We are One School — where we innovate in the arts, education, and health to enrich lives, empower communities, and shape the future.
Since her arrival on campus in August 2024, Dean Marcelle Haddix has been gathering feedback on the identity and goals of our School of Education community. The synthesis of that feedback is represented in the working draft of the One School Vision — a vision to guide our community by highlighting our shared values and goals. The One School Vision is still taking shape and will continue to be informed by our community’s wants, needs, and aspirations.
On this page
Focus Areas
As it is currently drafted, the One School Vision includes four focus areas:
Championing Impact Through Innovation and Collaboration
Foster innovative research, scholarship, teaching, outreach, and practice in the arts, education, and health and across disciplines.
Creating a Transformative Student Experience for All
Provide undergraduate and graduate students the support and experiences they need to reach their full potential.
Providing Equitable School Infrastructure
Ensure the systems and tools within our School provide high-quality support to all members of our community so they can realize professional goals.
Cultivating a Thriving and Inclusive Community
Foster School-wide community and connection, a culture of recognition and inclusion, and individual mental and physical well-being.
Our Process
These questions and answers shed light on how we got to where we are on the One School Vision — and where we hope to go from here.
Why do we need a “One School Vision”?
We are a large school with roughly 2,200 undergraduate students, nearly 1,200 graduate students, 175 faculty, and 725 staff. We offer 51 combined undergraduate and graduate majors and certificates in fields that span the arts, education, and health. Our research, community programs, fee-for-service organizations, and alumni network reach all 50 states and more than 75 countries around the world. Dean Haddix sees this vision as a way to bring all parts of our School together to support each other and make us stronger as a whole.
Is this a strategic plan?
The One School Vision is not a strategic plan. Strategic plans are set in stone and have specific timelines, goals, and measurable outcomes. Instead, the vision is an evolving framework for thinking about and realizing our School’s shared identity and values. It is a way of thinking and a collective approach that will continue to grow and adapt to our community’s needs.
How was this developed?
The One School Vision began taking shape shortly after Dean Haddix joined the School of Education. Upon her arrival, the dean began meeting with departments, units, leadership teams, and individuals to learn about our community’s wants, needs, and ideas for ensuring a strong and vibrant future. This vision, as it is currently written, is the synthesis of that feedback thus far and will continue to grow as you share more about what resonates for you.
Does “One School” mean individual departments or disciplines aren’t valued as much as interdisciplinary work?
No. Our One School Vision is about bringing our community together with a shared vision and community of support, but work that doesn’t bridge disciplines is still deeply important. That work is and and will continue to be championed and celebrated because our individual expertise and specialized skills are part of what make us so strong.
What are some examples of the One School Vision being realized?
Because the One School Vision was born out of our current work and goals, there are numerous examples of the vision at work in our community. We encourage you to think about how your work is already represented in these goals. Several new initiatives have also been launched in this spirit since Dean Haddix’s arrival. Those include:
- Launching the One School Innovation Fund to incentivize faculty, staff, and students to work together to tackle complex challenges.
- Creating a Student Experience Think Tank to generate ideas and prioritize actions that will enhance the undergraduate student experience and better prepare our graduates for the future.
- Developing a shared services model for administrative support in areas including budget and finance, HR, facilities, IT, scholarship, and research.
- Hosting School-wide events that foster networking, information-sharing, and connection at the Welcome Back Bash, Winter Social, and State of the School.
Will the One School Vision be used for marketing or fundraising purposes?
We are not messaging about the One School Vision to external audiences like prospective students or donors at this time. This is an internal framework. But we hope external audiences feel the impact of what we do.