Something Extraordinary Happened |
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November 28 was an extraordinary day at William Paterson. The Faculty Senate achieved what is arguably the hardest thing to do in higher education: adopt a new general education curriculum. In truth, it isn’t truly new, but it is a substantial change from the past in two ways that are transparently coherent and attractive to external stakeholders. It includes:
- A set of universally important social mobility elements, anchored with a particularly strong emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving.
- The ability to earn a formalized certificate built around key social justice components critical to navigating and excelling in a diverse, interconnected world.
Now that we are past the intellectual debate on what a general education curriculum should be, it is time to roll up our sleeves and envision what it can actually be. As Provost, I offer a few thoughts that I think are important going forward:
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Student learning outcomes need to be our true north. This curriculum serves them, not us. This means that objective standards need to be created for which the great course can be differentiated from the good course, with the former getting the nod for integration.
- We cannot fall prey to the tyranny of choice. Not only does extensive research on choice evidence its psychological negatives, extensive menus of course options dilute coherence and uniform quality oversight. One of the reasons that WP Online is so successful on the undergraduate level is that we have a modest array of UCC course offerings offered in multiple sections, and their continual improvement is easier to facilitate.
- I support and encourage interdisciplinary thinking for course development, particularly in what has emerged in the most robust area, critical thinking and problem solving. The challenges of society have arguably never been more consequential and solving them is not the exclusive domain of a single discipline. And I can see ways that support faculty course partnerships that are interdisciplinary.
- I believe it is important that we find ways to efficiently and effectively bring people together for dialogue and creative thinking exercises, ideally before pen goes to paper on a course proposal submission. Associate Provost Jonathan Lincoln and I look forward to engaging with the UCC Director and the UCC Council Tri-Chairs on what that might look like and how we can help.
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One of the foremost scholars of the history of higher education, Frederick Rudolph, had this to say in his 1977 book, Curriculum:
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Patience is one of the essential qualities of a reformer, and it must be from the collective frustration of curricular reformers that there has developed the “academic truism that changing the curriculum is harder than moving a graveyard.” The reasons for curricular rigidity are many. Assemble a cluster of professors in a country town, surround them with scenic grandeur, cut them off from the world beyond, and they will not have much trouble congratulating themselves into curricular torpor. Let someone knock on the door with a vision of change, they will discover that access is blocked by those within the gate. Let them argue on behalf of some perceived need or desire of students, and they will soon discover their mistake. The institution is really not for the students after all, but for the professors. |
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Hats off to UCC and Faculty Senate leadership for acknowledgement that this place, William Paterson University, is for our students, and while the truism above is present in aspects of what was approved, you did not let that derail. Let us work together to ensure that students and their needs remain at the center of what’s to come with course development and review. |
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What Works Conference is Right Around the Corner! The third annual conference (virtual) is set for Monday, December 18. Here is a link for details; the official program will be posted here when finalized.
Sophomore Mentee and Faculty Mentor Service Event. WP students love to give back and we invite Faculty Mentors to invite their sophomore mentees to participate together in the MLK Day of Service Event on Friday, January 26. If you are free for part or all of the 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. window, what a great way to bond with your students, and by extension, make a powerful connection that can lay the groundwork for a relationship! More information to come from your College and/or the Provost’s Office. But mentors, we hope you will personally invite your mentees to join you in the day of service, and by extension, signal to them that you are a real person, not scary, and really do care about them once they get to know you in this transcendently altruistic way through service together.
Certificate Development Update. The portfolio of certificate opportunities continues to grow and thank you to the Undergraduate Council of the Faculty Senate for your diligent work to get through much of the backlog of proposals. In the most recent mix of approvals are these: Digital Animation, Game Design, Audio Broadcasting, Television Broadcasting, Corporate Accounting & Reporting, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Entrepreneurship & Community.
REMINDER on Grading: Final grades are due Saturday, December 23.
WP’s Center for Degree Completion & Adult Learning (DCAL) has just been awarded a $150,000 grant from the NJ Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to reengage adults who have Some College, No Degree (SCND) to re-enroll and complete their baccalaureate degrees. The grant will enable clearer access to credit for prior learning (CPL) for the "some college, no degree" population and build more capacity to address institutional barriers for returning adult learners. DCAL supports such students in their reentry to formal education and works with them on securing CPL through testing, portfolio assessment of related work experience, and/or credit equivalency options for professional training and credentials.
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The percentage of WP faculty in 2020 vs. 2023 on the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement who indicated that they often or very often talked with a student about their career plans:
Among FR/SO: 2020 – 57%; 2023 – 65% +8 percentage points
Among JR/SR: 2020 – 76%; 2023 – 89% +13 percentage points
The percentage of WP students in 2020 vs. 2023 on the National Survey of Student Engagement who said that they often or very often talked with a faculty member about career plans:
FR: 2020 – 42%; 2023 – 55% +13 percentage points
SR: 2020 – 37%; 2023 – 55% +18 percentage points
The percentage of faculty vs. students in 2020 vs. 2023 who said that they/their instructors did the following often or very often:
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What two presidents had to say about curriculum…
“It is easier to move a cemetery than it is to change a curriculum.”
— Woodrow Wilson
“Changing a college curriculum is like moving a graveyard—you never know how many friends the dead have until you try to move them!”
— Calvin Coolidge
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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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