From the President

Dear FIT Community,

FIT’s strategic plan continues to be the guiding force for the advancement of the college’s mission, the introduction of innovation, and research opportunities for students and faculty. This iteration of the plan was finalized during the remote period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan maintains a focus on innovation and it also addresses goals and initiatives to further the expressed interest of faculty to introduce long-term flexible learning with regard to curriculum, interdisciplinary teaching and learning, and the intersection of these to create a dynamic educational atmosphere that can lead to lifelong learning for all of our students.

Deliberations within the Planning Council, the collegewide leadership group for the strategic plan, led to the formation of a subcommittee focused on identifying new ways for the college to experiment and develop our strategic goal of flexibility in the curriculum. The committee evaluated existing curriculum attributes and identified flexible learning opportunities that could bring together students across programs for a combined learning experience. Categories of courses were identified to be included such as related area courses; courses with no prerequisites; special topic courses; etc. The goal will be to pilot the innovative suggestions of the sub-committee and to encourage additional experimental designs by faculty across our curricular areas.

The college’s strategic plan is a living document that we will continue to use to chart our progress. We will also develop metrics to ensure that we meet our goals and learn where to alter or expand our course.

As we have done in the past, we will organize roundtable discussions involving a cross section of the constituent groups that comprise our community (faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees) to ensure that we consider and include the voices and ideas that will propel our planning and implementation for the coming years.

The development of this strategic plan is the result of the efforts and hard work of several members of our community. As we publish this fourth iteration of the college’s strategic plan, I extend my appreciation for your time and your commitment to the ongoing excellence we envision for our college, and I look forward to working with you to achieve our strategic goals.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joyce F. Brown