Student Engagement Task Force

1. Student EngagementTask Force Cindy Horn and John Thorp, Co-Chairs December 15, 2005

2. Collective Good: Campus • Administrative personnel and offices • First-year students: 0.14 • Seniors: 0.37 • Participated in physical fitness activities • First-year students: 0.09 • Seniors: 0.04 • Attending campus events and activities • First-year students: -0.07 • Seniors: -0.04 • Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary) • First-year students: -0.17 • Seniors: -0.09

3. Collective Good: Campus • Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework • First-year students: -0.20 • Seniors: -0.07 • Attended an art exhibit, gallery, play, dance, or other theatre performance • First-year students: -0.40 • Seniors: -0.27

4. Collective Good: Campus • Events Programming • Event Scheduling • Publicity • Classroom and Co-curricular Connections

5. Events Programming • Yearly Common Theme • Front-load programming budgets at least year in advance • Scholarship assistance for student programmers • Acknowledge and reward faculty participation in programming

6. Events Programming • Expand opportunities to “do rather than view” • Invite more faculty participation in programming annual events • Develop long-term Arts and Lectures programming policy • Centrally coordinate all arts, lectures, entertainment programming

7. Events Scheduling • Create Co-Curricular electronic calendar category • Establish two or three Signature Events per semester • Coordinate scheduling policy for venues campus wide • Create Events Office/Official

8. Events Office/Official • Centralized location for scheduling, implementing structured policy to prevent event overlapping • Mandatory usage. Strong administrative direction from Vice Presidents’ offices to ensure compliance. • Appoint advisory committee from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, University A and M to develop policy and hear appeals. • Events scheduled at least one semester in advance.

9. Publicity • Increase faculty classroom announcements of events • Increase use of office staffs and UREC to promote signature events • Publicize events to students through FACEBOOK • Develop college specific systems for information dissemination • Centralize design and production of publicity materials. Use academic programs, e.g. marketing, visual design, technical communication

10. Classroom – Co-Curricular • Program co-curricular events at least a semester in advance to allow for inclusion in required course activities. • Reward faculty for integrating co-curricular events as required course activities. • Reward participation in, as well as sponsorship of, co-curricular events • Create systematic faculty involvement in residence life programming. • Expect universal participation in creating an engaged campus

11. Community, State, Nation • Community service or volunteer work • First-year students: -0.22 • Seniors: -0.14 • Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course • First-year students: -0.24 • Seniors: -0.26 • Voting in local, state, or national elections • First-year students: -0.36 • Seniors: -0.33 • Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment • First-year students: -0.04 • Seniors: -0.28

12. Community, Nation, State • Institutionalize voter registration as permanent feature of student life • Increase # of academic programs requiring volunteer service • Increase # of programs requiring service-learning • Increase FCTL training in engagement activities • Explicitly link internships with “Engaged Campus” pillar of vision statement.

13. Diversity • Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds • First-year students: -0.11 • Seniors: -0.06 • Had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own • First-year students: -0.41 • Seniors: -0.10 • Had serious conversations with students who are very different from you in terms of their religious, political, or personal values • First-year students: -0.40 • Seniors: -0.03 • Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds • First-year students: -0.29 • Seniors: -0.16

14. Diversity • Examined the strengths and weaknesses of your own views on a topic or issue • First-year students: -0.50 • Seniors: -0.24 • Tried to better understand someone else’s views by imagining how an issue looks from his or her perspective • First-year students: -0.51 • Seniors: -0.28

15. Diversity • Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class • First-year students: -0.30 • Seniors: -0.39 • Included diverse perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments • First-year students: -0.47 • Seniors: -0.43 • Learned something that changed the way you understand an issue or concept • First-year students: -0.41 • Seniors: -0.43

16. Diversity • Understanding yourself • First-year students: -0.21 • Seniors: -0.42

17. Diversity • More fully utilize Rankin Center as a “public” space for debate and discussion • Open Quiznos for late night food • Program midnight movies, poetry slams, debates… • Program on weekends • Centralize arts, lectures, diversity offices and proposed events office/official in Rankin Center

18. Diversity • Develop a university diversity policy • Coordinate diversity efforts currently done by Academic Senate Diversity Committee, Arts & Sciences Diversity Counts! initiative, Diversity Incidence Team, and Office of Minority Affairs. • Create a diversity initiative in each academic college to address faculty and staff recruitment, curriculum transformation, pedagogical development, and student recruitment . Recognize and reward those responsible for and involved in this effort.

19. Diversity • Fully resource the Jim Crow Museum, develop Sara Baartman Room, utilize ISAR Archives • Make General Education central to a Ferris education • Fast-track creation of state-of-the-art Student Union

20. Off-Campus • Winter 2006 administration of NSSE will include off-campus cohort • Internal surveys indicate need for career development programming.