TCNJ

23 FALL 2022 On the academic side, we will continue to advance the teacher- scholar model. As teacher-scholars, our faculty bring the students along with them as learners, scholars, and researchers. This shows up in the breadth of undergraduate research opportunities. We are also committed to keeping relatively small class sizes. These mission-driven aspects of TCNJ are non-negotiable because they're central to what has led to such successful outcomes for our students. How do you think TCNJ will look different, physically, in five years? In the coming years, we aim to improve the quality of our residence halls and build new housing. As we did with Campus Town, this could involve working with a partner and building on land owned by the college adjacent to or near campus. Generally, though, we will lean toward renovating existing buildings rather than building new ones. We'd like to locate all of our nursing and health sciences programs in one place, and we hope to expand our Business Building. Also underway is an athletics master plan to identify and prioritize upgrades to facilities that will support our student athletes, intramural, and club programs and help to recruit new participants. We are improving our underground infrastructure — the steam and water piping — so that it can support us for the next 50 to 70 years. If you visit campus this fall, you will see a lot of trenching as we work on that project. So you don't plan to sleep for the next 10 years? Not only do I not plan to sleep, but the team does not plan to sleep. There's so much going on. We are consciously building partnerships — with other academic institutions, with communities, with governments, with nonprofit organizations, with employers for internships or other kinds of opportunities. Going forward, students, staff, faculty, and alumni can expect us to continue our commitment to excellence and become even more distinctive, more impactful, and more diverse. You mentioned alumni. What role do they play in planning the future of the college? Our alumni lead the way in telling the story of TCNJ through their successes and contributions to their professions and communities. In turn, we love to hear about and celebrate their achievements. More formally, our outstanding alumni association provides many ways to keep our alums connected to the college and support the institution. They bring visibility on a national and international level to The College of New Jersey. It's so wonderful when alumni introduce us to prospective students or employees by saying, "Hey, take a look at this great place." We always appreciate when alumni are engaged; for example, when they attend events here, participate on panels, or offer internships or job shadowing opportunities. Our alumni are also generous when it comes to financial and philanthropic support. All these ways of connecting let our students see that their TCNJ commu- nity doesn't end when they walk across the stage and get their diploma. Rather, they've entered a large network of 90,000 people who know this place and care about it. ■ Christopher Hann is editor at River Towns Magazine. "Students, staff, faculty, and alumni can expect us to continue our commitment to excellence and become even more distinctive, more impactful, and more diverse." 5 PETER MURPHY

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