the result of past initiatives, feedback from faculty, current and prospective students; and analysis of the Admitted Student Questionnaire. This initiative would test the current messages against the actions and goals resulting from the new Strategic Plan to insure that they capture the important essences of the current and future Muhlenberg experience and that they work in the marketplace.
Implementation
- Utilizing in-house capabilities, including market research classes, develop and test updated marketing messages that reflect the College's traditional values and emerging priorities.
- Make better use of current and planned program assessment tools to promote Muhlenberg's strengths and achievements.
- Continue to Improve Campus Visits and Personal Relationships as Cornerstones of the Admissions Recruiting Program.
Implementation
- Create additional ways of intensifying the sense of relationship with prospective students.
- Further strengthen the Tour Guide and Campus Hosts program.
- Target top recruits with additional personal attention.
- Make SAT-Optional Admissions Policy Permanent.
This policy, passed on an experimental basis by the faculty and Trustees in 1996, has had a positive impact in building the College's application and Early Decision pool as well as attracting multi-cultural students. The policy has gained the College positive press and positive feedback among high school guidance counselors and has not been harmful to the College in terms of academic quality of enrolled students.
Implementation
Present this proposal to the Academic Policy Committee, the faculty, and the Trustees for review.
- Expand Program-Specific Student Recruitment.
To deliver the best class of appropriate size, quality, energy, and diversity at a cost the College can afford, we will create a Faculty Fellow Program where one faculty member in one department or division per semester (or year) will, in consultation with the Admissions Office, develop and implement a recruiting plan using such techniques as: developing department-specific recruitment messages; evaluating and improving the department's web site; personalizing the department's recruitment efforts; and developing a department-specific recruitment plan and timetable.
Implementation
- The College will budget incremental funds to facilitate one or more such departmental or divisional initiatives each year.
- Increase enrollment of multicultural students to at least 10% of the student body by 2009.
Implementation
- Beginning in FY'07, increase the financial aid budget each year to accommodate a 75% increase in Prep-for-Prep enrollments, increasing from four students per class to seven students per class by year four.
- Work closely with faculty, staff and students to develop strategies for recruitment of multicultural students from the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
F. Development and Alumni Relations - Deepen Alumni Loyalty and Engagement
Primary Objectives: Develop the financial resources necessary to implement the strategic plan and to build a robust philanthropic culture among Muhlenberg's alumni and other stakeholders by building relationships, communicating institutional priorities, and securing charitable gifts and grants (Supports Strategic Goals 1- 6).
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Increase Private Support from Individuals.
Initial screening of the College's constituency base indicates that there are 2,816 unknown or unassigned major gift prospects with the potential capacity to commit a minimum of $25,000 over a five-year period. To meet the financial requirements of the plan, Muhlenberg must accelerate its fund raising outreach to prospective donors.
Implementation
- Beginning in FY'04 four new positions were authorized for development; one of these positions will carry direct responsibility for soliciting gifts, the other three will provide backroom support currently handled by contact officers, thus freeing these staff to spend more time on cultivation and solicitation of prospective donors.
- Strengthen and Expand the Volunteer Network.
Implementation
- The Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations will work with the staff to identify meaningful opportunities to strengthen and expand the volunteer network, especially in fundraising roles, and to develop a plan for recruiting, training and effectively supporting volunteers.
- Create an Alumni Center on Campus.
To nurture alumni loyalty and engagement with the College, and to provide additional administrative office space for Alumni Relations staff, the College will create an Alumni Center on campus, providing a base for alumni visitors.
Implementation
- The College will seek zoning variances to permit conversion of a currently owned house adjacent to the campus to an Alumni Center.
- The College will secure funds to cover the cost of conversion and to endow operating costs.
G. Muhlenberg and the Community
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Develop and nurture mutually beneficial partnerships with other cultural and educational institutions, with local government, with other local organizations, and with neighboring businesses and individuals to improve the quality of life for our students, faculty, and staff and the broader community (Supports Strategic Goals 2,3, and 5).
Implementation
- Collaborate with the LVAIC Consortium to provide wider student social options, realize cost savings, and explore other opportunities.
- Participate in economic development efforts, specifically in the 19th Street area neighboring the campus and particularly targeting the development of retail and entertainment enterprises that will be appealing to students.
- Seek out and develop collaborative agreements with local institutions such as the agreement with Allentown Museum of Art reached in May, 2004, Wescoe School Community Scholarships, collaboration with the Allentown Police Department, and participation in the Bio-Terrorism Task Force.
- Maintain regular and positive communications with the College's immediate neighbors, providing relevant information about the College's plans, activities and programs open to the public.
- Produce a publication "Muhlenberg and Its Neighbors," which will communicate to our neighbors the College's multiple and substantial contributions to the Lehigh Valley.
- Continue to support and expand the College's substantial outreach program of student volunteer service in the community.
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