Ayers hosts last forum on strategic plan

"The strategic plan has been cooking for a long time, like Thanksgiving dinner," said University of Richmond President Edward Ayers Wednesday in the Alice Haynes Room during the final open forum on the university's strategic plan. "Now, we're pulling the turkey out of the oven."

Ayers has held more than two dozen open meetings about the strategic plan, he said, and has discussed the plan with university faculty members, Richmond Council and Board of Trustees. Recommendations from the university community have been integrated into the first draft of the plan titled, "The Richmond Promise," which has been posted on the strategic plan Web site for review.

"We want to know that we have the right pieces, the right proportions and the right priorities as we go forward," he said, citing that the final meeting was an important time for people to voice their concerns.

One point of discussion at the forum focused on Richmond's collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University in ways that would be mutually advantageous.

"VCU is a huge enterprise," Ayers said. "But we have things they don't have."

He cited that seven VCU students are currently enrolled in Japanese classes at Richmond since this course was not offered at VCU.

Ayers said he would like for the collaboration to involve low transaction costs so that classes would be easily accessible by both universities.

Another dimension of the first principle of the strategic plan is the guarantee that students will be able to enroll in courses outside of their majors, Ayers said, citing the integration of the T.C Williams School of Law into the undergraduate experience.

"It might just look like a curriculum," Ayers said, "but if you can find a way for a law school to be integrated with a university as a whole, you'll be doing it for the first time. If you can find a way for liberal arts and business to be integrated, or middle-aged students in The School of Continuing Studies to be in classes with undergraduates, nobody is doing that in the way we're talking about."

Ayers also discussed university affordability despite the current downturn in the economy. This concept is outlined in the third principle of the strategic plan, which says Richmond would be accessible and affordable for students who could most benefit from and contribute to the educational environment.

Accessibility can be achieved, in part, by guaranteeing that undergraduate students qualifying for need-based financial aid pay a certain percentage of Richmond's tuition, based on familial incomes. This aid would be provided through grants, loans and Federal Work Study, according to the strategic plan.

This promise would involve accessing Richmond's endowment.

"All of my conversations with alumni have told me that they are willing to give to student financial aid to make it possible for other people to come here," Ayers said. "So I see this being the lynchpin of our campaign."

Ayers also said he would like the university community to "look like America," citing his hope for a diverse and inclusive campus, as outlined in the second principle of the strategic plan.

This principle is especially important in university admissions, said Kristen Hurley, alumna and admissions counselor. The strategic plan would be integral to increasing diversity, she said.

The university community has agreed that the combination of access and diversity is its biggest commitment, Ayers said.

"This is not a little roadmap," he said. "This is something audacious.

"People have gotten used to this now, but it is bold. And it will be hard to do everything we're talking about . . . We could fail on all five parts of this. But if we're going to fail making a strong effort on diversity, it's a place worth failing for."

Andrew Gurka, area coordinator of the University Forest Apartments, said he saw the strategic plan as a collection of the university's values.

"We haven't had values that are clearly written out," Gurka said. "I love its direction. I love that we finally have direction."

But Gurka was worried about opposition to the plan.

"There will be resistance," Ayers said. "But if we make it our collective promise, I'm more confident saying that this is what we believe in. It's gone through the entire faculty, staff, student body and Board [of Trustees]. This is who we are."

Contact staff writer Carly Gorga at carly.gorga@richmond.edu