How will we do it?
By reimagining the college as a global basecamp organized to equip students with a range of experiences, perspectives, and skills needed to take on the challenges of the 21st century. In order to fulfill this vision, we will pursue these five initiatives:
1) People (Students): Establish new pathways to our basecamp for students whose identities and experiences situate them on all sides of the global challenges of the 21st century.
Secure and expand access to our basecamp by endowing current and new full scholarship commitments:
- Phase I: Endow 40 full tuition scholarships per class, including 5 new Dare to Dream scholarships;
Phase II: Adopt a model for wider scholarship expansion that best reflects the idealism of the UWC movement and our aspiration to be a leader on equity and excellence.
Develop a program designed to prepare and support admitted students for whom our IB curriculum will present the greatest challenge (e.g., English language learners, students overcoming an educational disruption, students with limited exposure to a rigorous academic curriculum).
Increase the number of students we engage annually through a new initiative (e.g., summer program, virtual program) that aligns with our two-year program and student recruitment goals.
2) Program: Intentionally align student learning within our academic and experiential programming with the global challenges of the 21st century.
Integrate a model by which faculty design and lead learning expeditions that invite students to explore solutions to the global challenges before us;
Challenge students to build the following leadership competencies and share them with others:
- Social-emotional awareness (self, interpersonal, team);
- Authentic problem-solving;
- Innovative design;
- Social-entrepreneurial leadership.
Build cross-curricular teams focused on the global challenges of the 21st century.
3) People (Personnel): Attract, develop, retain, and send forth employees, interns, and fellows–especially alumni–as global basecamp leaders.
Reduce disruptive turnover through a newly designed faculty/staffing model;
Reimagine the current Fellows program to intentionally recruit:
- Fellows who can accelerate the development of chosen program innovations and the teams needed to support them;
- Fellows who, as researchers, practitioners, or coaches in fields related to our integrated curricula, enhance student experience on a weekly basis.
Through partnerships with selected universities and other organizations, build and sustain a diverse program staff while introducing traditionally underrepresented communities to international education career paths.
4) Place: Develop our campus as an inspiring basecamp for mission in Northern New Mexico, serving our students, regional communities, and international partners.
Complete the transformation of our facilities and grounds into a high-performing campus by:
- Repurposing existing buildings as inspiring spaces that enable us to fulfill our program, administrative, and external engagement objectives;
- Enhancing the resilience of our campus water, soil, and plant/wildlife systems;
- Achieving carbon neutrality in our campus operations and program delivery.
Establish our campus as a regional center for peacebuilding and sustainability by providing on-site educational opportunities for K-12 students throughout the school year.
Leverage our location and program to engage UWC alumni, UWC colleagues, other educational professionals, and other partners in mission though a regular cycle of conferences/events.
5) Funding: Develop a sustainable financial model for UWC-USA to secure its future as an exemplar of philanthropy-based educational access, educational programming for the 21st century, and investing in a high-performing college campus.
In all that we do across these five initiatives, we will cultivate a basecamp ethos of integral sustainability, honoring the interconnectedness among individuals, communities, and the environment.