All of us here today have performed a diversity of roles and contributed a diversity of gifts to this endeavor. This planning conference is yet another opportunity to weave those disparate fibers together, to gauge how far we have come and determine what the overall picture is telling us.
Understandably, there are still sizeable gaps, and as in the past, we ought to be decisive in dealing with the challenges we face. “Strengthening the cornerstones of excellence.” This is the theme of our strategic planning exercise for this year.