Opportunities & Obligations Among Faculty Leaders at Public Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Opportunities & Obligations Among Faculty Leaders at Public Liberal Arts Colleges A Participatory Keynote Address COPLAC Conference UNCA, June 9, 2005 By Professor David G. Brown Chancellor UNCA (1984-90) Interim President GC&SU (Fall 2003) Coordinator ACC-IAC (2000-now) http://www.wfu.edu/~brown brown@wfu.edu

2. Why I Might Have Come to this Conference • Opportunities to Strengthen my university’s distinctive mission. • Opportunities to Enhance Teaching Effectiveness

3. COPLAC at Founding 1982 • The success story in American undergraduate education has been the small private liberal arts college. • Since the 1950’s, the % of students enrolled in such colleges had plummeted from 40+% to 15-%! • There was a set of small public colleges poised to do a “comparable” job. • This set needed more identity, recognition, funding, self confidence, and opportunities for sharing.

4. How the “COPLAC Identity”Adds Value • Enhances How We View OURSELVES! • Self Respect/Trust/Courage/Morale (PLU) • Especially among our students & faculty • Enhances How OTHERS View Us! • Legislators/Foundations/Community/Boards • USN&WR. IHE colleagues. • Prospective Students • Enables Us To BE BETTER! • Affinity Learning (e.g. this conference) • Shared Work (e.g. lead college, joint purchasing)

5. The Attributes That Differentiate Public Liberal Arts CollegesFrom the “Compass” Universities Your Turn to Work Write down 3-5 attributes!

6. The Attributes That Differentiate Public Liberal Arts Colleges • Your answers

7. The Attributes That Differentiate Public Liberal Arts Colleges • Small (less than 5000 students) • Statewide (< 25% home county) • Undergraduate (<5% graduate students) • Selective (above SAT/ACT average) • Liberal Arts Emphasis • Extensive Co-curricular Programming • Highly Interactive/Collaborative

8. Q#1: Upon returning, what can YOU do to enrich/enhance one of these differentiators?

9. Q#2: How can you help your colleagues anticipate the future of teaching and learning?

10. Reasons 150 ProfessorsRedesigned Their Courses • Communication-Interaction • Collaboration-Teams • Consultants-Adjuncts • Customization-Diversity • Controversy-Debate www.ankerpub.com/books/brown.html www.ablongman.com/professional/catalog/academic/product/1,4096,0205355803,00.html

11. Communication-Interaction • Muddiest • One Minute Quiz • Team Editing

12. New “Student” Mentality • Learn by Trial and Error (Nintendo) • Expect Immediate Feedback, ..the world • Accept Multi-Tasking & Channel Changing • Use Keyboard More Than Pen & Pencil • Keep In Touch Everywhere with Everybody • Demand High Quality Multi-Media • Provide just-enough & just-in-time learning • Insist upon courses that match personal learning style • Think in bulleted lists & sound bites

13. New Faculty Roles • Become scouts, analysts, strategists, coaches • Provide Interactive & Group Learning Experiences • Guide & Sequence Individual Learning Strategies • Rate and Certify Learning Resources • Expect Second Opinions & Open Classrooms • Manage Corps of Adjuncts & Course Assistants • Teach Collaboratively • Give over control of learning to students • Build and sell chunks

14. New Course Formats • More Interaction, even in the Classroom • More Projects, much like early K-12 years • More Asynchronous Learning • Web Presence for every course • Flexible Classrooms and Seat Time • Hybrid Pedagogy (The 80-20 Rule) • Studio Teaching is spreading from RPI • Chunk Learning (Sold & Bought) • Trans-Disciplinary • Different Strokes for Different Folks

15. Future of Universities • Bright because— • Right values • Right size • Right funding • Right cost • Right faculty • Right leadership • Good Luck in the days ahead!