advising to first-year students to help them transition to the university. First Time in College students this year are beginning in this intake advising. This will help build readiness for transition into the major and prepare students to use advising with increasing independence. The three-year degree cat team has gotten a lot of attention. The idea of shorter degrees is still new around the country, but it is gaining momentum. All the accrediting bodies now allow three-year degrees to come through for review. They currently have strict guidelines and are thinking of these as pilot programs to see how they go. They want universities to test them out. The three-year degree Cat Team created recommendations that could be enacted if we decide to move forward. The plan for this moving forward is a four-step plan: • Faculty Senate will identify a Senate committee to vet all the recommendations. • The committee would then finalize rules/guidelines through a joint approval process of Senate and the Provost. • The committee will conduct a call for pilot programs to put through NWCCU approval. • Once approved institutionally by the Board of Trustees, pilot programs would develop proposals for the curriculum approval process and develop policies and finalized rules. A College in the High School Teacher Certificate is being recommended. This is a specialized credential that any department could create a program and plug in to. The specialized credential option would be for in-service high school teachers who would like to teach for CWU through College in the High School but do not have a master’s degree or other degree that might be required. The certificate would provide the needed content training for them to have a faster and lower cost pathway into credentialing. The Career Champions idea is a university-wide initiative designed to embed workforce preparation into everyday academic and non-academic life with students. It trains faculty and staff to integrate career readiness competencies established by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) into existing courses. The General Education Cat Team was charged with aligning general education with CWU’s vision and mission. Key recommendations from the team include adopting program learning outcomes, developing an institutional assessment strategy aligned with updating the program framework to improve transfer alignment, developing a writing across the curriculum program, and elevating career connections. This next year, a second team will work through approvals, additional considerations that are pending, and implementation processes. The First-Year experience, which is an extension of the general education conversation, was asked to explore options for a comprehensive first-year experience focused primarily on first time in college students. National research shows that a comprehensive, intentional, integrated, and student-centered first year experience can improve persistence, retention, and success overall. The program goals are to enhance student persistence, retention, and success, to embed career exploration and self- development, to develop a coordinated and comprehensive student support services, and to develop a seamless transition into and through the first year in college. The Cat Team recommended the following next steps: year-long cohorts, embedded peer support, faculty professional development, Housing and Residence Life co-support with academics, and proactive, developmental, relationship-based advising. Provost Pease gave a quick update on online strategies. This fall, Academic Affairs is going to launch a process to take what we know about our current online activities, including all the challenges, what’s good, what is not working well, and use this information as a starting point for conversations about what
9 Board of Trustees Minutes July 16-17, 2026
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator