QEP Idea Archive: Submitted Spring 2010

In the Spring of 2010, the Quality Enhancement Plan was introduced to the UK community. Dr. Todd invited perspectives from faculty, staff, administration, current students, prospective students/families, alumni, community partners/stakeholders, and representatives from other institutions regarding QEP topic big ideas. In all, there were nearly 200 ideas submitted. Use the links below to read through the ideas.

Week of 5.23.2010 through 5.30.2010

Faculty, Staff

Idea = Engage in TUNING Process like LUMINA Foundation's TUNING USA in which learning outcomes for academic majors are linked within a Qualifications Framework to degrees. Additionally, these could be linked to credit and workload.

Staff

Idea = The curriculum should be structured to promote critical thinking supported by skills and knowledge gained from a broad range of disciplines. Faculty should routinely engage students in the process of solving 'real world' problems using a variety of skills from their cognitive toolkits. Analytical and quantitative skills should be honed so students can learn to isolate and identify core elements of a problem, as well generate and test hypotheses. But students should also acquire the ability to synthesize knowledge from various disciplines so they can identify relationships and properly interpret their assessments. Finally, students should learn how to take theoretical principles from several disciplines and apply them to the solution of problems encountered routinely in their professional and personal lives.

Staff

Idea = Advising units across campus could work to build on the relationship with the students that were met during the Summer Advising Conference (SAC) by sending out scheduled communications from SAC to the start of the semester. Advisors could focus on 3-4 critical pieces of information that students need to become comfortable with prior to the start of the semester and let those items be the focus of the messages. These communications, email or otherwise, could help to further acclimate the student to the University and surrounding community, while allowing that student to feel more comfortable in their navigation of higher education. The communications could make the K Week College meeting more meaningful to that student, as a connection to their college has been strengthened and the students are taking more ownership of their education.

Faculty

Idea = Strengthen and promote the Honors Program on and off campus.

Faculty, Staff

Idea = In line with the unversity's focus on the general education curriculum for undergraduates, it would be useful to have a similar emphasis on professional and graduate level writing and ethical education accross the various graduate college curriculums.

Faculty

Idea = Interprofessional education - Learning together to provide collaborative, interdisciplinary opportunities that nurture faclty and student interaction and enhance the climate of student engagement across colleges.

Graduate Student, Staff, Community Supporter

Idea = There are a couple ideas I think of often. Involvement in the community, specifically areas that need major cleanup and help with the elderly population. I believe we could do a world of good by creating a symbiotic relationship, similar to co-housing, found throughout America, Europe and in several Asian cultures. We create a setting off campus where college aged students create task forces that clean up a particular home, street, neighborhood and their volunteered time has an incentive of credit hours or reward of recognition. The real reward being they've helped someone who cannot help themselves. Similar projects have been done and continues to occur in the community. I also think crafting a program that pairs young kids with older adults could really stimulate the entire city. So many people are struggling to keep up with their homes and beautification of one street that looks run down will have the added effect of increasing property values, perhaps driving away a criminal element, and making other cities take notice of want a small, committed effort can accomplish. Another aspect of this larger idea involves using art as a tool to help troubled youth. With our Music, Theater, and Art departments, all of these wonderful resources on campus could be opened up to kids and adults during certain times for programs (after school) or during breaks so that the idle hours (especially a problem for at-risk kids) can be used for more constructive and productive reasons. Creating a production written, directed, and starred in by needful kids (using community known places such as the Florence-Crittenton home) teaming up with those types of facilities could have a major impact on some people's lives in a very practical/personal way.

Faculty

Idea = There are challenges for students to take courses outside of their 'home' colleges/programs. Barriers include enrollment restrictions, supplemental tuition costs, and restrictions in academic 'credit' awarded to the students and the colleges/programs. Given expanding recognition of the importance of multi- and inter-disciplinary training, would it be worthwhile examining strategies to reduce these barriers at UK?

Staff

Idea = Most UK undergraduate students lack a clear career focus, and many are not even sure that the major they have chosen will lead them where they want to go professionally. To improve student learning and increase retention, we must engage students in meaningful learning opportunities that help them define their interests and goals. Students want to see real-world connections between their studies in college and their future career: this will make them more active partners in the learning process. I propose that UK require all undergraduate students to complete at least one of the following items during each academic year:- A basic career exploration course; - A college-specific career exploration course (Very few offerings exist currently. These need to be offered more abundantly by every college.);- A major-based course with a built-in career exploration or practicum component (This could be an enhancement of existing courses, or part of the new General Education initiative.);- ; A sequence of career testing sessions with a career counselor; -; An undergraduate research experience; - ; A job-shadowing or internship experience. This initiative would draw upon existing professional expertise from both UK and the greater Lexington community. With a concentration of these resources and expansion of current career exploration offerings, we will improve student learning and engagement, increase retention, and help students find their calling. The results will be greater academic persistence and success and more meaningful and beneficial contributions, in the short and long term, to the UK community and our Commonwealth.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Why is it that primary and secondary school teachers have to have master's degrees in education, while higher learning professors can have an entire career, including tenure, without taking a single education class? Teach the teachers how to teach and your DEW rates will fall as a consequence.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Centre has a program in which anyone who wants to study abroad is guaranteed to be able to do so. I don't know how feasible something like that is at a bigger university, but too few people study abroad (especially compared to the number of people who enter college expecting to - only about 1-2% actually do). Study abroad expands a student's worldview and increases their awareness and cultural senstivity in an ever-shrinking world. Many people who want to study abroad can't do it because there is so little funding available (only about $50,000 for the entire university), especially for shorter programs.

Parent

Idea = These are some of the common themes that have surfaced in faculty discussions in our college- I summerize theme here- 1 What is the mission of the University? Two somewhat divergent thoughts- a. The University is and institution to get children can transition away of their parents and get out on their own. (if not, what else what would their be?) So, by in large, we are dealing with the needs of both parents and their kids in transition. Weather we like it or not, we are taking on the role of the guardianship if kids transitioning away from their parents (a big responsibility). b. the University as an institution of higher learning where invention is the paramount value. The university is a place where ideas are created. The university is were professors do their research. Therefore the university is place where students rub up against professors doing research, and something great happens- the university is a place ideally suited for the transfer of knowledge and for the creation of new meaning. 2. College should be a be a mountaintop experience for students, so never regard university education as professional training, technical learning, or service to the community (outreach) only. University Education by the nature of the field one pursues will deal with and involve all of these (professional, technical, community, etc.) but that should not be the goal, "the formula" of student learning. In sum, blow students minds- get them to think. Teach them not simply "the rules" but the importance of setting rules. Teach them not the discipline but the importance of being disciplined and get them to know the importance of challenging popular culture and to pursue truth and creation of meaning new-knowledge). In sum, invention is the paramount value.

Faculty

Idea = new student center bringing together students services such as food service, abroad programs and learning/tutoring support, student govt. etc. under one roof- exciting new building! Renovate the tired old student center into a classroom building.

Anonymous

Idea = new modern dorm facilities

Staff

Idea = I am the Life Skills Coordinator for UK Athletics. 30% of my job at CATS deals with career counseling for student-athletes. I've found that many of the student-athletes I've advised during the past year do not know the first thing about a job search. This includes everything from building a resume to researching full-time positions/internships online. Often times I get the impression student-athletes think I can wave a magic wand and land them their first job and/or internship. They find out very quickly that I do not possess these special powers - the only "talent" I have is assisting them in their career search or referring them to job postings that I come across. Based on these observations, I feel it should be mandatory for every student at the University of Kentucky to attend a workshop at the Career Center that informs students of the job search process. They would be required to attend this by the spring of their junior year. If they do not attend this seminar by their sixth semester, a hold will be placed on their record and they will not be able to register for classes the following semester until they have attended a workshop. This would hopefully eliminate seniors waiting until the last minute to attend career fairs, apply for jobs, or meet with their career counselors.

Staff

Idea = Allowing unpaid time off in summer months is a good idea if employees are not being productive. However, if they do have a full-time job someone has to pick up the extra work. What? No raises (again) and more work because others can afford not to work.

Week of 5.16.2010 through 5.22.2010

Alumni

Idea = Leadership in the 21st Century: There is a thirst in this country for new and innovative leadership. Several universities have undertaken initiatives to address this need. My wife, Dr. Mary Stoll Patton, a UK alumna and distinguished educator, is a member (and past chair) of the Board of Advisors for the General Henry H. Shelton Leadership Center at North Carolina State University. She has been involved in the Shelton Center from its inception nine years ago and would be a great resource for UK if you decide to pursue a similar intitiative. She is a UK Fellow and her contact information is in your alumni database. Your Professor of Military Science, LTC Jason Cummings has been involved in some grassroots efforts to promote leadership education throught the university community. He would be another excellent resource. I also have a significant background in leadershp development, having served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of F! lorida and Senior Instructor at the US Army Military Police School during my 30-year Army career. I was instrumental in bringing then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Shelton to speak at UK in 1999 and was asked to speak at the Patterson School myself. Please contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Faculty, Parent

Idea = I think we should focus on an initiative that really seeks to recruit the best undergraduate students and then offer the kinds of programming (classes, programs, advising, etc.) that will keep them here. The weekends in March are actually a turn off for academically strong students. It felt like a cattle call. The only plus about it was that the students get to priority register.

Faculty

Idea = I would envision that each academic program integrate more service into the curriculum- tied to course objectives. It will take imagination and work on part of faculty to find the areas of need, but they are out there. And the service we provide as UK faculty/students should not have to be tied into whether or not we get funding for it. Perhaps credit could be given for course-applicable activities students are already involved in. Tied to the strategic plan of university

Faculty

Idea = 1.Embracing Inclusivity to maximize student learning--leverage notoriety in athletics to recruit and retain minority students who are first generation college students. 2.Integrating research into student learning-would demystify research so that undergrad students would see a career in research as viable and exciting career

Faculty

Idea = Focus on expanding UK students use of information technology and scholarly electronic information resources across disciplines.

Faculty

Idea = academic integrity/plagiarism

Faculty

Idea = Quality Enhancement Plan Topic Author: Dr. Roger Brown, Lecturer, Agricultural Economics Department, University of Kentucky One of the general QEP topics for the next (i.e., white paper) round should deal with academic integrity. In particular, I believe that University of Kentucky students (and many faculty) do not really understand what plagiarism is or how to avoid it successfully. By most accounts, instances of plagiarism among undergraduate and graduate students are on the rise at the same time that writing practice in individual college-level courses is being reduced or phased out altogether. My proposal is to develop a plan to help students and faculty understand and avoid plagiarism. I think that our University family would benefit from developing a common language to talk about plagiarism and a clearer set of University-wide expectations. In my judgment, plagiarism challenges both students and faculty. Existing research shows that the number one way to curb plagiarism is for instructors to convey clearly what plagiarism is and what steps students should take to avoid it. This topic is relevant to students and student learning. Students that are guilty of plagiarism may be expelled from the University. This topic is also relevant to faculty members who are required to address instances of plagiarism in a lengthy, discouraging, and mostly punitive process. My impression is that many instructors do not require their students to write papers because they do not want to confront students who plagiarize. One idea would be to develop a Plagiarism Lesson and Quiz that can be distributed via Blackboard to all students at the beginning of each semester. All students would be enrolled in this non-credit "course". Online videos and a free online information guide would explain what plagiarism is. The entire "course" or lesson would take most students about 1 hour to take. Afterwards, students would take an online quiz. A Plagiarism Lesson and Quiz course would help establish common, specific, and timely University-wide expectations regarding plagiarism. Importantly, this course would help establish a common language that faculty and students can use to talk about plagiarism. As an example, I invite you to view the relevant portion (on plagiarism) from one my distance learning courses (see the link and information below). This video does a good job showing how valuable it can be for students and instructors to have a common language to talk about plagiarism (e.g., concepts such as "originality assumption" and "attribution requirement"). In general, my QEP proposal is about academic integrity and building institutional capacity for more effective written, oral, artistic forms of communication. Specifically, my QEP proposal addresses plagiarism, a particularly pervasive and problematic form of academic dishonesty. To view an example Plagiarism Lesson, please navigate to the following website: http://www.uky.edu/~rmbrow00 The username is "silver" and the password is "dog".

Faculty

Idea = The QEP idea needs to be a broad concept that can be applied in any number of ways across campus. Internationalization is such an example, an an issue that that campus cannot ignore. I would like to suggest, however, that for the QEP process we consider focusing the University's attention even more on improving life for our community and state. The QEP funding offers innumerable opportunities for UK to share our expertise and teach our students through partnering with state and local agencies, schools, etc. Why wait to see if UK grads go back to their communities after they graduate -- let's develop meaningful programs and projects to implement change earlier, and at the same time demonstrate the value of higher education in the state at the community level. We have a good start at this already -- it is worth considering whether or not it is a worthwhile QEP idea.

Staff

Idea = Eating habit education and better quality ingredients for campus meals. The eat and the run concept is not good for students and the university should encourage better eating habits. You are what you eat!

Anonymous

Idea = Raise undergraduate entrance standards.

Faculty

Idea = Proposal: Provide Freshman Seminar for of all entering UK students and require all to enroll (no exemptions) - Build off of success. The Discover Seminar Program features a legacy of success that could easily expand into a campus based program that engages faculty and staff from across the University including the Medical Center. Target participation of endowed chairs and professors. - Use a flexible model so that some seminars also provide academic enhancement skills (e.g., UK 101) - Allow flexible teaching models including team teaching; courses composed of a cast of visiting lecturers (e.g., Med. Center); and use of senior well trained graduate students targeting teaching careers. We could highlight our commitment to training college teachers and use teaching in the Program as a celebration of demonstrated teaching excellence. - Require every college, including professional colleges (Law, Medicine, etc.), to participate in some way. This would be a way to show comprehensive institutional commitment to undergraduate excellence. - Provide workshops for instructors to ease the burden of teaching the seminars (build from what we already do with Discovery Seminars). • Cross list courses give credit to departments and satisfy general education requirements; i.e., make all seminars oriented toward scholarly inquiry. - Encourage colleges to develop thematically linked sets of seminars in which teachers collaborate. - Relate seminars to other course requirements (e.g., ENG 104) - Include the use of undergraduate peer mentors. - Encourage collaborative, interdisciplinary courses with team teaching (e.g., Violence examined from natural science, humanistic, and social science perspectives). - Have all seminars meet the Tuesday before the semester begins to discuss a summer reading (it would be a way to implement and sustain a robust and meaningful summer reading program). - Revise the now moribund Convocation to focus it as an introduction to the seminar experience. Require all students and seminar teachers to attend (allow parents and others to attend as well). Give each teacher a modest stipend so that mandatory faculty attendance can be justified. - The cost of the program would be part of the cost of the new General Education Program, so that the real cost would not be prohibitive (simply mandate that each college must carry some water). - Advertize and celebrate the seminars each year as a provocative PR plan to highlight UK's commitment to undergraduate excellence. - Implement an effective assessment plan for the program and engage the campus in review of the findings each year. - Launch a capital campaign to endow the program.

Staff

Idea = Having all members of the different groups in the University treat everyone with more respect and consideration to improve the overall University environment-making it better for the students and all those who work here and contribute towards their learning[communication-one aspect of verbal]

Staff

Idea = Etiquette and manners for all students; also common courtesy towards all members of the university community

Faculty

Idea = The new General Education curriculum focuses on a) real-world skills, b) shared learning outcomes, c) assessment, d) internationalization, e) creativity/arts, f) a new integrated approach to written/oral/visual communication. And it has involved the entire campus, and will continue to do so. Seems like a very good bet for a QEP.

Faculty

Idea = Internationalization of the classroom would include 3 components: 1) Global Dynamics component of the new General Education curriculum, 2) increase in recruitment of international undergraduates to globalize the conversations in our classrooms, 3) integration of study abroad into curriculum (in terms of approval of courses towards the student's major).

Staff

Idea = I feel that the student shouldn't have to worry about how much the classes cost pure semester and worry if the tuition is going up every semester.

Staff

Idea = I would make more classes available in the evening. Most employees have to work full time and can not leave work to go to class during the day. Or maybe make them available on weekends too..

Staff

Idea = free parking for employees

Alumni

Idea = Cultural sensitiy in two-way communication across curriculum.

Staff

Idea = Replace all styrofoam cups/plates with paper

Staff

Idea = Announce TASC services during athletic events.

Staff

Idea = Make all of AG look more appealing... landscaping, building repairs, walkways, etc.

Graduate Student

Idea = Our library has few journal subscriptions... I think its time to increase the journal subscriptions....Especially in medical side....

Alumni

Idea = Have more on line courses at a cheaper cost per hour and require a mid term and final to be taken on campus. The university can serve more people who are non traditional students without adding to overhead.

Alumni

Idea = For the College of Law, a mandatory "practice management" or "law office management" course should be required for 3rd year students. This course should be taught by practitioners.

Alumni, Parent

Idea = TMR Mangement: an Integrated Approach - Time, Money & Resource Management is a fundamental componenet of all aspects of U.K. campus life and educational pursuits, but is rarely "taught" formally nor used as a discipline to prepare students or faculty for their responsibiliites. It is used in a general way for students to plan for graduation by meeting with their advisors, but how many students forecast their study time requirements for a semester? Have all department heads actually been trained for preparing budgets and designing their programs to meet educational goals?

Alumni

Idea = We need to adopt a natioal plan of service. Every high school graduate should serve without pay two years in government service. Such service could include military, peace corps, immigration patrol, and many other types of public service. In return, the federal government should pay tuition and living expenses for two years of college at any university the student chooses and is qualified accademincally to attend. If highschool students drop out of school before graduating, they must serve in the government service until they are age 20 and after completing such service, they will be assisted with receiving a high school equivalency certification and then one year of college for each year they served. Young people would have the option of continuing in government service for up to four years again receiving tuition and living expenses for each year of service. This will provide the best and the brightest serving the country. Our borders cold be adequately protec! ted, young drop-outs would be off the streets maturing in a proper setting with an opportunity to turn their lives around.

Staff

Idea = All students could benefit from an increase in cultural awareness. This is not only essential to optimally function in diverse working and social environments, but it also better prepares individuals to have a greater sense of awareness and compassion for difference. The University of Kentucky has students coming from all corners of the world. We have international students mixed with individuals from tiny, rural counties in Kentucky, many of whom have never been exposed to different ethnic backgrounds or a diverse population, until they reach the college level. Required curriculum that would increase consideration and sensitivity seems imperative for a well-rounded education. The upcoming Gen Ed cultural competence requirements could be built upon with the inclusion of a requirement similar to that of my alma mater, Roosevelt University in Chicago, which requires that all students enroll in a "Signature Course" in cultural awareness in order to graduate. These courses offer the rare opportunity for students to engage in strong interdisciplinary study in areas outside of their major and in a subject they may never tap into, if not a requirement. Courses include Social Justice, African American Studies, International Studies and Women's and Gender Studies. For the University of Kentucky to require a course (or courses) of this subject matter would send a strong message of their dedication and commitment to educating socially conscious citizens and to help assure that our graduates are ready be active leaders in their professions and communities.

Staff

Idea = Integrate personal finance education into the required curriculum. While FAM 251 (Personal and Family Finance) is offered as an elective every other semester, a personal finance course should be a requirement. Students need to learn how to manage their money in college and beyond. Additionally, students need to be informed about credit cards, predatory lending, employee benefit options, retirement planning, insurance, credit scores, etc…. Research has shown that many students have little or no experience with even the most basic personal finance before entering college. In general, low-income students have less knowledge regarding personal finance. This education may lead to improved student retention and graduation rates. Financial education provides students with the ability and confidence to manage their money and stay in college while laying a much needed foundation for beyond college. This course will help to prepare students for citizenship. The knowled! ge obtained from this course will aide students in making sound personal finance decisions throughout their lives enabling them to be stable members of society.

Faculty

Idea = Realization of the coming future in a rapidly changing world - Energy/Climate Era.

Faculty

Idea = The University of Kentucky Sustainability Project. There is one potential program that would greatly enhance undergraduate student learning and would also enhance the university and its community as well through its Quality Enhancement Plan. All over campus in every sector of the university there are activities and programs that are dealing with issues of sustainability, however in a "Research One" university like UK, they are each narrowly focused and largely isolated from one another. It is at the undergraduate student level that broader issues of sustainability have been raised and indeed it has been through student leadership that the push toward sustainability on campus has received its most energetic thrust. Plans are already underway this September at the annual Big Blue Goes Green expo for a one day student exercise in projecting the UK of 2030 as a net -zero-energy or a carbon neutral campus. Through this exercise faculty assisted student groups from different UK colleges will engage in alternative sustainable s! cenario-building brainstorming that will plot different paths toward a sustainability driven energy future based upon conservation and renewables. This fits very nicely with UK's new "Sustainability Policy" endorsed by both the president and the provost that mandates among other things, an ongoing sector wide (education, research, outreach and operations) sustainability program. It will also take advantage of the recent hiring of UK's first sustainability coordinator, Shane Tedder, a UK grad who has previously been a student leader in sustainability activities, as well as a newly evolving Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment which is trying to map out interdisciplinary research programs oriented to sustainability concerns. There are increasing - often conflicting pressures on UK from outside influences relating to operations, compliance issues and resources. Student led initiatives will have great influence through future scenario-building to! keep the concerns comprehensive and integrative in the face o! f the ov erwhelming tendency of research faculty to stay within the comfort and rewards of their specialized silos. At a major university that in its teaching program of necessity is strongly invested in the mastery of disciplinary focused subject matter, the creativity demanded by such future projections will be of enormous importance in fostering the integrative skills that will be so necessary in living and contributing through their future lives in a challenging twenty first century world. I can think of no subject matter that would be as important to both students as well as to the university than the researching of the future sustainability of the university as an exemplar for the larger society. There are students and faculty (and administrators) all over the university that would welcome such an undergraduate project.

Week of 5.9.2010 - 5.15.2010

Faculty

Idea = 1) lower class sizes 2) provide for more active learning activities like working in research labs for the summer (e.g., summer intern funding). 3) develop international connections with sister universities and provide opportunities(funding) for students to visit UKY and travel abroad. For example, I will have two international students here this summer and it has been difficult to find affordable housing. Perhaps if free housing was provided, participation may be increased 4) move faculty into virtual learning/research centers focussed on solving societal issues. Allow students to self select centers from which credit hours may be awarded based on active learning initiatives/experiences.

Faculty

Idea = get serious about internationalization. Make it so that it is easy for faculty to take students abroad for short courses in winter break or summer, or for whole semesters.

Faculty

Idea = Internationalize: Increase student exposure to international issues/research by inviting international scholars to the campus and make it possible for UK students and faculty to participate in international projects, internships, and exchanges. This is critical for tomorrow's world.

Alumni

Idea = I have several ideas, all of which tie to any university's mission of community service, research, and instruction. Create an exchange between school teachers in the area and UK science departments to enhance learning for both K-12 students as well as UK students. (1) I envision opportunities for UK students to come into K-12 classrooms to "teach" classes from their scientific disciplines and/or assist in teaching, as well as offer brown-bag lunch or after-school informal lecture topics for K-12 science teachers either in-person or electronically. This would improve the UK students' ability to communicate their knowledge, a key capability in today's world, as well as give them practice in public speaking to a sympathetic audience. It would also give the K-12 teachers opportunities to increase their knowledge in science. (2) K-12 science teachers could be given the opportunity to come into the departments for summer or during-the-year research and study opportunities. IN this way, they could build their content knowledge as well as obtain practical applications of science that can be brought into the classroom. (4) Students could have the opportunity for summer "internships" in departments of their choice, assisting professors and/or graduate students with their work. This would enable the students to learn about science as well as academia. I do not see this as a highly competitive opportunity, but more like something available to ANY student who can demonstrate a desire to work hard, learn, and be responsible (in other words, not just simply for the brightest and smartest). (3) Finally, the UK science departments should offer podcasts, vidcasts, or RSS feeds that address 2 general topics: the science behind today's news and "why is this important to learn" (real-world applications of 6-12 science) to address the frequent question: "What do I need to know THIS for?" I am currently a 9th grade science teacher in FCPS as well as a formerly practicing geologist. These ideas come from my experiences in the K-12 classroom, my college days, and the requirements of communicating my science to the general public. I would be happy to discuss any of these ideas further via email, phone, or in person.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Incorporate more projects that utilize strengths of different colleges/majors to work together, as a way to see the cross relationships of different professions and how they can collaborate to solve a problem.

Faculty

Idea = I believe that, in the eyes of SACSCOC , the most successful topics will be those that are pertinent to the largest number of learning communities within the University. Environmental sustainability seems to be an idea that can span many different disciplines and can also generate a plan for action. Of course it is also an extremely pressing issue that all students need to be aware of if we hope to change the disastrous course that global warming has taken. The appeal of sustainability as a QEP topic is not just that it has relevance in so many fields (business/economics, justice, science and engineering, policy, the arts, etc), but that it is a topic that forces students to consider how educational content (pollution, energy policy, environmental justice, green practices) connects with their everyday lives.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Why is an art class not a required part of the general curriculum for all students? For a holistic education I think all students should be required to take an art class. Art teaches diversity of ideas, acceptance of others, and creative problem solving that I think is missing in the larger picture of reality. A basic understanding of art and the mindset of artist is just as critical as any other profession or field. I think at least one course should be required in the field of design, theater, dance,creative writing, fine arts, instrumental or vocal music to mine the potential of the students and expose them to a completely different level of thinking.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = I think UK needs to have scholarships that are not GPA based.It is a sad and tragic story that our lives as a student boil down to a number. I am not saying grades are not good, but the talents and activism that many students bring to campus should be commended just as much as a good grade in terms of financial aid.

Staff, Alumni

Idea = To open up a student's capacity for creative problem-solving it should be pointed out early on (freshmen) how everything you learn can have an impact on what you are going to learn. Breaking down the elements of a problem turns on a plethora of ideas that can move across any problem to arrive at many solutions. Then they can pick out the best one that fits

Faculty

Idea = Improve student life--and make a statement about the University's commitment to health--by transforming the University's approach to food services. Remove all fast/fried food from Student Services, offer healthy choices in vending machines. Create more mini-cafes/kiosks that promote good health and good food.

Faculty

Idea = I propose that the university support the development of topic or problem-oriented, team-taught, interdisciplinary courses. These kinds of courses are very difficult to develop and teach under current university structure, but I have seen them work very well elsewhere. For example, an interdisciplinary group of scholars could develop a course on environmental justice, or a course on social technologies. When my son was in college, he took a course titled "Chicago" which brought together social scientists, ecologists, architects, artists, etc. to ask and answer questions about this complex and complicated urban place and space.

Staff

Idea = QEP Citizen Blue/Cats Creed Proposal: Through utilization of the stated values of the University of Kentucky, we are suggesting the creation of a creed that UK students, faculty and staff would treat as a living document promoting actions that link directly to the values. The values encompass elements of action-oriented accountability across disciplines and allows for a linkage of behavior in the classroom, on campus and in our community. The idea of the creed complements the retention strategic plan. The formation of a creed or a citizenship oath will help create consistent expectations of the UK community with a centralized focus on engaged global citizenship. The Creed allows for an opportunity for collaboration across all facets of the UK community including students, faculty and staff. There are student leadership structures in place to help support and build the Creed. This project could be an excellent possibility for collaboration among student leaders, Student Affairs staff and Undergraduate Education administrators. The Creed allows for promise in engaging and empowering our students, faculty and staff to be active members in our community, both locally and globally. This project idea was created as a collaborative effort between colleagues in the Office of Student Involvement, Violence Intervention and Prevention Center, Alcohol and Health Education, New Student and Parent Programs, and the Office of Undergraduate Education. Other key constituents could include UK Athletics, Town and Gown Commission, Office of Judicial Affairs and the Office of Community Engagement.

Alumni, Community Supporter

Idea = Devise a program that would connect UK students and K-12 Fayette County students in a mentoring program, at once serving to provide a much-needed mentoring service for children (the program could focus on at-risk or free/reduced lunch students); giving the UK students a meaningful service experience; and bridging the gap between UK and the city of Lexington. The program would help to foment a more connected and understanding community.

Staff

Idea = Create a mentoring program for students with staff, faculty and community leaders

Staff

Idea = A life 101 class. It may sound ridiculous but basics of life budgeting, basic tool use, how to do laundry etc. All the basics. I couldn't count the number of students I run into who have never used a screw driver or ended up with an all pink or all gray wardrobe. We concentrate on education but not the basics skills life requires thar you rarely run into. Dealing with a speeding ticket, sources of help in the area you live in. How to get questions answered. Call it the improving quality of life agenda maybe. Does the person reading this know what each course of a seven course meal ar or which flatware to use in a full formal place setting?

Faculty

Idea = Internationalization across the curriculum and across the colleges.

Staff

Idea = UK should do more to attract talented non-traditional students. Require every college to hold a certain percentage of their classes - both undergraduate and graduate - in the evenings. Non-traditional students tend to be more motivated, which will improve retention rates. In addition, non-traditional students having positive interactions with younger students will probably help encourage those students to stay enrolled. In addition, do something - anything - to improve the writing abilities of UK students. Encourage more written assignments - even in the sciences - and make sure they are corrected for grammatical and other issues. Encourage reading. Make the Common Reading Experience required instead of optional. Have students write essays about the book chosen. At my undergraduate college, all students were required to produce a number of short essays over the course of the first year, and have them corrected by their advisors - this would be one way to solve the issue. UK is graduating students with very poor writing skills, even on the graduate level, and a solution needs to be found.

Faculty

Idea = Student learning at UK could be improved by teaching students to think outside the box (and outside the state). Innovation and critical thinking skills can be taught, is best through a hands-on approach, and the lessons should start early. "Innovate, Participate, and Create" !

Staff

Idea = Let's quit paying faculty and staff overloads to teach sections during normal working hours and limit compensation to courses taught after hours and on weekends. This will reduce budget and prime-time classroom demands.

Faculty

Idea = UK should undertake a systematic review involving students, faculty and staff of technology needs related to the curriculum and co-curriculum. We're seeing more students coming to campus with computers, we're building technology-based projects into more courses (including GenEd), but there has not been a systematic review of what we have to offer and what we NEED to offer to support student learning in this regard. What are the technological competencies needed by all students? What do we need to be doing to help students not only compete but thrive in the wired world?

Faculty

Idea = Undergraduates can be involved in faculty research more. Perhaps we could encourage or even require students to take a 1-3 credit independent study course in which they work as a research asssitant for a faculty whose research topics are of their interest and receive credit for their work. This provides undergraduate students some hands-on research experience while giving faculty some research support (especially for those who do not have opportunities to work with graduate RAs).

Staff, Graduate Student

Idea = Involve high school students and the community more in regular events at UK. Special lectures, events being held on campus, etc. need to be more publicized in the community. This will continue to tie the community and UK together, forming a more beneficial relationship and therefore encouraging the community's investment in this university. The Arts programs do a great job of getting their word out - other departments and events need to do the same.

Faculty

Idea = I would like UK to become known at the public university with the most effective career counseling in the country. Undergraduates come to UK with the misconception that an undergraduate degree will (somehow miraculously)provide them with a rewarding, exciting, well paid career of their dreams. By contrast, faculty generally concentrate on undergraduate education as preparing students with skills for life-long learning. The missing link is continuous, ongoing career counseling throughout a student's undergraduate years to help him/her to sift and winnow career goals, so that by graduation, that student has a clearer idea of how to proceed in attaining those career goals in the real world. Currently UK's career counseling is not unlike what I experienced in the 1960's. Usually in the last semester of a student's senior year, s/he might seek out career counseling in order to construct a resume, do mock interviews,etc. Fewer might take a one credit course dealing with career selection -- all too little, too late. I visited American University's career center for several days and was overwhelmed by what it offers its students. It is light years ahead of UK (and I assume it is not the only institution to have discovered the vital role career counseling should play in an undergraduate;s education). The Director of American U's Career Center told me that if students hadn't already visited it in their Freshmen year, the Career center had failed! Career counseling at American U. is an ongoing, developing process throughout an undergraduate's education. The Career Center there employs many specialized career counselors in all areas: from fine arts to humanities, business, social sciences, etc. Its counselors are trained in all the major career counseling indicators from Myers Briggs to Strong-Holland, etc. Career counseling at American U. is an academic unit. It helps students to learn their own learning styles, their personality types. It helps students to understand why and how those General Education courses prepare them for the real world, where they may change entire careers three to four times in life. Its career counselors keep abreast of the career possibilities in their area of expertise and help place students in internships or shadowing situations in DC early on so they can experience a possible career of interest in the real world first hand. They help them consider what kinds of minors, electives, courses might help them toward a career goal. Career Counseling at American U. is therefore an integral, ongoi! ng part of the undergraduate experience. Last week (May 3-7,2010), the mother of a U.K. marketing major who was graduating, asked her son what his plans were after graduation. He told her he didn't have a clue (but it wouldn't be marketing)! I don't think that happens at American U. We are living in a much more complex, fast-paced world, where students need more knowledge about career possibilities and the requisite education as they develop over their undergraduate years.

Faculty

Idea = Make smaller introductory-level classes. When class size gets above 75 or so, it becomes impossible for the faculty member to get to know the students, and the students naturally adopt a passive, entertain-me attitude. Technology can help in some ways, but it can't overcome these basic problems. The best possible use for the funds to be invested in QEP is simply to hire more faculty so that class sizes can be smaller.

Faculty

Idea = Internationalization of the curriculum. Needs to be more than an investment in study abroad. Departments need support at that level to truly impact the curriculum.

Staff

Idea = Idea= tenured faculty who no longer receive grants get drastic cuts in pay. Im quite disturbed by the number of faculty who sit in their offices all day long with little to do, while Im working my tailoff.

5.2.2010 - 5.8.2010

Staff

Idea = The University of Kentucky needs a standardized probation program that all Colleges follow for their undergraduate programs. This way, students are held accountable for their actions, but also receive the needed support no matter which college they transfer to. This will also aid in the decision making process of student suspensions and possible appeals.

Almuni and Community Supporter

Idea = As a former staff member and alumnus, I'd like to offer a simple suggestion. I think it's important that UK strives to find a way to reward excellence in staff members rather than continuing to tolerate mediocrity. I chose to leave the UK work environment after 4 years because I came to understand that I would never be promoted/rewarded for my hard work or innovative ideas. Yet, there were people around me who would never be fired no matter how horribly they performed. As long as this is the status quo for UK staff and faculty, we will never advance or meet our goals by 2020. While my suggestion is simple and logical, it is not easy to implement. It is a part of the culture of UK and it won't be easy to change. However I am hopeful that progress can be made in this direction! Good luck!

Community Supporter

Idea = As a neighbor and landlord to UK students, I think it would be extremely helpful to offer incoming Freshmen a class on "How to Be a Good Neighbor" and "Taking Care of Your New Rental Property". Folks from the city and maintenance employees from area businesses could speak about things like garbage and recycling pickups, noise ordinances, cleaning furnace filters, leaving taps slightly open when temps fall below 20 degrees, etc. This would doubtless go a long way toward improving relations between students and their homeowner neighbors around the UK campus.

Faculty

For the QEP requirement of : "...a carefully designed course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused topic or issue related to enhancing student learning" (SACSCOC Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation, 2007, p. 3), may I please suggest the following in regards to Postdoctoral Scholars as students:

-Postdoctoral Scholars are officially classified as students at UK, -Postdoctoral Scholars are head-counted to CPE as students (there are 200-300 at UK, larger than some college enrollments),

-Postdoctoral Scholars are enrolled in a Graduate School course "PD 099" for the purpose of tallying them as students for reporting to CPE

-The kind of educational unit that is called "Multidisciplinary Research Center or Institute" does not "home" any degree program or Senate-approved course, but is allowed by present UK regulations to be the "home" of federal grants such as from NIH, and some do currently "home" such federal grants (e.g., Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Multidisciplinary Research Center)

-These "Multidisciplinary Research Center(s) or Institute(s)" are allowed under present UK policy to serve as the "home" of primary appointment of Postdoctoral Scholars whose position is funded by a federal grant for which the center is the "home"; and some such centers do currently "home" Postdoctoral Scholars on such funding (e.g., Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Multidisciplinary Research Center)

-Federal grant sources such as NSF and NIH are making stronger requirements for a defined educational environment around Postdoctoral Scholars -An increasingly more common part of those defined educational parameters around the Postdoctoral Scholar's educational training is a requirement that the Postdoctoral Scholars enroll in some specific (Senate-approved) course(s) (e.g., several years ago several Postdoctoral Scholars enrolled in Tox 600, a 'good scientific practices' course).

-An official transcript on the Postdoctoral Scholar is created by the Registrar that shows the individual has taken the particular course(s)

-It is UK policy (in an AR that contains a mix of administrative and academic policy) that Postdoctoral Scholars can be issued a Postdoctoral Scholar Certificate that attests to their completion of their program of training, but there is no Senate Rule establishing the appropriate academic parameters around such an academic Certificate. Hence, there is an increasingly large body of students at UK, who are Postdoctoral Scholars, in which there is expected to be a formative and mentoring educational environment around this particular kind of student, these students may be required to take courses as part of their training that shows up on a UK transcript, and this educational environment may be in the context of a traditional department or in the context of a Multidisciplinary Research Center/Institute that does not itself home degree programs or Senate-approved courses.

However, at present, the University Senate Rules do not contain any academic policies, not one, on academic parameters for the educational environment of Postdoctoral Scholars (the Senate Rules do not even list them as a kind of student!). I have looked on-line and have found Faculty Senate's from other major public university's in which that body has adopted general University-wide academic policies pertaining to Postdoctoral Scholars.

It seems as though the UK University Senate is 'behind the curve' on this. Might I suggest this to be an item for QEP? E.g., that the appropriate University Senate Committees and Councils (Graduate Council; Senate Committee on Admissions and Academic Standards) will assess what academic parameters of the educational environment of Postdoctoral Scholars are in common to all University Postdoctoral Scholars, and that the University Senate consider and adopt the appropriate academic parameters.

Staff

Have the same amount of working hours per week, but shorten the number of days. I would much rather work 4 / 10 hour days than 5 / 8 hour days. Think about it, staff would take less time off, could do outside errands, i.e. drs appts, banking, personal errands, functions with their families/children. Would be nice if UK would consider it! Most healthcare staff have flexible working hours, why not 'other' staff, as well?

Faculty, Alumni

Idea = Active Learning Laboratory -- "New Restaurant Business Plan and Tasting Competition" -- I developed this 1 credit-hour course for the full-time MBA program that forces students into a highly complex, ambiguous situation, and forces them to actively, creatively, and organically "think" their way to a coherent, feasible solution. I've also used it for my undergrad and executive education courses that I teach. Without taking the cooking/food metaphor too seriously, this course not only teaches students how to solve problems from a multi-level, interdisciplinary perspective (and team work), it's also a lot of fun...keeps the students highly engaged. I think that this approach to active learning is flexible and scalable, and perhaps could serve as a pedagogical model or template for a wide variety of courses in engineering, education, psychology, health science, agriculture, political science and others. Here's a snippet from the syllabus: This active-learning laboratory is designed to introduce students to the full range of tasks and challenges associated with a wide variety of business functions that an organization's top managers (or entrepreneurs) have to juggle – e.g., design/introduce new products, analyze the marketplace/competitors, create a marketing campaign, purchasing raw materials, manufacture a product, secure and managing the venture's finances, develop and train human resources, public relations, investor relations and so on. More specifically, this laboratory requires teams of students to: * Develop the concept for a new restaurant of any kind in Lexington * Develop a detailed business plan that includes the restaurant's menu, location, size and layout, staffing, operations, marketing plan, and budget. * Create, shop for, cook, and serve the restaurant's "signature dish" to a panel of judges * Present the restaurant's business plan to the judging panel during the meal.

Staff

Idea = The University of Kentucky needs a standardized probation program that all Colleges follow for their undergraduate programs. This way, students are held accountable for their actions, but also receive the needed support no matter which college they transfer to. This will also aid in the decision making process of student suspensions and possible appeals.

Faculty

Idea = Tenured faculty, particularly educators, should prove they are still engaged at least every 5 to 10 years through productivity and measured student and peer evaluations.

Staff

Idea = Incentive for staff education. An opportunity to "test out" of basic courses with work experience with a perameter of passing a set of questions to move quickly toward at least a BA or BS.

Staff, Almuni

Idea = Create more and require attendance of TA instructed recitation courses for large course like undergraduate chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Where students can review material, sample problems, and interact one-on-one.

Graduate Student, Staff

Idea = The goal of the Employee Education Program (EEP) should not only be to afford employees the opportunity to enhance their skills, but also to retain those in whom the university has invested. The EEP does not inherently reward university employees for enhancing their skills. Employees who complete degrees should be eligible for salary adjustments immediately upon completion, if no other advancement opportunities are available within their unit or the university. Further, the university needs to lobby congress to remove the IRS taxation on employee "benefits" for participating in the EEP on tuition amounts above $5,250. This discourages employees from seeking graduate and/or professional education.

Alumni, Community Supporter

Idea = There is always the need for more courses such as the COM 181 Service project, where students are required to serve 10 hours. Not only is it important to volunteer, but it is important that we tie these two communities (UK and Lexington) together. ALL University students should be required to give or do something for the community, particularly in the downtown area. Make buddy networks between schools and organizations. COM 181 is a perfect example and should continue until the entire school knows what the city of Lexington has to offer.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = IF WE CAN HAVE MORE GRADE LEVEL TO COMPUTE OUR GPA, LIKE A-,B+,C+, I THINK IT WILL HELP US TO HAVE LESS PRESURE OF STUDY.THUS WE WILL LOVE TO STUDY.

Faculty

Idea = I would like to second a proposal made above, that we take action to improve our students' knowledge of current events. I proposed that this take the form of an interdisciplinary course (title: Today is the key to tomorrow) whose texts would be the Economist, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, supplemented by several online resources; the instructors would fill in the backgrounds to some of the articles appearing in the current issues, with emphasis on the ones that make contact to the students (which could be at the world, national, state, or local level). Definitely it would be team taught, with economists, political scientists, and scientists of various stripes involved; the goals would be to develop critical thinking, exposition, and general awareness of the political, economic, and technological contexts of the world we live in. As a working example I offer USP 100-001 ("The physics of energy") that I taught this last semester: several of my lectures were influenced by just-in-time articles in Science, the Economist, and the Herald-Leader (the Iceland volcano conveniently erupted 3 days before my lecture on geothermal energy); my next-to-last lecture was an update on things that I had learned after I covered a topic.

Staff

Idea = Reducing UK's carbon paw print. Addressing the small things...drippy faucets, leaf blowers, and disposable product use in offices. Acknowleging the big things, excessive building temperatures and lack in recycling locations and efforts. What about an "in-house recycling" program for faculty/staff/students...an ebay of sorts.

Faculty

Idea = Enhancing Student Thinking and Learning Through Inquiry

Faculty

Idea = TOPIC: Enriching Our Campus Community SUMMARY: The stereotypical approach to University education is through a hierarchical system that separates faculty, staff, and students. However, the individuals participating in this system bring diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas that are not always emphasized and utilized in these fixed roles. Through an ongoing series of small group activities and projects, faculty, staff and students will work together to develop and enrich our campus community.

Faculty

SUMMARY: With a focus on bridging the transition to studies at the University level, UK will implement a series of seminars for students in their first year of undergraduate work.

Faculty

SUMMARY: Our 21st century world is driven by quantitative data. Yet, the U.S. continues to underperform among developed nations in quantitative literacy. How do we, as community members, family members, and citizens, choose to handle our increasingly quantitative world?

Faculty

Idea = Get more involved with K-12 schools. Once upon a time, it was a great treat for students around the state to come to UK for the high school speech and debate tournaments. Why did UK let those go?

Faculty

Idea = Find ways to encourage and facilitate travel by all UK undergraduates to at least one out-of-state location related to their major course of study by the end of their sophomore year. Some examples would be a research institute, library, museum, conference, colloquium, etc. We desperately need to broaden our students' view of the world and raise their confidence level and ability to deal with people outside their "comfort zone."

Graduate Student

Idea = Various graduate schools attempt to maintain a degree of secrecy regarding the stipends for funded graduate students. The proponents of this practice claim that it prevents potential students from "shopping" between different programs and instead changes the focus to academics. I believe this to be a thinly veiled cover that allows principle investigators to fund students substantially less than other programs. This practice also prevents potential students from determining if they can afford to attend grad school. Often times, as in my case students do not get a clear answer to their stipends until the first paycheck arrives. I believe an open records policy requiring that academic departments within The University of Kentucky furnish their stipend rates for funded graduate students would be far more ethical than the current course. Furthermore, the added transparency in this approach would ensure that potential graduate students could determine their ability to attain a post-graduate education.

Week of 4.25.10 through 5.1.10

Faculty

Idea = UK should actively engage schools across KY at several levels. Each high-schooler should have access to a big brother/sister at UK. Faculty should visit the schools with demos or lay talks, and teachers at the schools should visit here to keep learning. Over the long term, this will help the state, and also help us to improve the quality of our undergraduates.

Faculty

Idea = My theme for UK'sQEP is: Sustainability Across the Campus and in the University Infrastructure. Many scattered and fragmented programs and initiatives regarding sustainability in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum and physical plant have been generated by faculty, administrators, staff, and student groups. The flowering of interest and involvement in sustainability in business, government, and communities across the Commonwealth and around the nation and the world demonstrates that this topic is not merely a flash-in-the-pan issue. The proliferation of courses, initiatives, and activities in the UK curriculum reflects this 21st century reality. In addition, mounting pressures have been brought to bear on this University to carve out a vision of a research-intensive University in a coal state that lays the groundwork for going beyond coal as a major energy supplier and finding eco-firendly energy alternatives. These halting efforts will need to be redoubled in coming years. A SACSCOC accreditation review strikes me as an ideal juncture to begin to outline a bold plan to embed sustainability across the curriculum and into the University's infrastructure.

Faculty

Idea = Do away with Advanced Placement credit for work done in high school. High school-level work is high school-level work, and the level of instruction at high schools is too inconsistent. Instead, institute a policy by which incoming students must pass a standardized test that is the equivalent of a final exam for all intro level courses. If students receive a C or better, they may qualify for credit in a course.

Faculty

Idea = Recruitment of students seems to be a topic that is only discussed in the context of "student" athletes. In our search to become a Top 20 Institution (and I can hear the cynics among us saying, "of what?"), we have neglected those students from family backgrounds with no history or tradition of higher education. Consequently, collegiate-level education is neither desired or promoted within that family (and community) subculture. (Think of eastern Kentucky as an example.) In my travels I have observed that large cities in other countries occasionally publish newspaper inserts of a similar size to the Friday Weekender section of the Herald-Leader, and these periodic inserts are each devoted to the types of careers that one might enter into upon completion of university-level studies. One I recall particularly was about "Maths"; this insert had short write-ups discussing math-related careers ranging from mapping to cryptography. It made the study of math sound worthwhile and interesting; I can see the potential for all majors, all colleges with something similar. I propose that UK should create or commission (and subsequently publish) inserts like these about topics ranging from liberal arts majors such as languages, to chemistry, to engineering, etc. This would have the additional benefit of promoting our image as an EDUCATIONAL institution throughout the state (perhaps weakening our brand identity as a farm team/training camp for the various professional sports), but that's the breaks. It would affirm our position as THE major university in the state (not one of two, with U of L being the other - also coincidentally branded by its sports image), and would assist in creating a more significant regional identity (aside from sports, I mean!)It would also - with follow-through with HS guidance counselors and the like - create at least an awareness of the importance of higher education among our citizens. Hopefully,this would in turn lead to a larger, more ethnically, culturally and financially diverse student population at UK. As a se! condary benefit, it would also help to boost student and faculty morale by demonstrating UK's committment to its students, its employees, and the citizens of this Commonwealth (let's face it, paying attention to teaching and students seems to get the least public effort here).

Faculty

Idea = Maintain high entrance requirements for undergrads. Encourage underperforming undergrads to attend Community College. Stop the undue emphasis on undergrad retention when students clearly are unqualified to continue.

Faculty

Idea = Writing ability is a universal problem on this campus. Although my interaction with students is at the graduate level, given how poorly the Masters and even doctoral students write, I assume undergraduates are no better. Some intervention(s) that not only focus on writing basics, psychological blocks, and other typical areas, but include peer review and feedback (including faculty) could be developed and applied campus-wide. Producing graduates who can communicate coherently, both in writing and verbally, might make UK noteworthy.

Faculty

Idea = The course syllabus provides a "roadmap" for learning over the course of a semester. It would be beneficial for faculty to work with a student "mentor" who could suggest and help implement fresh ways to think about crafting a course that would reach and engage students. The Teaching and Learning Center offers excellent help to faculty, but a student/professor combination could also bring fresh insights to the classroom. and The syllabus is the key document for mapping the teaching and learning process for the semester.

Faculty

Idea = Connection, Communication & Community on Campus. Promote projects that take faculty, staff & students outside their own units, departments, colleges. Encourage programs intended to cross disciplines or involve collaboration and communication among normally separate units on campus. Examples of big past projects that would qualify: Bale Boone Symposium series on Darwin, the S•KY BLUE House. On a smaller scale, courses co-taught by faculty from different colleges, single event presentations geared toward multiple disciplines, support unit (e.g., IT) efforts to improve some service. Selling points of this kind of program: I think a wide variety of activities could "count" for this, improved communication & collaboration on campus is a good thing, projects do not have to cost (much) money, and exposure to ideas outside your usual discipline is an academically beneficial activity.

Staff

Idea = Create an automatic, quick, and easy survey students must answer before electronically withdrawing from individual courses in myUK. When a student tries to drop an individual class a short multiple choice question comes up saying "I am withdrawing from this class because… (select all that apply)" with options such as poor attendance, poor homework or exams, I am working too many hours at my job, family or personal situation, recommendation of instructor/advisor, poor mid-term grade, etc (potential answers could be collected from academic advisors). This information would be helpful in several ways. In attempting to combat retention and time to graduation, it is essential to know why students are withdrawing from courses. We often use information gathered from students well after their withdrawal, use anecdotal information, or make assumptions. In terms of instruction, it could help pinpoint the reasons for high DEW rates. Granted students may give answers that faculty and staff see as unacceptable or irrelevant, but sometimes perceptions are as, or more, powerful than reality. In advising, although potentially contrary to what faculty and administrators want, withdrawal is often considered an acceptable and desirable outcome, especially using the Academic Alert system and required mid-term grade reporting. Bottom line, we need more concrete, accurate information about why our students are withdrawing from courses so that we can effectively direct our energy and resources.

Faculty

Idea = I think we should dedicate the university to increasing digital literacy. Many of my students, even after four years of college, still haven't mastered many of the features of Microsoft Word, and many fewer can deal with Photoshop, Excel and other proprietary software without knowledge of which it is hard to do any kind of work in any field.

Faculty

Idea = UK Students learning to be: Citizens of the Commonwealth and Citizens of the World

Faculty

Idea = internationalization: but in concrete ways. QEP monies could be use to coordinate courses leading to study abroad. Many ways to do it. Some money needed to help students pay for it. Many ways to encourage travel abroad. Many reasons to do so, preparing KY students for the contemporary globalized world high among them. Language competence is an integral part of successfully navigating that world.

Faculty

Idea = 1) Eradicate adjunct faculty in favor of lecturers with regular salary and benefits. 2) Step up the number of members of faculty granted tenure. Let only merit of the professor be a deciding factor. Creation of tenured faculty should take precedence over bureaucratic expansion. 3) Enhance one-on-one interaction with students by discouraging the growth of megalectures and encouraging a class cap of 20-25 with many more single classes. 4) Lower tuition. Cut funding for non-academic issues if necessary, including athletics. 5) End the discrimination against LGBT members of the University in both housing and fee structures, and all other areas, such as transgendered accomodations. Lobby KY govt. if necessary. 6) NEVER AGAIN cut student input at any level or type of meeting on any issue. 7) Return the coal industry's money and focus on our University's academic, not economic, well-being. 8) Further and better advertise services such as academic tutoring, the writing center, and the student counselling services. 9) More and greater university student aid, preferably with regulations to allow a textbook stipend. 10) Have graduate tuition wavers cover all officially UK fees, not just tuition. 11) Pay your TA's more. Given that by regulations we cannot work another job (exceptions allowed), when figuring paycheck by 40 hours, we make drastically lower than minimum wage. If I didn't love my job so much, it'd be more profitable to work at McD's. 10) Limit the number of parking passes sold in each zone to the number of spots there are zoned for that pass. Do not exceed the total number of public parking spaces on campus. 11) Encourage constructivism and acute awareness of educational privilege and diversity backgrounds in professor's approach to students. Do not assume a uniform student body. 12) Require some modicum of pedagogical training or experience (with good student and peer review) of all instructors. 13) Review the constitutionality and morality of a "free speech zone" and the implication that all of campus is not one. 14) Cease job and pay discrimination based on profession of belief or opinion, such as voicing a critical opinion of the University. 15) END UK's RELIANCE ON COAL. Move to solar panels, geothermal, hydro, whatever. Transition as quickly as possible to sustainable, renewable, energy that is not caked in the blood of oppressed victims of white-collar criminal murder. 16) Increase awareness of first-year students' options and make them reflect upon the purposes of higher education beyond vocation and parental expectation. 17) End roll call requirements. Students are adults, not man-children requiring day care and tabs be kept. 18) Increase student employment in areas relevant to career experience. 19) Negotiate with accreditation agencies to either lower required vocational hours in favor of more general educational requirements (especially engineering) or else advertise said degrees explicitly as being 5 or more years long. 20) Suggestion: a footbridge to Taylor Education Building. Someone's gonna get run over at that intersection.

Faculty

Idea = Deny credit card companies access to campus. No credit card advertising at the Book Store.

Faculty

Idea = Stop gouging the students with fees. Stop raising student tuition.

Faculty

Idea = Ditch the Healthtrack program. Don't reward people to spend 5 minutes on a computer. Provide real $$ incentives to walk, ride bikes, and ride the bus.

Faculty

Idea = Every undergraduate at UK would be required to take a 3-credit current events/know the world course in which faculty, graduate students, staff, and community members would participate. Participants would represent different ethnic, political, racial, and cultural groups and would share with students their experiences. The course/seminar/series would be topic driven so that there would be a focus, a pivot around which all presentations would turn. Not only would this experience afford students the chance to learn about the folks at UK and in the community, but to also understand the diversity of experience and opinion outside of KY and the US. In addition, with the proper guidance, students would see the elegance of civil discourse modelled for them through which they would learn that shouting matches and verbal abuse do not resolve difficult issues. Rather thoughtful, FACT-BASED discourse brings consensus, clarification, and cohesion to an otherwise fragmented wor!ld.

Faculty

Idea = Discover the World: All UK students would study abroad for a summer or a semester. While those students studying a language would study in a country where that language is spoken, other students would attend a summer or semester course in their major/minor subject in a non-English speaking country that offers instruction in English. If students truly are to be members of the WORLD community, then they need to know that the World is more than UK basketball and the state of Kentucky. Related programming would include a required pre-trip 1-credit hour course that would provide students with necessary information for being a visitor in another country--the rules of comportment, if you will. If you miss one of these classes, then you cannot study abroad. Related to this would be the opportunity for students in particular study abroad programs to SKYPE with their future hosts and with other students in the countries in which they will study. This low-cost program would provide pre-travel contacts for students and would afford them a chance to begin their cross-cultural interaction before leaving campus.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = UK: A Student-Centered Experience Focus on students, invest in students, smaller classes, improve pedagogy and improve student-faculty experience. Go to an interpersonal model that takes into consideration student perspectives, student needs, and provides more opportunities for students-less of a business model and more of a focus on individuals. More opportunities for undergraduate research, employment on campus, and peer to peer support/mentoring. More personalized advising. Support student transitions-First Year Experience and Senior transition to Life beyond UK.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = UK needs professional development for professors. UK should revise the tenure process to emphasize effective teaching more. So many faculty are terrible teachers, even though they may be excellent researchers...they can't teach and they don't care about students.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Advising is so inconsistent. Advisors in one college know nothing about other colleges' majors, so students are out of luck if they are considering switching majors. Advising across campus needs to be one consistent model and all follow the same processes.

Faculty

Idea = Encourage more contact between students and faculty. Some schools set up a fund so that every small class can get $50 and large class $100 (faculty apply for it) so that a social gathering can be hosted in the faculty home.

Faculty

Idea = Our undergraduate curriculum (both old and improved) requires only a few writing and speaking intensive courses, and standards for college-level speaking and writing are not-well integrated across the undergraduate experience. Poor undergraduate communication competencies offloads on educational experiences across the university and is an area ripe for learning improvement.

Week of 4.18.2010 - 4.24.2010

Graduate Student

Idea= Synthesizing Pragmatic Skills into the Classroom Experience (Initial Impacts Program) Idea = This proposal may not be on the cutting edge or considered exceptionally innovative, but what it lacks in complexity and garishness it makes up for in significant and positive impacts on the development of the student body, image of the university, and marketability of its students. There is no doubt that there can exist a disparity between the theory and material a student learns in the classroom (particularly during the first or second year) and the skills those very same students are required or asked to perform in internship and externship endeavors during the summers following those classes. The College of Law is a perfect illustration, though I'm sure those students and professionals in other colleges and disciplines can come up with analogous examples. Many of the internships we partake in following our first and second years involve not just rudimentary clerical tasks such as data entry, shadowing, and filing. Or more complex legal analysis such as the ability to find, breakdown, apply, and explain the pertinent law and legal theory within briefs and memorandum, but also includes more advanced and esoteric practical skills such as the drafting and review of legal documents. Documents including but not limited to: summonses, complaints, wills, contracts, leases, tax forms, articles of incorporation, or partnership agreements for example. The College of Law has done a commendable job developing a legal writing and research program to prepare its students to take on the legal theory and analysis tasks required in a law office environment. However, while practical skills such as drafting legal documents are offered as classes, they generally are taken by students as an elective IF they fit into their schedule and LATER on during their collegiate careers. However, as described above these practical skills are sought after and beneficial to have during internships starting after year one. Some of the most beneficial lessons and exercises I've experienced were the drafting of partnership agreements and articles of incorporation with Dean Michael in Business Associations and the exercises involving income tax forms in Taxation with Prof. Westin. This same approach can be taken in other classes where the other legal documents mentioned above find themselves appertaining to the subject matter of first and second year classes. For example: an exercise in wills, living wills, or leases in Property or Trusts and Estates, drafting of summonses or complaints in Civil Procedure, or drafting legal contracts in Contracts. Imagine the impact of synthesizing these pragmatic skills into the classroom environment? The University would be developing and producing students who are ready to provide Initial Impacts within the firms and offices they are hired to intern with. That means less time dedicated to training by the offices, less time working to acclimate the new intern to the forms and structure of those documents, and more time outputting a competent work product. Thus, students could market themselves as job ready, with the ability to provide Immediate Impacts within the firm. Ultimately, this then would reflect on the University; demonstrating it's desire not just to produce thinkers and theorists, but capable and immediate contributors. Shrewd students who are ready, week one, to pitch in. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my ideas! The University should be lauded on seeking the involvement of its students into its decision making processes. I think it cultivates a sense of value and worth, as well as the belief that we are not disenfranchised and do have a receptive entity to our thoughts. Naturally, much of what I described above draws heavily from the program I am in. But I am confident that other disciplines, if asked, could identify pragmatic skills that are sought in internships or work after year one, but are generally only taught in depth during later years of the collegiate experience.

Graduate Student

Idea = Implement service learning programs for students (including first year law students), where the theories discussed in the classroom are put into context by participating in community service. Have students reflect on their experience and discuss how it informs what they're learning in class.

Faculty

Idea = Hire faculty to teach students.

Graduate Student

Idea = Especially given the emphasis on retention, it seems necessary to communicate and enforce higher academic expectations--even if this means that we lose some of the students and money that the administration courts. Otherwise it seems that UK is selling good grades, grades that undergrads are entitled to by their tuition payments and meager work. Otherwise, as now, we can expect UK Undergraduates to have very little sense of how much a serious secondary education requires of the student, even less sense of how easy it is to get good grades at this school. One undergraduate wrote: "students should be getting As and Bs--the grades we deserve" (nearly a Cover Girl commercial). This followed his/her complaining at length about the difficulty of listening to lectures that aren't accompanied by videos, etc. If students are leaving UK with this sense of entitlement and without the capacity to focus on what's said in a lecture, then it seems that our drive for retention ! and concomitant low expectations have failed them.

Graduate Student

Idea = excessive focus on "diversity", insufficient focus on quality.

Graduate Student

Idea = 1) Fire everyone in the career services department. Replace with people who won't covertly screw students over for not attending worthless panels. Then our graduates might graduate with jobs they like and donate money to a new law school. 2) Pay law profesors reasonable salaries so they quit leaving for lateral jobs. Then our law school rankings would quit plummeting. 3) Stop building/acquiring hospitals. It is not necessary to provide 14 hospitals per lexington resident. For 1/1000th the price, we could have a brand new law school and stop plummeting in the rankings. 4) Stop prioritizing every other graduate department over the law school. The Business and Econ building was finished approximately six hours ago and you're already building them a new one. Ours, meanwhile, has legitimate mold, air quality, and asbestos concerns. People masturbate on our computers because we won't pay for security. Ceilings collapse. Only one water fountain works correctly. On the upside, our urinals are so old they're classifiable as antebellum antiques and could be worth quite a lot of money among Civil War collectors on ebay. 5) Fire Lee Todd. Dry campuses and hostile student police lead stupid freshmen girls to take shots in sketchy off campus places, rather than to drink beer safely, on campus, around concerned officers. Increased sexual promiscuity, rape, hospital visits, and property damage are the result. 6) Fire Dean Brennan. He is awful. He does nothing wrong. He's so absent half the 1Ls don't even know he's African-American. He's so incompetent we managed to drop 9 spots in one year. His backbone in dealing with Lee Todd is nonexistent and delaying our much-needed new building. Lastly, the students unanimously wanted Frost.

Faculty

Idea = The undergrad program can never reach top 20 unless it either gets much smaller (contrary to the Business Plan), or unless the Gen Ed and Major programs beyond the sciences receive much enhanced TA recruitment and training support. The administrative and budgetary separation of undergraduate and graduate programs has damaged both. When I was on the multi-year grad support committee, it was shocking how weak and local the grad applicants in sciences, Ag. and engineering were compared to the quality of traditional Humanities and plain old Math applicants. Lots of MA Programs and even the Library had better candidates. That was some 5 years ago. Now UK is apparently also failing to recruit even in these "cheap" disciplines which have never elicited any support or interest from this administration. I hear from certain A&S grad programs that they have failed to recruit a number of highly qualified grad applicants who followed grad support to rival institutions. (As did our top MA applicant this year). These new Gen Ed proposals are all very well, but it appears that they are to be delivered by a second tier undergrad Instructorship Faculty. Which would permanently enshrine the administrative and budgetary separation of graduate and undergrad education. To re-integrate them, the Faculty, under Se! nate leadership, needs to be engaged in serious administrative re-organization that would make Undergrad education something more than the tuition milk-cow with some window-dressing. The Colleges structure is broken. No matter how many new Deans we hire.

Faculty

Idea = Has anyone noticed that the great majority of our students at any level have inadequate writing skills, by which I mean the ability to lay out a coherent design for an essay, to make the paragraph the unit of construction, to build paragraphs with topic sentences, tags, or transition sentences. A significant percentage (half or more in my estimation) are unable to manage consistent construction of sentences without errors of shyntax or grammar,not to mention punctuation, spelling or other issues. My proposal: in every A & S department the offering of subject oriented writing seminars for credit, taught not by graduate students or part timers (although some of the latter are fully capable)but full time faculty. Every single student should be required to pruchase Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, and other books or essays dealing with clear writing (e.g. Orwell's "Politics and the English Language") should be sprinkled through the course. The subject matter would be determined by each department.

Graduate Student

Idea = A campus-wide effort to improve student study/work skills and engagement. I find one of the most common (and problematic) obstacles my freshman students face is a total lack of preparedness for the attention and time spent on college-level work, and it's a major contributor to retention problems.

Faculty

Idea = Freshman should be required to take a study skills class, especially if they are entering with less than a 3.0 GPA.

Faculty

Idea = A twenty-first-century learning experience should not happen in an overcrowded building that is some 60 years old. "Quality Enhancement" begins with quality facilities, and a real sense of shared equity among the university's programs. It affects student and instructor morale, and causes students to leave UK for one of our benchmark institutions that has modern and comfortable classrooms, adequate studio facilities, and enough practice rooms. We have a world-class program here. We get a great deal of lip-service encouragement. Ultimately, though, we seem to contintually be asked to do more with less. I would like to see one of the university's high-profile building projects be designated for a new Fine Arts Building. Then we can talk "Quality Enhancement."

Undergraduate Student

Idea = I would like to hear a&s graduate students who just finished doing what I am doing right now-in addition to the free food and free tshirts that are offered now. That would make my goal of getting in to graduate school a little reasonable hearing from someone with the same experience I am getting rather than a boring old person who already has a career and family etc..

Faculty

Promote better understanding among students of their financial aid options!

Faculty

Idea = Collaboration between colleges on educational endeavors to benefit student learning.

Faculty

Idea = A variation on the theme of my last suggestion (in re: having smaller, advanced sections of regular courses) would be to add an hour to the regular class which only some students would be allowed to attend. This course could explore theory or problem-solving related to the regula r class. This way the student could get one hour credit which would be called 'Advanced _X_', and the faculty wouldn't have to teach another full course.

Faculty

Idea = Too many of our classes have become huge mills, and other classes are being 'dumbed down.' I think it would be great if all the faculty were able to offer small 'advanced placement' type versions of classes we are already offering. For instance, Linguistics offers several introductory courses. If I were to teach LIN 211: Introduction to Linguistics, Part One, I would teach the regular section of about 35 students, and a small section of about 10 students which would be more intensive and be so indicated on the student's transcript. I personally would be willing to teach the extra class for free, while being paid for the larger class. All the university would have to pay would be for the classroom space.

Faculty

Idea = A colleague and I have 'beer night' about once a month with our graduate students and older undergraduates. We buy the drinks and they buy any food they want. This has been remarkably successful, and I believe it is good for the students to see their professors outside of class in a relaxed setting. It would be nice if we could do something similar with our younger students, say at a coffee shop or something similar. I think it would also be a good thing if more faculty were encouraged to do this. Perhaps universities could provide a small amount of money to faculty who are interested in this sort of thing.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Each student learns differently, while some are very hands on, others are visual, and others learn by reading text and taking a lot of notes. I feel that we should engage in all aspects of learning and apply it to EACH CLASS OFFERED. Boring, monotonous lectures are very hard to pay attention to. When professors don't understand how to use computers or projection screens it takes time out of class for them to figure it out. I feel that we should train professors on the equipment better. If you sit in a class with Golding or Desantis it's very different than sitting in a class with Egan or Beaman. It's the professors job to make sure that we are retainin the material and are clear about every point they are trying to make. TECHNOLOGY is the answer. Better slide shows, videos, music, participation, presentations are the key. Unfortunately, at UK we have a lot of BAD PROFESSORS. We need teachers who want to teach us and want to effectively engage us in class. We want t! o WANT to come to class and get our monies worth. A lot of professors exams do NOT reflect the material discussed in class- that is incredibly unfair. Our goal as a University should be making sure the students are receiving As and Bs--grades we deserve. Tests should be virtually the same throughout the colleges and should be sure to teach us the only things that we NEED to know. We want to succeed but we cannot without accurate teaching styles. It should be brought to our attention that students are losing sleep and taking unauthorized medication to be sure to do well...that is UNHEALTHY to the human body. If professors taught more effectively and with excitement, encouraging us to come to class--we would study harder, and better and be more prepared--thanks to our professors. Engage in technology & get with the 21st century.

Graduate Student

Idea = Institute a competencies-based assessment system for general education classes. Students are not grade on individual assignments but rather "pass" the general education program after they demonstrate they are competent in the stated objectives.

Faculty

Idea = I'd like to see UK focus on the theme of interconnection. We are individually all connected to UK, Lexington, Kentucky, the United States and the globe. What happens in once place may have repercussions for another. Some native American peoples refer to this as the web of life. Focusing on this theme could allow us to link seemingly very different kinds of courses and enterprises. The worlds of science and nature connect to each other and to the worlds of the arts and social sciences, law, engineering and social work. Inter-connection also means responsibility. We have to think about and consider not just our own self-interest, but the interests and concerns of others across the planet. The theme focuses on commonalities rather than divisions, but division do exist. This theme helps all of think beyond "me first" and see that our inter-connectivity means I have to consider more than my own self-interest and more than my own generation - the future is also p! art of the interconnectedness of us all.

Faculty

Idea = I don't know the technique to use but I do not that attendance is a problem. With many classes averaging 60% attendance I would never accept an undergraduate from UK into a graduate program. If I, as faculty, feel like that UK is in bad shape. Part of the failure to attend classes is a generational (culture) phenomenon. But I find it appalling. With all the fake excuses and scaps of paper given from UK Health and a omsbud procedure that favors students I find grading attendance to not be the solution.

Faculty

Idea = Slogan idea: Imagine, Immerse, Integrate, Innovate. And Inspire!! For faculty and students, these are the most important ingredients of higher education and research learning and process.

Faculty

Idea = Here's the big idea. LIVE.LIGHT Memorial – Here's how it works, we can plant one tree and donate one solar cell for every student, alumni, staff and/or faculty who has served the Commonwealth and has died either in the line of duty or has passed on as a living and active tribute and memorial to their impact on education in the Commonwealth. By designing an active and passive landscape, we can greatly impact and influence the reduction of Lexington's (and, in particular, the University's) carbon footprint. In terms of education, we can educate our current students on the benefits of developing a sustained living environment (oxygen infusion, smog reduction, shading, and other natural benefits) demonstrating that one tree does make an impact. Also by developing an active solar environment, like the solar house, we can demonstrate that solar technology is viable in the Commonwealth – we can design new PV light fixtures, we can actively power our buildings, we can heat ou! r hot water, etc. There are many, many more learning outcomes as well. I would imagine that the number would be in the thousands by 2010 and just think about the amount of oxygen, fresh air, and energy that we could sustainably produce in a living tribute for those who gave so much so that we could enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy. So rather than commemorating the service of those who came before us (and in the years to come – all of us) with a piece of paper or plaque, why not design a lasting tribute that actively impacts Kentucky's future.

Staff

Idea = Big Ideas generated by Humanity Academy Graduates My two cents: "UK Citizen of the World," This is far too important and too complex to be a one-shot program, a tack-on lesson to existing curriculum, or a single event. I believe it needs to be more systemic-yes include faculty and student affairs and graduate students! We have an opportunity to create meaningful change at UK, so I sincerely hope members of The Humanity Academy will seize this opportunity to submit big ideas. What do you think of "UK Citizen of the World" ? Training for an inclusive learning environment for all students that covers sexual harassment, racism, sexism, etc…? "UK Citizen of the World" … envision our student body moving on to great things all over the United States and the world at large and want to give them the tools to do this successfully! This an opportunity for all UK students, staff and faculty to become change agents! I got motivated to share about a program that three of us who are graduates of the Humanity Academy have created: 1) a leadership course for Global Scholars in the Gatton College. This class includes an emphasis on becoming aware of diverse cultural perspectives and of societal oppression and privilege. Students are required to meet weekly in "diversity training groups." These groups are led by students from the Counseling Psychology graduate program and the leaders are supervised. Several of the leaders have also been HA graduates. Our students have collaborated on creating social justice exercises to be used in these groups. (We have a "manual" of these exercises.) This is an ongoing project that seems to fit the sense of the recent emails. The project is also producing doctoral students who have the expertise to lead/facilitate diversity/social justice training for other campus community members. I also recognize the roadblocks that would be in our way to achieve such a goal. (Just look at the never-ending reviews, suggestions, and controversies regarding the University Studies Program!) If we can find similar courses/programs among our benchmarks, that would give this idea strong support and might be enough to get a conversation going. This would require researching what our 20 benchmarks do in this arena. Given the realities of our regular workloads, it would be a great idea to have 20 of us agree to take one benchmark and research what they do… to get the research ball rolling. Next, if we can get a conversation going with administration, then we have to be prepared to discuss who would teach the course (perhaps we could suggest Humanity Academy graduates partnered with CATalyst-trained peer facilitators?), where and when the courses would be taught, etc, all of which are coming from the perspectives of cost considerations. None of these barriers are necessarily insurmountable, but they would required sustained research, follow-up, etc, to get such a program going. Then such a program would require dedication and follow-through from all those involved once in place. Do we have enough hands for that? We have to be careful how we proceed so we are taken seriously. If we suggest such a program to administration and then don't have the commitment to do the work to go along with our suggestion, our credibility suffers and makes future projects difficult. While working together to come up with a particular project for the Humanity Academy is awesome, and something I whole-heartedly support, we don't have to wait for that to come to fruition to do something. There are always events happening on campus through any number of diversity-minded student organizations, the Office of Student Involvement, the MLK Cultural Center… Playing off of the wonderful title, "UK Citizen of the World," and combining it with something like the "Boxes and Walls" presentation/tour, it could start out with "shorts" on a few freshmen with varying backgrounds: international, white, black, Latino, American Indian, gay, lesbian, just to name a few and have it open like Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video where the different faces are morphed over each other. Concerning the video idea: If we could get the UK Theatre Department to volunteer some actors in a video portraying the words of the actual statements from the students, staff etc. then this might be more expressive. I was thinking about all those commercials where the actual words are used by actors playing the parts of the customer etc. They usually say in small writing like actor's portrayal or something similar. I think as long as the people who are making the statement, approved the video that it would be pretty cool and no identities are revealed. Just a thought… What I mentioned late Friday was less of an entertainment video and more of a collection of short oral histories, for lack of a better description. In closing remarks at the meeting, each of us was asked to find a student and talk to them – ask them what they think of their experience at UK, and other generalized thoughts. That, coupled with the primary point I took away from the table discussions made me realize some things: 1. No matter what we do, little true and lasting change can happen on campus as long as the upper-most administration doesn't know the difference between Affirmative Action and Diversity and 2. Audio and video is a very, very powerful tool. In the short time we spent brainstorming the idea of using video as a messenger: Something similar has been done before except the interviewee answers were transcribed and the transcriptions were given to the Board of Trustees (BOT). Again, A/V is a very powerful tool that, when short, is easily digestible and lends some teeth to interviewee words. Thus, three short videos: one each of students, of staff, and of faculty, intended only for Dr. Todd and the BOT. When I say short videos I mean, 5-10 minutes total. Anything longer than that and we may lose their attention. In each video, a pre-selected list of perhaps 3-5 questions would be asked of each person. The questions would be those most compelling and will garner the most bang for our buck, so to speak. At any rate, we established right away that many people won't answer truthfully if they are not anonymous. They are employees or students of the University and the fear is that their words could cause retribution. We can use software that pixelates facial features and, if need be, we can adjust their voices to also be unrecognizable. Yes, we will lose some gravity by essentially removing expression and, in the case of voice alteration, some intonation. However, with proper editing, what we gain is an artifact that puts a figure i.e. skin tone, size, and accent/dialect, to the words of the people. The final video presentation goes beyond a transcription that can be buried under the piles of other paper reports. There are many, many issues left unsolved with this approach. It will take creative minds to make an end product that both ensures the safety of the interviewees brave enough to say what they really think while also being powerful enough to be the opening shot in an administrative engagement. But engage them we must – I am convinced of that no matter what else we do. While I understand that personal sacrifice needs to be made, I am also of the mind that, while doing that we can also finds non-traditional ways to get the ear of the people who hold the key to change on this campus. We're a big enough group with enough creative minds to do both. Cut to brief scenes of what it is like for a particular freshman, let' say an international student, to encounter his first week at UK---show the good, bad and the ugly. Show how the recipient feels and show the attitude of the offender. Sometimes the offender is not aware that they are doing something wrong. As discussed in the our recent meeting, the something wrong could be, "Not making our UK campus "international friendly," or by not providing a similar face to an international student to make them feel more welcomed—someone just like them to show them the ropes and help them get over barriers such as language, etc. Perhaps we can show in the video that an international welcoming committee would be a benefit to all freshmen to show them that UK can is a community and we're all here to welcome them. Do this with a couple of freshmen that have varied backgrounds/ethnicities/sexual orientation. Then cut away to someone acknowledging the frustrations and demonstrating zero tolerance to those acts of disrespect (that's all harassment is anyway---disrespect for another). Also cut away to a scene to where a graduate of the academy witnesses the debauchery and steps in and says something. Not to be equally offensive, but to let the offender know that it is not acceptable. I don't want it to be slap-stick, because these issues are not funny, but I don't want it to be so strait-laced either that the points are missed. This is just a smidgen of what is cooking in my brain….smile. I think the suggestion is great---what a catchy title, "UK Citizen of the World." My thoughts are that not only should it be presented to the freshmen, but also to all faculty and staff. Yet, I know this cannot be a mandate, I wish it could be because it is so important. However, perhaps a video can be done and sent to Dr. Todd or perhaps it can be discuss at a brown bag affair with him to get his support. If we don't have him on board, then I think we will continue to meet and come up with great ideas, but never be able to move forward with implementing this at UK as a whole. Other ideas is to perhaps present the ideas to Drs. Karpf and Lofgren who work in EVPHA as Executive VP Health Affairs/UKHC and Vice President Clinical Operations/UKHC, respectively. I think if we can get their blessing, then Dr. Todd will be a shoo-in I like the idea of it being required for their first year. I would make it separate from UK101 so that it stood out more as its own thing. I think it should be a first year requirement and have guest speakers like the humanities academy and supervision training. That's a very provocative idea. How do you envision the training? Would it be part of UK101? What do you think of the idea of it being a series of classes that all freshman are required to complete during their first year? I think the idea of a "UK Citizens of the World" portion of a course or completely separate course is an absolute necessity for all students. With that said, I am also willing to consider the logistic realities such a proposal would pose. I believe in starting small and building momentum, so perhaps to start it may be possible to have a few workshop/seminar sessions integrated into the UK101 syllabi focusing on these various issues. The global scholars program in the Gatton Business school has a program that may be serve as a reference. I believe that this is something worth the hard work, diligence, and personal sacrifice necessary to make it happen. Just my ideas...I look forward to becoming involved in this process and speaking with all of you about the possibilities. Hope to hear from everyone soon! I had a few thoughts to share with you – keep what's worth keeping and forget the rest! • You'd asked for folks to be willing to support UK Catalyst Planning – • Because HA graduates come from all corners of the university, it's seems that we don't all have insight into what inclusion/diversity programming and initiatives are already in place. While lots of good work is going on, it's all kind of in silos and disjointed. Some of the ideas that were suggested by HA folks in our recent meeting are actually already in place (not to say that they couldn't be improved upon, especially by HA support). But our conversations and planning can't be as effective because we don't have that common information to share among us. I have an idea for a solution to that though! Pretty recently, I think it was last fall, Dr. JJ Jackson had requested various offices to report what diversity/inclusion efforts are being coordinated in their specific areas. I know this because my director asked me to contribute to it. I don't know how widespread her request went, but I feel pretty certain that it captured all of student affairs. It might be just t! he summary we need to share with HA folks. Once we're all on the same page, we can review and make recommendations for existing programs (not recreate the wheel) and fill the gaps we find with new ideas. Do you think Dr. Jackson might be willing to share the final report with us? • Dr. Oliver briefly reflected with us in his presentation some of the stories of injustice throughout UK's history that have been passed onto him by other faculty/staff/students since he's been at UK (e.g. the Rupp story). It struck me as a white woman who has worked at UK for nearly 8 years that no one ever approached me with these sorts of stories. Everything I know about the injustice and inequality at our University, I sought out with my own efforts or through venues like the Humanity Academy. As someone who truly cares about this and feels very invested, I recognize that there is still a lot that I do not know that's a part of our collective history that even first year students may be hearing about through similar means that Dr. Oliver heard those stories. Obviously, this isn't the history that UK would promote or make readily available, but it occurs to me that everyone involved in Humanity Academy should have an understanding of this history. We can't assume it! 's common knowledge, even for our group. My thought was that maybe we could create a timeline document that provides highlights/stories/reflections of these instances of injustice – including the same kinds of anecdotal stories that were shared with Dr. Oliver and these students – and blend these with points in time that UK more typically identifies as history. I know it might be considered controversial to bring attention to these "uglies", but in order to know where we're going we really do have to know where we've come from. I can envision this document would be a critical training tool for Humanity Academy, but beyond that, a training tool for other conversations of inclusion in a number of different contexts across our campus. The timeline can also reflect those positive, unifying events that show that the work has begun towards combating inequalities and injustice (e.g. First Humanity Academy formed – OUTsource office opening – Diversity component added to UK101 –! etc. etc. etc.) right up to Present.

Week of 4.11.2010 through 4.17.10

Faculty

Idea = It seems like some additional attention could be paid to undergraduate writing skills. This university regularly graduates students whose writing is sub-par. They thus enter the "real world" lacking sufficient skill in one of the areas most related to getting and keeping a job, and when their lack of ability is displayed to others, UK is represented in a negative light. Other universities that could be considered our peers have instituted writing portfolio requirements and taken other steps to improve student writing. Perhaps UK could do (more of) the same.

Faculty

Idea = The Arts as a Key to Success in the 21st Century In every society, past and present, east or west, developed or developing, the arts have played, and will continue to play, a vital role. They are used by individuals, groups, corporations, and governments as the expressions of ideals, philosophies, and goals, have been considered the supreme expressions of a society's greatness, are among the chief sources of entertainment, and are indispensable in the world of commerce. Despite their ubiquity, however, the arts are not well understood by most young people graduating from college and entering the "real world." They are not aware of how the arts affect their lives, how they rely on the arts for communication, how they are often manipulated by the arts, and how they can use the arts in their personal and professional lives. This program aims to remedy this for U.K. undergraduates through a three-step program that includes guided exposure to the arts, at least one course in the arts as part of the Gen Ed curriculum, and instru! ction and activities geared to the role of the arts in each major program of study. 1) Guided Exposure to Visual and Performing Arts All freshmen will (and transfer students) will be required to attend a specified number and variety of on-campus concerts, performances, and exhibitions, all of which will be free of charge to registered students. So that this becomes part of the educational process, and not mere exposure, the University will hire lecturers who will be responsible for providing the following services, for which attendance will be required if the student wishes to use the event to satisfy the requirement: lectures before each eligible concert of performance, and availability to answer questions during intermissions and after the event, and lectures and/or guided tours of art exhibitions (repeated regularly during the term of the exhibit). 2) Arts in the Gen Ed curriculum Each undergraduate student will take at least one arts-related course as part of the Gen Ed curriculum. In many cases this will satisfy the Creativity requirement, but if the student takes a non-arts Creativity class, may be satisfied by taking a designated arts-related class to satisfy one of the other requirements (Humanities, U.S. Citizenship, Global Dynamics). 3) Arts in the Majors Each undergraduate major will incorporate at least some arts-related instruction. While in some cases there will be required courses, in most this will take the form of lectures, break-out sections, or required activities within established courses. This may be done by the instructor of the class, but the University will also employ a variety of lecturers who will be available as appropriate. Examples of topics: For a History course on the U.S. Civil War, lectures on the role of songs and imagery in the war effort For Business majors: activities/lectures involving the role of businesses as corporate sponsors of the arts, the arts business in contemporary America, the role of the arts in creating a productive workplace For pre-Med students: the role of the arts in healing (Music therapy, art therapy, etc.) For Education majors: using the arts for instruction across the curriculum For Physics majors: a course, or course segment on acoustics

Faculty

Idea = The University of Kentucky needs to celebrate its unique reflection of land and people through academic curriculum and supporting cultural activity. What makes Kentucky unique--its people and place need to be at the core of academic and enrichment initiatives that celebrate our unique heritage and point the way to our future. I propose a new initiative that would inculcate an understanding of our unique role into all aspects of the university. Only by truly embracing the local can we intersect with the global.

Faculty

Idea = Even though the General Studies initiative is already in progress, there is much implementation and assessment to be accomplished during this time period. New courses to be conceived of, ways of teaching to be re-examined, faculty staffing to be reconfigured, etc. This is the one program that makes a university out of a collection of independent colleges.

Faculty

Idea = Our students (undergraduate and graduate) routinely expect faculty to develop their career path. A revolution in student education and the learning experience would be to instill a sense of ownership over their career path. Through avenues to promote attention, independence and responsibility, students can actively engage in their careers, rather than waiting to see what happens. Far too many students FALL BACK on their back-up plans, rather than going forward and taking charge over their lives and careers.

Faculty

Keep students on campus: no car permits for first 2 years (without special need).

Faculty

Idea = We could encourage team teaching at full pay. I would love to teach a course with Art and Psychology or English. This type of collaborative course would be very enriching for faculty and students alike. At least make some research money available for proposals and salary buyouts, since team teaching is paid at half the usual rate.

Staff

Idea = The focus of the QEP should be "Information Literacy". With the advances in use of technology in academia, how many of us really know how to evaluate and use the information available in making the important decisions. This topic includes: - Critical thinking - Learning how to evaluate and use the mass amount of information in an academic setting and to become a informed/responsible citizen - Global perspectives and evaluation of thinking from around the world - Increased use of technology in classrooms, social networking beyond UK - Should include Free technology for faculty, staff and students: - IPad, ITouch, IPhones, smart phones, o laptop communities-- everyone should have a laptop o upgrade and availability of software to make being connected a reality. Programs that promote WEB 2.0 Technologies (WIKI development, Blogs, image sharing, video conferencing etc)

Faculty

Idea = Create an "Experience the Arts" fee to increase student awareness, learning, and to encounter campus arts programming.

Faculty

Idea = Stream more Athletic Funds Campus Wide to fund scholarships, retention, and increasing faculty lines across campus.

Faculty

Idea = I have two suggestions: 1. We should revive the Universtiy Lecture Series and require students to attend at least one or two per year (or more) depending on size and scope of Series. The Series should invite some of the best minds in the world to campus to speak and engage with students. 2. We should require every student to attend a specified number of concerts per semester and attend a certain number of art exhibits. Each student would be required to have a card punched or scanned to acknowledge that they attended the concert or museum exhibit. Perhaps 4-5 per semester.

Faculty/ Staff

Idea = Development of a vibrant Communications across the Curriculum program to infuse continuous writing, speaking, digital media use throughout the student's academic program. This would be a replacement for the GWR, AND, would ensure that the courses are being developed throughout the majors.

Faculty/ Staff

Idea = Development of a UG Success Center that pulls all UG student support services under one umbrella, e.g., Central Advising, CARES, SSS, Robinson, and, to the extent possible, Honors, etc....

Faculty

Idea = Encourage interdisciplinary approach to learning. --> create classes that encourage cross-discipline approaches, create opportunities for engineering and humanities students to actually mingle and discuss ideas, promote faculty exchange and presentation of their research

Faculty

Idea = (1) First year seminars (2) Service/experiential learning across departments and colleges (3) International experience (4) Use of current technology across the curriculum

Faculty

Idea = In the College of Design, I think it would be beneficial to have chosen, exceptional upper-level graduate students participate as an offical TA / studio "mentor" for first-year graduate studios or more advanced undergraduate studios. I have been involved with other Architecture schools / programs (both as faculty or as a student myself) that had this system in place and found that it really helped to create a sense of studio culture and community beyond the confines of each class. It also encouraged students to work together, share knowledge and techniques, and engage in critical peer reviews.

Week of 4.4.10 - 4.10.10

Faculty

Idea= Internationalization: Despite recent advances, UK is dramatically behind our benchmarks in all measures of internationalization. To prepare students for a global world and to produce world-class research, we need a dramatic campus wide effort to improve this.

Faculty

Idea= "Learning to THINK!"

Graduate Student, Alumni

Idea = I have a suggestion. Let's replace Lee Todd as president. Every year since I started at UK (2004) tuition has increased. If you do a simple google search it shows we are nowhere near a top 20 research university. Sure a business plan is nice, but you learn how to write one of those in high school BIG DEAL. What happened to that $1 billion dollars he raised? Why does UK spend so much money on landscaping and signage? Hiring freezes, no raises, questionable spending Mrs. Todd getting a vehicle with alumni money, terrible building conditions, Reynolds building, Funkhouser building, Erikson Hall, No transparency, terrible leadership, it is time for a change. ABOVE ALL LEE TODD MAKES TOO MUCH MONEY FOR WHAT HE DOES!

Alumni

Idea= Just read the newspaper about Transy's community engagement course. An Art professor and English professor trying to get the students and community to connect. Really interesting. http://www.kentucky.com/2010/04/07/1213754/transy-class-introduces-students.html Could we "borrow" their idea?

Faculty, Alumni, Parent

Idea= My idea is to adopt a educational model similar to Design. University as a creative environment and as the passion for learning. As a long time faculty member at UK School of Architecture and a former student at UK I can share some my own personal experiences. The thing that made my experience at UK so strong as a student was the faculty interaction and the interaction with my classmates (we still keep in touch). In design we are given a home, a desk in a studio which is ours. The educational experience was led (as opposed to dictated) by teachers that worked with us three full afternoons a week three days a week to solve complex problems in a creative process. There were only twelve students per class, and no one ever missed a class, on one wanted to. In fact, no one wanted to leave the building except to go bathe, eat and work out and occasionally go out to a party or on a date. sometimes students would be found sleeping under their desk. Students some time got very little sleep (something I warn my students about). It was fun, it was hard work and we all loved what we had. I think that about 70% of what we learned, we learned from each other. There was intense joy, discovery, learning, frustration and sometimes anger and tears (after a faculty review that did not go well). Our teachers were working on interesting projects of their own which we could see and discuss, and the teachers took us on field trips to see design-We went to Chicago, Europe, New York and other places during our education.In my own teaching here at UK, I try to provide that same quality experience to my students. We just got back from a 5 day field trip to Dallas. In Sum,I realize that Design has it own unique set of educational requirements and there are practical limitations to individual studios, class size and student teacher ratios. For me it is true that our students receive a quality educational experience by virtue of these conditions. The retention rate for design students has always been at the top as compared to all other university units. Our students (typical around the country) are highly motivated and often spend all night working in Pence and Miller Hall.

Design students are unified, committed and have a strong work ethic. Why? The model for quality education at most design schools is based on three main requirements. 1. Facilities -they do not have to be state of the art- studio place for learning experimentation, socialization and play 2. Selective Admissions - students demonstrate some visual mechanical spatial aptitude for the types of work to be undertaken. 3. Relatively small class sizes 12 to 1 student teacher ratio is ideal meeting regularly three to two afternoons per week 4. Design Curriculum hierarchy 6 credit hour studio (project) with adjunct support courses- history/theory, technical and USP courses and electives

Faculty

Idea= Enhance Learning by implementing Multiple Intelligences Across Disciplines--Too often, students sit through a lecture as a passive listener; instructors should device teaching strategies that involve students' active participation physically as well as mentally by using multi-sensory stimulation and student responses. We want students to think creatively and express themselves through arts activities in all subject areas.

Staff, Alumni

Idea= More opportunities for study abroad.

Faculty

Idea= global thinking in the 21st century. Are we training our students for the new global context of the future, are are we stuck in a traditional 20th century model of study abroad? How can we make global thinking a part of every student's experience?

Faculty

Idea= Make undergradaute research more pervasive across campus. Perhaps each department chooses x-number of required courses that require a research project.

Staff

Idea= Enhance students' international exposure by providing more study abroad opportunities.

Faculty

Idea = I'd love for UK to find ways to continue the important work of internationalizing the campus and the curriculum. We need a wider range of foreign students enrolled at UK, a broader focus on international issues and more UK students studying abroad, and not in England or Australia!

Week of 3.28.2010 - 4.3.2010

Faculty

Idea = I would like to see us focus on communication across the curriculum in ways that faculty across the institution begin to consistently integrate communication assignments (written, oral, visual, digital) into their courses and evaluate them systematically. Employer and alumni surveys continue to report that the seek strong communication skills (composition, presentation, interpersonal, and teamwork) and that current graduates don't have them. Teaching an isolated writing course and an isolated oral comm course (or even the two integrated ones we have proposed for the new general education program) won't achieve this. We need to make teaching and evaluating these skills part of the very culture of our campus.

Staff

Idea = It seems that we have a broad range of resources on campus that aren't being fully utilized to enhance learning. It would be great to develop on-campus experiential learning that would involve collaboration between academic and non-academic units. For example, in Campus Recreation we run a program to help overweight students lose weight. We would like to add a nutritional component, but we have no licensed nutritionist on our staff. It would be great to work with the nutrition and food science department to team up their students to work with our weight loss clients. Our department alone could also offer experiential learning opportunities to students in marketing, communications, ag sciences, kinesiology, etc. I'm sure that there are many other ideas about how departments can collaborate to develop on-campus learning opportunities for our students. You could call it "collaborating to develop on-campus experiential learning".

Staff, Alumni, Parent

Idea = My "big idea" is that we need to improve student learning in mathematics and quantitative reasoning. This is an area where they have considerable difficulty achieving good grades; the students themselves rate this area lower than others in terms of their improvement; and it is an area of concern for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Our state does not produce an adequate number of qualified math and science teachers to meet the need, and so we continue to have difficulty catching up and exceling in STEM areas. This difficulty, I believe, is fueled by a cycle of low expectations and efficacy around doing well in math that is passed from generation to generation. Part of what UK needs to do is help break that cycle by turning out more students who have mastered the basics and who become parents who, in turn, encourage and help their children do well in math.

Anonymous

Idea = Look at critical thinking

Faculty

Idea = Internationalization, improving language study percentage, study abroad

Graduate Student, Staff

Idea = UK should place an emphasis on writing in all aspects of the educational process. A freshman course in comp is great, but it isn't producing the kind of technically proficient writers who will prove to be effective communicators in the workplace. Even students from writing-intensive majors like ISC often have a shaky grasp of mechanics, style and grammar. Incorporating writing and essay questions into all subjects would allow students to practice both expository and reflective writing. Upping the required number of writing courses would also be beneficial - moving away from having people trained primarily as literature instructors teach composition, and toward the professionalization of writing and rhetoric as an academic discipline.

Staff

Idea = - Staff and students should be invited to the table when possible for major college decisions. i.e. Administrative hiring - Distance Learning classes should increase for staff and students (technology updated). - Post graduate work, more consideration for employees taking courses who have families and are working full-time, faculty need to understand that working employees can't quit their jobs to go to school full-time. - Need to review policies on UK educational benefits for retiree's children (not covered currently). - Courses offered need to be more flexible for working employees (offering specific classes only in Spr/Fall during the day, does not allow all employees access to education.

Staff

Idea = Learn to engage in informed, thoughtful, and civil discourse.

Graduate Student

Idea = Integrate cultural competency training into the undergraduate, graduate and professional education programs.

Undergraduate Student

Idea = Change your type face on the homepage to a sans serif, because it's easier to read on the monitor than on the printed page. Also, increase type size two more pts.

Faculty Member

Idea = Until the university improves the alignment between the way it views (rewards) faculty research and what it hopes to achieve in the classroom, many faculty members will not take the university's stated concern with student learning very seriously.

Faculty Member

Idea = How about "Building Classrooms: So that we have enough space to teach our scheduled courses," or "Give Us a Raise for a Change: A carefully planned program to recruit and retain by paying them something close to our benchmarks." What an utter waste of time!

Faculty Member

Idea = Make it easier for faculty to conduct fieldtrips. Many faculty, including myself, hate to drive the UK vans -- it's too much responsibility and the vans are unsafe -- one has to watch a video and pass a test about it in order to drive them, which has me terrified when I do so, considering how many students lives (& my own!) are at stake. Hence, have a pool of money available to pay a driver(s) to drive the vans. Fieldtrips are so important for students to see what they are learning first-hand; to experience a religion different fr their own (or ethnic context, etc) if visiting a religious service; and for students to bond with their peers in an extra-classroom setting. But I have spoken to many faculty who simply will not do it b/c of the driving responsibilities.

Graduate Student and Parent

Idea = Treat students, especially older non traditional students as customers of the university not subservient adolescents. We need a university that understands the needs of older students like more flexibility and understanding. The baby boomers helped finance the university through many years of taxes and now need continuing education to continue working and paying these taxes in an ever changing global economy. You need to take care of us so that we can take care of you.

Week of 3/21/2010 to 3/27/2010

Alumni

Idea = More faculty from non-traditional sources such as John Wertzler. He and only one other professor, a Franchising course instructor, taught many of us more in their two combined courses than we learned over the previous 3 1/2 years. These gentlemen brought real life scenarios into the classroom every day, not case studies, but real problems facing companies that day. I am not alone in this sentiment as many of my classmates discussed this very topic 10 years ago while we were still enrolled in those courses. We enjoyed the very real challenges presented in both courses and valued the experience outside the classroom of our instructors.

Faculty, Staff

Idea = Focus the QEP on (undergraduate) retention and graduation. We're already hard at work on this, and if we're successful, it will significantly impact UK ranking and finances as well as improving the student experience at UK. We'll continue this study whether or not it's the QEP, so why not meet the SACSCOC requirement by studying what we really need (and want) the most.

Alumni

Idea = A basic UK/College 101 course that is mandatory for all incoming undergraduate students. Make it a whole semester long. Topics could cover: basic campus navigation; school policies; how to use the library-including a field trip and demonstration of the reference area, etc.; basic etiquette in both social and business situations (including how to appropriately handle technology/cell phones in public); study skills; information on career planning and counseling services, including visits to these service-providers; a presentation by the VIP office, A presentation about safety/drinking by UKPD, basic life skills. I'm sure there are more topics I haven't thought of. Thank you!

Alumni

Idea = Return the English requirement to 6 hours (two semesters) for all undergraduate students. But before students can enter English 101, require that they pass a test in basic grammar. A recent story in the KY KERNEL quoted two female students on their past celebrations of St. Patrick's Day. Both students began "Me and my friend..." and the writer let the quotes stand with this gaffe. Obviously the students didn't learn the about objective and subjective pronouns in, say, third grade. Pathetic.

Faculty

Idea = Undergraduate international/multi-cultural awareness. Giving undergraduates a more global perspective and finding ways for them to bring that knowledge back to Kentucky. Anonymous Email Submission As you (may) remember, Goal 1 of our 2009-14 Strategic Plan speaks about preparing our students (applies to both undergraduate and graduate/professional) for leading roles in "an innovation-driven economy." It has always bothered me that nothing in our Gen Ed or other curricular changes speaks directly to preparing our students to become innovators. There is a whole literature developing on how you increase the chance of someone becoming an innovator which we could tap into. So, my suggestion is to use "Teaching Students to become Innovators" as a QEP topic!

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