A shared leadership framework has been adopted for managing this initative, consisting of both an executive team providing general oversight as well as a core team to directly oversee and coordinate project activities. An interdisciplinary team is being formed to provide further input in identifying and prioritizing interventions.
Executive Team
Executive Vice President and Provost |
Beth Ingram |
Vice President for Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer |
Vernese Edghill-Walden* |
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs |
Omar Ghrayeb |
Core Team
Associate Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education and Interim Accreditation Liaison Officer |
Jason Rhode^ |
Associate Vice Provost for Student Success |
Nichole Knutson |
Director of Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation and Accreditation Liaison Officer |
Ritu Subramony |
Executive Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion |
Joseph Flynn* |
Acting Director of Center on Women, Gender, and Sexuality |
Katy Jaekel* |
Project Manager |
Susan Smith |
Interdisciplinary Team
An interdisciplinary team provided input in identifying and prioritizing additional university-wide support interventions to help reduce barriers and enhance success for students taking gateway courses. Subgroups coalesced around the following five themes:
- Promote college preparation and expectations (e.g., summer bridge program, etc.)
- Increase university-wide coordinated academic support (e.g., tutoring, etc.)
- Formalize opportunities for ongoing student engagement with advisors, support staff and faculty instructors (e.g. early alerts, midterm grades, check-in plans, etc.)
- Enhance pedagogical support and practices (e.g. active learning, inclusive syllabus, universal learning design, professional development/trainings, engaging instructors in professional development, etc.)
- Further course redesign (e.g. revising assignments & rubrics, multiple assignment checkpoints, study guide development, requiring office hours for assignments, building assignments around support service usage, etc.)
Members of the interdisciplinary team subgroups represent diverse perspectives from across the institution. Taking an equity lense, each subgroup helped surface additional support strategies as it considered the intersectionality of student needs, barriers, and institutional resources to enhance success in gateway courses for all students.
Subgroup 1: Promote College Preparation and Expectations
Chair: Charlie Fey, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs
- Bethany Cockburn, Assistant Professor, Management
- Michelle Demaray, Professor, Psychology
- Adriane Hutchinson, Director, CHANCE Program
- Meg Junk*, Chief of Staff, Division of Student Affairs
- Jenna Pracht (Krumpos), Director, Orientation and First Year Programs
- Linda Saborío, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, World Languages and Cultures
Subgroup 2: Increase University-wide Coordinated Academic Support
Chair: Nichole Knutson, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success
- E. Taylor Atkins, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Alastair Fletcher, Professor, Mathematical Sciences
- Gail Jacky*, Director, Huskie Academic Support Center
- Margee Myles, Director, Undergraduate Advising and Student Resources, College of Business
- Mark Pietrowski*, Director of Advising, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
- Jessica Reyman, Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
- Lee Sunderlin, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Subgroup 3: Formalize Opportunities for Ongoing Student Engagement
Chair: Michelle Pickett, Director, Academic Advising Center
- Steve Estes, Director of Academic Advising, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Samantha Gibson, Instructor, Marketing
- Dan Ihm, Director, Applications Development and Support, Division of Information Technology
- Michael Kushnick, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, College of Health and Human Sciences
- Brandon Lagana*, Director of Navigate
- Kelly Olson*, Assistant Dean of Students, Student Affairs
Subgroup 4: Enhance Pedagogical Support and Practices
Chair: Stephanie Richter*, Director of Teaching Excellence and Support, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
- Tim Aurand, Professor, Marketing
- Jessamine Cooke-Plagwitz^, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, World Languages and Cultures
- Shanthi Muthuswamy^, Professor, Engineering Technology
- J. Pappas*, Interim Director, Social Justice Education
- Kimberly Shotick^, Assistant Professor and Student Success Librarian, University Libraries
- Kathy Zeek^, Instructor, English
Subgroup 5: Further Course Redesign
Chair: Amanda Smothers*, Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
- Veysel Demir^, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
- Ed Klonoski, Associate Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts
- Nicole LaDue*, Associate Professor, Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
- Carol Walther^, Associate Professor, Sociology