The two task forces met at 10 am in 315 Altgeld Hall. Task force members were updated on current and future activities. The visit by Dr. George Kuh (Indiana University) will highlight next week’s meeting (Friday, March 28, 2008). He will give a presentation at 9 am, then participate in task force discussions between 10 and 11:30 am. At 11:30 am task force members are asked to join Dr. Kuh for lunch in 315 Altgeld. Dr. Kuh will complete his visit to NIU with a 2 hour presentation (beginning at 1:30 pm) in the Barsema Visitor and Alumni Center.
Members of the task forces who participated in the webcast of the 7 Revolutions provided some insight into the presentation and discussed how ideas presented in that discussion could be brought into various aspects of each task force, specifically the idea of the campus theme. Brigid Lusk and Carolinda Douglass provided a summary of their trip to the University of Connecticut. They were impressed by the quantitative resource center (provided tutoring support to students for specific natural science courses) and other aspects of that university’s services that were developed to assist students at risk. Discussions that followed were broad and highlighted the need to centrally locate NIU’s student tutoring and assistance centers. At approximately 10:45 am the two task forces separated with the Curricular Innovation task force meeting in Room 225.
Three subgroups (use of new technology in learning environments, campus theme, and engaged learning) of the Curricular Innovation task force met and discussed the strategies/initiatives that Changnon had prepared based on the subgroup workshops of the previous week. The subgroup discussions lasted approximately an hour with Deans Chris McCord (CLAS) and Harold Kafer (VPA) participating in the campus theme discussion. At 11:45 am, Associate Provost Gip Seaver joined the group and heard each subgroup give a summary of their efforts. The meeting ended about 12:30 pm.
The Student Success task force discussed progress in four of the subgroups – campus climate, impacted majors, advising and retention. The group decided that they would like to arrange a tour of the Grant Tower Tutoring Facility (this has been scheduled for April 4, 2008) and they wanted more information on how external relationships have changed in the post 2-14 period. Joe Matty, Director of Alumni Services and Mallory Simpson, President of the NIU Foundation have agreed to present at a pre-meeting for the Task Forces on April 4, 2008 at 9:00 am.