Office of the Provost

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Faculty meeting the

Challenges with the

Grand Challenge

Initiative

These courses are engaging our

first-year students in exploring

multiple perspectives in areas of

contemporary global significance.

Fall 2010: 530 freshmen in 28

collaborative team seminars; Fall

2011: over 600 freshmen in 30

seminars

Assessments are positive. A full

assessment report was provided to

the Faculty Senate at its May 2011

meeting.

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Newsletter – Fall 2011

Comparing assessment data from Grand Challenge courses

with NSSE questions related to all courses:

Thirty new grand challenge

classes will be offered in the

Fall 2011.

INSIDE § Grand Challenge Courses See Results § Enrollment Updates & Student Success § Progress on Navigating Student Pathways § Visiting Scholars Announced § Advancing the Global Campus at URI § New Experiential Collaborative § Classrooms Upgraded During Summer & more…

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST

Student Success 2

Making Significant Gains In Student Success: Graduation and Retention Rates Improved

§ First-year retention is at 80%. The significant increase has been in out of state retention - a 6.3% increase - an area of previous difficulty.

§ Six-year graduation rate increased to 62.7% (+2.7%) -- reflects an unprecedented 6% increase in graduation rate over the past 4 years – does not include

transfer students -- ~20% of the

graduating class.

Enrollment Planning is focused on increasing yield, quality, and selectivity

Fall First –year students

§ ~600 merit scholarship recipients for both in and out-of-state

Increase in:

§ Average SAT score from 1081 to 1096 and average high school GPA from 3.18 to 3.32

§ Diversity/students of color - 7%

§ Out-of-state yield from 11% to 15%

§ Total undergraduate applications, hitting over 20,000 for the first time Exceeding our freshmen class target

University of Rhode Island Six-Year Graduation Rates

46.343.1 42.1 42.6

53.6

40.3 40.837.1 37.9

47.4

20

30

40

50

60

70

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Graduation Year

Per

cent

Under-represented Talent Development

First Year Retention Rates of First-time, Full-time Freshmen

79.6% 80.3% 81.3%79.1%

80.5% 81.5% 81.1% 80.1%78.5% 79.7%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Cohort Entry Year (Fall Semester)

Per

cent

Ret

urni

ng

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Progress on Navigating

Student Pathways

Faculty have developed

innovative new programs in:

§ Interdisciplinary Health

Studies Program (BS)

§ Medical Physics (combined BS

in Physics with an MS in

medical physics, in

partnership with Rhode Island

Hospital).

§ Chinese Language (BA)

§ Interdisciplinary Neuroscience

(MS and Ph.D.)

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§ Doctor of Nursing Practice

Most programs are

successfully implementing

changes that require120

credits for graduation.

Some Ongoing efforts

include:

Nursing: revising restrictive pre-

requisites and requirements in the

General Education program and

using summer to offer clinical and

theory courses

Kinesiology: reducing number

of required credits, allowing

Advancing Internationalization of the Campus

An English Language Services Program (ESL) has now been

established with Associates in Cultural Exchange (ACE).

http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/?id=5924 The partnership will

provide: assistance in international recruiting and help to advance

enrollment and retention of international students as well as foster a global

campus environment. A new global village is being planned for the new

residence hall opening in Fall 2013 – for all students with international

interests.

A new global village area is being planned for the new residence hall

opening in the fall of 2012. The village will be an opportunity for American

and international students to live in a common area, which will house a

global lounge and learning community.

Professor Wayne He is appointed new Director of the Confucius

Institute.

New Collaborative

Established for Experiential

Learning and Community

Engagement

The new collaborative is linking

students, faculty, and external

constituents together to promote and

develop significant and engaging

experiential learning opportunities for

students. Services are being organized

to highlight an electronic portal,

consistent policies and practices,

learning goals and outcomes, and

establishing a data hub that tracks

opportunities to support experiential

learning. A strong interface with Career

and RhodyNet is an important key

component as well.

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Announcing Visiting Scholars - 2011-2012

President Patrick Aebischer from the Ecole Polytechnique

Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) will visit in Fall 2011, hosted by

Nasser Zawia, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor in

Pharmacy. Dr. Aebischer conducts research on neurodegenerative

diseases, specifically focused on developing cell and gene therapies

for these diseases. His lectures should have appeal to many in the

health sciences across campus, especially those faculty and students

who are participating in the new Interdisciplinary Neurosciences

Program.

Professor Graham Young, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of

Engineering at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, will be

visiting in Fall 2011. Hosted by Will Green, Professor and Chair

of the Landscape Architecture Department, Prof. Young is a

scholar, educator, and an award-winning landscape architect

whose projects address complex community design, park

planning, and infrastructure issues.

Professor Kolbein Lyng, from the Department of Health

Sciences at Molde University College in Molde, Norway, whose

research and practice are focused on health and aging, and the

cultural and economic impact of these issues on society, will visit

in Spring 2012. His visit is being sponsored by Phillip Clark,

Director of the Program in Gerontology and Professor in Human

Development and Family Studies.

Classrooms Upgraded During Summer

As part of the University’s commitment to strategically improving and keeping pace with current learning

environments: A great many upgrades were made this summer to classrooms. Go to

www.uri.edu/provost/planning/classrooms to see the specifics on classroom technology improvements.

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Advancing Online

Learning

With the establishment of a new

Office of Online Teaching and

Learning focused on supporting

faculty. We currently have 295

online courses/sections, which is a

75% increase since 2007. We have

online courses in: Communication

Studies, Business, Computer

Science, Math, Biotechnology,

Nursing, Library Science,

Women’s Studies, Writing,

Psychology Our web-facilitated

courses number 2498, which is

155% increase since 2007.

New for the fall –

• Aleks – A math placement and

individualized online learning

modules to assess

strengths/weaknesses, enhance

skills

• Development of Online

Certificates aimed at the under-

employed

• Online degree programs at

undergraduate and graduate

levels in selected fields

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Successful fundraising with

the Davis Educational

Foundation has provided

grants totaling $296,000

Student learning assessment data and

results of national surveys are used to

improve academic challenge and

student engagement through support

of faculty development efforts.

• Programs supported:

• Grand Challenge Initiative and

Mentor Program

• Online Teaching Fellows and

Mentor Program

• Assessment Fellows Program

• Scholarship of Teaching and

Learning Projects

Fall Academic Community

Welcome

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 -

3PM

Robert L. Carothers Library, Front

Patio,

Come join us for this opportunity to

meet and talk with new and

returning faculty members and

members of the University

community. Light refreshments will

be served.

Successful University

Accreditation Review –Fall

2010 NEASC Focused Visit

URI was “applauded for the

transparent and inclusive process” of

academic planning. The Commission

noted “with favor the proposed

evidence-based approach to program

review” that is currently being

developed by the Academic Program

Review Committee (APRC). It will

be important to keep this work going

and conduct program review in the

coming year. We are currently

preparing a fifth-year interim report

due in Fall 2012