Bruce Shepard's WWU Stakeholder Survey*: Preliminary Findings and Reflections**

I cannot help it: I am an academic and love learning, the steeper the learning curve, the better. This last month, I have been learning all I can about Western Washington University. Many people have helped. About 100 people — campus, community, and state leaders — responded in writing to a series of open-ended questions about Western: our strengths, challenges, and future. The replies came about equally from community members involved with Western and from campus faculty, professional staff, and classified colleagues.

Individually and in small groups, I have met face-to-face with another 135 people, spending an hour or more in focused discussion with each. A majority of these meetings involved off-campus groups and stretched around our region and across our state: elected local, legislative, and statewide officials; editorial boards for 5 newspapers; presidents of community colleges, technical colleges, and public and private universities; leaders in the private sector, generous benefactors; current and incoming students, and proud alumni. In larger gatherings, I have socialized with an additional 620 folks, continuing to learn about WWU through these necessarily briefer and more casual conversations.

A remarkably consistent picture emerges. Before turning to that picture, I want to first express a sincere "thank you" to all who have made this busy month so valuable for me: all those who took time to talk with me, certainly, but also the talented administrative team who made the complicated arrangements. Second, I emphasize that this summary represents a beginning of the learning process and not a culmination. We must each be committed to continuing the learning process — I learning from you, of course, but also, together, learning from each other. (See comments from listening sessions during fall 2008)

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* Link to Survey Questions

** Note: Those completing the survey that I report on here were promised confidentiality and further promised that only I would see their replies.  That is exactly what happened.  I wrote all drafts of this report (and the opening convocation remarks that followed from this report).  However, I did benefit by the review and helpful suggestions made by about 20 people who generously considered earlier drafts.  I incorporated many suggestions of others, including two or three sentences, verbatim, proposed by others.  And finally, as we are just becoming acquainted, I need to comment on style.  I have written this report in a conversational style.  As president, it is conversations I seek, and you can count on my consistently using a style appropriate to that purpose.

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