RECAST | Fall 19 | Week 9 | Provost Note

Hi all,

This Note marks the final stretch of fall quarter and I trust many of us feel a bit stretched by the significant work with which we’ve been engaged! I’d enjoy hearing more from you directly about the important work you are doing and I hope you’ll consider joining me and members of the SAL Leadership Team at Three Magnets on December 3. Sign up here for staff and here for faculty. We will continue these gatherings in winter quarter as well.

Last Thursday SAL staff held our quarterly meeting. Julia Metzger, Trevor Speller, and Larry Geri provided updates on the Learning and Teaching Commons, FYE-Greener Foundations, and Paths of Study and Entrepreneurship renewal initiatives (see below); Karen Gaul facilitated small group discussions based on an excerpt from alumnus John Stocks’ (’81) comments at Return to Evergreen; notable achievements were celebrated; new colleagues were introduced; and we re-connected around our shared purpose of supporting student learning and success. Of note was the AASHE Silver recognition and the recently concluded and successful KAOS pledge drive.  I encourage you to watch John Stocks’ inspiring remarks about his Evergreen experience if you haven’t yet.

The process to consider and identify new academic program offerings has launched. Larry Geri and I are coordinating this process which involves consultation with the broader community to review ideas already brought forward, along with new ideas, in order to identify 2-3 “big bets” which will tap our strengths, express our core values, and are determined to be highly viable given market analysis and feasibility studies.  These investments are essential to enrollment growth and institutional renewal.   The coordinating group will have its first meeting on Monday, November 18, and will soon invite the campus community to participate in this important, ambitious work.

I’d like to invite you to the faculty and staff Communities of Practice which were announced by the Learning and Teaching Commons last week. There is still time to indicate an interest in two new offerings through this survey.  Looking ahead to week 9, there will be opportunities to participate in the academic dean search process; look for announcements from the search committee before Thanksgiving break.

I look forward to seeing you tonight and tomorrow during the Evergreen Equity Symposium: Transforming Dialogue to Collective Action. The opening reception is tonight at 5pm followed by the major keynoter, Nikkita Oliver, at 6pm in the Communications Building. We have an opportunity to grow our collective knowledge, skills, and awareness as we seek to foster equitable access and outcomes for all.

Finally, I am appreciative of the events that have occurred since the last Note. I invite us to pay particular attention to the time and talent reflected as well as the exciting learning offered to our students through the following types of experiences: 39th annual Harvest Festival, Art Lecture Series, Plato lecture, Dia de los Muertos celebration, and the Inhale/Exhale Lord Mansion series among too many to name comprehensively.

All the best as we turn to a small pause at the end of next week before we wrap up a successful fall quarter,

Jen
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 SAL Renewal Initiatives 2019-20 Accomplishments as of Fall Week 7
Current status of renewal initiatives for which Student & Academic Life is primarily responsible.

*indicates an update since the last Note

Greener Foundations (First-year Experience Program)
Contact: Trevor Speller, Academic Dean and Cynthia Kennedy, FYE Fellow
It’s fall, and FYE has launched a 2-credit student success course – “Greener Foundations” – in 6 academic programs this quarter as phase 1 of our launch. We have 11 amazing staff instructors working with our students and collaborating with faculty teams. Faculty are meeting regularly in a community of practice – stewarded by newly minted Faculty Fellow Cynthia Kennedy – and staff are meeting weekly to work on their instruction. We have finalized our budget, and have already expanded access to field trips for students. In addition to this year’s roll-out, we are also working on the full launch of Greener Foundations, to begin in 2020-21!

*Learning and Teaching Commons (Commons)
Contact: Julia Metzker, Director, Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education learningandteaching@evergreen.edu
New drop-by consultation hours! The Learning and Teaching Commons now offers conversation and consultation about learning and teaching! Faculty and staff are welcome to drop by the Washington Center workroom (SEM 2-E 3116), 1-3 Monday afternoons and 3-5 on Fridays. Consult on what you’re puzzling over, raise questions, make suggestions, engage in collaborative work on instructional materials and learning assessment, borrow from the Washington Center’s extensive collection of books and articles on teaching, start planning for winter (or spring) quarter . . . or just talk with another teacher. ~Staffed by Learning and Teaching Commons Faculty Scholar Joli Sandoz
Commons Conversation Please join us for lunch and conversation at the final conversation of the quarter.  If you have suggestions for future topics, please let us know.
WK8: The Art and Science of Evergreen’s Narrative Evaluations
Tuesday, November 18 | 12-1 pm | SEM II-E 3106
Commons Advisory Council The dedicated group of faculty and staff listed below are working in partnership to develop and execute a vision for the Learning and Teaching Commons. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or concerns please connect with any of the members or send us an email. Membership: Robin Bond, Emily Gray, Julia Heineccius, Penelope Partridge, Merrill Pusey, Julia Metzker, Therese Saliba, Joli Sandoz, Eric Stein, Eirik Steinhoff, Lisa Sweet, Pauline Yu, Sonja Wiedenhaupt, Elizabeth Williamson
Paths of Study
Contact: Larry Geri, Academic Dean
A significant project is underway to rapidly update the Paths of Study webpages.  The new Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Farra Hayes, along with members of the web development team (Brian Mathis, Alexa Morris-Lay, and Justin McDowell), the Curricular Area Team Leaders (Kristina Ackley, Stephen Beck, Krishna Chowdary, Stacey Davis and Laurie Meeker) and dean Larry Geri, are working on this project.  With input from the Path of Study faculty groups the pages are being updated to better describe each Path and depict its upcoming curriculum to prospective and current students.  In addition, a new Path of Study webpage will be created.  A series of improvements in these pages will roll out over the coming months.  Thanks to the Path Conveners and many other faculty and staff who have been contributing to this effort.

*Masters in Teaching (MiT)
Contact: Sue Feldman, Director
MiT is busy finishing week ten of our final fall term with the final cohort of the old program. Fall term for MiT begins in August with the school district start. We are also busy with the redesign and have progressed to a full program redesign making the program more accessible to Evergreen students interested in becoming teachers.  Sue welcomes any and all invitations to come talk about the new program design with faculty, staff and students.

Native Pathways Program (NPP)
Contact: Dawn Barron, Director & Faculty
NPP is growing with the upper division core 12 credit program at 51 students this fall. Currently, NPP has 100% retention. We have 4 “sites” open:  Olympia, Tacoma, Salish Sea Hybrid/Peninsula, and Quinault. NPP affiliated curriculum (Creative Writing, Critical Indigenous Studies I, and Drums & Painting) provide ALL Evergreen students opportunities to expand their knowledge through an indigenous lens. Dawn Barron, Director/Faculty, presented at the Tribal Educator’s Alliance and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Fall Conference about Evergreen’s Native & Indigenous Programs. The entire NPP faculty, along with recently graduated NPP student Kyle Pittman (who is a new Evergreen Admissions Counselor) presented at the Western History Association on “Global Perspectives from the Unseen West:  Indigenous Lenses in Higher Education,” which highlighted the NPP work at Evergreen.

Tacoma Program
Contact: Marcia Tate-Arunga, Dean
Significant work has been done thus far in Tacoma. We formally re-established a partnership MOU with Tacoma Community College (La LEAP Program), as well as redesigned and printed copies of our Tacoma-specific recruitment piece. In addition, we put in place a robust recruitment program to replenish our large graduating class, and explored potential community partnerships in Tacoma and Seattle with TUPAC, Genesis, Space Works Tacoma, FAB 5, Ethnic Fest and Umoja Fest Seattle, and Institute for African Centered Thought (ABPsi affiliates). We are continuing our collaboration with FEPPS, a robust prison education program at the Washington Women’s prison, and are continuing a collaboration with Monroe and Stafford Creek Clallam Bay.

Entrepreneurship
Contact: Larry Geri, Academic Dean
An event titled “Entrepreneurship and Changemaking at Evergreen” was held on campus on Friday, October 18th bringing together over 30 faculty, staff, students and community members to envision possibilities for the campus entrepreneurship program.  The event was very successful in exploring an expanded vision for this initiative. Work is underway with a small group to develop the next steps for stewarding this work.  More soon.

Bachelor of Science Re-envisioning
Contact: Larry Geri, Academic Dean
In 2018-2019, the faculty driving this initiative began to hold regular advising meetings with science students and are continuing to advise students this year.

*Aquatics Program
Contact: Elizabeth McHugh, Director, Wellness, Recreation & Athletics
The Aquatics Steering Committee Co-Chairs and Student Wellness, Recreation, and Athletics staff members shared the Aquatics Review Summary Report and options for consideration to Senior Leadership on October 29th.
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NOTE: Significant work on the College renewal initiatives is being stewarded by other divisions on areas including Climate and Belonging, Enhanced Reputation, Indigenous Arts & Education, Inspired Marketing & Outreach, and New Student Recruitment.

Jennifer Drake, PhD | Provost and Vice President for Student & Academic Life
she/her pronouns
3805 Library, The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW, Olympia, Washington 98505
(360) 867-6400  I  drakej@evergreen.edu