Strategic Plan
Women's Studies Consortium
Strategic Plan · 2000-2005
Women's Studies is an academic field which looks directly at women seeking
to understand their roles and impact in society as well as the
impact of social institutions and processes on them. Multicultural
and multidisciplinary, the field of Women's Studies looks at the
findings of research on women, the processes used to achieve them,
and the uses of research results. Ongoing interaction with the
world allows Women's Studies to test academic premises against
the realities of women's lives and to encourage positive public
policy and change.
Sarah Harder
based on Virginia Sapiro, Women in American Society
___________________________________________________________
July 2000
Dear Members of the University of Wisconsin Women's Studies Community
It is with pleasure that we issue this 2000-2005 Strategic Plan for
the University of Wisconsin (UW) Women's Studies Consortium. The
document outlines our collective vision for the next five years.
It represents work done from October 1999-June 2000 by the Strategic
Planning Team and members of the Consortium. The process involved
administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community representatives.
A companion internal document, which includes action plans and
time lines, will guide the implementation of this vision.
This is an important time of transition for the Consortium. Since 1975,
the Consortium has promoted communication and collaboration among
UW System Women's Studies departments, programs, faculty members
and scholars. A formal Consortium Office was established in the
fall of 1989 in the UW System Office of Academic Affairs and Dr.
Jacqueline Ross served as director from that time until spring
1999. Under Dr. Ross's leadership, the Consortium was instrumental
in sustaining and strengthening Women's Studies programs throughout
the system and in developing several new initiatives. As the Consortium
matures as an organization and looks toward selecting new leadership,
it is important to affirm out mission and set forth a vision for
the future.
We are grateful to Sharon James, UW System Office of Academic Affairs,
for supporting the Strategic Planning process. We acknowledge
the patient professional facilitation provided by Maureen Cotter,
UW-Madison and thank Nancy Hagman for her generous and skillful
assistance with graphic design. Planning is an ongoing process
and we welcome comments and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Fran Garb, Interim Director
on behalf of The Strategic Planning Team
Helen Bannan, UW-Oshkosh
Jane Ewens, UW-Colleges
Michele Gee, UW-Parkside
Sunshine Hedlund, United Council
Cate Irsfeld, Women's Studies Consortium
Sandra Krajewski, UW-La Crosse
Vicki Washington, UW-Extension
Phyllis Holman Weisbard, Women's Studies Librarian
Mariamne Whatley, UW-Madison
___________________________________________________________
Our Mission
Who we are and why we exist
The Women's Studies Consortium is a network of UW System Women's Studies
programs and systemwide initiatives. The Consortium is designed
to enhance student learning and service to students, support multiculturalism,
lead efforts to develop and integrate feminist scholarship, and
strengthen connections between campuses and communities.
Our Vision
What we strive to be
Students and faculty in the Women's Studies Consortium of 2005 will be
working together in a transformed, inclusive environment with
vital learning communities, expanded opportunities for feminist
research, and activism that encourages interconnected and multicultural
communities.
Our Community
Who we serve
The Women's Studies Consortium directly served Women's Studies students,
faculty, staff, and administrators throughout the UW System. The
Women's Studies Consortium is committed to scholarship, teaching
and activism that benefit all UW campuses and communities. To
accomplish this work, the Consortium invites and considers diverse
voices, and seeks collaborations to improve the life of each community.
Our Goals and Our Strategies
How we articulate our vision and what we will do to achieve our goals.
Collaborative and Supportive Structure
We will work toward these goals
- Shared leadership
- Expanded influence and impact of Women's Studies throughout the system
- Improved climate for all women at all University of Wisconsin institutions
Using these strategies
- Define the Consortium structure and roles of Director and Chair
- Define the committee structure and responsibilities of committee chairs
- Create a process for regular evaluation of Consortium processes and the Director
- Finalize and disseminate the Strategic Plan
- Compile and expand a Women's Studies expertise and resource list
- Expand communication networks
Transformed, Multicultural, Inclusive Environment
We will work toward these goals
- Increased understanding of Women's Studies and feminism and their interconnections
with issues of race, ethnicity, age, disability, and sexuality
- Increased diversity among students, faculty, staff, and administrators
- Participation representative of the entire campus/community
Using these strategies
- Expand connections with women of color
- Plan and host annual conferences
- that advance the Consortium vision and priorities
- that may target specific groups
- for which information/invitation/call for proposals are disseminated
widely
- Extend our presence at UW System inter-institutional conferences and
workshops
- Establish a close liaison with Status of Women Initiative staff
Vital Learning Communities
We will work toward these goals
- Be an essential and respected resource for research, teaching and advocacy
- Develop and implement ideas for improved teaching/learning/curricula
- Share feminist scholarship among faculty, students, staff and
off campus communities
- Promote the integrating of Women's Studies scholarship into the
general curriculum
Using these strategies
- Establish working groups which focus on specific academic areas or outreach
initiatives
- Explore potential collaborative projects and grant opportunities
- Maintain a clearinghouse for Women's Studies curriculum material,
publications and outreach projects
- Host mini-conferences on effective pedagogy, including distance
education pedagogy
- Establish a web-based vehicle for sharing information and articles
Creative Expanded Opportunities
We will work toward these expanded opportunities
- For faculty, staff, and students to engage in research and applied
scholarship
- For students to complete Women's Studies courses, majors, minors,
and certificates at undergraduate and graduate levels
- For diverse and broad outreach activities
- For transnational and multicultural projects
Using these strategies
- Support campus efforts to expand curricular and degree option in Women's
Studies
- Explore web-based or other distance education opportunities
- Support campus outreach initiatives
- Share information on transnational opportunities
- Explore funding sources to support additional activities and travel
for students and staff
Consortium Structure
How we are organized to work together
The diagram below is a representation of our structure and the way we do our
work together.
(click
here for a PDF version of the chart)
Outermost on the diagram are the Women's Studies Programs at each of the UW System
Institutions. Within each of these programs are Women's Studies
students, faculty, staff and administrators. It is these people
that the Consortium serves. The programs vary in size and in degree
offerings. Many of the programs have outreach projects and community
partnerships that extend their activities into the wider community.
Also represented are the two statewide offices: the Woman and
Science Program and the Office of the Women's Studies Librarian.
The bold circle represents the Consortium. We are an organization of representatives
from each of the Women's Studies programs at all UW institutions
and each of the statewide programs. The shaded bars between the
campus programs and statewide offices and their Consortium representative
symbolize the flow of information between the two. The Consortium
connects the components providing for mutual support and sharing
of ideas and resources.
With the Consortium are several committees. The membership on these committees
may include Consortium representatives, other Women's Studies
faculty and staff, students, and community representatives. Some
of these are standing committees focused on such on-going
concerns as outreach and conferences. The Women and Science Program
and the Women's Studies Librarian each have a standing advisory
board/panel. There are also ad hoc committees, created
around specific topics or initiatives.
At the center is the Consortium Office. The location suggests its central role
in strengthening and coordinating all other connections. There
is on-going communication between the Consortium Office, the Consortium,
all committees and the campus programs.
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