I believe further that our responsibility at Central Washington University is paramount to this wider agenda of fulfilling the promise and potential of higher education. Tomorrow, we will ask the Board of Trustees to approve our new vision and mission statements which assert that we will lead the way in building a community of equity and belonging that fosters culturally-sustaining curriculum, pedagogy, programs, and systems which equip students for the adaptive challenges of the 21st century. With this new vision and mission we have the opportunity to take our outstanding work to the next level and realize the fullest, deepest promise of higher education in this tumultuous time—to do our great work through the lens of equity in order to build a community where everyone is welcomed for the person they are and the person they are becoming. At the foundation of our work must be the engagement and success of an increasingly diverse student body. This must be the lever that drives everything we do. And we must consider student success broadly through three pillars: first, ensuring the professional preparation of our students; second, developing their civic capacities; and, third, assisting them in developing a sense of purpose and meaning. I will touch on each of these three pillars in the rest of my remarks. Pillar One: Professional Preparation Surveys of employers over the last 15 years have been calling for graduates to achieve certain outcomes to enable their successful transition into the world of work and community. On behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Hart Research Associates has conducted one of the most extensive and iterative surveys of employers, starting in 2006. The key finding that has repeated in every survey is the priority employers place on the development of proficiency in a broad range of skills, which they consider more important than learning in a narrow discipline. That is, this broad learning matters more than a major. These skills include: • Communication, both written and oral • Teamwork, especially with diverse individuals • Critical thinking and analytical reasoning • Information literacy
• Intercultural literacy
Over time, employers more greatly emphasized the need for graduates to have applied their learning solving real-world problems in real-world settings. This call led colleges and universities to implement more extensive engaged learning experiences than in the past, including not just internships but also service learning, project-based learning, undergraduate research, and study abroad. Interestingly, according to Samuel Mohler’s The First 75 Years , Ellensburg Normal School implemented applied learning practices in the 1920s and received national recognition for leading this transformation in learning. Page 4
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs