What makes an academic department elite?

Last week, our department (Soil and Crop Sciences) held a hackathon at Colorado State University's Mountain Campus to refine our strategic plan towards our vision of "Developing the Agroecosystems of the future". It was so nice to be together in person again. I can't tell you how fortunate I am to lead an elite team of scientists, teachers, and support staff that share a passion for making the world a better place.

When you think of elite academic departments, what comes to mind? Likely, you think of the superstar faculty that have earned prestigious awards, lots of high profile papers and a large amount of grant support. We have all of that, but that is not what makes us special.

Here are some reflections on what makes our department elite.

1. Mutual Respect and Accountability. Everyone has earned respect for what they bring to the department, whether they are a world-renowned scientist with a well-funded lab, a teacher dedicated to pedagogy, or critical admin assistant. They are all equally important to our success.

2. Mission-driven. Everyone in our department is here because they believe in our mission and the potential for greater impact by working together. They believe in engaged research that ultimately solves a stakeholder problem. Together, we developed and have largely executed an ambitious and specific strategic plan, and we are all rowing in the same direction.

3. Empathy. We care. About each other, our community, and our world. We honor diverse perspectives and strive for an inclusive and welcoming environment for all (there is always more work to do on this). We share a set of core values.

4. Courage. We are willing to be self-critical and make hard decisions that will move us forward, rather than clinging to the past. We are always striving to improve and be better. We are willing to stop doing some things in order to focus on what is most important.

As our culture has developed, we've attracted new members to our department that further enhance these attributes, building on success and reaching ever higher in our ambitions.

Thanks to Sarabeth Berk, Ph.D. for great facilitation of our hackathon using #designthinking tools, and to Scott Wiley for helping us to craft our strategic plan.