Strategic Imperatives Advisory Council

Charge and Vision

In the fall of 2024, President Robin Holmes-Sullivan convened the Strategic Imperatives Advisory Council (SIAC), uniting faculty and staff from across the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the School of Law with a clear and vital mission: to chart a bold course for Lewis & Clark’s future success. The SIAC was charged with identifying and recommending transformative initiatives to amplify L&C’s impact through three strategic imperatives:

1. Develop leaders for global challenges.
2. Scale our impact in Portland and the region.
3. Maximize the L&C Advantage—ensure every Lewis & Clark education delivers exceptional return on investment.

The SIAC carefully evaluated numerous Big Idea proposals, submitted by the Lewis & Clark community, and synthesized the most promising concepts into a unified, ambitious vision. They divided into subcommittees to address each of the imperatives, and collected feedback at individual, departmental, group, and institutional levels.

Through extensive discussion and an inclusive, iterative process involving faculty, staff, students, and external partners, they crafted a set of recommendations designed to activate the full potential of the L&C Advantage and position Lewis & Clark for leadership and success.

1. An executive summary developed for the president and Board of Trustees, an 11-page document describing the process, rationale, and recommendations. The key recommendations are summarized below.
2. The full report developed for the president and Executive Council, an 87-page document exploring the recommendations in greater detail.

Executive SummaryFull Report

During the summer of 2025, the president and Executive Council will review the recommendations of SIAC and will follow up with the campus community in early fall about next steps. 

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Overview of Strategic Imperatives Advisory Council Recommendations

1. Maximizing Return on Investment: The L&C Advantage in Action

   We recommend launching and championing The L&C Advantage, guaranteeing every student access to transformative, high-impact learning experiences. This includes revolutionizing career readiness through a new, comprehensive Career Accelerator that will embed skills development and significantly expand paid internships, client-serving projects, and faculty-student research across programs, including our signature overseas study opportunities. We recommend developing a future-focused curriculum integrating the liberal arts with vital skills, launching a data science major and certificates in spatial analysis and digital humanities. Furthermore, we recommend strengthening pathways from CAS to our graduate and professional schools, enhancing opportunities in legal studies and education.
   

   Activating the Vision (2025–26 Focus)

   Launch the Career Accelerator with dedicated leadership, scale skills courses and paid internships, pilot innovative clinics (like cybersecurity), incentivize collaborative research, finalize new curricula, secure necessary tech/research spaces, and initiate targeted fundraising.

   Transformative Outcomes

   Every graduate will possess high-impact experience and demonstrable career competencies. We anticipate increased enrollment in L&C graduate/professional programs, shorter time to first job, higher starting salaries, enhanced institutional reputation for career preparation, and widespread student participation in signature experiential programs within five years.

2. Environmental Leadership: Innovation for a Sustainable World
   

   We recommend establishing the Center for Environmental Innovation, a dynamic hub uniting all three campuses around the critical nexus of climate, health, and community. An Environmental Innovation Lab (EIL) will mobilize L&C talent and partner organizations to tackle pressing environmental challenges through funded research and high-visibility projects. We recommend enhancing our environmental curriculum with new faculty positions enabling majors in data science, public health, and Earth system science, alongside a new certificate in sustainability assessment and environmental analytics. Our campus itself will become a living laboratory, showcasing our unwavering commitment to sustainability in action.
   

   Activating the Vision (2025–26 Focus)

   Appoint interim center leadership, secure seed funding for EIL projects, launch major fundraising efforts, integrate students across schools into environmental work (including law clinics), develop new faculty roles, assess certificate feasibility, and advance campus sustainability initiatives.

   Transformative Outcomes

   Elevated environmental programs will attract and retain top students, solidifying L&C’s national leadership in environmental education. Graduates will possess sought-after skills and experiences. We will make a meaningful impact on critical environmental issues, strengthen community partnerships, and visibly embody a powerful sustainability ethic.

3. Scaling Our Impact: Deepening Community Engagement

   Lewis & Clark will launch a flagship partnership with Albina Vision Trust, serving as its official higher education partner to cocreate educational programming, provide vital services, and establish a vibrant education hub in the heart of Portland. We recommend actively cultivating further strategic partnerships—OHSU and OMSI, for example, come to mind as possible beneficial partners—and become a national leader in place-based education, expanding community-based research and face-to-face pedagogy—supported by dedicated resources and potentially a new certificate or minor in community engagement.
   

   Activating the Vision (2025–26 Focus)

   Initiate programming with Albina Vision Trust, explore opportunities for expanded services in lower Albina, fund faculty training for community-engaged pedagogies, propose curricular integration, streamline support systems, and assess needs for administrative and logistical support.

   Transformative Outcomes

   L&C will gain national recognition for its distinctive, reciprocal approach to community engagement. We will establish a physical presence in central Portland that will provide benefits to Lewis & Clark’s visibility and reputation in the heart of the city and beyond. We will attract and retain students passionate about translating service into impactful careers, deepen student understanding of our region, and enhance our capacity to manage and sustain transformative partnerships.

4. Advancing a Just Society: Leading Through Action

   We must commit to securing sustainable funding for our invaluable law school clinics, essential training grounds for future justice advocates, while creating pathways for CAS and GSEC student participation. We recommend significantly expanding GSEC’s Transcendence Project, preparing more desperately needed counselors to provide affirming mental health care for transgender and nonbinary individuals. We should also strengthen Indigenous and American Indian law studies across all three schools through new faculty, a dedicated minor, and integration into campus life. Critically, we can open doors by creating clear pathways and dedicated support to welcome new student demographics.
   

   Activating the Vision (2025–26 Focus)

   Initiate fundraising for law clinics, the Transcendence Project, new Indigenous studies positions, and targeted scholarships; expand Transcendence Project capacity; develop prerequisite courses for clinic participation; and remove barriers to matriculation for nontraditional students.

   Transformative Outcomes

   Lewis & Clark’s reputation as an institution profoundly committed to justice will grow. The reach and impact of our law clinics and the Transcendence Project will expand significantly. We will meet critical student and community needs for Indigenous studies and increase enrollment and success for students from historically underserved communities.

5. Fostering Dialogue and Engagement: Building Bridges

   We recommend establishing a Center for Collaborative Dialogue and Community Engagement, unifying and amplifying existing initiatives focused on working effectively across difference. A new certificate in working across difference will leverage resources across all three schools, offering students a valuable credential. Training in dialogue and engagement will be embedded within signature programming, maximizing the impact of our community-facing work. We also recommend supporting innovative tools, like a GSEC clinical counseling simulation lab, to hone the crucial communication skills that today’s employers seek.
   

   Activating the Vision (2025–26 Focus)

   Integrate dialogue initiatives into major symposia, pilot training integration in CAS courses, develop the certificate structure, create mechanisms for broader curricular integration, and explore funding for the simulation lab.

   Transformative Outcomes

   Graduates will demonstrate enhanced competencies in communication, equity, leadership, and teamwork. The campus climate will reflect increased openness to diverse viewpoints. All CAS students will engage in programming focused on working across difference within five years. L&C will earn positive external recognition and develop a national reputation for innovation in this critical area.