If These Pockets Could Talk |
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If I pick up or someone hands me a piece of paper at an event—a program, a ticket, a brochure, whatever—it often ends up in the inside pocket of my sports coat or suit jacket. There it usually sits until a next event, commonly gaining a friend. Good intention to empty the pockets regularly falls by the wayside as I move onto whatever next thing commands my attention. Hence, over time, sometimes years depending on the coat or jacket, items accumulate, protected from tearing and fading.
Pockets tell stories, and mine especially do. I was looking for a business card the other day from a summer event, and my blue jacket was a likely place since it was lightweight. Alas, it wasn’t there, but I did find talking points for an Emeriti event scribbled on the back of another’s business card—reminders and examples of why and how students are the center of our mission. Next to it was the program for our first true post-pandemic Open House (Fall 2022), and for which we held our breath for attendance but in the end, Shea was packed—our first sign of an enrollment bounceback.
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Perhaps I wore a suit to the event, so I checked those. The grey one revealed no card but my 50-50 ticket from the PCCC Foundation Gala. I failed to win but met great colleagues and now find myself on an advisory board there. Our students are their students, and we need each other. I checked my dark blue suit, and alas, only a hospital mask, those along with KN95s being the most common item found across all pockets in my closet, a reminder of the times we’ve come through. The tan suit alas did not have the card, but I found my favorite WP pin, and a WP Online pen, an initiative we timed perfectly that now enrolls more than 3,500 students. |
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Quote found in the oldest jacket in my closet. |
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I checked my other jackets and struck out on the card, but they told other important stories:
- My quickly scribbled notes from a welcome I gave for which I thought I would just be an attendee. Provosts always need to be ready for the unexpected.
- The memorial program for Haruko Cook who sadly passed away in 2021. I still remember participating in the tree planting, Ted with one shovel, and me, among others, with one as well. The tree flourishes as Haruko did for us.
- An invitation to participate in an award WP would be receiving from the Workforce Development Board of Passaic County for our work in the disability and special needs community. Thank you to Youth Programs for what you do.
- The words to the Black National Anthem and the hand-written phrase, “Habari Gani,” a traditional Swahili phrase commonly said during Kwanza meaning, “What’s the news?”
I never did find the card, but I found something better, a reminder that life places each of us somewhere, and it is on us to make something with it. Whatever your pockets might hold, real or metaphorical, perhaps they are worthy of examination, maybe even inspiration.
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Faculty as Mentor Initiative. Sophomore students have now all been assigned their faculty mentor and the process for connection has begun. Each college held a Sophomore Welcome event a few weeks ago. The events were great but student attendance was generally not robust. The committee will be reflecting on levers and opportunities for aiding connection between mentee and mentor going forward. Mentors, connect with other mentors in your department to discuss strategies for connecting with your mentees, and as you have thoughts, please share them at provost@wpunj.edu.
Wellness Day Details. No classes are scheduled for October 12 and 13 so students have a break. As a campus community, we will be “breaking” too on October 12 for a day of wellness-related activities for faculty and staff. A number of health- and wellness-related opportunities are planned, including some in collaboration with St. Joseph’s Hospital. Lawn games, healthy cooking demonstrations, and campus walks are planned, as well as in-person and virtual workshop sessions on wellness themes, including how we can support our students in this regard. Please see this website for details.
AI Conference. October 26 is the date of the annual Contexts Conference sponsored by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. This year’s theme is artificial intelligence. This technology has substantial implications broadly, as well as in our world of higher education. Please consider attending in person or online. Please see this website for details.
Important Navigate Information for Faculty. Faculty are required to enter available times/days into Navigate. This is how students are guided to connect with faculty for course office hours, advising, and/or mentoring. This is how a student can see when you are available and to schedule a time to meet with you as related to a course, or for those who are an advisor or a mentor, in those capacities. Note that these are three different categories of meeting type in Navigate and thus are set up separately. Faculty are welcome to set as many days and hours as they wish but we ask that it be no less than three hours across two days per week, although if you are engaged in two or three of the above activities, use your judgement if it needs to be more, or more at particular moments during the semester.
WP Online Update. WP Online continues to grow, attracting students who might not otherwise enroll at WP. Undergraduate programs grew this fall over last by 52%, with 1,453 students now enrolled across 17 BA/BS/BSN options. These students are predominantly working adults in their 30s and 40s with some prior college credits who are seeking pathways to completing an undergraduate degree. We also added two undergraduate certificate options this fall: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Human Resource Management.
Graduate enrollment remains strong. Four new education programs added this fall have already enrolled 70 new students, and despite declining enrollments nationally, new MBA enrollment at WP has grown by 12% so far this fall. New and continuing students can enroll for Fall 2 through October 20.
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Every three years, William Paterson deploys a survey called the National Survey of Student Engagement or NSSE for short. The survey of first-year and senior students assesses a variety of factors that impact student learning and achievement. We recently received our 2023 data, and the NSSE Committee is reviewing it now and preparing recommendations. Here are just a few noteworthy data points:
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79% and 78%. The percentage of first-year students and seniors, respectively, who rated their WP experience as good or excellent (+8 and +2 percentage point increases from 2020).
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2 and 8. The total number of engagement indicators across the first-year and senior classes for which WP statistically outperformed peers in 2020 vs. 2023 (10 indicators). In 2020, we had a number that were statistically below peers. In 2023, none were statistically below.
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10.7 and 20. The average hours first-year students and seniors work per week. This statistic was the biggest statistical effect-size difference ABOVE our peers.
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6.25. The average hours per week our students commute to campus (and this statistic includes respondents who live ON campus).
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“When I am asked, what one thing we can do to enhance student engagement and increase student success? I now have an answer: Make it possible for every student to participate in at least two high-impact activities during his or her undergraduate program, one in the first year, and one taken later in relation to the major field.”
— George Kuh, author of High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter
“The inclusion in this university should never be changed. I feel so much at home and comfortable to be me.”
— First-year student qualitative comment on the NSSE
“William Paterson University gets what you need done, just not all students, including me, have the ability to attend certain activities or internships since we have to work to pay for things such as school and other expenses.”
— Senior student qualitative comment on the NSSE
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The Provost’s Office is Brenda L., Claudia T., Claudia C., Jonathan, Kara, Rhonda, Sandy, and Josh. You can reach us at 973.720.2122 provost@wpunj.edu
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