2026 School of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan
In early 2025, under the leadership of Dean Bárbara M. Brizuela, the School of Arts and Sciences began a new strategic plan to position the school for success in the future. Initial goals of the plan include:
- Through a collaborative process develop a crisp and unique articulation of our identity that is easily recognizable and allows us to stand out among our peers as a liberal arts school in an R1 institution and the only New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) school in the Association of American Universities (AAU).
- Elevate graduate education and research and scholarship within A&S.
- Design curricular and co-curricular experiences and wrap-around services to ensure we are an engine for student success and that we are educating students who will be innovative scholars, engaged global citizens, and responsible and empathetic leaders.
- Develop an organizational structure that will allow for optimal collaboration and efficiently and nimbly respond to change.
- Support students, faculty, and staff through important changes by building community and trust.
The Approach: An Actionable Blueprint for the Next 3-5 Years
The A&S Deans consulted with Department Chairs and Program Directors, as well as the larger faculty, to identify six Focus Areas for exploration by dedicated Working Groups. Faculty co-leads and group members were identified, with attention being paid to include representatives across the academic disciplines and across the Medford/Somerville and SMFA campuses in each group. To ensure the work of the focus groups remained connected to the daily work being done across campus, an AS&E Steering Committee member served as an ad hoc committee member for each group.
Each Working Group regularly met to develop outcomes and an actionable plan for their area of focus. The Focus Area Co-leads regularly meet with Dean Bárbara Brizuela, Executive Administrative Dean Christopher Helmuth, Sr. Director of Communications and Marketing Amanda Rowley, and Project Manager Erin Sullivan as the A&S Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
| Focus Area | Working Group |
| School Identity | Co-Leads: Kasso Okoudjou and Natasha Warikoo Members: Silvia Bottinelli, Kareem Khubchandani, Camille Lizarríbar, Sarah Mass, Ben Wolfe and JT Duck (ASE Staff Representative) |
| Research and Scholarship | Co-Leads: Ayanna Thomas and Danilo Marchesini Members: Sara Johnson, Andy Kemp, Sergei Mirkin, Heather Nathans, Kurt Ralske, Rebecca Scheck, Holly Taylor, and Christopher Helmuth (ASE Staff Representative) |
| Curriculum and Co-Curriculum (undergraduate and graduate) | Co-Leads: Alex Blanchette and Nimah Mazaheri Members: Emily Gephart, Amy Goldstein, Noel Heim, Mitch McVey, David Proctor, Nate Wolff, and Carmen Lowe (ASE Staff Representative) |
| The Future of A&S Graduate Education | Co-Leads: Tama Leventhal and Ayanna Thomas Members: Douglas Gollin, Charlie Mace, Alice Mello, Laurel Nakadate, Mat Rappaport, Erin Seaton, Nate Ward, and Chris Osborne-Krause (ASE Staff Representative) |
| Student Success (e.g., advising, career services, experiential learning)* | Co-Leads: Yu-Shan Lin (A&S) and Andrew Ramsburg (SOE). Members: Chris Coscia, Frank David, Lead Gadd, Amy Millay, Jeff Rosen, Debbie Schildkraut, Katie Sullivan, Robin Kahan and Alayna Hayes (ASE Staff Representatives) |
| Organization and Collaboration (academic units, cross-schools’ administration, academic partnerships) | Co-Leads: Bob Cook and Tasha Oren Members: Sonia Hofkosh, Matt King, Kamran Rastegar, Jill VanTongeren and Christopher Helmuth (ASE Staff Representative) |
*This working group was a joint effort between the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering as the two schools share many student-facing offices and resources. Each school will work on shared initiatives and school-specific ones.
Planned Timeline
- Fall 2024 – Outline structure of strategic planning process - Completed
- Winter/Early Spring 2025 – Present and seek feedback from faculty on Focus Areas; Finalize Focus Areas – Completed
- Spring 2025 – Finalize Focus Areas, Seek Nominations for Co-leads and Working Group Members, Form Working Groups – Completed
- Late Spring 2025 – Groups meet and hold consultations with relevant stakeholders and colleagues; Refine internal and external data requests; Seek feedback from other groups and leadership – Completed
- Early Summer – Outline request for proposals for external data collection – Completed
- Summer/Fall 2025 – Data collection – Completed
- Fall 2025/Winter 2026 – Focal groups reconvene with data to address questions and propose specific action items – Completed
- Spring 2026 – Groups present drafted action plans at faculty meetings; solicit feedback and revisions from key stakeholders including students, advisors, and senior leadership – Completed
- April/May 2026: In-person listening sessions for A&S Faculty and Staff – Completed
- June 2026: Virtual listening sessions for A&S Faculty and Staff and in-person listening session for A&S Staff
- Early Fall 2026 – Open comment period for A&S Faculty and Staff
- Late Fall 2026 – Finalize action items; Communicate next steps; Set up structures to ensure action items are implemented
Progress Updates
We are committed to keeping the A&S Community updated on our progress implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Plan. Here is an archive of our semi-annual progress reports:
May 4, 2026 Update: Career Center Associate Dean, Experiential Learning, Matching Funds PhD Students Support, Increase in Research Funds, Hiring More Staff Advisors, and Evaluating Curriculum Requirements.
Questions?
The A&S Strategic Plan is supported administratively by Erin Sullivan, Secretary of the Faculty for AS&E and Project Manager for the A&S Strategic Plan. Please direct any questions about the process to our Suggestion Box. Erin will vet the suggestions/questions and direct them to the appropriate Working Group.
Related Strategic Plans
The University-Wide Strategic Plan:
Updated May 18, 2026. This page will be updated as the strategic planning process evolves.