Summer Reading Program
Texas State selects a critically acclaimed book for students to read during the summer and to foster campus-wide
conversations during the next academic year. The Summer Reading Program joins similar programs at hundreds of
universities and colleges which use their Summer Reading Programs to prepare students for discussion both at the
university and with members of the community. The selected book will discussed in all sections of University
Seminar and students will be encouraged to attend events associated with the Common Experience.
The goals of the Summer Reading Program are three-fold:
• to create a common experience for all new students
• to enhance students' participation in the intellectual life of the campus through discussion and critical thinking on a
current topic
• to enhance a sense of community among students, faculty, and staff
Selection of the Common Experience Theme
Each spring the Provost announces a request for proposals for the Common Experience theme for the
academic year following the upcoming year (i.e., 2013 in spring 2012). Persons interested in submitting
a proposal are directed to the Common Experience website where successful prior proposals are
retained as models. The submitted proposals are reviewed and ranked by a committee that includes the
Common Experience coordinators (appointed by the Provost), faculty, current undergraduate students,
a representative from the San Marcos Library, representatives from Student Affairs, and one or more
representatives from prior Common Experience Committees. The ranked proposals are then submitted
to the Provost for review with the President, and they approve the Common Experience theme. At this
point the individuals who submitted the selected proposal and all other interested persons become the
Common Experience Proposal Team (hereafter Proposal Team), and retain that status until the following
spring when they become the Common Experience Committee (hereafter CE Committee) responsible for
implementing their Common Experience. The Common Experience coordinators meet consistently with
both the CE Committee and the Proposal Team to monitor both the planning and progress of Texas
State’s Common Experience and the planning of its successor.
Selection of the Common Experience Book for Summer Reading
Once the Provost and President have approved a Common Experience theme, the Proposal Team
organizes to create an awareness of the upcoming theme, and to encourage broad participation on
campus and in the community. Faculty, staff, students, and community members typically constitute the
Proposal Team, and recommend three to five books for the following year’s Common Experience book.
Suggested books should be provocative, engaging, accessible to college students aged 17-24, and should
reinforce the theme. Since University Seminar buys and distributes all of the books to the freshmen, cost
is also a consideration in book selection.
Timeline:
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June 1st – Common Experience Theme is finalized.
June 1-August 1st
o The Proposal Team researches appropriate books connected to the proposed theme
o Texas State University students, faculty, and community are invited to suggest books
that reflect positively on the proposed theme. Such recommendations should be sent to
the chair of Proposal Team and to the Common Experience coordinators (links below).
August 1-August 30th - List of suggested books are reviewed by Proposal Team
August 31st – Proposal Team suggests 3-5 books, which are referred to the Common Experience
coordinators
September 1 – September 30th
1. The Common Experience coordinators provide the University Seminar Advisory Board
(hereafter US 1100 Advisory Board) with all suggested books.
2. US 1100 Advisory Board may also consider books suggested by other faculty and students as
mentioned above.
3. University Seminar buys review copies of top books for US 1100 Advisory Board, and
selected faculty and students. University Seminar selects top book by September 30.
4. US 1100 Advisory Board makes a recommendation to the Associate Provost for selection.
University Seminar/Common Experience coordinators communicate recommendation to
Proposal Team.
October 1st - Associate Provost gives copy of recommended book to Provost and President for
consensus
October 15th – University Seminar orders the book for the following academic year.
CE Coordinators:
Ronald Brown rb04@txstate.edu
Diann McCabe dm14@txstate.edu
Pam Wuestenberg pw05@txstate.edu