Discussion with President Richard C. Levin

President Richard C. Levin met today in Battell Chapel with Yale supervisors to outline the University’s strategic goals for the next five years. The supervisors gathering followed a series of meetings that the president and Provost Peter Salovey held in recent weeks with groups of Yale faculty.

“These are ideas that even in a pared-down budget will be front and center in our aspirations,” Levin said of the goals. He expressed confidence that Yale would meet its need to balance its budget over the next few years as it worked to achieve the overarching strategic goals.

The goals outlined by the president focus on maintaining Yale’s extraordinary strengths and moving Yale forward in areas that offer opportunities for advancement that address society’s needs.

President Levin’s update on the state of the University held in Battell Chapel VIDEO Chapter 1: Introduction to Yale University’s Priorities Chapter 2: Priorities for Academic Programs Chapter 3: Priorities: Internationalization, in New Haven and with West Campus Chapter 4: Priority of Managerial Excellence Chapter 5: The Near-Term Budget Issue Chapter 6: Conclusion

The president described the following strategic goals for the University:

• Sustain the excellence of Yale College
• Maintain leadership in the arts, humanities and social sciences
• Ensure the continued pre-eminence of Yale Law School
• Strengthen science and engineering
• Broaden and deepen the clinical excellence of the School of Medicine
• Raise the School of Management to the top tier among business schools
• Extend Yale’s leadership in internationalization throughout the University and the world
• Establish global leadership in environmental research, education, and practice
• Support economic development and school reform in New Haven
• Develop the West Campus to advance science, medicine and the arts
• Create a culture of excellence in management and business operations

Levin said that the majority of the projected budget shortfall for the University caused by the decline in the Endowment had been closed by the steps taken by the University a year ago, including through the postponement of capital projects and salary freezes.  He said Yale was currently looking at all areas to produce additional savings, including the ending of redundancies in operations and using restricted funds in broader ways. Levin asked the staff to continue to offer suggestions for savings by the University.

“This won’t last forever,” he said of the current world economy that has caused a $6.5 billion decline in the Endowment. “The economy will start growing again. Our endowment has begun to come back very, very slightly. I’m confident in our future.”