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November 8, 2002
Dear Members of the MBL Community,
Last June I wrote to introduce you to the strategic planning process that the Marine Biological Laboratory had embarked upon a few months earlier. This is the second in a series of communications designed to keep members of the MBL community informed of our deliberations and progress.
As you know, John Dowling and I are responsible for directing the strategic planning process, with help from the consulting firm McKinsey and Company, members of the Board of Trustees, resident and summer scientists, and staff. Since I last wrote, Phase II task forces on Summer & Visiting Research, Education, and Resident Research have completed their work, and new, Phase III task forces on Governance, Affiliation, Facilities, and Finances are finalizing their deliberations. Together, these task forces have expanded the participation in the strategic planning process from 19 Steering Committee members to nearly 60 people representing all facets of the MBL Community.
Participation grew even further this summer when John and I hosted a series of meetings with members of the summer research community, course faculty, and resident investigators and staff. These sessions provided valuable and thoughtful feedback.
I’m pleased to report that our efforts to date have yielded consensus in a number of areas, which I’ll outline below. First, I’d like to emphasize that we are still in the process of developing the strategic plan for the MBL. As this process progresses, we continue to welcome your comments and suggestions.
Phase II Task Forces: Resident Research
During the spring of 2002, three Phase II task forces were established and charged with addressing a series of "researchable questions." The first, chaired by John Dowling and George Logan, examined questions associated with "Ensuring distinctiveness and collaboration in resident research." The group reached consensus on the following points:
- Year-round research initiatives should ordinarily be developed and encouraged within the Center or Program model.
- Within five to ten years, the MBL should host four major resident research Centers in the fields of molecular, cellular, organismal, and systems science. The MBL currently hosts two Centers and four Programs in these areas: the Bay Paul Center and the Program in Global Infectious Diseases (molecular), The Ecosystems Center (systems), Architectural Dynamics in Living Cells Program and the BioCurrents Research Center (cellular); and the Marine Resources Center (organismal).
- Interdisciplinary research opportunities should be fostered among centers, with the education program, and among summer and visiting scientists.
- Functional services such as animal care, sequencing, imaging, and information technology should be linked to a center but administered to assure availability to the entire community.
- Joint Ph.D. programs should be developed to provide a source of graduate students for resident laboratories.
- Industrial alliances should be established to build on MBL’s historical strengths, especially in imaging.
Phase II Task Forces: Education
The second task force, chaired by Kerry Bloom and Howard Jacobson, explored ways to "Ensure continued excellence in education." It reached consensus on the following:
- The MBL should focus on graduate and post-graduate education with the understanding that a limited number of undergraduate programs may exist.
- The MBL should use an increasingly opportunistic approach to extend the education program year-round.
- Joint Ph.D. program(s) should be developed to provide a source of graduate students for the laboratories, requiring a Dean/Provost.
- The scope of the Education Committee’s assessment responsibilities should be broadened to cover all educational activities. In addition, the Education Committee should report to the Director/CEO or his/her designee.
- The administrative organization that oversees the education program should be restructured.
- Rigorous assessment criteria should be developed to ensure the distinctiveness and impact of MBL courses relative to the MBL’s overall mission.
- Institutional support for the education program should be expanded, especially in the areas of leadership, housing and transportation, and modernized facilities.
Phase II Task Forces: Summer and Visiting Research
The third Phase II task force, chaired by Joan Ruderman and Vin Ryan, looked at "Attracting the next generation of scientists" to the summer and visiting research program. The group reached consensus on the following:
- The MBL should leverage the existing strength and uniqueness of the summer research program, which has made us world famous.
- The MBL should create more favorable conditions to attract the next generation of scientists by:
- Encouraging collaboration among scientists by focusing on major research themes, where appropriate;
- Attracting new magnet scientists to move beyond current activities;
- Providing additional fellowship funds;
- Renovating the Whitman building;
- Developing a plan to address governance and administrative support issues for this activity.
Phase III Task Forces
In the late summer, four Phase III task forces were established to address issues and build upon the ideas generated during Phase II.
A task force on Governance chaired by Robert Palazzo and George Logan was charged with recommending refinements to the MBL’s governance and administrative structure.
A second task force on Affiliations chaired by Gerald Weissmann and Al Zeien was asked to recommend affiliations to support the overall mission of the Laboratory.
A third task force on Facilities chaired by George Langford and John Lakian was responsible for developing a preliminary plan for facilities, housing, and support services.
Finally, a forth task force on Finances co-chaired by Mitchell Sogin and Vin Ryan was asked to quantify financial requirements and funding options to facilitate an informed prioritization of resources relative to the strategic plan.
Next Steps
John Dowling and I recently met with the members of the Steering Committee to review the recommendations of the Phase III task forces. Refined recommendations will be presented to the Board of Trustees at their November 15th meeting. In my next letter, I will describe these recommendations in detail and outline where the process will take us in the coming months. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact John or me, or anyone on the Steering Committee, if you have any concerns or questions about the strategic planning process.
With thorough planning and an inclusive process, we are confident that we will develop a strategic plan that will ensure that the Marine Biological Laboratory continues to make unique and distinguished contributions to the life sciences. Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Sincerely yours,
William T. Speck, M.D.
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