Letter from the President

9/23/2024

Dear campus community,

During last month’s university meeting, I expressed my intention to organize a semester-long listening and learning tour. This endeavor will give me an invaluable opportunity to learn more about Eastern from the countless people – including faculty, students, staff, alums, and members of the greater community – who believe in its historic promise and help bring it to life every day. At the conclusion of the tour, I will synthesize what I have learned into a report to share and discuss with the campus community and key external stakeholders. Ideally, this collective effort will provide critical material to inform a strategic planning process we will launch in 2025.

As we begin this tour, I have two overarching requests for those who choose to participate. First, I genuinely wish that people see themselves as having an equal voice throughout this process. No matter your role, title, rank, or longevity, you each possess valuable insights into where Eastern stands today, and many of you likely have inspiring ideas for what could come next. Please know that all are welcome to engage in this conversation, and everyone starts on equal footing.

Second, I encourage you to share your thoughts on anything of importance, keeping in mind that we have an opportunity to engage in an institutional conversation grounded in the broader context of what binds us together. This includes:

• Our mission: To engage students from all backgrounds in a transformative, liberal arts learning experience that provides knowledge and skills to lead enriching, purposeful lives.
• Our designation: Connecticut’s public liberal arts university, affirmed by Eastern’s Liberal Arts Core learning outcomes – critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication, creativity, and quantitative literacy – and furthered by our commitments to the first-year experience as well as high-impact practices
• Our mission class: A regional public institution, which compels us to serve students and improve the overall quality of life in the surrounding communities and throughout Connecticut.
• Our enduring university culture: A steadfast commitment to fostering a living, learning, and working environment that is both welcoming and inclusive.

The critical question before us is: How can we more fully embrace these principles in a way that honors our past and better prepares us for a future where we can grow even stronger?

Or, put another way: How can we build on the best of what we are while ensuring our path forward is one of our own choosing?

Each session will last approximately one hour with groups of 10-15 participants. Ms. Candace DeAngelis, an Eastern alumna, longtime employee, and Director of Student Activities, has kindly agreed to support this effort. Beyond the participants themselves, she and I will be the only ones present. A separate announcement describing the sign-up process and addressing logistical questions will be forthcoming from Candace.

I’m excited to start this conversation and hope you are eager to participate. While I’m confident this tour will be of great value to me as your new president, I am equally hopeful it will be a meaningful opportunity for all of us to listen and learn together.

Kindest regards,

Karim Ismaili, Ph.D.
President