Compass 2035 Update

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month, many of you joined us for a special First Tuesdays event to mark an important moment in the life of the college: the launch of Compass 2035, which will guide the next chapter of our strategic work. Thank you for your presence, your engagement, and your commitment to Smith’s future.

I was pleased to share at that event, and again here, that the Smith College Board of Trustees has formally endorsed the Campus Use Plan (CUP).

The CUP—an essential companion to Compass 2035—will steer the implementation of our strategic goals as they apply to Smith’s physical campus. It reflects wide-ranging consultation—including thoughtful input from students, faculty, staff, and alums—and many months of careful analysis. Together, these plans position us to steward our extraordinary campus responsibly with intention, aligning our facilities with the college’s academic priorities, student experience goals, values of inclusivity and belonging, and long-term financial and environmental sustainability.

Board endorsement of the CUP marks an important milestone, but it is not the end of the conversation. It signals our collective readiness to move from vision to action, and from planning to disciplined, values-driven implementation.

This readiness is the catalyst for moving into the next phase of our strategic plan. The key initiatives of Compass 2035 will advance through working groups that will be tasked with engaging in further analysis to determine the sequencing, resource alignment, measurable outcomes, and accountability required to implement each initiative.

In concert with the efforts of the working groups, we will develop a cohesive approach to funding our strategic initiatives. This work will involve identifying fundraising opportunities, assessing existing funds that may be repurposed, and applying discernment about where we focus our time and resources—setting aside lower-priority activities so that we can fully advance our highest strategic priorities.

In the months ahead, we will provide opportunities for you to review the CUP in greater detail. We will also share more about early priorities that will move forward in 2026, how Compass 2035 implementation progress will be tracked and shared, and the opportunities we will provide for continued community engagement.

Smith’s strength has always been its community—people with insight, diligence, and deep care for this institution. Thank you for helping to shape a campus and a future that strengthens and sustains our mission.

Sincerely,

Sarah Willie-LeBreton
President