Uniting the Divisions

As a consequence of the conversations that ensued from the IGSD brainstorming and from the first meeting of the Venice 2.0 committee, today I presented the Venice Anniversary to the staff of the WPI Marketing and Communications Division. Eileen convened the meeting as interim head of the division and Rick participated as head of the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division (IGSD). Our global program is (un?)arguably a major distinguishing feature of our education and an inexhaustible source of great marketing and P.R. opportunities. Anniversaries at all our centers could be great occasions to highlight our global accomplishments at regular intervals, giving us all a chance to step back and take stock in what we have contributed to our local communities around the world. Our two divisions should be working together on a regular basis, using anniversaries as catalysts for continual introspection, reflection, outreach to alumni and sponsors, scholarly dissemination as well as for well-deserved media coverage, publicity and marketing. The Venice 2.0 celebrations will be an experiment in this important context as well.