In this document we present the vision that will guide the Feinstein International Center for the next ten years. We explain how the Center will build on its current international status and expertise in combining research, teaching and institutional change activities. We explain how it will respond to opportunities for growth, and how the Center will achieve greater impact in alleviating suffering and protecting the rights of marginalized and vulnerable people affected by conflict and crisis. Integral to our vision is the systematic use of processes that help ensure that community-level needs and aspirations are understood and prioritized in the actions and policies of national and international bodies.
Our vision requires the Center to change and grow in six key interrelated areas:
- We will reshape our programs and enable more multidisciplinary and reflective approaches to research that optimize both the Center’s and the University’s collective expertise.
- We will further develop our existing expertise in institutional change and become a key resource for organizations wishing to adapt to an increasingly complex operational and policy environment.
- We will strengthen our teaching within the University and build the capacity of our academic partners overseas to offer quality and affordable courses on humanitarian issues.
- We will greatly improve our capacity to disseminate our research to a wide audience, from academics to policy makers to community-based partners.
- We will work strategically with a global network of individuals and organizations who share the Center’s vision – as the hub of an international and diverse group of actors committed to making a difference in the most threatened and most marginalized communities.
- We will secure the future of our Africa-based work, and therefore enhance our capacity both for long-term engagement with local partners and for validating our research with communities in crisis.
In defining the way forward, the Center recognizes the non-linear, rapidly-evolving and highly politicized nature of the systems that affect those caught up in conflict and crisis. This is a challenging environment in which to work. Our ten-year vision and three-year strategic plan aim to strengthen the Center while also retaining its flexibility to respond to new challenges and new threats.
We invite our fellow faculty, our partners and collaborators around the world to join us in what we believe is a truly compelling endeavor.