Fall 2004

Rose-Hulman 2015: A Conversation About Our Future

Ten years ago, Rose-Hulman was preparing for its first coeducational class.   There were 500 fewer students on campus than today.  Laptop computers were not a requirement.  The 55-year-old Shook Fieldhouse was still in use, and the first residence hall was being connected to the campus computing network.  

What will Rose-Hulman be like ten years from now?  Rose-Hulman seeks your responses to that important question via a new initiative called, “Rose-Hulman 2015: A Conversation About Our Future.”

“I strongly encourage the global Rose-Hulman community to engage in conversation around four key themes that evoke our dreams and aspirations for Rose-Hulman’s future,” stated Rose-Hulman President John Midgley.

“In presenting some broad questions for our conversation, I do not suggest that we second guess today’s commitments or approaches.  Instead, I invite our community to think about and discuss our future, and the new directions, opportunities, approaches and qualities that we see as defining Rose-Hulman in the second decade of this century,” Midgley said. 

“As with any great conversation, we should expect this one to be energized by individual ideas, differences of opinion, and innovative points of view,” Midgley added.

“The questions which frame this conversation invite individual reflection, but I hope that you will also find opportunities for formal and information discussions in groups involving every part of our community,” he commented.

As you think about our future, focus on these four broad themes: 

Future Academic Programs
What will be the defining elements of the “best undergraduate education in science and engineering” in 2015?  What degrees or other learning programs will we offer?  How will we teach, and how will our students learn?  Will we become more “specialized” in particular academic disciplines?   Which ones?  How might new technologies, or new relationships with industry or other partners, reshape key elements of the academic program? 

Future Students
What students will attend Rose-Hulman?  How many will attend?  How will we attract them?   How will we insure that the students most able to benefit from a Rose-Hulman education are able to attend?  

Campus Life and Operations
How should our campus be equipped to provide the living and learning environment that we will need in 2015?  How will we operate an efficient and effective “world’s best” campus?  What role will campus life play in the Rose-Hulman experience for our students, faculty and staff?  What services will our faculty, staff and students require, and how will we provide them? 

Community and World Relationships
Who will be our most important external partners in 2015?  How will we extend our reach, and provide opportunities for members of our community, in the wider world?  Will we have a physical presence outside Terre Haute? Outside the United States? What will this mean for our campus community?  How will we contribute to our Terre Haute and Indiana communities?  How will our alumni relate to Rose-Hulman as a potential source of learning and fellowship throughout their professional lives?

Several methods for responding have been created.  They include:

• An online Discussion Forum, and an individual response form that are accessible via links at www.rose-hulman.edu
• E-mail responses to conversation@rose-hulman.edu
• Leave a voice mail message at 282-0598
• Fax responses to 877-9925
• Mail your responses to Rose-Hulman 2015 at CM 14, 5500 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803

The Discussion Forum will provide a continuous Web-based “conversation” that will be accessible 24/7.   At least one live, online chat room moderated by President Midgley will also be scheduled.  

This conversation will also be the focus of future alumni events, meetings of the Rose-Hulman Parents’ Association, and discussions on campus involving academic departments, student organizations, and administrative offices.   Input from community leaders in Terre Haute and Indianapolis who are members of the Rose-Hulman Board of Associates will also be gathered during upcoming meetings.

As the conversation evolves, an update will be provided to discuss common themes arising from the responses.   By late May, it is expected that a synthesis of the conversation and some thoughts about the next steps in defining Rose-Hulman’s future will be provided to the Rose-Hulman community via Echoes and other communications channels.

“The conversations that will take place during the next five months will contribute uniquely as we develop our community’s thoughts about where we would like our Institute to be when we celebrate the 140th anniversary of our founding in 2014-2015,” Midgley emphasized.