The Clerc Center
Connection

The School Year 2002-2003:

Our Challenges and Accomplishments

By Katherine A. Jankowski, Ph.D.

The 2002-2003 school year has been both challenging and enlightening. Our students and educators have faced many external challenges, now all too familiar, that have included our country going to war, our city preparing for emergency evacuations, and the ever-memorable snow. In spite of these challenges, and often as a result of them, our community has also seen what we can accomplish by working together.

The hard work of many talented people—students, families, teachers, staff, and administrators—culminated in the 2003 commencement ceremony, designed entirely by the graduating class. Our student speakers gave presentations that were reflective and engaging. The class song showed us all how much our seniors have grown through their experiences at the Clerc Center and how much potential they have as future leaders.

After reflecting on the past year, we are both proud of what we have accomplished and aware that there is always room for growth and improvement. Our community is our most valuable resource and we want you to know:

…we’re listening…

During the spring months (the very rainy spring months!), the Clerc Center community—teachers, staff, administrators, and students— spoke out about what is going well, where improvement is possible, and offered many ideas for what kinds of change could benefit our community. This feedback is a clear demonstration of how many leaders there are on our team and how fortunate we are to have so many innovative people involved with the Clerc Center.

…we’re learning…

In addition to the internal forums, the Clerc Center has had many opportunities this year for feedback from a variety of external sources. By looking at the comments and suggestions from our students, teachers and staff, along with recommendations from family members, the National Mission Advisory Panel, and the Accreditation for Growth team (AFG), recurring themes were recognized. As a complex organization with many goals and constituents, we are faced with the challenges of:

• ensuring communication is clear, pertinent, and useful and that it reaches all members of our community;
• involving our many stakeholders in decision-making; and
• building a strong community in which everyone feels welcome and valued.

Changes are in progress, some large, some small, to ensure these challenges are met and expectations are exceeded. We are confident that with everyone working towards the same end, we will be successful.

…we’re looking ahead…

The Clerc Center Management Team (CCMT) recently held a retreat to look at the comprehensive list of internal and external recommendations. The team looked at the recurring themes from a variety of perspectives, using the actual feedback as a basis for those discussions. By aligning the internal suggestions with the recommendations from the AFG team, CCMT was able to see a clear picture of work that has already begun and needs to persist throughout the summer months and into the fall to continue making improvements in our community. Many suggestions are already in motion: regularly scheduled forums will be held throughout the upcoming year to share information, and progress, and discuss topics of your choice; budget information is being compiled to better communicate the financial decisions made at the Clerc Center; the master calendar process is being revised to ensure the community is aware of and can participate in all scheduled events; etc.

Using the suggested solutions as a framework, administrators will construct an outline of steps to address each of the larger issues at the Clerc Center. This outline will also begin to connect the AFG process; the internal goals of the Clerc Center; our national mission focus; and ARAP (Action-Results-Assessment-Planning), the Gallaudet University strategic plan which aligns the Clerc Center goals with the overall University long-term plans. The goals for this comprehensive strategic plan outline are to:

• clearly connect our many commitments and areas of focus under one comprehensive plan that creates clear, manageable timelines for meeting our goals.
• actively involve our community in the design and execution of the plan itself.
• unite the efforts and skills of those working toward similar goals and ensure these efforts support our long-term goals.
• communicate regularly on our progress on long- and short-term plans.

In the fall, community-wide forums will be held to gather additional feedback on a rough draft and to continue your involvement in the planning process. Many of you are already involved in planning efforts through action plan teams, study groups, planning committees, and work groups.

Thank you for your efforts in these areas and the many other ways that you contribute everyday. The 2003-2004 academic year will bring many more opportunities for you to be involved, be heard, and contribute to the changes that will make next year even more successful than we have been in the past.

Enjoy your (hopefully bright and sunny!) summer and look forward to the new academic year with a fresh, new and evolving look.