Spring 2008 Update

The Cornerstone Project is a framework for the College’s ongoing planning in a wide range of areas relevant to Trinity’s mission of excellence in liberal arts education.  The planning process is an ongoing one, with a yearly review of the goals and objectives as well as an assessment of progress made.  For the last three and one half years, a large amount of planning was expended on achieving financial stability and addressing such deferred maintenance concerns as the Long Walk restoration and renovation project.

As we move forward to shape Trinity’s future, the four major goals identified last year by the College’s Planning and Budget Council (PBC) continue to guide planning efforts. These goals summarize, to a large degree, the key Cornerstone objectives as identified in the May 2005 Cornerstone Plan, and are evident in current planning efforts.

Accordingly, these goals served as a template for Trinity’s reaccreditation.  The College’s accreditation status was renewed in November, 2007 by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.  Significantly, the self-study process provided the College with the opportunity to review, analyze, and reaffirm the extensive Cornerstone planning process and the progress made on the plan to date.  Trinity was able to use the self-study as a means to take stock of how the envisioned process is unfolding and to identify how to strengthen the process and make it more effective.

Thus, the latest descendant of the Cornerstone Project is the recently formed Trinity Size Planning Study.  This new planning study will take Cornerstone’s broad goals down to such specifics as achieving goals for students on financial aid, student to faculty ratios, average class size, and quality facilities for living and learning. The objective is to set reasonable, but specific goals that are consistent with the College’s financial resources, while providing the best feasible experience for our students.  Scott Reynolds will direct four separate teams that focus on an important planning component: Academics, Financial Aid and Student Profile, Finance, and The Student Experience.  The teams expect to share a preliminary report with the campus community by the end of the semester.

Another area where Cornerstone objectives continue to guide planning is the Campus Master Plan.  Currently two separate committees are working to establish programming requirements for new academic facilities.  One committee is charged with programming needs for a new science building.  The other committee is working to determine programming requirements for a new arts laboratory building, as well as renovations to Austin Arts Center.  While functional needs are different for these buildings, the underlying driving theme remains consistent: to create an innovative and vibrant community that stimulates the intellectual best in our students and faculty.