March 10, 2021

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

In October 2016, after a thoughtful and collaborative process with faculty, staff, students, and trustees, we introduced a new mission statement for Trinity. That mission affirms our commitment to educating engaged citizens and “bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives,” and it guided the work of the Bicentennial Strategic Planning Commission that led a year later to our comprehensive strategic plan, Summit.

Summit sets as its three overarching goals that Trinity will achieve our liberal arts mission by 1) being a relevant, top-choice college for students, faculty, and staff; 2) connecting our inclusive community even more deeply with Hartford and the world; and 3) creating a financially and environmentally sustainable future.

Here, I want to share with you the progress to date toward our strategic goals. But more than simply providing an update, I hope you will see yourself in the strategic plan. What is provided here is not a comprehensive listing of everything we have done in the last four years. Rather, this document captures the implementation of the key goals, objectives, and initiatives outlined in the strategic plan, especially ones with an institution-wide impact.

Our strategic plan is succeeding because you are helping to bring it to life. We have implemented a great deal of what we set out to do: We have initiated new directions and programs; fostered inclusion; designed a distinctive, relevant undergraduate curriculum; and made needed improvements in operations and facilities. Importantly, we have developed a stronger culture of planning, benchmarking, measuring outcomes, and making data-informed decisions. We now need to deepen, sustain, and in some cases expand what we have started.

As a reminder, we started in fall 2017, shortly after Summit was adopted by the Board of Trustees, with an 18-month implementation plan. Staff and faculty have carried out this work with dedication, creativity, and resilience, particularly in the face of the pandemic. Our results have been phenomenal, even as we know there is more to do.

More recently, the President’s Commission for Trinity’s Future took a fresh look at our strategic opportunities and changing landscape. As we look toward our bicentennial in 2023, we have an opportunity to take Trinity to the next level. Building our future is a collective endeavor, and we invite you to be a part of it. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in participating in April in small-group discussions about the work of the commission and our shared future.

I hope you will take a few minutes to discuss this update with your colleagues, proud of the progress that we have made and inspired to build upon it together for the future.

Sincerely,

Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience