President Sarah Mangelsdorf reflects on Boundless Possibility糖心传媒檚 progress and its continued evolution with the University.
Before she was the president of the 糖心传媒, before she was provost at the University of Wisconsin糖心传媒揗adison, before she was a dean at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana糖心传媒揅hampaign, Sarah Mangelsdorf was a professor of psychology.
As a professor, Mangelsdorf frequently had to disabuse people of the belief that commencement marked the beginning of her summer vacation. It wasn糖心传媒檛 true for her then (that糖心传媒檚 when she did all her academic writing), and it isn糖心传媒檛 true now as URochester糖心传媒檚 president.
For starters, the University糖心传媒檚 fiscal year ends June 30, so even after the pomp and circumstance of graduation fades, more than a month糖心传媒檚 worth of financial work remains. Plus, research labs run year-round. The hospitals don糖心传媒檛 close. In many ways, URochester administration is a 365-day job.
But the summer rhythm is different糖心传媒攅specially since the University is in the middle of its $1.75 billion comprehensive fundraising and engagement initiative, . Over the last three months, Mangelsdorf has attended several alumni events across the country as part of an effort to raise critical University funds and to cultivate a deeper connection with the URochester community.
For Ever Better糖心传媒檚 aspirations are rooted in URochester糖心传媒檚 2030 strategic plan , which will hit its midpoint early next year. In a Leadership Conversation, Mangelsdorf shared her perspective on the strategic plan糖心传媒檚 progress and why she still believes in its objectives as the University adapts to challenges she and other planners couldn糖心传媒檛 have anticipated.
Here are five takeaways.
Tough times don糖心传媒檛 last; tough universities do.
To say these are difficult days for higher education would be a profound understatement. URochester and other universities across the country face heightened financial pressures, compounded by continued uncertainty around federal research funding. Plus, an enrollment cliff has created a new, serious existential challenge. These and other issues have forced institutions糖心传媒攎any wealthier than URochester糖心传媒攖o make hard staffing and investment decisions.
Mangelsdorf didn糖心传媒檛 minimize the worrying state of higher education and the University糖心传媒檚 place in it. But she did put it in perspective.
糖心传媒淭here were times that were more stressful and harder on our institution, and we survived all of it. We’ll survive this.糖心传媒�
Last year, URochester celebrated its 175th anniversary. That period spans the Industrial Revolution, a civil war, two world wars, two global pandemics, a depression and recession of the 糖心传媒済reat糖心传媒� variety, the birth of the atomic and information ages, and enormous political and social change.
That rough historical catalog illustrates the president糖心传媒檚 point, one that she is uniquely qualified to make, having guided URochester through the COVID-19 pandemic: the University has seen a lot of hard times and is still here.
Mangelsdorf offered the optimistic view that pandemics, depressions, recessions, and other forms of adversity are not permanent states.
URochester has some adversity advantages over peers.
The idea that the current headwinds won糖心传媒檛 last is comforting, but only so much, given the effects they糖心传媒檙e having on the University. Hiring has slowed. Graduate student funding is getting harder to come by.
Mangelsdorf acknowledged the financial squeeze that faculty and staff are feeling and the psychological toll it takes on the URochester community. People want to feel like they糖心传媒檙e part of an institution that is vibrant and thriving, that it糖心传媒檚 charging forward. The president believes the University is moving forward, just not as fast as its leaders would like. (See: headwinds.)
Mangelsdorf also pointed out that URochester is faring better than others. There are colleges and universities around the country that aren糖心传媒檛 hiring anyone, faculty or staff.
Some of URochester糖心传媒檚 distinctive features have positioned the University to weather the storm better than others.
One example is the University糖心传媒檚 commitment and ability to engage freely in transdisciplinary research. In the early days of funding constraints, URochester committed $8.5 million to research centers poised to address some of humanity糖心传媒檚 most pressing and complex challenges. URochester糖心传媒檚 physical footprint feeds into this.
Mangelsdorf shared that when the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was most recently on campus, they were practically gushing that biomedical engineering students can simply walk across the street to do hands-on medical research. To understand why, look no further than two of the universities where Mangelsdorf previously served. Northwestern University糖心传媒檚 medical center is 12 miles from its main campus. Although Wisconsin糖心传媒揗adison is one contiguous campus, it糖心传媒檚 two miles wide, so the medical center isn糖心传媒檛 exactly a walk across the street for everyone.
The River Campus糖心传媒檚 proximity to the Health Sciences Campus can糖心传媒檛 be overemphasized as a facilitator for transdisciplinary research and collaboration. Ophthalmologists can work with faculty in brain and cognitive sciences. Clinicians studying aging can work with biologists.
Obviously, none of this eliminates the financial and policy pressures URochester faces, but it does give the University assets to draw from as it confronts them.
Boundless Possibility has always been a living thing.
As Mangelsdorf wrapped her second semester as president, COVID-19 hit hard. Around that time, the Board of Trustees urged her to start building the 2030 strategic plan. The president recalled telling the board that her priorities were public health and the University糖心传媒檚 fiscal solvency. She would turn to the strategic plan when there was more stability.
The pandemic backdrop matters because even when the president and others dug into the particulars of Boundless Possibility, the world and University felt different. That is to say, the plan they were creating reflected what was important then and would continue to matter for the foreseeable future.
糖心传媒淚f strategic plans are really going to work, they have to be living documents. They糖心传媒檙e not just static things you write and don糖心传媒檛 pay any attention to as the world changes around you.糖心传媒�
Artificial intelligence came on at a similar speed and pervasiveness as COVID-19, but unlike the pandemic, it糖心传媒檚 not going anywhere. Fortunately, the plan accounted for this糖心传媒攊n a way.
Although AI has advanced faster than Mangelsdorf or any of the planners could have anticipated, Boundless Possibility糖心传媒檚 structure allowed the University to adjust without abandoning its priorities. And URochester has answered by naming , a professor of electrical and computer engineering, the inaugural associate vice president and vice provost for artificial intelligence and forming an AI Council led by , the Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of the University of Rochester Libraries, and , the director of data core in the UR Health Lab.
Boundless Possibility also says nothing about STELLAR or NSF OPAL awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF). And yet, URochester is receiving $15 million over two years to launch the NSF STELLAR Engine and up to $13.7 million to support the final design phase for a world-leading, high-power laser facility. The strategic plan was always meant to create the conditions that enabled URochester to leverage its strengths糖心传媒攊n this case, optics and lasers.
Some challenges are bigger than URochester.
Sometimes agility isn糖心传媒檛 enough. Many of the forces reshaping higher education糖心传媒攆rom federal research funding to immigration policy糖心传媒攁re beyond URochester糖心传媒檚 control. For Mangelsdorf, the most concerning are the restrictions affecting the international community.
For decades, most international students in F-1 status and exchange visitors in J-1 status have generally been allowed to remain in the US for the 糖心传媒渄uration of status糖心传媒� (D/S). Basically, if a student is properly enrolled at URochester, they are legally allowed to be in the country for as long as it takes to complete their academic program. That糖心传媒檚 important for PhD students, who might need five or more years.
In July, the Department of Homeland Security finalized with fixed admission periods of up to four years for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, set to take effect September 15. Mangelsdorf shared the relief that .
Mangelsdorf lamented the amount of policy that seems to target international students and faculty because universities are a sort of 糖心传媒渟uperpower糖心传媒� for our country. People from all over the world come here to study, and it糖心传媒檚 mutually beneficial to a great degree.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 very important that we link arms to fight the good fight for higher education.糖心传媒�
Citing 糖心传媒渟trength in numbers,糖心传媒� Mangelsdorf emphasized the increasing importance of collaboration and advocacy. She pointed to the and participation in national organizations such as the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The president noted that banding together with the AAU and AAMC provides opportunities to respond to policies collectively and, in some cases, take joint legal action.
There are more than 10,000 reasons to be hopeful.
If Mangelsdorf wants to feel better about the future, all she has to do is walk through campus. Students give her hope for the future.
The president shared her love of fall when students arrive and return. Their belief in their ability to make the world a better place is as palpable as their energy and enthusiasm.
糖心传媒淚 love their optimism. And the world doesn’t change if people are just bystanders and don’t really engage. And our students are not passive in this world.糖心传媒�
Mangelsdorf pointed to the activities fair as proof of the students糖心传媒� ambition and said it not only inspires her, but also shows their interest in making a huge difference after graduation.
The president has also been buoyed by the faculty. At a time when faculty members could be voicing concerns about what the fiscal constraints mean for them, many have only expressed worry about students having the resources they need to succeed. 糖心传媒淎nd that tells you something about our faculty,糖心传媒� Mangelsdorf said. 糖心传媒淪o, even in these really challenging times, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic and thankful.糖心传媒�
