Project Plan (DRAFT)

Project Name: Project Manager: Maureen Mahoney, Dean of the College

Strategic Direction:
Center for Work & Life

Project Description
As Smith prepares women of promise for lives of distinction, the college recognizes the stress of meeting high expectations and juggling the
demands created by families and work. Linking programming on leadership, work preparation and wellness practices, the Center for Work and Life
provides a context where students can learn about current research on women’s lives, reflect on their own experiences, and explore concepts of
fulfillment uniquely suited to them.
Benefits
Every Smith graduate, indeed every woman who enters adult life in the twenty-first century, will navigate choices about how to apportion her
time. She will decide how to earn a living, who to live with, whether to raise children, when to strive, when to scale back, and how to care for herself
while caring for others.
With the Center for Work and Life, we hope to create a transformative shift in the way young women think about success, introducing the
concept that a “life well-lived” is not necessarily all about doing academic work or building a high-powered career or even all about helping others;
rather, it is about continually reflecting on various aspects of one’s life, and on building a dynamic relationship between life and work. Smith’s Center
for Work and Life will introduce students to “dual-centrism” through innovative programs that encourage young women to think broadly about work
and leadership, and to reflect on multiple dimensions of success, including work, family, public service, health and wellness. The Center will also
support, enhance and link all that the college does regarding work, wellness and leadership.
Project Implementation Team Members
Maureen Mahoney, Dean of the College Project Manager, Director of the Women’s Narratives of Success Project
Associate Director of the Women’s Narratives of Success Project
Jennifer Walters, Dean for Religious Life
Steering Committee - “Reflection”
Julie Ohotnicky, Dean of Students Steering Committee - “Leadership”
Stacie Hagenbaugh, Dir of Career Development
Steering Committee - “Work Preparation”
Office
Barbara Brehm-Curtis, Prof. Exercise & Sport
Steering Committee - “Wellness”
Studies
Susan Briggs, Program Coordinator, Dean’s
Women’s Narratives of Success Project
Office
Jessica Bacal, Special Assistant to the Dean of
the College, Program Assistant on Women’s Women’s Narratives of Success Project & Center for Work and Life
Narratives of Success Project

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 Objectives (What are we trying to achieve?)
(Metrics)
Programs/Projects/Strategies to Achieve Objectives
(Specific, Measurable Achievable, Relevant, Time
Bound)
Help students reflect systematically and deeply about how they imagine a rewarding life
 Enroll up to 20 students in Get A Life Workshop for
January 2008
 Have at least 40 students attend January term
alumnae panel about life after Smith (part of the
Get a Life Workshop)
 Enroll up to 10 first year students in Inventing a
Life: The First Year of College and Beyond
 Enroll 30 students in the Women’s Narratives of
Success Project orientation program
 Enroll 10 students in Women’s Narratives of
Success Project Re-orientation program
 Have at least 100 students attend 2008 Women’s
Narratives of Success panel called, “Narratives
Across Class”
 Have at least 50 students and their parents attend
2008 Women’s Narratives of Success panel called,
“Smith Daughters and Their Mothers”
 Hold 3 Center for Work and Life planning meetings
with students
Develop innovative and nationally prominent programs that help students reflect on multiple dimensions of success, including work, family,
public service, health and wellness.
 Enroll up to 20 students in the “Get A Life”
Workshop for January 2008
 Have at least 40 students attend January term
discussions with alumnae about life after Smith
(part of the Get a Life Workshop)
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 Women’s Narratives of Success Project (WNS): The “Get
a Life” Workshop (five-day workshop for juniors and
seniors)
 WNS Project: Alumnae panel as part of The “Get a Life”
Workshop
 WNS Project: Inventing a Life: The First Year of College
and Beyond (day-long workshop for FY Students)
 WNS Project Orientation program
 WNS Project Sophomore Re-orientation program
 WNS Project Panel “Narratives Across Class”
 WNS Project Panel “Smith Daughters and Their Mothers”
 Center for Work and Life planning meetings with students
 Launch E-Portfolio (CDO) (connected to Capacities and
academic advising)
 WNS Project: The “Get a Life” Workshop (for juniors and
seniors)
 WNS Project: Alumnae panel as part of The “Get a Life”
Workshop
2/12/2009
Status
(Study, Planning, Execution,
Completed)
 Completed 3 years: enrolled 45 students
 Completed 3 years: At least 80 students
attended discussions with alumnae
during first two years; 40 + projected
attendance for third year
 Completed: Enrolled 7 students in
Inventing a Life during first year; 10
projected for second year
 Completed: Enrolled 30 students in
August 2008
 Completed: Enrolled 12 students in
September 2008
 Completed 3 years of panels: 650+
attendees at “Narratives Across Class”
(2008), “Ambition & Friendship” (2007)
and “Creating a Life” (2006).
 Completed 2 years of panels: 150+
attendees
 Completed: 50+ attendees; 20 more
projected for additional meetings in
2008-2009.
 Planning: committee in process of
choosing a product. Hope to launch Fall
‘09
 Completed 3 years: enrolled 45 students
 Completed 3 years: At least 80 students
attended discussions with alumnae
during first two years; 40 + projected
attendance for third year
 Enroll up to 10 first year students in Inventing a
Life: The First Year of College and Beyond
 Enroll 30 students in the Women’s Narratives of
Success Project orientation program
 Have at least 100 students attend 2008 Women’s
Narratives of Success panel called, “Narratives
Across Class.”
 Have at least 100 students attend Fireside Chats
with President Christ and Dean Mahoney.
 Develop a Center for Work and Life web site to
help students recognize and gain better access to
all that is available on campus
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 WNS Project: Inventing a Life: The First Year of College
and Beyond (for first year students)
 Women’s Narratives of Success Project Orientation
program
 WNS Project Panels like “Creating a Life” (2006),
“Ambition & Friendship: Narratives of Conflict and
Support” (2007) and “Narratives Across Class” (2008).
 Fireside Chats, a student-initiated series of talks about
work-life issues, weaving together themes of leadership,
work and wellness.
 Launch Center for Work and Life web site
2/12/2009
 Completed: Enrolled 7 students in
Inventing a Life during first year; 10
projected for second year
 Completed - Orientation program –
August 2008 – 25 students
 Completed 3 years of panels: 650+
attendees at “Narratives Across Class”
(2008), “Ambition & Friendship” (2007)
and “Creating a Life” (2006).
 Completed: 200+ students have
attended 4 Fireside Chats.
 Execution - launch March ‘09
Prepare students to examine their own career goals and anticipate the likelihood of career changes
 Launch E-portfolio: Student-driven tool for planning
and reflecting on curricular and extra-curricular.
 Develop tiered on-campus employment
opportunities for September 2009
 Increase student compensation for “Praxis: The
Liberal Arts at Work” to $__________ (tk)
 Increase OCIP (On-Campus Internship Program)
from 37 to 50 internships
 Create Speakers’ Bureau –compile 100 names by
X date
 Enroll up to 20 students in The “Get A Life”
Workshop for January 2008
 Have at least 40 students attend January term
discussions with alumnae about life after Smith
(part of the Get a Life Workshop)
 Enroll up to 10 first year students in Inventing a
Life: The First Year of College and Beyond
 Enroll 30 students in the Women’s Narratives of
Success Project orientation program.
 Develop panels on issues of work and life
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 Launch E-portfolio (CDO)
 Develop tiered on-campus employment opportunities,
rewarding students as their skills develop
 Increase student compensation for “Praxis: The Liberal
Arts at Work:”
 Increase funding for OCIP (On-Campus Internship
Program
 Create an alumnae speakers bureau and enhance the
alumnae mentors program: Alumnae Speakers Bureau
would organize a monthly series of speakers who will
provide rich interactions with students
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Get A Life)
 WNS (January Term Alumnae Panels)
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Inventing a Life)
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Orientation)
 Women’s Narratives of Success Project Panels: like
“Creating a Life” (2006), “Ambition & Friendship:
Narratives of Conflict and Support” (2007) and
“Narratives Across Class” (2008)
2/12/2009
 Planning - committee in process of
choosing a product. Hope to launch Fall
‘09
 Planning – budget requested
 Planning - budget requested
 Planning – budget requested
 Execution – recruiting alumnae
 Completed 3 years: enrolled 45 students
 Completed 3 years: At least 80 students
attended discussions with alumnae
during first two years; 40 + projected
attendance for third year
 Completed: Enrolled 7 students in
Inventing a Life during first year; 10
projected for second year
 Completed - Orientation program –
August 2008 – 30 students
 Completed 3 years of panels: 650+
attendees at “Narratives Across Class”
(2008), “Ambition & Friendship” (2007)
and “Creating a Life” (2006).
Help students recognize that a rewarding life includes more than work.
 Add questions to Cycle survey for assessment
 Create assessment plan based on center’s goals
Emphasize and advance wellness programs.
 Hire Wellness Education Director – April 2008
 Develop not-for-credit “Get Fit Smith” Program
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 Add questions to cycle survey
 Women’s Narratives/Institutional Research Institute
 E-portfolio
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Get A Life)
 WNS (January Term Alumnae Panels)
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Inventing a Life)
 Women’s Narratives of Success (Orientation)
 WNS Project Sophomore Re-orientation program
 Women’s Narratives of Success Project Panels: like
“Creating a Life” (2006), “Ambition & Friendship:
Narratives of Conflict and Support” (2007) and
“Narratives Across Class” (2008)
 Hire Wellness Education Director to centralize and
promote campus wellness efforts
 Expand not-for-credit “Get Fit Smith” Program offering
weekly fitness sessions
2/12/2009
 Completed – Data and analysis of first
two years worth of data is on WNS
website: www.smith.edu/narratives
 Study - Research institute would open
2010 or 2011. Separate endowment
required.
 Planning - committee in process of
choosing a product. Hope to launch Fall
‘09
 Completed 3 years: enrolled 45 students
 Completed 3 years: At least 80 students
attended discussions with alumnae
during first two years; 40 + projected
attendance for third year
 Completed: Enrolled 7 students in
Inventing a Life during first year; 10
projected for second year
 Completed - Orientation program –
August 2008 – 30 students
 Completed: Enrolled 12 students in
September 2008
 Completed 3 years of panels: 650+
attendees at “Narratives Across Class”
(2008), “Ambition & Friendship” (2007)
and “Creating a Life” (2006).
 Completed – Emily Nagoski hired in
April 2008
 Completed – program expanded with
temporary funding
 Enhance Smith Outdoor Leadership Program  Expand Outdoor Leadership Programming with one part-  Completed – program expanded with
time position and one additional work-study position temporary funding.

 Develop better student access to nutritional  Purchase the necessary software for posting nutritional  Completed: need funding for
information information online implementation

 Develop Alcohol Education programming  Develop Alcohol Education Program  Completed - Alcohol Education Program
funded for 2008-2009

In collaboration with the AASC, provide rich interaction between students and alumnae who model lives well lived.

 Create Speakers’ Bureau –compile 100 names by  Create an alumnae speakers bureau and enhance the  In progress: Alumnae Association is in
alumnae mentors program: Alumnae Speakers Bureau
(date) charge of this.
would organize a monthly series of speakers who will
provide rich interactions with students

 Women’s Narratives of Success Project: Two January  Completed 3 years: At least 80

 Facilitate X# of alumnae mentor relationships with term alumnae panels as part of The “Get a Life”
students by X date students attended discussions with
Workshop alumnae during first two years; 40 +
projected attendance for third year

 Women’s Narratives of Success Project: Yearly panel,  Completed - Betsy Stark ‘78 in 2006,
including at least one alumna, who is then available to Nan-b de Gaspe Beaubien ‘57 and
talk with students at a post-panel reception, and is joined Martha Southgate ‘82 in 2007, Adrian
by students at a dinner. Nicole Leblanc ’86 in 2008.

 Mail Alumnae Survey in June 2008  Alumnae Survey/Institutional Research: A new annual  Execution – recruiting alumnae
survey of Smith alumnae at five and ten years

Develop leaders for social change, skilled in teamwork as well as management, and adept at shifting between leader and follower with ease and
flexibility.

 Enroll 20 students in January 2008 Lewis  Expand Lewis Leadership Program  Completed
Leadership Program
 Research for-credit option for Lewis Leadership for
implementation January 2009  Enhance “LEAP” Program: Increase leadership training  Planning
 Enhance LEAP Program

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Develop educational opportunities and continuing programs for alumnae and others, building on areas of strength and the interests of our
constituents.

 Increase opportunities for senior administrators to

travel and meet with alumnae  “Book Discussion with Alumnae” with Maureen Mahoney  Completed – Discussions happened on
& Jennifer Walters leading discussions for those groups campus during Alumnae weekend, as
well as in Arizona, Georgia, Oregon,
 Include 60 alumnae in three President’s Council Maine, New Jersey and California.
meetings (San Francisco, LA and New York City)  President’s Council meetings  Completed - President’s Council
 Include 3 Smith students who can present meetings on west coast and in NYC
information to President’s Councils  Include Smith students in President’s Council meetings  Completed
Contribute substantively to national and international debates on women’s lives.

 Launch Work & Life Research Institute
 Work & Life Research Institute: In addition to running  Study - Research institute would open
programs for students, The Center for Work and Life can 2010 or 2011. Separate endowment
make a contribution to society through research, required.
conducting studies and disseminating data on women’s
lives.
Risks

Not Doing the Project: Students will have a narrow view of "success"

Not Doing the Project: Students will not learn skills for balancing work and life

Not Doing the Project: Students will not take the time or value reflecting on their lives and expectations
Not Doing the Project: Alumnae would look back on Smith as a place where "success" was narrowly-defined, and wouldn't feel comfortable returning to
campus to share what they were doing
Not Doing the Project: Alumnae would look back on Smith as a place where they were told they could "have it all" but weren't given opportunities to learn
about the career paths of real women, the realities (and risks) of "off-ramping" and "on-ramping," and the challenges of navigating care-giving and a career
in the United States

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