n e w s l e t t e r
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• Public Promise continued
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• Campus Citizen of the Month
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• The Buzz on
Competency
Based Education
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• Celebrating
Successes
• Top Ten Most
Popular Degrees
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• Avoiding the Flu
A group of USC Aiken faculty and staff working on how to capitalize on our new COPLAC designation have recommended that this new designation gives us the opportunity to refocus and re-identify with our core mission. I believe it also gives us an opportunity to message anew the value of a college education, which has been called into question with strident language over the past several years. As states all across our nation have stepped away from their obligation to provide adequate funding for public universities, a greater burden of cost for a college education was passed on to students and their families in the form of increased tuition and fees.
This “new normal” for higher education funding continued during the “Great Recession” and the higher cost of attendance at a time when there were fewer job opportunities gave rise to questions about the value of a college education and eroded public confidence in higher education’s ability to fulfill its promise. This “perfect storm” has resulted in a phenomenon that I never thought I’d see….the questioning of higher education’s fundamental purposes and values. Add into this complex mix the expectations that universities also should be engaging in values and civic education that prepare thoughtful citizens, providing soft skill preparation that helps develop the dispositions and capacities for students to succeed in the workplace, and enhancing economic development that benefits local economies.
With this in mind, the question for us to address is, “What are we uniquely able to provide that positions our students well for the future and responds to society’s expectations of a public university?
In Beyond Reason and Tolerance: The
Purpose and Practice of Undergraduate
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Cont’d from Page 1
Education, Robert J. Thompson Jr. argues that in order to be responsive to twenty-first-century societal needs and expectations for civically engaged graduates who can apply their knowledge to the service of society, higher education needs to recommit to providing a formative undergraduate liberal education.
According to the author, the liberal arts curriculum can help integrate the multiple expectations of our society.
He writes, “ Simply stated, colleges and universities are afforded a high degree of autonomy in the belief and expectation that they will operate in the service of society. This contract requires that higher education be responsive to societal needs through doing what colleges and universities are uniquely structured to do: generate knowledge in the service of society, and provide an educational experience that prepares students to meet societal needs and realize a meaningful and rewarding life.”
Meanwhile, responding to concerns about whether college is still worth the investment, both the Lumina
Foundation and the American
Association of Colleges and Universities conducted separate studies on the
“return on investment” for college graduates and the value of a liberal arts and sciences education. Both concluded that what students need to succeed in today’s world are the broad-based knowledge, skills, and abilities like reasoning, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and communication and these abilities are needed in nearly every profession. To back this up, the
Association released the results of a survey conducted in January 2013 of
318 corporate leaders, 93 percent of whom agreed that “a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems” is more important than a job candidate’s undergraduate major.
Additionally, in How Liberal Arts and
Sciences Majors Fare in Employment, authors Debra Humphreys and Patrick
Kelly analyzed data from the 2010-
11 US Census Bureau’s American
Community Survey and found that majoring in a liberal arts and sciences field can and does lead to successful and remunerative careers in a wide array of professions. The report argues that
“whatever undergraduate major they may choose, students who pursue their major within the context of a broad liberal education substantially increase their likelihood of achieving long-term professional success.”
At USC Aiken, we want our students to be prepared to face any occasion for new learning that comes their way—to be better readers, writers, speakers and thinkers. We also want them to develop a lifelong commitment to pondering the question of how to live well. And finally, we want them to have the experience of living in a community of learning and respect that translates to civic action. Now, it is our challenge to articulate how USC Aiken delivers on these educational objectives in a consistent and engaging manner.
Please join the conversations forming across campus and lend us the benefit of your thoughts on how we leverage our COPLAC designation to serve our students well.
“I
’m pleased that Chancellor Sandra Jordan will continue to be at the helm of our treasured USC Aiken. With the support of faculty, students, staff, alumni and community, she will be able to continue, and accelerate, the fine work that has been in outlined in the campus strategic plan. The
Chancellor and USC Aiken have my full support.”
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The Campus Citizen of the Month award is given in recognition of good citizenship. All faculty, classified and unclassified staff, and university partners who have been with the University for one year and are in good standing are eligible. The nomination remains active indefinitely in the pool of candidates.
The nomination form must be signed by the nominee’s supervisor and sent to the nominee’s Vice Chancellor in that unit.
The criteria to be used in the nomination are:
Office Manager in University Housing
Congratulations to Tammy Condrey, Office Manager in University Housing, USC Aiken’s Campus Citizen of the
Month. Thanks to her efforts, she will receive a $20 gift card, a sign for her desk, and a parking spot.
In her nomination, a peer stated that Tammy is welcoming to all that come through her office with a warm smile and greeting. She is very conscientious of student needs and making sure they receive the best service possible. She helps every student walking through the door with a concern like they were the first student as opposed to the 20th or 30th.
When students come into the office looking confused and tired, Tammy makes sure they leave with a smile because they have been assured their problem would be taken care of.
It was also stated Tammy always works hard at making life easier for all those who work for her. She gives positive and constructive (never negative) feedback, and makes sure that graduate students, student workers, and everyone in the housing office has what they need to succeed.
In recognition of her welcoming spirit, teamwork, and willingness to help, Tammy Condrey has been named the
November Campus Citizen of the Month. Congratulations
Tammy!
• Initiative/Creativity: Exhibits ingenuity and resourcefulness. Examples:
Improved work methods, efficiency within the department.
• Loyalty/Dedication: Willing to go the
“extra mile” without being asked.
• Positive Attitude: Maintains effective relationships with others both on and off campus; serves as role model.
Example: Consistently delivers prompt, friendly service.
• Leadership: Acknowledge those whose efforts have inspired and supported the performance and achievement of others.
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O
pen a recently published journal dedicated to higher education trends and chances are good that you will find references to
“competency-based education.” Like many of your colleagues, you may well be wondering what this is all about.
Competency-based education is at the center of a national discussion about how higher education measures student learning. Since the early
1900s higher education measured student learning by credit hours, semesters, and time “in the seat.”
But in 2013, for the first time, the
Department of Education took steps to loosen the rules.
The Department of Education, driven by our national goal to produce more graduates, is interested in shifting to student learning assessments, that is, what a student can demonstrate they know (or can do) rather than using time in the classroom as a measure of learning. To encourage this, the federal government has proposed that institutions be allowed to receive student-aid funding by creating programs that directly measure learning, not time. Students can move at their own pace and the school certifies — measures — what they know and are able to do.
Educators typically call this approach “direct assessment” of learning…but, throughout the
U.S., the phrase “competency-based education” has been popularized.
Recently, three “Big Ten” affiliated institutions (the Universities of
Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin) are now offering degrees in this emerging form of higher education.
If the old saying in higher education is accurate, “Where the Big 10 go, so goes public higher education,” then we need to begin to think about what hurdles would arise if we decided to move toward “competency-based education” as an approach to some programs.
One competency-based model that is thought-provoking is the
Wisconsin System’s “Flexible
Option,” the most extensive and established of the programs. Instead of moving fully into competencybased education, Wisconsin developed five competency-based credentials, which range from a certificate to bachelor’s degrees.
These Flexible Options are designed for adult students with some college credits but no degree, and who will be able to earn credit for what they have learned on the job and through life experience.
As the U.S. continues to place emphasis on student learning outcomes, competency-based education, especially for adult learners, is likely to gain more traction.
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USC Aiken is proud of the recent accomplishments of our campus community! Please congratulate the staff, and faculty that made these achievements possible!
• Acceptance into the South
Carolina Teaching Fellows program
• Accreditation for Psychology
Masters Program
• USC Aiken Department of
Chemistry accepted to the
American Chemical Association
• Record High Enrollment!
• Record Honors Program
Enrollment
• COPLAC Membership Approved
B ased on an article written with data sourced from College
Factual and published by The USA TODAY, the following (in reverse order) are the top 10 majors by enrollment at
U.S. universities:
10. History
9. English Language and
Literature
8. Liberal Arts and
Sciences, General
Studies and Humanities
7. Accounting
6. Criminal Justice and
Corrections
5. Teacher Education and
Professional
Development, Specific
Levels and Methods
4. General Biology
3. Nursing
2. General Psychology
1. Business Administration &
Management
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F l u
Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Influenza, which many people mistake for a “bad cold,” claims up to
49,000 lives a year and sends more than 200,000 to the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. The CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/flu ) recommends an annual flu shot for everyone over the age of six months.
Important to remember….the flu shot will NOT give you the flu. A flu shot cannot cause flu illness.
The influenza viruses contained in a flu shot are inactivated (killed), which means they cannot cause infection. Flu vaccine manufacturers kill the viruses used in the vaccine during the process of making vaccine, and batches of flu vaccine are tested to make sure they are safe. In randomized, blinded studies, where some people get flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got the flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/ misconceptions.htm
So, stop by the SHC any time between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday-Friday to get your flu vaccine. Cost: $10 for students or $18 for faculty/ staff. We hope to see you very soon. Most area pharmacies have the vaccine available as well.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Wash them for as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Also, keep your hands away from your face as much as possible.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash.
• See your healthcare provider immediately if you have flu symptoms of : (Fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches; occasionally, stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea) as you may be a candidate for antiviral treatment.
• Stay home if you are sick until you have been symptom-free without taking fever-reducing medicine for
24 hours.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Eat a healthy diet, exercise and get plenty of rest.
For additional flu information, you can visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/ keyfacts.htm
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