The board of trustees on Dec. 7 approved a strategic plan for Mitchell Hamline that establishes goals in the areas of curriculum; access and opportunity; student experience; organizational excellence and culture; and community. The plan includes intermediate goals on a path toward completion by 2025, the 10-year anniversary of the combination that created Mitchell Hamline.
“I’m very excited to have this plan approved and to be able to begin implementation in the new year,” said President and Dean Anthony Niedwiecki. “I am grateful for the work of the more than 100 people—including staff, faculty, and board members—who were involved over the past year in the process that created this document, which will guide our decision-making and budgeting process for the next few years as well as framing our fundraising efforts.”
Key components of the plan include:
- Curriculum
Integrate emerging practice-ready skills and competencies as well as social justice into the curriculum, track student performance in core courses, and offer courses across enrollment options - Access and Opportunity
Diversify student population, create new financing options to assist underrepresented groups, and develop programs for non-J.D. and post-J.D. students - Student Experience
Empower all students to see themselves as members of the legal profession throughout their enrollment, support students’ personal and professional well-being, and increase opportunities for students to build relationships across enrollment options and with alumni - Organizational Excellence and Culture
Implement a communication structure and plan for faculty, staff, administrators, and board; promote cross-functional collaboration; and create a workplace grounded in mutual respect and accountability - Community
Create a sense of belonging for all, create partnerships internally and externally to further the mission, and advocate for reforms in the law to reduce disparities and inequities
In 2022, Niedwiecki said, the school’s focus will be on five major tactics:
- Create a task force on curriculum, student engagement, and DEI.
- Create a culture task force to develop recommendations on how to create a culture of respect and accountability at the school. A planning committee to develop the goals and membership of the task force has been established.
- Develop a process for reviewing and creating institutional policies, which will involve appointing a policy committee to help with the work.
- Support the overall assessment of a new enterprise resource system and student information system and any other IT systems to better support students and operations.
- Raise money to fund scholarships for students, with a focus on need-based scholarships.