The Orbis Cascade Alliance’s vision is to be “a vital partner in advancing transformative learning and research and creating equity in higher education.” A critical philosophy and strategy to effect this desired change is “Open.” This concept of Open prioritizes free, public sharing of information, data, and creative works for re-use as a means of advancing knowledge generally. Open also provides the means for individuals to advocate for both themselves and their communities.

To support the Alliance’s strategic goals, it is important to identify and prioritize opportunities for meaningful, collective action related to Open. This prioritization likewise supports our members who are taking institutional action to advance Open practices within higher education. This approach requires holistic consideration of all Open strategies and practices deployed throughout the scholarly communication ecosystem, and especially within the context of the Alliance’s diverse institutional membership.

Such consideration helps answer two core questions:

• What is best done by the Alliance, rather than individually or through other partnerships?
• Which open strategies will have the greatest impact on advancing the Alliance’s vision?

This task force brings together stakeholders from multiple program and library areas to develop and define a coordinated Alliance open strategy with clear goals, shared priorities, and corresponding recommended activities that will help ensure the cohesion, and optimize the impact, of any Alliance investment in Open.

Goals

• Identify opportunities for Alliance engagement within the ‘open’ landscape that will support the Alliance’s mission and strategic goals and will provide unique value to member institutions by contributing in tangible ways to their educational goals and financial sustainability.
• Recommend new, high-impact activities for the Alliance in support of open.

Deliverables

The Open Strategies Task Force will prepare two reports for the Alliance Board and Council, detailing their activities, findings, recommendations, and projected costs for any recommended projects:

• Interim Report (January 2021): Short-term recommendations with any required expenses for FY22.
• Final Report: (May 2021): All recommendations (short- and long-term) and any accompanying final documentation (e.g. multi-year budget proposals).