Updates in Academic Affairs: July 20, 2016
Inside Updates: The Medallion Scholarship Competition is now staged earlier in the academic year, a new international student conference is set for September and the integrated program review and planning process makes positive inroads.
Medallion Scholarship Competition moves to fall
We are pleased to announce the 2016 Medallion Scholarship Program Competition will be held in December this year. The shift in dates will allow WMU to recruit and offer merit-based awards to prospective students with high-academic achievement in a timeframe similar to many of the University’s peer institutions.
Details regarding the competition will be provided as we move into the fall semester. But major changes to the itinerary on the competition days are not anticipated.
As the competition approaches, we will again be seeking assistance in recruiting faculty and staff to participate as observers for the problem-solving portion of the competition, as well as to help assess each competitor’s résumé.
For more information or questions regarding the 2016 Medallion Competition, you may contact any of the following individuals:
- Jane Baas, interim dean of the Lee Honors College, at (269) 387-3234 or jane.baas@wmich.edu
- Scott Hennessy, associate director of admissions, at (269) 387-2011 or scott.hennessy@wmich.edu
- Erin Leigh, assistant director and Medallion coordinator in admissions, at (269) 387-2000 or erin.leigh@wmich.edu
We appreciate your assistance with sharing this information with colleagues and prospective students and their families. Thank you for your continuing support of the Medallion Competition and our recruiting events
New International Graduate Student Conference set for Sept. 1
A full day of events is planned for the New International Graduate Student Conference, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Fetzer Center. The conference is being offered as part of the International Student Orientation and Registration Program to prepare our new WMU graduate students for success in American academia.
Continuing domestic and international graduate students are invited to attend lunch to mingle with the new students and talk about their experiences in an informal setting.
An International Graduate Student Panel scheduled for the afternoon will provide a structured format for returning international graduate students to talk about strategies and resources available for success at WMU. And the Graduate Student Association will discuss opportunities for new students to become involved in graduate student life.
The complete conference schedule is as follows:
9:30-10:30 a.m., breakfast and registration
10:30-11:20 a.m., session 1
11:30-12:30 p.m., session 2
Presenters/presentations:
Dr. Marianne Di Pierro, program manager of graduate research and retention, “Conducting research—best practices, policies and resources.”
Ed Eckel, engineering librarian and associate professor of University Libraries, “On writing ethically and well—plagiarism, patch-writing and the thesis/dissertation.”
Lunch, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
1:30-2:20 p.m., session 3
2:30-3:20 p.m., session 4
Presenters/presentations:
Dr. Julie Apker, professor of communication, “Engaging with advisors and mentors.”
Dr. Geniene Gersh, director of counseling services at the Sindecuse Health Center, “Health and well-being.”
Coffee break, 3:20-3:45 p.m.
3:45-4:30 p.m., international graduate student panel
4:30-5 p.m., Graduate Student Association presentation
For additional information regarding the conference, contact Dr. Michelle Metro-Roland, director of Faculty and Global Program Development in the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, at (269) 387-3908 or michelle.metro-roland@wmich.edu.
Integrated program review and planning moves forward
WMU launched the second round of its integrated program review and planning process on July 15. The Learner Support Program Review and Planning —LSPR&P—focuses on learner-support programs at the University, and the degree to which these programs effectively contribute to the learning, growth, and development of learners outside of traditional curricular instruction.
This review is intended to provide a mission-driven, data-informed and participatory mechanism for continuous quality review that incorporates three phases: self-study and self-review; next- and division-level review; and planning, decision-making and implementation.
“Aligning effective assessment with campuswide continuous improvement is key to building a culture of student success,” says Dr. Jody A. Brylinsky, associate provost for institutional effectiveness. “Learner-support programs make a valuable contribution toward the achievement of the University's mission and goals.”
Programs reporting to Academic Affairs that will be assessed during the LSPR&P initiative include Assessment and Undergraduate Studies, Center for Fostering Success, Academic Advising within the seven academic colleges, Enrollment Management, Extended University Programs, Haenicke Institute for Global Education, Graduate College, Office for Sustainability, and University Libraries.
The review process allows each program to focus not only WMU’s stated mission and goals and its own mission and goals, but also on how well goals are being accomplished, as measured by factors such as program efficiency and effectiveness, stakeholder satisfaction, resource allocation, and program outcomes.
The proposed timetable and further details regarding the Learner Support Program Review are available on the Office of Institutional Effectiveness website at wmich.edu/effectiveness/review.
For more information or questions, contact Dr. Jody Brylinsky at jody.brylinsky@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2314.