Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College

by Betsy O. Barefoot (Brevard College); John N. Gardner (Brevard College); Marc Cutright (Ohio University); Libby V. Morris (University of Georgia); Charles C. Schroeder (University of Missouri); Stephen W. Schwartz (Marietta College in Ohio); Michael J

• ISBN13: 9780470730645
• ISBN10: 0470730641
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and universities-representing a broad spectrum of campus types-were selected as exceptional institutions that place a high priority on the first-year experience. Achieving and Sustaining Excellence in the First Year of College includes case studies of each of the thirteen exemplary institutions. These studies illustrate and analyze the colleges' best practices in teaching, assessing, and retaining first-year college students. The individual case studies offer lessons learned and have broad potential application beyond the particular type of institution represented.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

On Being Named an Institution of Excellence in the First College Year: The Process and the Places

Research Methods

Case Studies of Two-Year Institutions

The Community College of Denver: A Second Family for the First-Year Student

LaGuardia Community College: A Window on the World

Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with Fewer Than 2,000 Students

The First Year at Eckerd College: Responsible Innovation

Kalamazoo College: No Stone Left Unturned

Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 2,000 to 5,000 Students

Drury University: Balancing Intellectual Rigor with Intrusive Personal Support in the First Year

Elon University: Transforming Education Through a Community of Inquiry and Engagement

West Point and the Plebe-Year Experience: The Long Gray Line

Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 5,000 to 10,000 Students

Lehman College of the City University of New York: Excellence in the Bronx

The First Year at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi: Starting with a Clean Slate

Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 10,000 to 20,000 Students

Appalachian State University: High Standards for the First Year in North Carolina's High Country

The Story of Ball State University: "Everything Students Need"

Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with More Than 20,000 Students

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis: Success and the City

University of South Carolina: Creator and Standard-Bearer for the First-Year Experience

Conclusion

Findings and Recommendations

Epilogue: Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year

All Participants in the Institutions of Excellence Study ( N = 130)

Initial Letter of Invitation to Participate in the Institutions of Excellence Project

Semifinalists

Letter to Semifinalists

Announcement Letter to Thirteen Institutions of Excellence

Research Subject Information and Consent Form

References

Index

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