Make A Difference Workgroup
Summary Report
This report consists of common themes or categories that are defined by learning
objective statements and supported with Action Recommendations. Each category is
intentionally not broken specifically into the Design Principles because each would often
fall into multiple categories. The workgroup looked at things we, staff (advisors, student
affairs, career center), had a handle on.
Identity
 Students will develop a sense of self-identity, awareness, and personal growth
 Students will develop an identity with the Values and Mission of being a student
at UK
 Employees will develop a sense of and enforce the Values and Mission of UK
Through…
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Strong communication of the Values of the University of Kentucky
o Values statements posted in multiple places (website, syllabi, football
scoreboard, classroom walls, dormrooms, etc)
o All incoming student material list the Values to reinforce what is expected
of a UK community member.
o Employee offices should be expected to understand and be able to show
how they enhance the Values of the University. Perhaps there is an
addition to the performance evaluation?
Deferring Sorority and Fraternity Rush to Spring Semester
o Want students to understand the priority of being a full part of UK
community first
o Understanding that Greek organizations and other student organizations
are a piece of a student’s identity, work with all student organizations to
ensure that the UK Values are shared and understood. All student
organizations should have printed in material that they adhere to the stated
Values of UK.
o All student organizations, including athletic teams, should be encouraged
to attend campus events such as K-Week activities.
Extending K-Week opportunities
o Create Pre or Post K-Week off site retreat experiences for incoming
students
o Create Pre K-Week service/mission experiences beyond and in addition to
FUSION
o Create overnight “fun” trips for freshman group building shortly into the
semester.
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Creation of a Student Development Training Center for faculty and staff
o This center would provide training for faculty as well as staff on issues
within student learning and student development
o Provide workshops and seminars with topics such as generational
differences, how students learn, how to teach to Millenial students, use of
technology in reaching students, how to advise Millenial students, etc.
o Create a UK 101 style course for faculty and staff to enhance the learning
of employees regarding each other’s areas, how we relate to students, what
role we play in the campus community, student development, available
resources for employees, etc.
o This Center should be housed in the Office of the Associate Provost for
Undergraduate Education.
Understanding the Purpose of the Summer Advising Conference program
o Research how our benchmarks do summer orientation or summer
registration programs
o Revisit the purpose and determine if this is truly the design appropriate for
UK
o Determine if the focus should be on registration as it is now or on
academics and University life.
o Determine if there is a way to make scheduling and class availability more
equitable throughout the summer conferences.
Developing a yearly University Cheer contest
o Give students an opportunity to help create an identity through a
University cheer coined by a fellow student or themselves
o Publicize the winning cheer to local papers, at football games, announcing
that this is a suggested stadium cheer at a certain period.
Transitions
 University administration, faculty, and staff will work to understand student needs
 Students will understand what they are expected to know by the end of their first
year and beyond
 Students will have completed programs within their first and second year that will
aid in the transitions they experience
 University administration will aid in the transition of first year students by
providing the necessary resources for students with various needs
Through…
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Enhancement of UK 101 program
o Make the courses a full semester, graded, 1 credit hour course
o Create a second semester UK 102 course dealing with additional issues
such as career development and exploration, academic success, and
transitional issues
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Mandating a small group experience within the 1st year
o Within the first year, all students must participate in a officially approved
small group option such as UK 101, Living Learning Community, DSP,
Honors, a newly established freshman interest group program, etc
o Small group options would be different material and different concepts but
would share some common goals and objectives
o Small Group Experience (SGE) would be a graduation requirement – the
rationale is the understanding that students are often coming for smaller
environments and that small group options would provide contact points
for students and aid in retention
Establishing a Sophomore Experience program
o Authorize a group to research our benchmarks to see what aids are in
place to aid in 1st to 2nd year retention
Uplifting the importance of teaching traditional 1st year courses
o Create a Best Professors Program for 100 level courses, encouraging UK’s
finest “teachers” to teach these courses
o Create an incentive program for best evaluated professors in these courses
o Continued student development training for professors and grad assisstants
that teach these courses
o Create dual tenure track options for research and for teaching – reinforcing
the ideal that while we are a Research institution, that we also believe fully
in our ability to teach the best and brightest
Creation of an Academic Difficulty and Recovery course
o Each academic college, including Undergraduate Studies would sponsor
an academic recovery class for students who are on probation
o This course would be developed and paid for by University dollars, not
departmental
o The course would last 6 weeks, content would be based on successful
models of such classes.
Creation of an Advising Resource Center
o The center would be a one-stop shop for students with advising related
issues
o Promote consistent advising practices across campus
o Enhance departmental advising practices – professional development
opportunities within campus structures
o Suggestion: All advisors for 1st year students centrally located in the
center
Utilizing a 1st year student survey
o Look at what benchmarks do in regards to surveying the needs of 1st year
students
Utilizing exit surveys of all exiting students
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Establishing Presidential Focus Groups
o Gather randomly selected groups of students in various demographics with
Dr. Todd hosting – do not want simply the student leaders, must be a wide
spectrum of student
o Seniors – what did they experience, highs and lows
o Frosh-Jr – What do they need to aid in the consistent transitions
o Focus groups held at various points in the year, but specific attention paid
to Seniors in the first semester of senior year.
o These groups would not only connect students more to the administration
but would give administration a clear understanding of student needs and
necessary resources
Civic Engagement
 Design Principle #6 – General Education Curriculum (and co-curricular
programs) will lay the foundation for effective citizenship in our pluralistic
society that is increasingly interconnected with a multilingual, global community.
 Student will learn the value in and how to be involved in the wider community in
and outside of UK.
Through…
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Creating a Volunteer Hours “locker”
o Storage space on myUK portal to self record volunteer activities and hours
o Potential for volunteer hours, service hours, service learning courses
reflected on an official transcript in a special non-credited area
Increasing Alternative Spring Break opportunities
o Cost effective opportunities through multiple areas (coordinated or housed
in CCO), potentially department specific, that are both local and more
distant
o Must be able to create scholarship or fundraising options for students to be
financially able to participate
o University wide encouragement for these opportunities would create
momentum – perhaps grant credit?
Granting of Service/Volunteer Credit
o University should establish an entity such as CCO with credit granting
power
o Credit would be earned based on a certain number of hours, not activity.
Ex: 15 volunteer hours = 1 EHR – classified as EXP 295 (Purdue Univ
does something like this)
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Renewed emphasis on UK Outreach to Lexington
o Renewed emphasis on the Town/Gown Relations
o UK students and employees should be more visible and active in the
Lexington community
o Spring FUSION
o UK/Lexington town hall meetings should be scheduled to address joint
areas of concern
o Reenergize on campus events and activities for the people of all ages
throughout Lexington – not just for Arts or Recruitment
Stronger Encouragement of Education Abroad and National Student Exchange
o Special highlight of each program and student experiences in UK 101, on
Channel 50, WRFL, alumni newsletters, recruitment material, etc.
o Create program exchanges with specific universities that enhance specific
majors (this is already in the works with NSE)
Final Overarching Thoughts
UK must continue to work to improve communications with students, between
departments, organizations, staff and faculty, administration and community, etc. This
will help cut down on missed information, cross scheduling, and improve overall moral
when the full community feels as if they understand what is occurring around campus.
Hobson’s is a good start and needs to be fully utilized with departments being trained on
how to use it specifically in their area. One major recommendation is an upgrade to the
search feature and links within the UK website, most specifically making it easy to find
student success resources and services. One common calendar, a news ticker on the
website, employee email blasts, all of these things could make the communications piece
simple and more effective creating a more cohesive community.