A draft of Brown's strategic plan, Building on Distinction: A New Plan for Brown, was released earlier this week after a year-long planning process that involved students, faculty, and staff from across the campus. The plan presents four areas of focus for the University over the next ten years, building on Brown's unique strengths in order to "welcome and challenge independent, creative, diverse, and courageous thinkers to collaborate, innovate, and explore with life-changing and world-changing impact."

The strategic planning committee invites your input through the Strategic Planning website and at a campus-wide open forum on September 24th from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in List 120. Which ideas do you support? What feedback would you give?  

Special emphasis is placed throughout the plan on building Brown's distinctive culture of community impact and engaged scholarship:

Our goal is to ensure Brown’s next 250 years are marked by even greater accomplishment for our community and the world, where we strive to make a difference. 

The Swearer Center for Public Service is highlighted on page six of the plan, under the section "Educational Leadership":  

Connecting to the World: Consistent with our mission to serve “the community, the nation, and the world,” learning that connects academic and real-world experiences is central to the undergraduate experience at Brown. As an established leader in this area, Brown is in a position to define the “second wave” of integrative approaches to engaged learning. We plan to implement a suite of new programs that will provide Brown students with opportunities to work with faculty and community practitioners on pressing local and global issues and provide students with expanded access to summer internships and research experiences. We will also develop “Brown in the World” courses that integrate coursework with international experiences. These programs will take advantage of the expertise of the Swearer Center for Public Service and be connected by an overarching Program in Engaged Scholarship in which participating students develop an integrated plan of curricular and off-campus experiences.