SU Joins 'Foundations of Excellence' Program
class=""MsoNormal"">SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University is taking a new approach to making sure freshmen are provided with everything they need to succeed.
class=""MsoNormal"">SU is participating in “Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year,” a national higher education project sponsored by the Policy Center on the First Year of College. The project utilizes a recently developed model to highlight ways to refine the University’s overall approach to educating first-year students.
class=""MsoNormal"">As part of the project SU will launch a faculty/staff survey Tuesday, October 4, and a student survey this November.
class=""MsoNormal"">Research has long indicated that new students who are successfully integrated into college are much more likely to succeed, said Randy Swing, co-director and senior scholar of the Policy Center. Attention to the first year of college benefits students by helping them meet educational goals and benefit institutions by helping them retain students through graduation, he said.
class=""MsoNormal"">Since 2003, the project has involved more than 300 two- and four-year colleges and universities across the country in developing the standards that constitute a model first year. SU is one of 14 institutions in the 2005-06 self-paced cohort that will work with the Policy Center and its technology support and educational survey partner, Educational Benchmarking, Inc. Member institutions measure their effectiveness in recruiting, admitting, orienting, supporting, advising and teaching new students.
class=""MsoNormal"">"University is not high school and making the transition in the first year is key to success and graduation,” said SU Provost David Buchanan. “By participating in this project we become part of a national program to use good research data to better align our programs to proven ‘best practices’ to the benefit of our students."
class=""MsoNormal"">Project coordinators at SU include Sandra Cohea-Weible, assistant vice president of academic affairs; Dr. Melanie Perreault of the History Department and Lawanda Dockins-Gordy, director of new student experience and the Guerrieri University Center. The steering committee is comprised of faculty, student affairs professionals and students.
class=""MsoNormal"">For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Foundations of Excellence Web site at www.salisbury.edu/academic/foundations. "