Allegheny Student Government

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

How would you feel about having three days off a semester (e.g.: one day in September, October, and November) in which there would be specific campus wide themes? For example a day specifically for advisorship, or a day specifically for senior comp celebration in which the seniors would present their comp and first-year students, sophomores and juniors would attend presentations to get them thinking about what they are going to do in the future? This day would be what we call a “protected day” in which all classes would be cancelled meetings and events could not be planned on these days.

-What would motivate you to attend these days?
-Would you opt writing a reflective piece for extra credit?

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

Out of FS 101, FS 102, and FS 201, which would you “get rid of”? In other words, in what course did you benefit the least?

Meadville
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-Do you live or want to live off-campus? Why? What are the benefits? What issues might arise? What would make you want to live on-campus?

Recap:

Today we really narrowed our vision. We came up with the following list of goals:

-Enhance students’ residential experience
-Improve the housing stock
-Expand the tax base
-Beautify the neighborhood
-Creating an Allegheny “Imprint”
-Enhancing the Gateway
-Focus the College’s resources
-Making downtown attractive
-Recruitment of students and staff
-Partnerships and alliances
-Sustainable housing

We also began to create a list of tasks which will need to be completed in order to make these visions become reality. By tomorrow it's my guess that we'll have the beginnings of a draft final report.

-Do you feel pressured to major in a natural science in order to get into medical school?

-Do you feel like you can study abroad at Allegheny while being on a "pre-health" track?

-Where did you receive most of your guidance during your first year at Allegheny about "pre-health"?

International
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Questions of the day!

-How much do you know about our study abroad opportunities? Do you know how much they cost? Can you earn course credits? What programs are sponsored by Allegheny? Can you participate in programs not supported by Allegheny?

-Do you perceive the study abroad, away, and EL terms affordable?

-Should there be more EL opportunities? Should they be domestic (i.e. Within the U.S.), international, or both? Would you go on an EL term during winter break?

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the day…

-What questions do you have for the committee?

Recap:

Today the committee examined the Allegheny College Statement of Community, Allegheny College Mission Statement, Scope of Diversity and Gender Equity Committee, the Unusual Combinations Trademark and the Board of Trustee Task Force Diversity to help us define what we think diversity and social justice should mean at Allegheny College. We also talked about how our charge and work will lead us to collaborate with other sub-committees to create a truly strategic plan.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

-How do feel about the major and minor requirement?

Recap:

Last Friday we had representatives from ACCEL speak with the committee about what they are doing and how it connects to the “Unusual Combinations” brand. From that presentation we observed that ACCEL is living the “Unusual Combination” brand in everything they do! Thus today we decided to discuss HOW ACCEL is living the “Unusual Combination” brand. We then proceeded to asked ourselves what we can do with this information to help us strategically plan initiative that will help the entire Allegheny College live the “Unusual Combination” brand.

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Question of the day!

-What would you think about having a mandatory physical education course requirement?

Recap:

Today we talked about how we can realign the structure of what “applied liberal arts” means at Allegheny. We did some awesome brainstorming and came up with a list of initiatives. Tomorrow we will be sifting through some of these ideas and comparing them with the areas we have defined as “missed opportunities” on campus.

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the day!

-Would you take a class that was scheduled to be co-taught by two professors from different departments?

-If you are a major or minor in an interdisciplinary program (black studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, etc) what has your experience been like?

Recap:

We had four guest speakers today: representatives from the international studies, biochemistry, women’s studies, and neuroscience departments. The entirety of the meeting was centered on the varying successes of these programs. Tomorrow the group will try to highlight some of the structural conflicts that restrict faculty and student willingness to participate in interdisciplinary programs.

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the day…

-From your perspective, what resources does Allegheny College offer when it come to diversity efforts?

Recap:

Today we looked at different readings such the Biennial Report of the Diversity and Gender Equity committee, recruitment and retention information, etc and analyzed how it contributed to our work and our management model.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the day…

-What value do you see or acquire, if any, from having to major in one division and minor in another?

Recap:

Today the “Unusual Combinations” committee reviewed the academic departments; we looked at department brochures, websites, their catalogue section and written learning outcomes. We examined how the “Unusual Combinations” brand, interdisciplinary collaborations and the curriculum and co-curriculum is integrated in these marketing and informative readings.

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the day!

-How was your first year residence hall experience?

-Where have you learned about personal, social, and environmental responsibility at Allegheny?

Recap:

A representative from the Center for Political Participation came to speak to us this afternoon. Afterwards, we talked about the relationships between academic curriculum, ACCEL, and the residential college. We made good headway, especially after we highlighted the moments where personal, social, and environmental responsibility are being taught and where there are missed opportunities at Allegheny for these transfers of knowledge to take place.

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the day!

-What does wellness mean to you?

-How do you think Allegheny promotes wellness?

Recap:

Today we spent some time reflecting on what we have learned about integrative learning and where we still need to go. We had a guest speaker come in to talk to the committee about living learning communities. The committee will continue to discuss the idea of wellness and integrative learning across the curricular, co-curricular “limits.”

International
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-Reflection is key to any learning experience. What do you think is the best way to formally reflect? In other words, if for example you went on an EL term, when you return how would you like to reflect with your peers and/or other members of the College community?

Recap:

Today the committee focused on what we view as the "big goals/plans". The general categories were Study Abroad/Away, International Students, & Curriculum/Co-Curriculum. Each member contributed their solidified vision for the future of our program. With all these great ideas, now we need to become a bit more tactical!

Meadville
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-What physical features or enhancements would you make to the greater community? On this one, think small. What small changes would you suggest?

Recap:

Today we had some guests from the Meadville community. We talked mostly about what we could do together to enhance the greater community. This included ideas, broadly, which could benefit all partners, while also showing the Allegheny name, Meadville name, and other partners’ names.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

What role do you think ACCEL plays in living the brand of “Unusual Combinations”?

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the Day!

-What would you think about not having grades the first year?

-What do you think about a reserved, open time during the day that classes, activities, practices and programs could not be scheduled over?

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

This is a direct question from the collective committee:
-From your perspective, what resources are available when it comes to diversity? What are their affect on the college?

Recap:

Today we simply assessed the infrastructure of our current management model. We need your feedback to continue to the next step. Please answer the question above it would help our efforts tremendously.

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the day!

What have been your most significant moments at Allegheny?

Based on your college experience, what do you think Allegheny’s values are? Don’t be afraid to be critical.

International
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-Would students who have had away experiences (i.e. Studying abroad, studying away, and perhaps even having been on EL Terms) want to live in a living-learning community? In other words, live in a door with others who have had similar experiences. Would there be a stigma? Would this not be wanted for other reasons?

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day….

-What initiatives need to be made to make Allegheny College the ideally diverse community we have all talked so much about?

Recap:

During our first meeting the committee brain stormed what an ideally diverse Allegheny College Committee would look like:
-Advancement, development and retention are not predicted on the things listed above.
-Open to reassessment from a new voice and perspective.
-Seek, embrace and appreciate differences.
-Understand the value diversity.
-Supporting free action/speech but not tolerating hate action/speech.
-Fostering and strengthening an activist and advocacy tradition.
-Understanding, recognizing and challenging privilege
-Giving everybody a sense of belonging and a voice-making sure no one feel s unvalued or marginalized.
-Doing social justice elsewhere, everywhere, always; inviting it to campus.
-People of difference are here in substantive members.

Today what we brainstormed initiatives that the college could commit to that would make these goals become a reality:

-Define for the AC community:
--diversity and social justice
--Why is diversity and social justice valuable
--What we are doing
--using a sustained and integrative communication plan
-Consistent assessment of diversity/social justice efforts and outcomes
-Diversify the power structure position by 2020?
-Develop educational models for all members of community on issues of diversity and social justice.
-Become a regional host for social justice colloquium for regional, colleges, HS, and community member.
-Recruit and retain a student body that is LARGE! ( We are trying not to get too specific)
-Dance, music, athletic---reflect, intentional and integrative diversity and social justice perspective.

Then we had a representative from the Office of Diversity Affairs, come in and talk with us about the difference between diversity and social justice.

Hi-lights and Key points:

-Social Justice looks more at the individualistic recruitment and retention.
-Social Justice is more about identity and activism (no…not like a riot) ----it’s more than just awareness.
-You can have diversity without social justice but cannot have social justice without diversity.

Tomorrow we plan on continuing the initiative brainstorm but would really like to hear your opinion so please help me answer the question of the day. Thank you. Talk to you tomorrow.

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of the day!

-What would you think about having to read a common book before coming to campus as a first-year in which the varying freshmen seminars would be able to incorporate into their course topics and discussions?

-What do you think about having to live in the same residence hall as your fellow freshmen seminar peers or a larger cluster of related FS topics?

Recap:

Today the committee laid out what Allegheny already displays areas, or potential areas, of integrative learning. The majority of the time was spent configuring where we felt the “moments of integration” occurred at Allegheny. Some examples would be orientation, the seminar series, and the declaration of the major and minor. Along with this, we highlighted the missed opportunities we have at Allegheny to incorporate integrative learning. These would include first year residence hall placement (and the first year program as a whole), pre and post study abroad/away, and student affairs advising. Tomorrow we are going to be talking about orientation and will be branching early next week into the first year experience.

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Questions of Day!

-What does active citizenship mean to you?

-How can we encourage students to create environmental initiatives?

-How can students link student affairs (ACCEL, community service, etc) and academic affairs (academic advisors, departments)?

Recap:

Today we talked about the discussion our committee had yesterday. We really set up a foundation for what we will be talking about tomorrow. We had a representatives talk to us about Core Commitments and CEED. This really has given us a basis in social and personal responsibility (ACCEL, civic engagement council, CEED) and environmental responsibility (Sustainability Coordinator, CEED). Tomorrow we will be outlining the support structures of student learning. The committee has outlined the major players as being student affairs and academic affairs but the committee has also been quick to point out the need of another foundational group as well as the disconnect between in class and out of class life. I believe, and am in the process of trying to make others see, that students are this missing link. It is us who create the bond between student and academic affairs. We are going to be picking apart our mission statement to really find the core pillars we as Allegheny have so we can start to see how we can open and create our community to living lives of social, personal, and environmental responsibility.

International
Posted by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

Do you want to study abroad or away? If yes, where and why? If no, why not? If you already have, describe your experience!

Recap:

Today the group focused on the broad-base of our plan. Though we have yet to actually draw our "idea" map, here is what I have surmised:

Each member of the community is a “Student of the world”
~~
We become that by having a campus of International Students + Study Abroad/Away/EL Term/Exchange experiences + Curricular/Co-Curricular Programs
~~
There needs to be a Development/Reflection Course + The Faculty/Staff/Student's need Development and exposure to these cultures

Issues that remain for the committee include: how we pay for these programs...i.e. Students who do not have the means to pay additional monies and the possibility of a “global” experience requirement…meaning service learning around the country, study abroad/away/EL terms, etc.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

-How do you think we can market “Unusual Combinations” in a more affective way? ( Think back when you were a prospective student)

Recap:

First off, I want to thank those whom have participated in this discussion; tomorrow I am going to be giving a presentation on the thoughts and reactions expressed on this topic of the blog.

Yesterday morning we had Jillian Kenzie come and speak to us about our NSSE ( National Survey of Student Engagement) results; Brett posted about this on the general page. From the NSSE we observed that as an institution we performed above average for the most part against other liberal arts schools in our Standard Comparison Group (Albion College, Denison College, Gettysburg, Hamilton, Hope, Kenyon, St. Olaf, Wheaton, etc.) That is great but then we started thinking here we are performing above other schools yet we do not have that reputation or application rate which means we really need to market ourselves more effectively. There was a consensus made that Allegheny College is better than it is perceived to be. So we came back to are charge: how can we use the “Unusual Combination” brand to attract more student….and keep it going once they are here?

Other Themes and Conversations:

-We talked about the caution we need to take when talking about new initiatives because we don’t want to force anything to the point that it ruins another aspect of who we are as Allegheny College.

-We talked about was this theme that has come up a million and one times: the “Unusual Combinations” commitment has to go beyond the major/minor and distribution requirement.
-However, we did agree that it is a vital part; the curriculum has to reinforce our brand so what we decided to focus on today was how the departments encourage “UC”, integration and interdisciplinary learning. How these departments represented the benefit from doing this. It is very important that we show students the results because it reinforces how “Unusual Combinations” does benefit the students and how it creates a well-rounded and successful citizen of the world.

We also had a representative from Public Affairs talk about the “UC” brand. The representative talked about how our brand is out there and that its working but there is room for improvement. From her presentation a conversation of how perhaps a diverse and integrative programming model would reinforce our brand. For example, there is a Plastic Surgery Discussion and the panelist includes a doctor, a psychologist a lawyer, etc. Our school has been known to over program so instead of having five different discussions have one, all inclusive. I think this model would work for student programming as well. Perhaps if we did more collaborative and integrative programming students would have more time to join more clubs and pursue an “Unusual Combination” of club membership. We also discussed the technological question of how we are going to use technology to enhance everything we do here at Allegheny College. And in our last couple of minutes we discussed how we could reinforce and market our brand from the perspective that we are unusual because we could be ( we are not now) an almost 200 year old liberal arts college with cutting edge technology.

I know it’s a lot but let me know your thoughts. It really does make a difference!

Meadville
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-If you could see one business come to Meadville (private, local, or chain), what would it be?

Recap:

Today we really took a walk…downtown. The committee explored the area directly below the College (particularly the Loomis Street area). We then walked down to the Diamond (including a visit to the under construction Founder’s House). While some members were distracted by the prospect of visiting Mickey’s, we really examined the areea surrounding the College. The group remains unsure of what our end-resulting focus will be. However, tomorrow we will examine the projects and programs already in progress, as well as ones proposed.

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

-How do you feel about a Moral Values and Ethics class requirement that would explore and bring about conversations about diversity and social justice? Should it be mandatory? Should options be given to the students?

Recap:

Today the committee talked about not only addressing diversity in the AC community but the Meadville and Crawford county community as well. We observed that if we progress with diversity and social justice initiatives without bringing the outside community along we would be creating bubble and would disconnect ourselves from them. We also talked about possibly having a Moral Value and Ethics class requirement and how that would affect Allegheny College. We also touched upon the fact that these initiatives need to not only be directed at the students but faculty, administrators and staff as well.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

Today I have no questions, but do you have any questions or suggestions for the committee?

Recap:

Today the committee had Shane and I talk about our experience as it pertains to Allegheny College and the “Unusual Combinations” brand. How we heard about AC? How we got here? How AC’s commitment to “Unusual Combination” has shaped our experience before we became students and now. Then we had another member of the committee present the history of the “Unusual Combinations” brand. A lot of what we talked about was about how when it was first created it was seen as simply a marketing tool but now we are really trying to make it part of what we believe.

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Question of the day!

-Do you like the division of having to complete a major, a minor, and two distributives?

-Is it important to have a minor? Why?

-What is the importance of the distribution? How can it be enhanced?

-Do you spend time thinking about the connections between your major, minor, and distribution?

Recap:

We had a very theoretical discussion today. Each of us researched one institution that has been implementing integrative thinking and we spent the majority of our meeting sharing these findings. It will be interesting to find the connections between Allegheny and these other institutions. The committee, to my frustration, really focused on the curriculum and how it can be more integrative. A lot of the talk was focused on the importance of finding cross-connections between the varying departments. How can we find interdisciplinary topics that students and faculty are interested and willing to explore? The end of the meeting stressed how students feel the need to just pick a major and minor. Little thought goes into the reasoning or importance of the connections between the areas of study. Again, looking to the questions posted above, what is the importance of having a minor? What is the importance of distribution? We really left out the other side of integrated learning in today’s discussion. Study abroad, service learning, residence life can all create an integrative learning community. Let me know what you think, especially in regards to the above questions.

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

What do you think? Question of the day!

-How can we institutionalize environmental responsibility on campus? --In ten years where do we want to be? --How can we empower students to take action?

-The community we want to build has to be receptive of social, personal, and environmental responsibility. How can we create this community? Is it in the hands of administration or students?

Brief Recap:

Today we had a member of the College community focused on the College's sustainability efforts come in and talk to the group about where Allegheny fits into the Clinton Climate Initiative. I missed the majority of this dialogue because I was invited to share/converse with the Unusual Combinations committee. The discussion was centered around what kind of projects Allegheny can complete not only for the environment, but also for social and personal responsibility. We tried to sift through what we heard from the representatives from ACCEL and VESA yesterday. The main questions we highlighted are the ones listed above. We did not really make much headway. Our assignment tonight, something I hope you will contribute to, is to come up with three tangible student learning outcomes that we can create. Again, please help me answer some of these questions I included above. As students, what is the best avenue for empowerment?

International
Posted by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day!

-Do you think there should be a language requirement?

Recap:

Today the group remained very theoretical. However, we also tried to nail-down what we believe will make Allegheny's programs effective and unique to our community. Some of the "learning outcomes" that we hope to achieve can be found below. There has also been an interesting finding by the group: we want our campus to think globally, but that does not necessarily only mean internationally. There is difference in the United States; we need to recognize and understand other cultures within the United States.

Learning Outcomes:

-Allegheny will make you an international student; every member of the community will be a student of the world
-Everyone works in a community
-Everyone has a reflective speaking and writing capstone experience
-Willingness to set out of the comfort zone
-Exposure and appreciation of other/different cultures

What are the goals?

-How can we link Meadville to the globe and vice versa?
-Think globally, act locally, globally
-Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni teams will all be students of the world
-Allegheny already has a capstone experience, so how do we enhance it?
-Themes could be uniquely Allegheny
-Become students of the world as they step on-campus
-Service to a community in a liberal arts context

Jillian Kinzie, faculty at Indiana University and member of NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) research group, presented on DEEP learning and student engagement from a national and Allegheny perspective. Here are some key points from her presentation:

-Engagement is about time and energy

-Benchmarks of effective educational practices:
--Level of academic challenge
--Active & collaborative learning
--Student-faculty interaction
--Enriching educational experience
--Supportive campus environment

-Why effective educational practices are important:
--Engagement is associated with learning gains
--High performing institutions focus on student success

-What promotes growth?
--Good teaching and high quality interactions with faculty
--Academic challenge and high expectations
--Diversity experience

Responsibilities
Post by Shane Downing

Questions of the Day:

How can various areas of civic engagement (ACCEL, Center for Political Participation, VESA, etc) be consolidated into a more efficient, fruitful experience for students and faculty alike? In what ways can Allegheny make civil engagement more appealing to students and faculty? What are your thoughts on service learning?

Fact finding –recap:

Over the course of the next few days our committee will be completing fact-finding through various resources on campus. Today, we had a guest come in to talk about the various areas of community service at Allegheny. The guest focused his dialogue towards where he found issues with how these programs, and other civil engagement programs and initiatives, worked inefficiently. We talked as a group about how we can have a so-called “center of centers” that would coordinate all facets of civil engagement for the campus and broader community. We then had a representative speak to us specifically about ACCEL and how and in what capacity it functions. There was discussion here about whether (1) Should master files of career interests, study abroad, internships, and leadership experience/meetings be consolidated with academic files? (2) Would an experiential learning advisor help with student retention? (3) What would the positive and negative repercussions of linking the Office of Diversity with ACCEL? –is this feasible? *The main direction of ACCEL, and what the committee will be delving deeper into, will be the idea of ACCEL not just as a center for experiential learning but also an academic center of the college that will promote integration.* Our last guest was a representative from the VESA (values, ethics, and social action) program. The rep talked extensively about where she wanted to see the college go over the next few years. The main idea was to better coordinate the communication between Allegheny and community partners to create the best experience for both players. The represnetative really wants to work with community members to strengthen service learning for our students. Shared learning for both sides. The rep posed two main questions. (1) Where/who is going to be the center for planning and facilitating discussion between students, faculty, and community partners? (2) How can we strengthen faculty literacy on community based learning so they can advice better?

Coming soon:
We did not have a chance to discuss these ideas in great detail today. Again, we are in the process of fact-finding. Tomorrow we will meet with a representative for the College's sustainability efforts.

Integration
Post by Shane Downing

Questions of the day:

What do you think about learning communities in residence halls? How can the Freshmen Seminar series promote an integrative learning environment? What do you think about having professors of different disciplines team teach a class? How can we include wellness into integrative learning?

Recap:

We spent our entire meeting today trying to sift through big ideas. How can we encourage students to think more integrative? There are definite connections that need to be uncovered between what is curriculum and what is co-curriculum. Both are an integral part of how a student develops. This issue is as much for students as it is for professors and administrators. The main goal is how we can strengthen the shared bonds between classes, between class and out of class activities, and how we can find new commonalities between these silos. The group really likes the idea of incorporating links between classroom learning and residential and social learning. Something I tried to stress was the need to develop a strong community that encourages and inspires students to be integrative thinkers and learners. This cannot simply be a top down system and our faculty is as much in need of this as students are. How can we create this in our community?

Meadville
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day…

-If we could help make Meadville a better place, what changes would you want to see? What business (or business types) would you like to see downtown? What changes would you make? What changes will attract students to utilize and interact with the town more?

Recap:

Today we discussed the core values and vision we see for the community. The group realizes that we are a college within a town (not a College town). Therefore, what can we do to partner with the community to help it make an even better place for all citizens? There are plenty of plans and opportunities to help make change and revitalize the community, so how do we do that? What plan do we follow – if any of the existing ones work?

Core Values

-Direct relationship (especially with immediately surrounding area to campus)
-Communication, respect, and knowledge of the community
-Improve first impressions of campus (especially the gateway to campus)
-Leverage partnerships to guide a focused effort
-Investment in Meadville is an investment in Allegheny College
-Community investment should be vetted by the campus and community
-Enhance opportunities for experiential learning
-Create a welcoming environment both ways

Vision

-Integrate community
-Re-engineer the community
-Promote a sustainable community / livable neighborhoods
-Be BOLD
-Potential area of focus: corridor from Meadville Medical Center & 1st District up to campus

Diversity
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the Day…

-What does your ideal diverse Allegheny College community look like?

Recap:

First we started listing things that make us different from one another. We listed the usual: -Race -Gender -Sex -Sexual Orientation -Age

But then we started getting into the things that are not always thought of:
-Language dynamics-the way we speak
-Community investment-the different degrees of engagement an individual has with their community
-Geography

The list goes on. Then we brain stormed about what an idea diverse Allegheny College community would look like; one that did not privilege any of the characteristics that were listed.

Brainstorm:

Ideal Community Characteristics

-Advancement, development and retention are not predicted on the things listed above.
-Open to reassessment from a new voice and perspective.
-Seek, embrace and appreciate differences.
-Understand the value diversity.
-Supporting free action/speech but not tolerating hate action/speech.
-Fostering and strengthening an activist and advocacy tradition.
-Understanding, recognizing and challenging privilege
-Giving everybody a sense of belonging and a voice-making sure no one feel s unvalued or marginalized.
-Doing social justice elsewhere, everywhere, always; inviting it to campus.
-People of difference are here in substantive members.

Unusual Combinations
Post by Francheska Vargas

What do you think? Question of the day…

Two questions:

-What does our brand “Unusual Combinations”, in the Allegheny College scope, mean to you?

-Were you attracted by Allegheny College’s “Unusual Combinations” commitment when you were a prospective student?

Recap:

Today the committee did some brainstorming on what our brand, “Unusual Combinations “, means? We talked about it being an external marketing tool as well as something that needed internal support. As a student, I personally felt that the “Unusual Combinations” commitment was not followed through with thus we lacked internal support. I also felt that we could really focus and benefit from the “Unusual Combinations” brand more than we have in the past. We talked about marketing that would attract students that perhaps does not fall under the “unusual combinations” context and how we wanted to address that in our meetings.

Brainstorming:
-Our commitment to “Unusual Combinations” will prepare an individual that will :
--be flexible and prepared to deal with the unexpected.
--be multi-faceted and well rounded

-Our commitment to “Unusual Combinations” needs to be academically concentrated.
--We want to have programming that supports our commitment to “Unusual Combinations”, however at the same time we want to appreciate the students freedom to become involved in disciplines or activities they are genuinely interested in. How do we find a balance?
--We reminded ourselves that we need to be pragmatic when creating initiatives.

International
Post by Brett Fuchs

What do you think? Question of the day…

Today I have two questions:

-If we had no international programs or initiatives, what would be the broad ideas or programs that you would want to see implemented?

-What are issues you find with the international programs and services (including the academic major, study abroad, services for international students, etc) and what are some ways to resolve those issues?

Recap from the day:

Today the committee did some brainstorming. We discussed what the members envision for international programs and services. However, we did not focus on the problems or what to fix. We discussed what we would want to see, perhaps things that other schools do but really how we can make an international program specialized to Allegheny and different than anywhere else.

Brainstorming

Task: What are we thinking about – however broad, with whatever connotations – for our international programs, services, and initiatives?

-Broader study-abroad programs
-Better support services for international persons (students, faculty, & staff) on-campus
-Critical thinking about the world
-What are students trying to gain by going abroad? What learning outcomes?
-We need to internationalize the entire body of campus…students, faculty, and staff; before, during, and after their time at Allegheny
-How do we integrate international viewpoints and perspective into the curriculum
-How do we involve Alumni
-Study abroad programs
--Do we have a specific number of Allegheny sites, which have larger missions (sending community members abroad which immerses them internationally and involve experiential learning)
--What type of consistency do we have? How do we create consistency between these programs and curriculum?
-How do we get back the critical mass of international students on-campus that we once had?
-How do we get Alumni involved, especially on something like an EL term
-Allegheny recruits a “family”… how do we do this with international students?

Committee Members:

Rachel O'Brien (Geology)
Joe DiChristina (Dean of Students)
Jen Daurora (Alumni Council)
Aimee Knupsky (Psychology)
Marjie Klein (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Calion Lockridge (Psychology)
Terrence Mitchell (President's Office)
Eric Pallant (Environmental Science)
Ben Slote (Associate Dean of Colege & English)
Francheska Vargas (Class of 2012)

Committee Members:

Laura Reeck (Modern & Classical Language)
Soledad Caballero (English)
Lee Coates (Biology & Neuroscience)
Alice Deckert (Chemistry & Biochemistry)
Linda DeMeritt (Dean of College)
Shane Downing (Class of 2011)
Scott Friedhoff (Enrollment & Communications)
Dave McInally (Finance & Planning)
Betsy Mitchell (Athletics)
Barbara Riess (Modern & Classical Language)

Committee Members:

Steve Onyeiwu (Economics)
Ann Areson (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Brett Fuchs (Class of 2010)
Pam Higham (Public Affairs & CPP)
Rick Holmgren (LITS)
Mike Keeley (Communication Arts)
Larry Lee (Finance & Planning)
Kathy Roos (President's Office)
Dan Shea (Political Science)
Rob Smith (Trustees)
Barb Steadman (Public Affairs)

Committee Members:

Barbara Riess (Modern & Classical Language)
Lee Coates (Biology & Neuroscience)
Scott Friedhoff (Enrollment & Communications)
Marjie Klein (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Aimee Knupsky (Psychology)
Kathy Roos (President's Office)
Dan Shea (Political Science)
Barb Steadman (Public Affairs)
Scott Wissinger (Environmental Science)
Francheska Vargas (Class of 2012)

Committee Members:

Eric Pallant (Environmental Science)
Ann Areson (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Soledad Caballero (English)
Joe DiChristina (Dean of Students)
Brett Fuchs (Class of 2010)
Mike Keeley (Communication Arts)
Terrence Mitchell (President's Office)
Steve Onyeiwu (Economics)
Laura Reeck (Modern & Classical Language)
Ben Slote (Associate Dean of College & English)

Committee Members:

Alice Deckert (Chemistry/Biochemistry)
Jen Daurora (Alumni Council)
Shane Downing (Class of 2011)
Pam Higham (Public Affairs & CPP)
Rick Holmgren (LITS)
Larry Lee (Finance & Planning)
Calion Lockridge (Psychology)
Dave McInally (Finance & Planning)
Betsy Mitchell (Athletics)
Rachel O'Brien (Geology)

John Lawlor of the Lawlor Group (a marketing firm for educational institutions) presented trends in Higher Education. Here are some of the key points:

-60% of students are within 100 miles of home; 27% are within 100-500 miles
-81% of First-year students go to college in their home state
-26% of students attend private institutions; 74% attend public schools
-What are the benefits of size?
-Women tend to be predisposed to smaller private schools, men to larger public (perhaps due to sports)
-Nearly 40% of students enrolled in higher education are over 25 years old.
-Only 29% of American citizens have a bachelor’s degree or higher
-Reverse transfer: Students are leaving 4 year institutions to go to community colleges…perhaps due to harder classes/lower grades at 4 year schools?
-Among High School students, 23.6% reported Health Services as intended field of study; 20% undecided
-Desired outcome from a four year degree: Jobs, Careers, and Vocational mobility
-Business leaders want globally competent students
-People heavily rely on word-of-mouth and internet materials for information about the institution (both prospective students and faculty – including websites like ratemyprofessor)

Here are the core values President Mullen's set forth for the strategic plan / planning process:

1) Mission
2) Values
3) Stay strategic
4) Transcend the individual
5) Be bold
6) Break down silos, see connections
7) This is a 10 year plan, not a 1 year plan
8) This plan will drive the budget and how new initiatives will fit in
9) This will be the basis for the largest fundraising campaign in Allegheny’s history
10) Be relentlessly focused on students and the student experience
11) Trust the process
12) Trust each other

E-mail

We hope you are having a restful summer thus far! On the hill we are furiously working on the strategic plan. To get each of you involved in the strategic planning process, we have created a blog for you to see what we have been doing. Your thoughts are not only wanted but are essential to our impact on this process. Here is the link to the blog: http://webpub.allegheny.edu/group/asgexec/weblog/. You can also get to it by going to the ASG website (http://asg.allegheny.edu) and clicking on the blog button. Please, PlEaSe, PLEASE post comments as often as you can. Questions and recaps of all meetings can be found on the blog.

Thanks everyone and we look forward to incorporating your ideas into the College’s next strategic plan!

Timeline for process:

May 18-June 5, 2009: Planning Workshop
June 30, 2009: Group Reports due
July, 2009: Final comprehensive report written
August 19-20, 2009: Review of final report
September-October, 2009: Campus Community discussion of report
October, 2009: Presentation to Board of Trustees
November, 2009: Strategic plan is written based on report and community discussion
December, 2009: Campus Community & Board of Trustees Executive Committee review the plan
January, 2010: Plan sent to Board of Trustees
February, 2010: Board of Trustees vote on the plan
April, 2010: Fundraising campaign plan draft is presented to Board of Trustees

Our Work: Explained by Dean DeMeritt

-We are to tasked with brainstorming and coming up with ideas that will fit together to make our institution better
-We don’t make decisions, we make recommendations
-There are ground-rules: Don’t share names (especially when there is disagreement) outside of the committee…this will allow and encourage boldness

Working Group Members:

Aimee Knupsky (Psychology)
Alice Deckert (Chemistry/Biochemistry)
Ann Areson (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Barb Steadman (Public Affairs)
Barbara Riess (Modern & Classical Language)
Ben Slote (Associate Dean of College & English)
Betsy Mitchell (Athletics)
Brett Fuchs (Class of 2010)
Calion Lockridge (Psychology)
Dan Shea (Political Science)
Dave McInally (Finance & Planning)
Eric Pallant (Environmental Science)
Francheska Vargas (Class of 2012)
Jen Daurora (Alumni Council)
Joe DiChristina (Dean of Students)
Kathy Roos (President's Office)
Larry Lee (Finance & Planning)
Laura Reeck (Modern & Classical Language)
Lee Coates (Biology & Neuroscience)
Marjie Klein (Development & Alumni Affairs)
Mike Keeley (Communication Arts)
Pam Higham (Public Affairs & CPP)
Rachel O'Brien (Geology)
Rick Holmgren (LITS)
Scott Friedhoff (Enrollment & Communications)
Scott Wissinger (Environmental Science)
Shane Downing (Class of 2011)
Soledad Caballero (English)
Steve Onyeiwu (Economics)
Terrence Mitchell (President's Office)