Toward a New Future

All of us at The New School—faculty, students, and staff—are working toward a vibrant and sustainable future for the university. Each of us will have unique contributions to make. Listening to one another, understanding one another’s thoughts and concerns, and finding ways to strengthen participation and collaboration in university planning and governance will guide this work. This commitment to dialogue builds on an aspiration shared across our community to create a fairer, more equitable New School.

This commitment also entails action. The New School’s Board of Trustees plays an important fiduciary role in guiding our work and has charged the President, the Provost, and other university leaders with developing a five-year plan that allows the university to uphold its mission while remaining financially sustainable.

The Work at Hand

Strategic Planning

Our process for strategic planning is anchored in the university’s commitment to following these principles:

• To fully engage with the entire New School community
• To do so through a lens and with a process that are equitable, just, and transparent
• To be future-oriented and consider our past by ensuring this work accounts for the active conversations, priorities, and current initiatives alive in our community

Financial Resilience

The University Budget Committee (UBC+) has been asked to evaluate proposals to improve every aspect of The New School’s financial situation. The UBC has been temporarily expanded to become the UBC+, which in addition to the existing faculty members now includes a representative from the staff senate, a college executive dean, a member of the part-time faculty, and two student trustees. The UBC+ will seek viable and bold ideas from across the community that have the potential to yield savings or additional revenue to match the expected deficit.

Along with the work of UBC+, University Leadership will develop a plan to address the deficit, taking into consideration every aspect of the university, including the findings of the UBC+.

Middle States Review

The New School is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). We are currently completing our 2021-2024 Self-Study, a cyclical, comprehensive process of internal research and reporting that allows us to reflect on how we are meeting our priorities and to demonstrate compliance with MSCHE’s standards.

Supporting Equity in Our Community

Already underway is the work of the Student Remedies Task Force. Created in January 2023, following the labor negotiations, it is a new example of collaborative solution building. This group is charged with recommending equitable, achievable remedies for concerns raised by current and graduating students. This work will be completed this spring semester.

Labor Relations

For nearly 50 years, The New School has worked closely and collaboratively with the unions that represent our employees. Today, nine labor unions are active at The New School, representing more than 4,100 faculty, staff, and student employees. To reach our joint goals, we are committed to the following objectives to guide our university’s future:

• Fairness and Transparency
• Responsiveness and Timely Resolution of Issues
• Doing What Is Right for Students, Faculty, and Staff
• Maintaining a Long-Term View
• Respect for the Collective Bargaining Process

An Ongoing Exchange

In addition to the efforts of the University Budget Committee and Student Remedies Task Force, small, informal discussion groups and more formal meetings with community members including leadership will create opportunities for candid conversations to move us forward. These dialogues have already begun and include meetings with the faculty, staff, and student senates and their leaders.

Know Our New School

It’s important for everyone at The New School to have a fundamental understanding of how our university operates in order for this work to succeed. You’ll find much of this information throughout our website; this page brings it together in one place. Here you’ll find information about The New School’s structure and decision-making process, university budget and finance, and the strategic planning process and activities.

Check back to find additional resources as they are posted, see status updates on current and future initiatives, and learn how you can take part in this vital work. In addition, visit Higher Ed News to find reporting on some of the challenges in the field of higher education that can provide context.

Be Part of the Change

Help Shape the Discourse

There will be many ways for each of us to play a part in building our future, and your involvement is essential to The New School’s success. Our faculty, staff, and student senates are among the most powerful means of helping to shape the university’s path forward. Their many roles include collecting insights and feedback from our communities and sharing them regularly with university leadership. So get to know your senators and communicate your ideas. This process ensures that all voices will be heard and all opinions will be respected.

Participate in Community Forums

There are many ways for each of us to engage with the work ahead. On this events page, you will find opportunities to come together with others in the community.

Submit Your Proposal

We know that by working together, some of the best ideas for addressing the university’s deficit will emerge. You can share your proposal and find details on submission info sessions at the UBC+Submission page.

Keep Informed

Visit our Community Messages page to find regular communications related to this initiative.

Collaborating, sharing information, and engaging in critical inquiry animate The New School and will guide our efforts in the coming months. Please visit this webpage often; it is designed to foster dialogue and house resources essential to our community’s work.