The Framework for the Future's Discovery Working Group
is currently reviewing 74 proposals
submitted in response to Provost Kristina Johnson's call
for initiatives in research, scholarship,
creativity, teaching and practice that have the capacity to
make major breakthroughs at the
boundaries and frontiers of disciplinary knowledge.
In May, Johnson and President William R. Brody
initiated Framework for
the Future, a strategic
planning process intended to engage the university
community in thinking about what Johns Hopkins
needs to do to maintain its leadership in research,
discovery, education and practice, while continuing
to positively influence a global society.
The Discovery Working Group, which is facilitated by
Michela Gallagher, vice provost for
academic affairs, will identify and recommend a portfolio
of initiatives to present to the Provost's
Strategic Planning Steering Committee, chaired by
Johnson.
Gallagher said that the working group was very pleased
by the response.
"This process is a testimonial to the enterprising
academic culture at Johns Hopkins and the
creative minds of our faculty," she said. "In addition to
an impressive number of submitted proposals,
there is enormous breadth and innovation in crosscutting
initiatives."
Gallagher said that the group expects to post the
proposal abstracts on the Framework Web
site within the next week or two.
As announced earlier, the Provost's Office will
provide start-up funding in the form of
planning/seed grants of up to $200,000 per year for three
years to ignite new areas and strengthen
existing ones where cross-disciplinary interactions make a
major difference.
The overall goal of the Framework planning process,
Johnson said, "is to develop an integrated
and inspired plan that articulates a shared vision for what
will define a great university in the 21st
century." It sets academic priorities for deepening the
university's excellence and further
differentiating JHU from its peers, and invests in
crosscutting initiatives to ensure greater global
impact.
Additional information on the proposals and the
selection process is available at
www.jhu.edu/fff.