Dear Tiger Family,
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. Among my holiday season highlights was running into one of our alumni in a small ice cream shop in Palm Desert, California where I was visiting family. I love the magic of the wonderful encounters I have had with DePauw alumni in the places where I have least expected. I have so much gratitude for being part of the DePauw Family as we welcome 2022. Despite the frustrations of the pandemic, this year promises to be an exciting one as we decide on new directions for Old DePauw – with our strategic plan going before the Board of Trustees for final approval in February.
I invite you to be a part of this journey to the future with me as we forge pathways and possibilities based on DePauw’s historical strengths – strengths we will continue to embrace as we together build on new ideas.
Our faculty and staff – and many alumni – have worked tirelessly throughout 2021 to gather feedback from our broader community and have been bold in envisioning a thriving DePauw that will continue to prepare leaders the world needs for generations to come. Individuals from every corner of campus along with trustees and other alumni have participated in Thematic Working Groups starting Fall of 2021 to identify the major themes our strategic plan should address, the Summer Working Groups, where still more became involved to further develop the major themes and/or the Fall Implementation Groups, whose work is focused on the details of implementing key components of the proposed plan and concludes this month. As these collaborative efforts evolved, these groups were affectionately coined “TWiGs, SWiGs and FIGS," respectively, and our collaborative planning process has enabled me to get to know so many of you better. I appreciate more than ever the creativity and strong desire we share to remain authentic to the Gold Within qualities that make DePauw great, while addressing the complex challenges facing us and higher education in general.
Our faculty and the Board endorsed the plan drafts last fall and there has been a great deal of positive energy in the air as we have progressed. As we prepare to reimagine what a 21st century liberal arts and sciences university can be, I will share more details with you in February and March, and I look forward to seeing more of you in 2022, hopefully in person.
Sincerely,
Lori S. White