December 06, 2011

Strategic Initiatives Fund projects announced

After reviewing Strategic Initiatives Fund proposals for 2011-12, President Glassner and Executive Council have approved several projects that will help Lewis & Clark advance key initiatives.

The President’s Strategic Initiatives Fund provides support for projects that help Lewis & Clark advance key initiatives. In order to be considered for funding, projects must serve a strategic interest, must represent a one-time expense, and must be sponsored by at least one Executive Council member. Projects that involve collaboration between the three schools receive strong preference.

After reviewing Strategic Initiatives Fund proposals for 2011-12, President Glassner and Executive Council have approved the following projects:

  • Funds to faculty members in all three schools for research collaborations with students during the academic year 2011-2012.
  • Expansion of the existing partnership between the graduate school and Portland Public Schools, and the integration of existing efforts to provide school-based teaching experiences to CAS students through volunteer efforts in public schools.
  • One-year pilot project led by Information Technology to establish a campus standard for online video streaming and archival of on-campus events, lectures, and sporting events.
  • Support for the 50th International Affairs Symposium including travel, advertising, and honoraria costs for keynote speakers.
  • Risk assessment and software solutions by Information Technology in order to strengthen the College’s information security posture.
  • Collaboration between the International Environmental Law Project and the Environmental Studies Program to provide students with real-world educational experiences in engaging the issues of climate change and clean energy.
  • Support for the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy Program to continue to build professional relationships with universities and clinical therapy training programs in India.
  • One-time grant of funds to the law school to develop a campus-wide program for a U.S. Supreme Court Justice visit.
  • Support for the integration of academic and athletic services to student-athletes by increasing the efficiency of an existing mentoring program and by increasing faculty members’ capacity to teach and mentor student-athletes, ensuring that their foremost priority is academic success.
  • Development of an international partnership between the Tamarindo Community in El Salvador and Lewis & Clark through the implementation of a student-led Global Engagement Program. This collaboration includes students, faculty, alumni and the Center for Career and Community Engagement (3CE).
  • Funding for an admissions research report to measure and improve the effectiveness of outreach with prospective students and their families. The research will inform continuing efforts to strengthen recruitment and yield strategies and tactics, and it could ultimately increase retention.
  • Development of an interdisciplinary course on crime-victim resilience as related to coordinated and integrated legal and therapeutic interventions. This integrated curriculum—the only course of its kind in the country—would teach law and family therapy students an interdisciplinary approach to services for victims.
  • Funds for an interdisciplinary pilot program between the three schools centered on the development of education and research opportunities in the rapidly expanding area of animal law and policy, human-animal studies, and humane education.
  • Pilot effort by the law school to implement a summer intern program for CAS upper-division students to enhance classroom learning by engaging in practical business skills training. The limited-duration project is expected to lead to the establishment of the Community Development and Entrepreneurship Center, where law and CAS students and faculty will collaborate, conduct research, and participate in community development and entrepreneurship initiatives.
  • Funding to host Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff for a campus-wide program featuring law and CAS professors.
  • Supplemental support for the Cappella Nova choir concert tour of Egypt, May 2013.
  • Funding to convert the end-of-semester paper teaching evaluations to an online system, resulting in considerable savings in paper, printing costs, and staff time.
  • Collaboration between graduate school faculty and two Colombian universities to develop research projects on international family therapy that explore how therapy interventions are shaped by culture and social issues in the U.S. and Colombia.
  • Support for the design and implementation of electronic portfolio assessment for standards-based professional preparation, data-driven program assessment, and effective accreditation reporting in all three departments in the graduate school.
  • Funding for a law school recent graduate counselor position within the school’s Career Services office to assist law students and alumni with bar exam preparation and post-graduation employment.
  • Supplemental support for prospective-student recruiting events that engage the campus community, including alumni, student athletes, and parents.
  • Support for the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center in cooperation with the National Law School of India at Bangalore to establish the first environmental law clinic in India.
  • Funding for Human Resources and Information Technology to complete three existing technology initiatives that allow the campus community to streamline the processing of employment applications, benefit enrollment, and payroll time entry.
  • Funding for the strategic planning leadership team in their work to facilitate the process of creating a college-wide strategic plan.
  • Funds to enhance admissions staff’s recruiting efforts, including student fly-in costs and a campus video.
  • External review of Lewis & Clark’s current policy and processes for research on human subjects and subsequent training for members of the current Human Subjects Review Committee.
  • Implementation of efficiencies and technological upgrades among the three registrars’ offices to provide more online self-service opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Enhancement of resources for the Resident Career Advisor to promote career exploration for upper-division residential students.
  • Operational expenses to support the Lewis & Clark Sustainability Council in its efforts to implement the Sustainability Task Force recommendations.