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Quotes from the Rethinking Success from the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21 st Century

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Quotes from the Rethinking Success from the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21 st Century

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  1. “… Just about every sentence in her final paper needs correction, and some sentences are such that I have a hard time figuring out what the student is trying to say. She is a domestic student, very well-meaning, and managed to make it to her final semester at MHC without the ability to write, in a really fundamental sense.” “Why was my grade so low? This article looked like it was a good citation– it even had a bunch of references at the end. I got it off the internet.” “…25% of the students in my class could not tell you whether A or B happened first based on this graph:”

  2. “Higher education is no longer about amassing and then sharing information, because technology has brought down all those barriers. ““We need to help students learn to communicate clearly across all means.”“We need to give students exposure to quantitative analysis skills, including information management. Few 21st c. careers will not involve data management. ““…teach context, not only content.” Quotes from the Rethinking Success from the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st Century Conference in April of 2012 at Wake Forest University

  3. 3 things employers look for: • Internships: gateways to employment • Leadership in professional organizations • Faculty-supervised research • “unpacking” an internship into an academic context is what enables success later on • 40% of all employers are currently searching for “all majors” – it’s all about skills and not about the specific academic degree • Social media is going to play an increasing role in hiring Quotes from the Rethinking Success from the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st Century Conference in April of 2012 at Wake Forest University

  4. …move away from self-imposed “non-vocational” identity Essential Learning Outcomes • Update and build on the enduring aims of liberal education • Knowledge, skills, and ethical and social responsibility • Move beyond traditional limits • Reject learning “for its own sake alone, rather than for its practical value in real-world contexts…” • Reposition liberal education as the most practical and powerful preparation for ‘success’ in all its real-world meanings: economic, societal, civic, and personal Humphreys, D. (2009) Liberal Education, 14-20.

  5. Curriculum to Career and Citizenship:A Signature ModelEmbedding Citizenship & Experiential Learning in the Liberal Arts(yes, we need a catchier name!)

  6. Essential Learning Outcomesfrom the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) programAssociation of American Colleges and Universities 1. Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world 2. Intellectual and practical skills: • Inquiry and analysis • Critical and creative thinking • Written and oral communication • Quantitative literacy • Information literacy • Teamwork and problem solving 3. Personal and Social Responsibility 4. Integrative and Applied Learning “break free of the silos”

  7. Mount Holyoke College reaffirms its commitment to educating a diverse residential community of women at the highest level of academic excellence and to fostering the alliance of liberal arts education with purposeful engagement in the world • Scaffold pathways between academic learning and global citizenship • Leverage talents of faculty, staff, and others • Complement successful NEXUS and CBL models • Grounded in robust research literature and well-articulated learning goals for Mount Holyoke graduates • Recommended model integrates, consolidates , and builds on existing programs

  8. Aren’t We Already Doing this at MHC? • Miller Worley Center for the Environment • The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives • Weissman Center for Leadership • Speaking, Arguing, and Writing Center (SAW) • Community-Based Learning • Career Development Center • UAF and Academic Year Employment • Academic Core and Distribution Requirements

  9. Mount Holyoke 2012 A Current Snapshot

  10. FOUR C2C Initiatives Proposed to Integrate Academics and Experiences • Articulate and integrate College-wide learning goals that include skills and experiential components • Implement integrated advising, beginning with the first year to bridge between high school and the College • Create pathways to formalize integrated curriculum-to-career paths, bridging the transition between the College and career • Assess and obtain resources needed for implementation

  11. 1. Develop and Articulate College-Wide Learning Goals • Summer 2011: Departments specified learning goals in annual reports • early October 2012: APC sub-committee will recommend learning goals for a Mount Holyoke education • 2012-2013: College-wide distribution requirements revised to reflect learning goals from above • 2012-2013:Revise web presence to explicitly address learning goals, careers, and life at College-wide and departmental levels • Future: Re-cast existing departmental learning goals in that context, then migrate them into individual course syllabi • Future: Develop a rewards structure to incentivize faculty to make these changes

  12. 2. Improve Advising, Starting with Grounding/Preparation in 1st Year • All-campuscareer-related event(s) on parent drop-off day • Orientation to address college and life goals • Integrated advising from faculty • First year seminars: writing, speaking, collaborative work, critical thinking, multiple perspectives, help to identify interests/areas to grow • First year connections course: couple content with integrated advising

  13. 3. Create Pathways to Formalize Integrated Curriculum-to-Career Paths • Provide an experiential learning opportunity for all students, • Embed (“unpack”) these experiences in curricula, • Development an e-portfolio system, and • Celebrate and articulate experiential learning goals at an annual LEAP symposium each fall semester.

  14. Expand LEAP SymposiumCelebration of Integration of Academics and Experience Week-long series of events (leading up to Family Weekend?) Monday: kick-off event Tuesday: All-college sessions on summer internships (lunch), grad school (lunch), finding a job (4:15) Wednesday: Department/division sessions: summer internships (lunch), grad school (lunch), finding a job (4:15) Thursday: “Crafting a Life” events for all divisions , with alumnae panels from each department Friday: 10 concurrent sessions of presentations by seniors reflecting on C2C transition directed at 1st year students cancel classes? followed by senior class dinner/festivities?

  15. 4. Assess and seek resources to support this initiativeSummer Opportunities (by year) 238 students funded in 2011 58% success rate BUT the other 42% are definitely worthy!

  16. How do we get more resources for summer opportunities? • $11.9min endowment available to yield funds for internships and research • $10.7m of those endowed funds’ yields used in 2011 • most of these funds are restricted • administered through the UAF • $1.2min non-UAF accumulated departmental funds’ yields were not used in 2011 • would yield $55k more (18 more students’ worth) of internships/research each year. • $14.5m more in endowment needed to fund 242 more student internships with $3k awards • make this a goal of the next Campaign? • Take advantage of funding during academic year

  17. 4. Off-Campus Academic Year Work Study

  18. Some Academic Year Internships,Research Projects, and Jobs These could fill the void if re-configured BUT supervision is very staff-intensive →expensive. It’s probably cheaper to just fund the UAF’s outright unless faculty take this on!

  19. Paths to Implementation • Keep the academic core and liberal arts intact! • Embrace and articulate learning goals we already have • Incorporate C2C into or replace minors for all • Support faculty who seek to embed C2C components (e.g., practitioners) in existing courses • Use faculty and staff energy effectively • Conserve resources by consolidating many disparate “advising” student events into one coherent fall event celebrating “purposeful engagement” • Increase endowment for summer opportunities; leverage federal work-study funds during the academic year

  20. Benefits • Creates a signature, innovative program that integrates liberal arts and experiential learning • Builds on existing reputation for innovative programs, as currently supported by Mellon Foundation (e.g., NEXUS program) • Re-arranges existing resources; adapts existing curricula • Utilizes and expands upon existing strengths in Centers: speaking, arguing, writing, community-based learning, environmental and global citizenship

  21. Curriculum to Career and CitizenshipEmbedding Citizenship & Experiential Learning in the Liberal Arts

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