Advisory Committee on First-Year Experience

Academic Year 2022-2023

Members:

Melantha Ardrey, Erin Beutel, Jennifer Bradley, Margaret Keneman, Amy Kolak, Jen Kopfman, Sarah Owens, Liza Reader, Dustin Roberts, Joshua Shanes, Charleston Smith, Laura Turner, Jen Wright 

(Note: Jen Wright attended meetings in Fall 2022 as she prepared to transition into the role of FYE Director in January 2023. Sarah Owens’ last meeting was in December 2022. Additionally, Melantha Ardrey and Dustin Roberts left the College in the Spring of 2023.) 

Summary of Activities:

The committee met regularly throughout the year to review and approve new FYE proposals for the 2023-2024 academic year and even one for the 2024-2025 academic year. In total, 10 new Learning Community courses and 23 new Seminar courses were proposed and approved.

As the FYE Program welcomed a new FYE Director, Jen Wright, in January 2023, the FYE Committee was consulted on various activities related to program development, particularly with respect to increasing faculty participation in the FYE program.  Following are some of the solutions that were discussed:

  1. Have current FYE committee members and FYE instructors promote program within their own departments and adjacent departments.
  2. Encourage departments to consider allowing FYE Seminar courses to count as lower-level electives in the major or minor.
  3. Allow for a catalog course to be offered as a “Stand-Alone” FYE course.   

 The FYE director (Jen W.) created a “Stand-Alone” catalog course proposal form that was reviewed by the committee. After incorporating suggestions made by the committee, the FYE program received its first official proposal for this course type.  The committee accepted a special section of EDFS 201 (Foundations in Education) to be taught as a FYE course.  

The committee, with input from Chris Korey (the Associate Provost for Student Success), offered suggestions to the By Laws Committee with respect to updating the committee composition and duties description in the FAM. 

During the last meeting of the year on 5/5/23, the 2023-2024 FYE Committee supported Joshua Shanes’ nomination as the 23-24 FYE Committee Chair.