Plan Strategically UD, IT's Your Future

The University of Delaware's new president Patrick Harker wants to make a splash. He also wants to make a difference, hopefully. Through his administration's strategic planning, he is encouraging his entire student body, his entire university staff, his own office to suggest ideas for the future of the campus and curriculum. I say, start with your administration itself for its strategic planning.

Currently working with the university's First Year Experience, I've dealt directly with the administration too much, too recently and have come to realize, many of them are sticks in the mud, ready to appease the next man up the ladder, ready in turn to smash creativty.


The First Year Experience's LIFE Program employs over eighty of the most creative, most over involved, outgoing students as their Peer Mentors. It was these elite students who dreamed up a new, creative way to end their first semester with they clusters of freshmen. It was then the administration, five steps up the ladder who smashed the idea, slammed it back into my face (the pitch man to the boss' boss' boss, who tossed the idea in honor and on behalf of those amazing eighty something students).

Frustration brewed over my long last week. I heard nothing from above aside from excuses and "board agendas" injected into this outstanding new idea. So, what's the problem with Delaware? Too many people are too quick to assume their roles behind the scenes and continue to pull the curtain cords. Instead, I choose to step onto the stage and speak out. The idea the Peer Mentors developed had nothing to do with challenging the university's mission, its values, or its general public relations. However, it was smashed because its agenda, its own, personal, program specific agenda was too creative.

Mind you, the fight is not over. In fact, our idea might still float. It was the initial rejection without question that bugged me. Thus, I urge you, as I will do, to speak out, step onto the stage, make your own splash. If you have a problem, this is your chance. Send your own ideas to our own strategic plan and let that administration know if you want that mud to get watery and a bit more flexible or even harder.

The University of Delaware's Strategic Planning