Ann Weaver Hart endorsement letter for the academic
plan 
Dear Colleagues:
I would like to commend and congratulate Provost Bruce Mallory, his predecessor David Hiley, the many members of the provost’s staff, and the faculty for their outstanding commitment and dedication that has brought the Academic Plan to fruition. This has been a lengthy but extremely productive process, and the resulting road map for the University of New Hampshire’s pursuit of academic excellence is exemplary.
It gives me great pleasure to fully endorse the vision, values, strategic themes, and goals of the Academic Plan and all that it represents. I also want to publicly acknowledge my deep appreciation for the Faculty Senate’s unanimous endorsement of the goals and ideals of the plan at its September 8 meeting. My appreciation is further extended to the Senate’s actions with its overwhelmingly positive vote on November 3 supporting the resolution on the implementation of the Academic Plan, which calls for the close consultation between the Provost and the Senate, with periodic formal reports by the Provost to the Senate regarding progress in achieving the specific goals.
Based upon this most recent Faculty Senate action, the Provost is now charged with immediately moving ahead to implement the six-year phase-in plan for the Discovery Program (as approved by the Senate at its October 20 meeting), a central part of the Academic Plan aimed at enhancing the University’s undergraduate curriculum.
I will work closely with the Provost to charge each of the vice presidents to begin to develop concrete action plans for the implementation of those parts of the Academic Plan that are relevant to their areas of responsibility and will participate in the process by responding to the areas relevant to my direct involvement. This will begin immediately.
The Academic Plan has a five-year horizon, 2003-2008; the Provost and his team intend to review our collective progress on the plan every three years. The plan will then be updated accordingly so it becomes a five-year rolling plan that responds to the changing conditions, new opportunities, and our overall assessment of how well the plan is working. It is important to keep in mind that the Academic plan is a fluid and evolving road map which guides our strategic academic vision.
It is also important to note that the NEASC accreditation team, which recently visited UNH, was very impressed by the thoroughness and visionary qualities of the plan. The team expressed its support for the projections in our self-study that were based upon the plan.
Again, I extend my congratulations to everyone who has worked so diligently on the Academic Plan and look forward to working with you all in the months and years to come to bring this excellent plan to life.
Best wishes,
Ann Weaver Hart
President
