President’s Report

Leadership Matters

The Report of the President will be organized primarily around the IMSA Impact and Outcomes document and IMSA’s two continuing priorities for the 2020-2021 Academic Year. Below, I describe the purpose of the Report of the President, the elements of the IMSA Impact and Outcomes document, and how IMSA’s two priorities are aligned to our strategic direction.

The purpose of the Report of the President is to provide information to the IMSA Board of Trustees regarding Academy activities and the progress we are making toward achieving our IMSA Impact and Outcomes statement, “By 2022, IMSA is a recognized global leader and catalyst in equity and excellence in STEM teaching and learning, innovation and entrepreneurship.” This Impact and Outcomes statement and priority outcomes were approved by the Board of Trustees on January 16, 2016 and re-affirmed on May 17, 2017. As you know, the Impact and Outcomes document sets the direction for IMSA and supports IMSA’s mission and beliefs. Additionally, I send the Report of the President to the IMSA community.

Mission

To ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds that advance the human condition

Beliefs

We believe that…

  • All people have equal intrinsic worth.
  • All people have choices and are responsible for their actions.
  • Belonging to a community requires commitment to the common good.
  • Diverse perspectives enrich understanding and inspire discovery and creativity.
  • Honesty, trust and respect are vital for any relationship to thrive.
  • Learning never ends.
  • Meaning is constructed by the learner.
  • No one’s path in life is predetermined.
  • The ability to discern and create connections is the essence of understanding.
  • We are all stewards of our planet.
  • We can significantly improve life on our planet.

IMSA Operational Excellence Dashboard

To clearly define what I mean by progress toward achieving the Impact and Outcomes statement and priority outcomes, I have provided the Board of Trustees a document, the “IMSA Operational Excellence Dashboard.” The Dashboard contains 15 indicators, which are aligned to one or more of eight Priority Outcomes organized under four Pillars and one Strategy in support of the Impact and Outcomes statement. The indicators are lead measures of progress toward the priority outcomes. The targets for each indicator are established annually with an “end date” of June 30 of each year.

One Impact and Outcomes Statement: “By 2022, IMSA is a recognized global leader and catalyst in equity and excellence in STEM teaching and learning, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Four Pillars:
  1. STEM Teaching and Learning
  2. Operational Capacity
  3. Stakeholder Engagement
  4. Equity and Excellence
One Strategy:
  1. Employee Engagement
Eight Priority Outcomes organized under the three pillars and one strategy:
  1. STEM Teaching and Learning
    1. Develop Educator STEM Proficiency
    2. Broaden Student STEM Participation and Interest
    3. Develop Students’ STEM Thinking
    4. Strengthen Identity as a Learning Laboratory: Current Theme: United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals
  2. Operational Capacity
    1. Build Fiscal Sustainability and Grow Programs
  3. Stakeholder Engagement
    1. Build the IMSA Ecosystem
    2. Strategy
      • Strengthen Employee Engagement
  4. Equity and Excellence
    1. Implement the Equity and Excellence Plan: Year 1
Fifteen Indicators organized under the seven priority outcomes:
  1. STEM Teaching and Learning
    • Develop Educator STEM Proficiency
      • Impact on non-IMSA educators’ practice as a result of participating in professional development delivered by IMSA’s Center for Teaching and Learning (delivered directly or indirectly)
    • Broaden Student STEM Participation and Interest
      • Number of contact hours with non-IMSA students for STEM instruction
    • Develop Students’ STEM Thinking
      • Percent of IMSA students who show significant growth in scientific and quantitative reasoning during the 3 years at IMSA
      • Percent of IMSA students who score at the advanced level by senior year
    • Strengthen Identity as a Learning Laboratory: Current Theme: United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals
      • Number of contributions from IMSA community members to any body of knowledge
      • Number of new IMSA tools or curricula created
  2. Operational Capacity
    • Build Fiscal Sustainability and Grow Programs
      • Number of additional schools impacted
      • Total revenue from non-state appropriated sources
      • Amount of IMSA reserves
  3. Stakeholder Engagement
    • Build the IMSA Ecosystem
      • Number of alumni engaged
      • Number of additional partner organizations at IMSA
  4.  Strategy
    • Strengthen Employee Engagement
      • Percent of engaged employees
  5. Equity and Excellence
    • Implement the Equity and Excellence Plan: Year 1
      • Degree of Cultural Competence Evident as an Academy
      • Increase in Diversity of Faculty
      • Percent increase in Student Diversity Climate survey stating that Black students feel safer on campus because of their race

For each indicator, my Cabinet and I annually establish measurable targets. While we may reach the target for some indicators before June 30, our goal is to meet or exceed all of our annual targets by June 30.

IMSA Priorities for Academic Year 2020-2021

Additionally, Cabinet and I establish annual Academy priorities, which are aligned to the IMSA Impact and Outcomes document described above and/or the IMSA Operational Excellence Dashboard. The two continuing Priorities for Academic Year 2020-2021 and their alignment are as follows:

  1. Equity and Excellence Plan: Year One of Action
  2. Beyond Surviving. Resolved to Thrive

To streamline the Report of the President for Academic Year 2020-2021, I will organize the Report around the IMSA Impact and Outcomes statement, pillars and strategy, and the two priorities. Additional information and updates on IMSA, are included in my Personal Reflections that provide general observations shared with IMSA stakeholders throughout the year.

Leadership Updates

A final component of the Report of the President is leadership updates from Cabinet members. My Cabinet for Academic Year 2020-2021 consists of:

  • Ms. Katie Berger – Chief Student Affairs Officer
  • Ms. Traci D. Ellis, JD – Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Equity Officer, Chief Legal Officer
  • Dr. Comfort Akwaji-Anderson – Principal & Chief Academic Officer
  • Dr. Norman “Storm” Robinson, III – Chief Innovation and Education Officer
  • Ms. Alexis R. Thomas, JD – Chief Strategy Officer