At the Board of Visitors Educational Policy Committee meeting Monday, faculty members discussed the impact of their Cross-Grounds Initiatives on the University's future.
One year after beginning these projects, initiative leaders presented their plans for the year ahead, explaining how these initiatives would "further [distinguish] the University," University Provost Arthur Garson said.
The Commission on the Future of the University has identified priorities and core values that are addressed through the Cross-Grounds Initiatives, he said. The three priorities are student experience, international programs and science, and technology and research.
"The priorities obviously interact," Garson said, explaining that although the initiatives were not designed to be entirely synergistic, they often overlap. "A lot of the different initiatives crossed the different core values and the different priorities."
There are four initiatives in the student experience category, though some also address other priorities.
One of these, the Jefferson Public Citizens program, is unique in how it links research, service and leadership, said Milton Adams, vice-provost for academic programs. The public service program engages participating students in the community through both service projects and coursework. Garson noted that participating students have applied for public service grants within the United States and internationally.
JPC is the result of "a decade-long conversation really on how to integrate service into the curriculum and maintain the academic rigor that the University is known for," said Megan Raymond, director of academic community engagement.
Education School Dean Robert Pianta, meanwhile, also addressed the student experience when he reported on the work of the Center for Advanced Studies of Teaching and Learning.
"A big part of the quality of the student experience is their experiences in classes and how well our teaching is doing," he said, explaining that CASTL is working to examine the quality of education and implement improvements.
"The ultimate intent is to improve the nature and quality of student experience here," Pianta said, "and we think by looking more carefully at what we teach, how we teach [and] the ways we teach, we can do that."
Pediatrics Prof. Sharon Hostler and James Hilton, vice president and chief information officer, also presented initiatives addressing the student experience. Hostler reported on leadership, describing a goal of developing a University-wide leadership program, fostering advancement and retention and cultivating a new faculty culture. Garson outlined the connections between this initiative and the student experience, noting that "clearly providing better leadership training for faculty has an effect on students."
Hilton discussed a computation-intense research and scholarship program, intended to prepare students for research and leadership roles in related disciplines. The initiative has enlisted faculty members from the humanities and sciences and has enrolled students in center-sponsored workshops. Officials also have applied for grants and established a baseline funding profile for research efforts.
Vice President for Resarch Thomas Skalak reported on science, technology and research. Initiatives supporting these aspects of the University's broad educational mission include developing a cross-discipline science and engineering strategy, which will involve creating appropriately sized science and engineering facilities and constructing new laboratory spaces. Officials also will work to create a culture of collaboration, award grants for research across schools and improve infrastructure for multi-investigator proposals, he said.
International programs also hope to prepare University students for their future endeavors. Vice Provost for International Programs Gowher Rizvi said these programs have three goals: building global knowledge about diverse multicultural perspectives, bringing the world to Grounds and taking the University to the world.
"It is only in fairness that we prepare our students to be globally competitive," Rizvi said, noting that University graduates will compete for employment internationally on a more frequent basis in the future. "Americans cannot afford to be left behind."
He also emphasized the general importance of international engagement, adding that there is no longer a divide between home and abroad. "[International engagement] is integral to your education," he said.
Overall, Garson is "really pleased with how [the initiatives are] going," he said. "The real reason for it is some very talented leaders who took these things, got impassioned by them and took them forward along with a bunch of very talented students and faculty"
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