Reitman assumes leadership of Task Force

Dean of Students Bruce Reitman was appointed co-chair of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience in August in an effort to enhance the committee's understanding of the non-academic aspects of life at Tufts.

Reitman was chosen by President Larry Bacow to replace former Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon. Dillon left Tufts this summer to become the President of the Consortium on the Finance of Higher Education.

"We are all grateful for Kristine's leadership on the Task Force," Bacow said. "I am confident that Dean Reitman will do an excellent job of continuing her work on the Task Force."

Economics professor Gilbert Metcalf and Dean of the Colleges for Undergraduate Education Charles Inouye are the other co-chairs of the Task Force.

Reitman is not unfamiliar with the Task Force, having attended some of its meetings last year. He "hit the ground running," Metcalf said, allowing the Task Force to maintain its momentum.

Reitman's appointment indicates that the co-curricular aspect of the undergraduate experience is as important as the academic aspect.

The Dean of Students explained that his work with student groups, student leaders, and professionals give him perspective on the non-academic elements of the Tufts experience. "I am glad to have an opportunity to bring these perspectives to the work of the Task Force, he said, "and am pleased that the members of the Task Force are very focused on the entire experience in the Tufts community _ not just the classroom."

Bacow established the Task Force when he became the University's president last fall. He appointed 11 members: six faculty, three undergraduates, one academic dean, and one administrative dean. The Task Force also has staff and a Student Advisory Committee.

Bacow charged the task force with "evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of Tufts' curriculum," "assessing the contribution of residential and co-curricular life to the... undergraduate experience," and "identifying the resources that are necessary to effect the recommended changes."

To execute these objectives, the Task Force gathers input from the "various constituencies that make up our community, considers its strengths that we can build upon, and identifies new initiatives and directions," Reitman said.

But, he said, this does not mean that every complaint can, or should, be addressed. The mission of the Task Force is to enhance the undergraduate experience as a whole, Reitman said. Therefore, the committee is more concerned with issues related to the dynamic, rather than the technicalities, of campus life.

Over the past year, 505 members of the University community have attended 33 outreach meetings. The Task Force has also held student group meetings and received hundreds of e-mails.

The Task Force has thus far come to the consensus that while the Tufts experience is a positive one, every university has room for improvement.

Three themes have emerged from conversations with members of the Tufts community, Metcalf said. The first, referred to as "climate," concerns creating "an atmosphere that encourages the convergence of the intellectual and social spheres on campus," he said. The second, "coherence," entails making this convergence, and the undergraduate experience as a whole, more seamless. "Community," the third theme, refers to "the network of relationships among students or faculty, and between students and faculty that supports the intellectual and educational mission of the University."

These themes will be presented in an interim report that is projected to be released this week. The report will outline a few possible scenarios of what Tufts should be like in 10 years. Once the report is released, the Task Force plans to gauge the reaction of the community and gain widespread support for the necessary changes.

The University ultimately seeks to provide a "24 hour learning experience," Metcalf said. This experience requires a climate that encourages curiosity and engagement in students, whether in the classroom, during dorm discussions, or over dinner or coffee, Metcalf said.

A status report will be released this week, making public the information that the Task Force has gathered.

The Task Force's research will culminate in a report to be issued next June, which will include an overview of the collected data, its implications, and a specific recommendation for what a Tufts education should be. The report will provide a blueprint for a "Tufts of the future," Inouye explained.

Lara Birk, the Task Force's project coordinator, said the community's willingness to get involved with the mission had been invaluable. The Task Force encourages members of the community to voice their opinions, either by sending e-mail suggestions to ugtaskforce@tufts.edu or by attending a "speak-out" session