The One-MICA Roadmap to a stronger, bolder, and more resilient College.

Introduction:


The R5 Roadmap is a clear, focused, pragmatic, aspirational, and campuswide approach to navigate through the COVID-19 crisis. It functions as both a shared campus mindset and a concrete action framework that will serve as our holistic strategy for campus reopening, predictive problem solving, and ultimately the shaping of a stronger, bolder, and more resilient MICA.

This document explains what it is, how it works, and sets forth our One-Team MICA efforts.

R5 Explained:


What does R5 stand for?

R5 stands for an interrelated set of 5 action strands that—thoughtfully integrated—can achieve distinctive goals and collective impact in guiding MICA’s successful navigation through COVID-19 challenges and opportunities to emerge as a stronger, more resilient, and more innovative institution and community

Those actions strands are:

What are the distinct goals of each R5 action strand?

Respond

Make decisions and steer activities that address critical issues during the onset, escalation, and duration of the crisis —including the near- and mid-term issues arising from the “fallout” of these decisions and actions.

Reopen

Plan for, monitor the conditions of, and implement the staged return of on-campus education and operation —including the designing by campus teams and the readiness of alternative and hybridized approaches.

Recover

Plan for, make decisions, and put in place teamwork practice for crisis de-escalation and a return to stability—including the projection of a multi-year trajectory of fiscal, educational, and operational efforts that are required.

Reimagine

Leverage the COVID-19 navigation for an institutional re-think that holistically considers MICA’s educational, operational, fiscal, and community dimensions—understanding what are the productive ruptures from and transformations of existing methods/culture/habits, what are the opportunities embedded in the crisis for fruitful experimentation, and how such transformations and opportunities should be harnessed in MICA’s readiness for not just a “new normal” but a “better normal.”

Remake

Put into plans and actions the re-think goals and objectives—and, importantly, applying the lessons and ideas from all above strands to adjust and shape an even smarter and bolder MICA Strategic Plan 2021-2026, as the Strategic Plan is the College’s blueprint to capture big thinking and structuralize commitments as actions.

How do the R5 strands interrelate for collective impact?

There is a logical sequence to some R5 actions—for example, the crisis response that closed the campus in March 2020 precedes our consideration of campus reopening. However, a lot of R5 thinking and actions need to occur simultaneously in order to maximize immediate results and future benefits—for example, the fluidity and inclusivity of virtual meetings, as well as some innovative aspects of remote and alternate teaching and learning should stimulate insights and be harvested to shape a more flexible and hybridized pedagogy and operation at MICA. All R5 strands must productively intersect with each other.

remote operations

The R5 Building Blocks


R5 is built on 4 foundational building blocks. These critical components are in place—and will be kept current—for our R5 Roadmap work to accomplish its intended outcomes:

MICA’s Guiding Principles of COVID-19 Navigation


our ethical and logistical compass for prioritization in planning and action.

View Appendix A (PDF)

Up-to-Date COVID-19 Projections and Reopening Guidance


for Baltimore and beyond—our information base for decision making and action implementation.

View Appendix B (PDF)

Scenarios for Fall 2020 Academic Reopening


our framework for team planning informed by the above Projections and Guidance.

View Appendix C (PDF)

One-MICA R5 Planning Coordination


our connection of new and existing teams for a transparent campuswide R5 effort that fosters broad input and ownership

View Appendix D (PDF)

The RWork Groups


R5 connects and coordinates largely existing teams and ongoing work with select additions, where gaps exist, for a transparent campuswide effort that fosters broad input and ownership.

There are two types of workgroups:

A Workgroups:
AY21 Reopening


Based on campus work groups that are already in place, the Reopening or “A” Workgroups are directed to focus their May to October 2020 work on MICA’s campus reopening.

View “A” Workgroups

L Workgroups:
Long Arc


The Log-Arc or “L” work groups, are a smaller set of cross-functional HUB-like groups for large-theme work, de-siloed planning, and harvesting of ideas and recommendations from the “A” groups..

View “L” Workgroups

A key principle of R5 is to facilitate campus teamwork without overburdening MICA members in an extraordinarily demanding and busy time. To that end, each R5 work group is charged with a common approach for clarity while allowing plenty of room for each work group to self-determine and customize its specific ways to meet the common charge

A Common Approach for All Workgroups


AY21 Reopening (“A”) Work Groups are charged to plan for and deliver a report with two parts:

    • Part A: Plan for the multiple reopening scenarios with corresponding staging activities
      • The content should outline requisite factors, actions and milestones
      • Corresponding to Respond/Reopen/Recover
    • Part B: The re-imagined and desired remaking of MICA post COVID-19
      • The content should articulate the shifts, rationale, desired outcomes, recommendations, and proposed next steps
      • Corresponding to Reimagine/Remake

Long-Arc (“L”) Work Groups are charged to:

    • Apply Part A planning from S work groups to the institutional COVID-19 navigation work
    • Incorporate Part B ideas from the A work groups, along with their own contributions, into Strategic Plan 2021-2026

Customization by Each Workgroup

It is up to each work group to develop its customized list of investigative questions, agendas, and milestones. It is up to each work group to decide how to ensure collaboration and rich input from other sources so that its decision-making can be informed by multiple perspectives and new partnerships. Possible means include surveys, interviews, and additional group member(s).

The R5Additional Resources


R5 Community Town Hall Replay

Watch a replay of the May 11th Community Town Hall where R5 and many other topics are discussed.