Dean Barry Bloom

HSPH has undergone a set of professional reviews to determine how to use the limited resources of the school to "make the biggest difference to changing the world, to improving the health of the world, and to being the best we can for our students and for our community," said Bloom in his opening remarks.

Results from the Great Place to Work (GPTW) survey of school faculty and staff taken last spring have been compiled, and a process to respond to comments and questions is underway. One overwhelming finding from the survey is that employees want more communication with administration. There is a real interest in finding out what is going on at the school and how things work at HSPH, said Bloom. A team of senior staff is working on a multi-step plan to address GPTW survey results.

Bloom described a vision for the school as a global player in health and health policy, creating opportunities and resources to respond to public health needs. He wants to promote a collegial and inclusive dialogue at HSPH that reflects a sense of community at the school, and he emphasized that everyone at HSPH has something to contribute.

Broadly speaking, Bloom described four public health agendas of interest to HSPH. Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria, remain a bane to public health, claiming the lives of millions each year. As people live longer, chronic diseases are expected to take an increasing toll on health. Cases of injuries and violence make up the third largest cause of the burden of disease in the world and are an unnecessary epidemic, he said. And, as if coping with established health threats were not challenging enough, HSPH must prepare to respond to yet unknown future epidemics, said Bloom.

Dean James Ware

Since 1992, the number of staff at HSPH has increased from 451 to 802 members.

"We see that this is a school whose success depends very, very fundamentally on the effectiveness of our staff," said Ware.

Over the past 10 years, the number of staff from minority groups has increased 12 percentage points.

"Our core value as a school is that we welcome people from every part of the community and support them and encourage them based upon their effectiveness as members of our staff," said Ware.

This year, there are more students enrolled at HSPH than at any other time in the school’s history. The number of students from underrepresented groups has grown over the past 10 years, and Ware acknowledged that efforts to increase the diversity of the student body need to continue. International students represent one-third of HSPH’s student body. Both Ware and Bloom recognized the desire for more money to be allocated for scholarships.

Once a school largely organized around a nine-month academic calendar, HSPH now features a 12-month academic calendar, with a burgeoning summer program and a first-ever WinterSession, at the behest of HSPH students, that will offer credit and non-credit courses.

During the last accreditation cycle, the school received excellent or good ratings in every category. HSPH has been reaccredited for seven years without conditions, an unusual achievement among schools of public health, said Ware.

Since 1990, the number of primary faculty appointments has grown by approximately 40 percent. There is a total of 364 faculty members currently at HSPH, 189 of whom have primary appointments.

Like efforts to increase diversity in the student body, Ware said HSPH is working towards recruiting faculty from underrepresented minority groups.

Ware described the recent lease of space at the Landmark Center on Park Drive and the unveiling of a new shuttle service between the main HSPH complex and the Landmark Center.

While no decision has yet been made, preliminary discussions are underway at the University level of possibly moving the main HSPH campus to Allston/Brighton. The move, if it were to happen, would probably take place more than a decade from now. HSPH will conduct focus group meetings and interviews with faculty, staff, and administration to gather feedback about the potential move. The University is expected to make a decision about the use of the Allston/Brighton campus by the end of the summer of 2003.

The school is in good financial shape, said Ware, and has operated within its budget for many years.

Working with data collected and analyzed by a consulting group, HSPH administration is identifying sources of finances, ways of increasing resources, and priorities for spending.

The school is also undergoing a two-year strategic planning process meant to identify goals for the school.

A webcast of the "State of the School Address" at www.hsph.harvard.edu/stateoftheschool/ can be accessed by HSPH members from the school’s campus.

HSPH members are encouraged to fill out a survey about the address, available at www.hsph.harvard.edu/stateoftheschool/.

Watch for an upcoming issue of Harvard Public Health NOW, which will include a special insert that will answer faculty, staff, and student questions raised during the address or in feedback surveys.