New strategic plan maps out goals: Part 3

RELEASED: February 28, 2008

DANVILLE—Engaged and experiential learning, or "hands-on learning," is another key goal mapped out by the strategic plan approved by Centre College's Board of Trustees at their January meeting. The plan builds on what is already one of Centre's greatest strengths: the holistic nature of the College's educational experience.

The plan calls for Centre to create a nationally recognized model for experiential learning by enabling students to:

• Experience work rather than only observe and analyze
• Engage in more collaborative work
• Engage in community-based learning
• Study and develop effective leadership skills
• Take advantage of more co-curricular and extracurricular programs
• Draw all of these elements together through planning and management of each student's experience

To achieve these goals, the plan details specific initiatives:

1. Strengthening and expanding undergraduate research and collaborative learning. Necessary to this initiative are:

• A fresh approach regarding undergraduate research and faculty teaching load
• More funding for collaborative research, including travel for conference presentations
• Funding for student-generated research projects
• Facilities that would support and enhance collaborative research
• Summer exchanges with other Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) members
• Summer housing or stipends for student researchers
• Granting academic credit for research

2. Emphasizing creative thinking and creativity:

• Requiring a capstone course or other activity in every major program that requires creative problem solving or creative expression
• Supporting faculty-to-faculty, faculty-to-student and student-to-student collaborative efforts with funding for materials and teaching credit
• Examining further and prioritizing the creation of a minor in film and digital video
• Creating models for special programs that would foster creative work
• Increasing funds to support student attendance where they would present their work at professional conferences and meetings
• Making focused efforts to publicize creative activities
• Providing training for faculty and staff in group dynamics that foster creative thinking

3. Creating an internal teaching and learning "think tank"

4. Strengthening and expanding community-based learning

5. Achieving greater coherence among the different elements of the first-year student experience

6. Developing a more coordinated and purposeful program of leadership development. Specific actions to support this initiative include:

• Coordinating leadership development activities
• Exploring the adoption on a regular basis of College-wide leadership of a public policy theme to be integrated into curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities
• Establishing an endowment to fund public service grants for students

7. Creating "The CentrePlan," a program of advising and mentoring that will enable more active and purposeful planning and management of each student's experience

8. Helping students improve in "numeracy," or quantitative literacy, in order to provide them with the skills they need to understand numbers and data, assess them critically and use them effectively

9. Becoming a model of excellence in career development, graduate and professional school exploration and preparation, and post-baccalaureate fellowship advising and placement

10. Exploring the creation of a Centre-in-America Program, with the goal of creating study, work and service opportunities in the United States

11. Reviewing academic areas and overall curriculum as strategic plan initiatives are put into place and developed

12. Conducting a thorough review of athletics and recreation, including:

• Establishing Centre as a place of "best practice" for intercollegiate sport at the Division III level by 2012, including a review of the College's conference affiliation by 2010
• Exploring the addition of sports that would have a positive influence on admission
• Exploring what sports might be eliminated
• Exploring the revision or elimination of the Health and Human Performance requirement
• Developing means by which students can better integrate academic and extracurricular activities
• Exploring whether the College should work to establish true regional or even national prominence in one or two intercollegiate sports
• Understanding that these goals have significant financial, personnel and facility implications

13. Seeking to establish a variety of partnerships with other educational institutions

14. Considering the creation and expansion of summer class opportunities

15. Developing theme years

16. Considering the establishment of special study programs such as:

• Public Policy/Polling Institute
• Bluegrass Regional Studies Center
• Center for Environmental/Sustainability Studies

17. Encouraging and facilitating self-designed majors

18. Creating a co-curricular transcript

19. Conducting exit interviews

20. Expanding fifth-year graduate assistants

21. Considering the creation of shared community experiences

22. Considering the creation of more opportunities for true team teaching

Over the next few weeks, additional Web stories will address other goals and initiatives of the strategic plan.

Centre's Board approves new strategic plan click here for goals.

Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of the series "Centre's Board approves new strategic plan.

 

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

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