Symposium engages strategic planning process
March 7, 2008
Faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to join with members of the Leadership Council at a gathering in Atlanta where those in attendance will take on the role of futurists and gaze ahead to the year 2025 to help the College as it develops strategies to educate tomorrow’s generations in a rapidly changing world.
The symposium, titled “What the World Needs Now,” takes place Thursday, March 13, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. It begins with a 1:30 p.m. registration and will include lectures, a breakout session and a panel discussion featuring four distinguished panelists.
“For a college to maintain its vitality and continue to thrive, it must look forward,” said Vice President for Advancement Dr. David Rowe. “The world is spinning faster today, and it’s not enough just to keep up. It’s important to remain at the vanguard.
“This symposium asks, ‘What is the global outlook for 2025 and what should LaGrange College be doing now to prepare to educate the leaders of the future?’ We’ll examine some significant trends that we believe we need to stay abreast of—trends that allow us to make educated forecasts about some of the issues that will affect our world at the quarter-century mark.”
What the World Needs Now will build on the successes of similar events hosted by the Leadership Council in 2004 and 2006. In 2006, the council laid the groundwork for the College’s decision to pursue LEED certification of the Frank and Laura Lewis Library. In 2004, the council looked at ways to capture the imagination of the Atlanta business and philanthropic communities.
Dr. Rowe will get this year’s symposium started at 2 p.m. with a lecture titled “Revolutionary Responses: Educating the Class of 2025.” During the talk, he will examine the “7 Revolutions” identified by the Global Strategies Institute and Center for Strategic and International Studies, a private, nonprofit, bipartisan think tank located in Washington, D.C.
Afterward, attendees will choose one of three breakout groups to discuss the questions to be considered during the College’s strategic planning process and to identify questions for the panel discussion. The breakout groups will be facilitated by representatives from the President’s Blue Ribbon Task Forces, which focus on the issues of Core Curriculum, Graduation Rate and Sustainability.
After a short break, everyone will reconvene to hear from The World’s Greatest Needs Panel, which features Executive Director of Global Health Action Robin Davis, former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development Craig Lesser, Vice President for Peace Programs at the Carter Center John Stremlau and President of GEO Group Strategies Services Leland Russell.
The panelists will identify from their perspectives what they view as the world’s greatest emerging needs and how higher education can help address those needs.
President Stuart Gulley will close out the symposium with remarks titled “Moral Leadership: A Vision for Liberal Learning in the 21 st Century” that will detail his understanding of the changing climate in which colleges find themselves and the way LaGrange College and liberal education can thrive despite those challenges. A reception will follow Dr. Gulley’s address.
For those interested in attending, a 14-passenger shuttle bus will leave from Sunny Gables Alumni House at 12:15 p.m. that day and return after the reception. Reservations can be made on a first-come, first-served basis by e-mailing Director of Stewardship and Leadership Development Tammy Rogers at trogers@lagrange.edu. Review more information and the symposium schedule.
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