General Education and Assessment: Maintaining Momentum, Achieving New Priorities
February 18-20, 2010
Seattle, Washington
Conference Highlights
All sessions held at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Thursday, February 18, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Conceptualizing a 21st Century Renaissance for General Education
Robert Weisbuch, President, Drew University
Is Core a bore inevitably? Can general education distribution requirements ever escape looking like a warehouse inventory? How can we convey the joy of the arts and sciences to the changing student population? Too many lukewarm results imply the need for new campus discussions about compelling versions of general education. Dr. Weisbuch will share insights on the kinds of general education and assessment that provide all students with the opportunity to achieve their educational goals, find purpose beyond their selves, and contribute to the well-being of society.
PLENARY
Friday, February 19, 2010, 9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Speaking Frankly: General Education for the Unknown
Rebecca Berryhill Jessup, Seattle University; Isiah Bingley, Seattle Central Community College; Megan Otis, Western Washington University; Marina Pita, University of Washington Seattle; and Wassan Singh, Highline Community College
Facilitators: Gillies Malnarich and Emily Lardner, Co-directors, Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, the Evergreen State College
Students from the Seattle-area will respond to the essential learning outcomes named in the College Learning for a New Global Century—from what they think students need to know and be able to do given contemporary realities to whether they think their education is adequately preparing them for the “unscripted challenges” of the future. Students will offer recommendations regarding the kind of general education that is truly engaging, the campus services they especially appreciate, and what they would like us to stop doing.
LUNCHEON PLENARY
Friday, February 19, 2010, 12:15 – 2:00 p.m.
Separate registration and $50 fee required
General Education and Assessment: Planning Today, Looking to the Future
Sandra Elman, President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; Stephen D. Spangehl, Vice President, Higher Learning Commission; and Barbara Wright, Associate Director, Accreditation, Western Association of Schools and Colleges
In this period of intense scrutiny, persuasive information about the value of general education is especially needed. What can institutions do to support and improve general education and assessment in the face of epic budget cuts? How can institutions avoid sacrificing important progress in strengthening general education and assessment? Panelists will share insights on the future of general education and assessment and the role accreditation agenciesmight play in helpingto prepare students for complex challenges throughout their lives.
COMMUNITY FORUM
Friday, February 19, 2010, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Open to the Public | Metropolitan Ballroom, Third Floor, Sheraton Seattle Hotel
Global Citizenship and the Role of Higher Education
Eric Liu, Fellow, Author, Educator, and Civic Leader
If there is a single foundational purpose of liberal higher education, it is to make great citizens. But what is a citizen? What are the obligations that come with membership in this or any country? And what, in the end, does the idea of global citizenship rest upon? In their book The True Patriot, AAC&U LEAP National Leadership Council member Eric Liu and co-author Nick Hanauer lay out a moral framework for purposeful citizenship. That framework belongs to no party, but it is inherently progressive. It need not be limited to any single nation, though it is uniquely American in its origins. In this community forum, participants will engage in discussion about how we can more intentionally expose students to moral frameworks of citizenship and encourage them to sharpen their sense of public values and public purpose.
PLENARY
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 11:00 a.m. – Noon
Betting on Gravity
Ken O’Donnell, Associate Dean, Academic Program Planning, California State University, Office of the Chancellor
Advocates for reform at all levels can improve the odds for success by taking into account revolutions—in demographics, technology, and the nature of work—that are already changing higher education. How can campus leaders mobilize these dynamics to help shape and advance a coherent, compelling account of their institution’s next steps? Who will listen? What will they need to know? Mr. O’Donnell will integrate projections from the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Census Bureau, and various higher education think tanks to argue that we can influence the future by hitching a ride on the inevitable.
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