Futures Retreat University Studies Implementation Report 5306

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Futures Retreat - University Studies
Implementation Report 5/3/06

• Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
• Dean, University Studies

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Our Underachieving Colleges Derek Bok,
Princeton University Press, 2006

• Although some professors are aware of the
  problems and try new methods of teaching to
  overcome them, their concerns are rarely shared
  by the faculty as a whole. Even the faculty
  committees that periodically review their college
  curricula give little sign of having studied the
  relevant research or recognized the weaknesses it
  exposes in their undergraduate programs.

Dr. Bok is referring to research concerning how
much students are learning in their undergraduate
curriculum.
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NCATSU in front of the curve

• NCATSU began its revision of general education
  during the spring semester of 2002.
• NCATSU arrived at learning objectives that its
  faculty wanted represented in the core
  curriculum.
• This is crucial departure for our university,
  since a recent national survey of core curricula
  found that at most universities, disciplinary
  distribution courses were taught for faculty
  convenience and had no clear relationship to any
  well thought out learning objectives, Latzer, B.,
  Common Knowledge the Purpose of General
  Education, Chronicle of Higher Education,
  10/8/2004, vol. 51 Issue 7, pB20.
• The interdisciplinary character of the University
  Studies curriculum was aligned with the FUTURES
  directive of becoming the premier
  interdisciplinary-centered university in
  America.

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General Education Reform More difficult than
moving a graveyard.

• UNST curriculum was featured on the program of
  the AACU Annual Meeting, Demanding Excellence
  Liberal Education in the Era of Global
  Competition, Anti-Intellectualism, and
  Disinvestment.
• NCATSU led the way in the session which was well
  attended (standing room only!)

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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Presentation (SACS) December 2006

• Program Committee for the SACS annual meeting has
  accepted our proposal for a concurrent session in
  Orlando, Fl.
• Reviewer 1 NCATSU is to be congratulated on the
  development of and movement to a new type of
  general education coreThe process of curriculum
  updating for the 21st century is a need of many
  colleges and universities.
• Reviewer 2 This is a much needed topic and will
  be well attended at SACS.
• Reviewer 3 Very good proposal session will
  generate lively discussion.

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Challenges for University Studies Implementation
building the plane as we fly it.

• Development and approval of the UNST courses.
• Hiring of new UNST faculty
• Staffing of UNST courses
• Faculty Development and senior leadership.

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Foundation Courses

• Five Foundation Courses (13 credit hours)
• UNST 100 University Experience (1) many units
  have Freshman Experience seminars that will be
  aligned with the UNST 100 syllabus.
• UNST 110 Critical Writing (3) piloted in fall
  2005, spring 2006, further work on this course
  will continue in the summer of 2006.
• UNST 120 The Contemporary World (3) piloted
  several times by spring 2006.
• UNST 130 Analytical Reasoning (3) piloted in
  Spring 2006.
• UNST 140 The African-American Experience An
  Interdisciplinary Perspective (3) piloted in
  Spring 2006.
• Focus on the four major goals of the UNST program
• Emphasize active learning and interdisciplinary
  thinking
• Service Learning requirement for all NCATSU
  students.

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Foundation Courses Delivery data to 5/3/06
The 32 break out sections will have a ratio of
faculty/graduate students of 16/16. _at_ 4/8 break
out sections will be taught by a MA student.
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Large enrollment classes

• Successful techniques exist for achieving
  learning goals in large classes.
• Clicker or Instant response technology is an
  example.
• We are implementing Clickers through IPRS in
  collaboration with Pearson Leaning Solutions for
  UNST 120 and 130.

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Strategic hiring plan

• Motivated by the perspective that students learn
  best from faculty who are actively engaged
  scholars.
• Plan to hire faculty around research/scholarly
  questions related to UNST themes.
• Proposed initial cluster hires around the issue
  of health-disparity.
• Committed to hiring an expert in Middle Eastern
  Studies to support the Contemporary World
  discipline open.
• African American Studies Ph.D. search is engaged.

Graves Research Lab 2000
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UNST TT Faculty Hired 2006
African American faculty in fields where
minority faculty are strongly underrepresented. I
have the names of other rare minority faculty
looking for appointments from my membership in
the Harvard sponsored Genetics of the Slave Trade
Work Group.
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UNST Hiring

• Effective August 1, 2006 Dr. Deborah Barnes will
  become Interim-Associate Dean of University
  Studies
• She is formerly Director, Lewis Walker Institute
  for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations,
  Associate Professor of Africana Studies, Western
  Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• Dr. Barnes has deep Aggie roots, her grandfather
  is the person for whom Barnes Hall is named, she
  grew up in Greensboro, as well as having received
  her M.A. in English at AT.
• She is charged with overseeing the development of
  Critical Writing (UNST 110) as well as the
  African American Experience (UNST 140).

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UNST Hiring Critical Writing

• We have just finished hiring for UNST 110. A
  screening of internal applicants was conducted by
  a search committee chaired by Interim-Provost and
  Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dr. Janice
  Brewington.
• Applicants were asked to provide a vita,
  statement of scholarly and teaching interests, a
  sample of their writing, and three letters of
  recommendation.
• Offers were made and accepted by the following
  individuals
• Noreen Hannon, Lecturer, M.A., University of
  North Carolina Greensboro
• James Neilson, Lecturer, Ph.D. University of
  North Carolina Chapel Hill
• Matthew C. Armstrong, Instructor, M.A.,
  University of Virginia, M.F.A. University of
  North Carolina Greensboro
• Leslie M. Brown III, Instructor, M.A., University
  of North Carolina Greensboro

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UNST Hiring Critical Writing II

• Thomas Christopher, Instructor, M.F.A.,
  University of North Carolina Greensboro
• James T. Hill, Instructor, M.A. West Virginia
  University M.A. Hollins University M.F.A.,
  University of North Carolina Greensboro
• Moussa Issifou, Instructor, M.A., Universite du
  Benin
• Jennifer K. Noller, Instructor, M.A. Hollis
  University M.A. Hollins University M.F.A.,
  University of North Carolina Greensboro
• Virgil Renfroe, Instructor, M.A., University of
  North Carolina Greensboro
• Pamela Richardson, Instructor, B.A., M.A., North
  Carolina AT State University.

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Basic Writing UNST 103

• During freshman orientation student proficiency
  in writing will be tested.
• Students who lack college-level proficiency will
  be enrolled in UNST 103.
• Course was to be developed in conjunction with
  the English Department.
• The plan is to pilot 6 8 sections of this
  course in fall 2006.

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UNST Hiring The African American Experience
UNST 140

• Stephen Alston, Lecturer, M.A., J.D., North
  Carolina Central University
• Jacqueline Blackmore, Lecturer, M.A. North
  Carolina AT State University Ph.D., University
  of Northern Illinois
• Cecily McDaniel, Instructor, Xavier University,
  M.A. Slippery Rock Univeristy, Ph.D. The Ohio
  State University
• TBA, Ph.D. level, job description written for
  someone in economics, political science, history,
  sociology, or anthropology.

Defending Ph.D. in African American Studies
this summer.
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UNST Hiring Issues

• The success of UNST program is intimately tied to
  the faculty that are called upon to deliver it.
• Some of our existing TT faculty are committed to
  participating in teaching UNST courses,
  especially theme based courses for Fall 2007.
  The College of Engineering has volunteered to
  teach at least 4 sections of Analytical Reasoning
  per semester.
• The Colleges of Nursing, Technology, Engineering,
  Agriculture have committed to staff their own
  UNST 100 sections.
• The African Am. Exp. is currently cross-listed
  with courses in College of AS. As faculty are
  added and space becomes available, fewer courses
  will be cross-listed.
• In addition, the Deans have committed to
  providing 15 faculty lines for successful
  implementation of UNST this coming fall.
• These hires in turn will augment existing
  Colleges and major curricula, as our first 4
  hires have already.
• In addition, permanent administrative support
  will be put in place by July 1, 2006.

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ATL Faculty Development

• Dean has ongoing meetings with Faculty in Core
  Courses 110, 120, 130, 140.
• Focusing on developing interdisciplinarity in
  foundation courses.
• New UNST faculty attended UNC-wide assessment
  workshops in April 2006, as well as in summer
  2006.
• UNST faculty will be attending the International
  Conference on Critical Thinking at UC Berkeley in
  July 2006.

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UNST Fall Lecture Series
UNST Fall Lecture Series 2005
UNST Fall Lecture Series 2005
Speaker Date Time Title Dr. Jay Kaufman UN
C Chapel Hill Dept. of Public Health September
28 500 PM New Classroom Building Auditorium
Reproducing the Race Myth Reciprocal
Contamination Between Science and The Media
Dr. Fatimah Jackson Dept. Anthropology Univ. o
f Maryland October 10 500 PM NcNair Hall Au
ditorium When Race Isnt Enough Alternatives to
Eliminating Health Disparities
Dr. Michael Rose UC Irvine Director, Center fo
r Experimental Evolution November 7 500 PM
McNair Hall Auditorium The Long Tomorrow How Ad
vances in Evolutionary Biology Can Help Us
Postpone Aging Dr. Constance Hilliard Univ. N
orth Texas Assoc. Professor of History November
30 1200200 New Classroom Building Auditor
ium Can the Genetics of Race Diminish Black-White
Health Disparities?
Speaker Date Time Title Dr. Jay Kaufman UN
C Chapel Hill Dept. of Public Health September
28 500 PM New Classroom Building Auditorium
Reproducing the Race Myth Reciprocal
Contamination Between Science and The Media
Dr. Fatimah Jackson Dept. Anthropology Univ. o
f Maryland October 10 500 PM NcNair Hall Au
ditorium When Race Isnt Enough Alternatives to
Eliminating Health Disparities
Dr. Michael Rose UC Irvine Director, Center fo
r Experimental Evolution November 7 500 PM
McNair Hall Auditorium The Long Tomorrow How Ad
vances in Evolutionary Biology Can Help Us
Postpone Aging Dr. Constance Hilliard Univ. N
orth Texas Assoc. Professor of History November
30 1200200 New Classroom Building Auditor
ium Can the Genetics of Race Diminish Black-White
Health Disparities?
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UNST Fall Lecture Series 2006
UNST Fall Lecture Series 2005
UNST Fall Lecture Series 2005
Speaker Date Time Title Dr. Jay Kaufman UN
C Chapel Hill Dept. of Public Health September
28 500 PM New Classroom Building Auditorium
Reproducing the Race Myth Reciprocal
Contamination Between Science and The Media
Dr. Fatimah Jackson Dept. Anthropology Univ. o
f Maryland October 10 500 PM NcNair Hall Au
ditorium When Race Isnt Enough Alternatives to
Eliminating Health Disparities
Dr. Michael Rose UC Irvine Director, Center fo
r Experimental Evolution November 7 500 PM
McNair Hall Auditorium The Long Tomorrow How Ad
vances in Evolutionary Biology Can Help Us
Postpone Aging Dr. Constance Hilliard Univ. N
orth Texas Assoc. Professor of History November
30 1200200 New Classroom Building Auditor
ium Can the Genetics of Race Diminish Black-White
Health Disparities?
Speaker Date Time Title Dr. Jay Kaufman UN
C Chapel Hill Dept. of Public Health September
28 500 PM New Classroom Building Auditorium
Reproducing the Race Myth Reciprocal
Contamination Between Science and The Media
Dr. Fatimah Jackson Dept. Anthropology Univ. o
f Maryland October 10 500 PM NcNair Hall Au
ditorium When Race Isnt Enough Alternatives to
Eliminating Health Disparities
Dr. Michael Rose UC Irvine Director, Center fo
r Experimental Evolution November 7 500 PM
McNair Hall Auditorium The Long Tomorrow How Ad
vances in Evolutionary Biology Can Help Us
Postpone Aging Dr. Constance Hilliard Univ. N
orth Texas Assoc. Professor of History November
30 1200200 New Classroom Building Auditor
ium Can the Genetics of Race Diminish Black-White
Health Disparities?
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UNST Curriculum Development

• New custom published text for UNST 140 Africana
  Legacy Diasporic Studies in the Americas, edited
  by Cecily B. McDaniel and Tekla Ali Johnson, with
  an introduction by Joseph L. Graves, Jr.,
  Tapestry Press 2006.
• Developing working relationship with Pearson
  Custom Learning Solutions for the Contemporary
  World (UNST 120) and Analytical Reasoning (UNST
  130).
• Pearson can help us do Content Mapping - -linking
  specific learning objectives we have identified
  with Pearson published materials that can be used
  in either custom published texts or electronic
  delivery systems.

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Great minds think alikeScience, Global Learning
and Civic Engagement

• Columbia University presented a course that is
  very similar to what we are intending for
  Analytical Reasoning.
• Frontiers of Science course is taught by tenured
  full professors (several Nobel Laureates).
• Take home lesson of the Columbia presentation
  that resources well-invested in general education
  can effectively teach science and mathematics
  literacy to all students.
• http//www.college.columbia.edu/core/classes/front
  iers.php
• http//ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/frontiers/

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Proposed Hines Hall Location

• Dean, inaugural UNST faculty, administrative
  assistants, and some adjunct faculty will be
  housed in newly renovated space in Hines Hall.
• Centrally located space will give program
  visibility.

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Leadership transition

• The vision of Chancellor James Renick and Provost
  Carolyn Meyers have been crucial to the
  development of the UNST program.
• Indeed, my decision to accept this position was
  strongly influenced by their support for the
  goals of the UNST curriculum revision.
• Faculty associated with the UNST program have
  expressed some concern about what the change over
  in our campus leadership is going to mean for
  this transition.
• I firmly believe that the future of NCATSU is
  deeply tied to the success of UNST.
• However, Derek Bok has correctly pointed out that
  change in the general education curriculum alone
  is insufficient to make the changes we all want
  to see in the University.
• In particular he wishes to see new focus on Civic
  Engagement in the University.

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Service Learning and Civic Engagement NCATSU
Chess Ambassadors

• University Studies has partnered with the
  Division of Student Affairs and the Taylor-Hayes
  YMCA to sponsor Maurice Ashley.
• Ashley is the first chess grandmaster of African
  descent and the author of Chess for Success.
• UNST service learning students will teach chess
  in Greensboro elementary and middle schools.
• Providing academic mentoring for students while
  teaching them discipline and concentration
  through chess.

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley appears in Greensboro
on October 26 28th, 2006. His visit kicks off
the AT Chess weekend.
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NCATSU as an overachieving College

• The role of the university
• Barriers to collaboration the call for
  interdisciplinarity.
• What are the objectives of the proper
  undergraduate education?
• Fixation on general education transformation
  must be thorough-going.
• The neglect of pedagogy.
• The neglect of the extra-curriculum.

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End Notes
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Curriculum Structure

• Total credit hours 37
• Foundation courses (13 credits)
• Electives (12 credits)
• Major specified courses (9 credits)
• Capstone experience (at least 3 credits)
• Volunteer service (50 hours)

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Theme Clusters

• Science, Technology Society (20 courses, 8 new
  )
• Energy, Environment, Society (17 courses, 4
  new)
• Community, Conflict, Society (23 courses, 5
  new)
• Health, Lifestyles, and Society (19 courses, 6
  new)
• We hope to eventually have 10 theme clusters.
• Courses are reviewed by UNST Faculty Roundtable
  for suitability for each cluster.
• Theme courses were approved by Academic Senate
  last semester.
• Departmental majors with inclusion of UNST
  requirements are being reviewed by Academic
  Senate this semester.