The Bold Ideas Group, a committee designed to formulate initiatives for the University that would simultaneously enhance its profile and generate revenue, released its report last Friday in a campuswide e-mail sent by Provost Marty Krauss, the chair of the committee. According to the report, the members of BIG recommended exploring the expansion of the master's programs and hybrid learning, which entails a combination of online and on-campus learning. The report also recommended developing new high school programming. The University currently supports three high school programs: Genesis, a Jewish academic summer program; BIMA, a Jewish summer arts program; and Impact Boston, a program that provides high-school students with volunteer experience in service organizations in the Boston area.

University President Jehuda Reinharz established BIG last fall with the goal of the group establishing new initiatives that would simultaneously enhance Brandeis' profile while generating at least $2 million in additional revenue.

The report explains that the Rabb School of Graduate and Professional Studies currently yields $2 million in revenue for the University and that the plan to expand the master's programs would be a "vertical" in the sense that the school would aim to increase the number of students already enrolled in the six master's programs rather than add new programs.

The report further states that the Graduate School of Professional Studies will seek a firm to recruit students and has reached out to two firms, Embanet and Colloquy 360. Krauss said in an interview with the Justice that the University is currently in talks with a third firm and hopes to make a selection by the summer.

Krauss said that the University will initially aim to increase enrollment in the master's program for Management of Projects and Programs in GPS because it is one of the more popular programs. "It's a little bit of a trial period to see what it takes to increase enrollment. The advice we have gotten is to start with a program that has a proven track record and improve that program," she said.

In addition to advocating the expansion of students in the master's programs, the report highlights the possibility of making certain degrees hybrids, in which the courses would take place both online and on campus. In an effort to identify which graduate programs should become hybrids, the report recommends "that the provost work with the deans of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School to identify graduate degrees where Brandeis has a competitive advantage."

Krauss emphasized that the concept of hybrid degrees is "still on the drawing board" and that after the University has experience working with an outside vendor and expanding master's programs, "we will also investigate what other kinds of master's programs might be amenable to a hybrid format." She added that this concept would entail work with academic deans and faculty.

"Hybrid programs are something we will be working towards, not something we are trying to work on right now," she said. Additionally, the report endorsed a recommendation from the Distance Learning Program regarding the implementation of the Provost's Distance Learning Advisory Committee, which would serve as an advisory body for online master's programs. According to the report, members of the committee will be selected in the fall and will ultimately make recommendations to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Council, the Graduate Professional School Council and the provost.

The report's third recommendation is to increase the University's high school programming. The report states, "This project could move in several directions and possibly include English as a Second Language, online courses, for-credit courses through Summer School, internships, and Advanced Placement and could evolve into half-year and gap year programs," and that the effort to develop these programs will take approximately three to five years. According to the report, Director of High School Programs Bradley Solmsen will form an advisory group for faculty interested in these initiatives.

Krauss said that the University is currently engaging in outreach to universities with successful high school programming to gather information. "By the end of the summer, we will have a sense of what types of high school programs will be appropriate." she said.

The report concludes that the University Advisory Council will assume responsibility for "soliciting, reviewing and recommending BIG ideas in the future."

The report also recommends that the Presidential Search Committee take these ideas into account when interviewing candidates to fill Reinharz's position after he steps down. A search process is currently under way to find his replacement.