Academic Affairs Newsletter - Message #9

In fall 2014, the campus partnered with the John N. Gardner Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Education to complete the Foundations of Excellence (FoE)–Transfer Focus project. This yearlong self-study was a collaborative effort among all IUPUI divisions and involved over 150 people from across the campus who served on nine dimension committees working to improve transfer student learning and success. Specifically, the FoE structure guided IUPUI in becoming an institution that:

• Develops intentional policies and practices related to student transfer based on a clear philosophy and rationale.
• Creates organizational structures that provide oversight and coordination of student transfer.
• Assures seamless development of transfer students’ learning focusing on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors consistent with the desired outcomes of higher education and IUPUI’s philosophy and mission.
• Makes transfer students a high priority for faculty and staff.
• Facilitates appropriate transfer student transitions through policies and practices that are intentional and aligned with the institutional mission.
• Serves all students who transfer to the institution according to their varied needs.
• Ensures that all students experience diversity in all its forms including diverse ideas, worldviews, and cultures as a means of enhancing their learning and preparing them to become members of pluralistic communities.
• Promotes student understanding of the various roles and purposes of higher education both for the individual and society.
• Conducts assessment and maintains associations with other institutions and relevant professional organizations in order to achieve ongoing improvement in the transfer process.

The Foundations of Excellence process was highly data-driven; the self-study and emergent recommendations were based on two campuswide surveys on transfer students — one for faculty and staff and the other for students — as well as relevant campus data. As the FoE project progressed, the following philosophy statement was approved by the Foundations of Excellence Steering Committee, Council on Retention and Graduation, and Office of Academic Affairs to guide our work with transfer students:

“As an urban research institution, IUPUI is deeply committed to the educational success of all students. As part of this commitment, students who transfer to IUPUI will experience coordinated, holistic, and developmentally appropriate support as they transition into and through the university. As they pursue their degrees, they will be intentionally connected to high-quality curricular and co-curricular learning experiences and provided continuous access to support services. Their student experiences will be based on a theoretical framework that supports the unique needs of transfer students. These experiences will enhance their academic and social integration, and commitment to attain academic and career goals.”

Following the completion of the self-study, there were six action teams created to begin working towards the recommendations from the study. The recommendations were divided into the areas of admissions policy, orientation, transfer credit, housing, data, and web presence. The action teams are now in year two of a three year goal of implementing the recommendations. To learn more about the Foundations of Excellence—Transfer Focus self-study and action teams' progress, please visit our website. If you have additional questions regarding the project, feel free to contact edaW wehttaM (director, Office of Transfer Student Services).  

Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty begins the first of her three-part series on online education at IUPUI in the first post of the Office of Academic Affairs Faculty Fellows Blog. Grab a cup of tea and join Carolyn as she discusses the formation of The Campus Forum on Online Education. Follow the OAA blog for updates on this project and others by the fellows.

At their May meeting, the IUPUI Faculty Council endorsed statements provided by the Council on Retention and Graduation and the Enrollment Management Advisory Council that advocate for at least minimal utilization of Canvas by all IUPUI faculty. Mandatory policy information has now been incorporated as a “Syllabus Supplement” in Canvas for all IUPUI courses. It is important that faculty use Canvas, at a minimum, to post course syllabi. An additional tab entitled “IUPUI Academic and Student Support Services” has also been incorporated into Canvas to provide students with a “one-stop shop” experience of the myriad of resources available to help support their success. For support in using Canvas, please visit the Center for Teaching and Learning. 

Earlier this year a talented and creative group of faculty and staff populated a task force and took on the challenge of considering new ways of fostering innovations in teaching, learning, and curricula and supporting faculty professional development at IUPUI. We shared their report through the January issue of this newsletter, and again would like to express our sincere thanks for their efforts. During the spring semester, a small implementation team co-led by Dr. Terri Tarr (director, Center for Teaching and Learning) and Etta Ward (executive director of research development, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research) have worked to translate that vision into a concrete action plan, along with plans for space remodeling, the recruitment of faculty to serve in new ways to support a planned “Forum” within the CTL, and to ensure that each school has a clear channel of communication and can provide input on programming. Finally a communication and marketing plan is being developed to better coordinate communications regarding support for teaching and learning as well as other forms of professional development that relate to IUPUI’s teaching mission. Progress is charted in this interim report provided by the implementation team.

On a brilliant spring day in May, we gathered at the Skyline Club to honor 38 faculty from IUPUI who will be retiring this year after many years of dedicated service and countless contributions in research and support for student learning. The keynote speaker was Dr. Bill Schneider who described the changes that he had witnessed on the IUPUI campus from his vantage point as former IFC president and associate dean in the School of Liberal Arts. He also shared his views on the history of the School of Medicine – a topic for which he has devoted years of scholarship and which will soon culminate in the publication of a book.  

Dr. Sherry Queener, formerly associate dean of the Graduate Office and now president of the Senior Academy brought greetings from “the other side” and frankly painted a glorious portrait of retirement while also introducing retirees to the ways that they might become involved with Senior Academy initiatives. Pictures from the event are posted to the Office of Academic Affairs Facebook page.

Submit an award nomination here. Deadline is October 16, 2017, for awards given in spring 2018.

• New Faculty Welcome: August 16, 2017, Campus Center 450 – New IUPUI faculty will receive an invitation to this event during the summer.
• Pictures from the Chancellor’s Academic Honors Convocation (April 26) can be found here.
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