HMS STRATEGIC PLANNING |
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DECEMBER 21, 2007Message from Dean FlierDear Colleagues: First, as the holidays begin, I want to wish you and your families all the joy of the season. Last month I sent you the first of what I promised would be periodic updates on key developments in the broad HMS community. These will normally address several topics, but in this installment I will focus on just one issue, because it is so important to all of us moving forward. In my last note I mentioned that I wanted to launch a strategic planning initiative. That process is now formally under way. We have had two highly productive meetings of the strategic planning steering committee, and an “all-hands’’ meeting with the members of four advisory groups (see below), which drew more than 60 faculty. I was thrilled with this turnout, since I want this effort to be very much faculty-driven. PLANNING PERSPECTIVE AND GOALS I have asked all those involved in the process to look ahead five to 15 years and seek to identify areas — existing and new — where HMS has the opportunity both to improve itself and to lead. In addition to the focus on scientific areas, any organization needs to step back periodically and evaluate whether its culture and organizational structure contributes to or impedes its success, and we are certainly no exception. I expect that during the planning process we will discuss a range of profound issues varying in scope from promotion and recruitment criteria to organizational barriers to collaboration, to the nature of the training we hope to offer our students. A personal interest of mine is the question of whether it is time to rethink the role of Quad-based efforts in human and disease-centered research, both on their own and as components of broader efforts. I want to note that I do not have an answer to this question — but I think that it is time that the question is asked. As you will no doubt realize, all of these deliberations will inform, and be informed by, other planning processes under way at the University and at our teaching hospitals. If we are successful, our planning process will promote new initiatives and collaborations across the Harvard community. TIMING AND PROCESS Most of the hard work will be done by the four advisory groups, with different but somewhat overlapping responsibilities:
Each of these planning groups launched a series of meetings shortly after our “all-hands” meeting on December 3, with the goal of developing an initial set of proposals by early February. The steering committee, which includes the leaders of each advisory group, will meet periodically during this period to assess and integrate the proposals and make sure that appropriate cross-group dialogue occurs when proposals cut across boundaries. I expect to work closely with the advisory groups and the steering committee during February and March to develop a first round of proposals for near-term and longer-term opportunities that the School should either immediately pursue or investigate more thoroughly in the months ahead. I know that this timeline is aggressive, but planning exercises are not necessarily improved by being extended. I believe that together we can quickly shape the outlines of a strategic plan based on strong faculty input that identifies and prioritizes important new research and educational initiatives — many of you have been considering these issues for years. If we can produce an initial set of plans for consideration this spring by the President and Provost, the Harvard University Committee on Science and Engineering (HUSEC), and the HMS Visiting Committee and Board of Fellows, I believe that HMS will be in a good position to attract substantial new resources from the University. GROUP MEMBERSHIPS AND CHARGES The steering committee met again yesterday to refine the charges to the groups, and those charges will be posted on the web after the holiday break. It is my fervent hope that every one of you will consider your own feelings about the matters under discussion and send your input to colleagues who are involved in the advisory groups, or to me directly. I want to thank everyone involved so far for their hard work and dedication. I believe the entire HMS community will benefit greatly from these efforts.
Best holiday regards, Jeff Flier
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