Kickoff Luncheon NotesThis is a featured page

L4L Faculty Feedback
October 17, 2007

(This is a compilation of all of the post-it notes that were filled out and then collected at the luncheon, as they were categorized at the time.)

Facilities – Positive
  • Morrison Center is terrific venue for Arts
  • Writing Center fills critical role
  • some wonderful facilities
  • Liberal Arts collection in library
  • Smart classrooms - need more of these for smaller classes (15-20)
  • small learning groups / good communication

Facilities – Negative
  • Independent bookstore where we can have author events (faculty too)
  • some decrepit facilities
  • space problems in classrooms
  • faculty offices are scattered, as are departments

Students – Positive
  • students often take courses seriously – they pay, they work, they want to learn
  • students are goal oriented, want training
  • civic
  • community engagements
  • service learning on the rise
  • students appreciate having their spheres of knowledge expand
  • library is providing library institution to students
  • First Year Read program
  • different socio-economic classes
  • we bring in students from economically disadvantaged background
  • our students are from economically diverse background
  • education provided to a diverse SEC background
  • students encouraged to be undecided majors
  • increasing numbers of students with varied interests
  • Honors College
  • Boise State brings in lots of opportunities for cultural enhancement
  • many cultural opportunities
  • do well with more easily measured knowledge

Students – Negative
  • students tend to regard core requirements instrumentally
  • commuter school – no time to just be
  • because we are a commuter school, it has been difficult to create a Liberal Arts tradition
  • commuter type campus
  • commuter campus – no time for community
  • students do not have time to informally discuss/process new ideas
  • large number of hours students need to work does not allow interaction
  • no time allocated to attend liberal arts events
  • too scheduled children
  • too entitled students
  • lack of curiosity
  • definition of liberal arts to students the value
  • no value
  • critical thinking only happens in discussion of sports
  • so many students ask “What can I do with that major?” – why would I be a (fill-in-the-blank) major is I can’t get a job with it
  • students are goal oriented – want education that is not liberal but skill based
  • practicality of degree outweighs desire to learn
  • limited skill set to process liberal arts
  • lack of student understanding of the concept
  • students are too over-scheduled with busy with work, family, etc.
  • challenge: how to get students to engage in extra-curricula activist
  • challenge: core is seen as checklist or hurdle for students, not connected to major
  • need to stop evaluating courses and degree plans in terms of their future financial impact for students
  • large number of non-traditional students

Really Great Ideas
  • more research competition
  • great book series to expose students to reading the Greats
  • a small writing intensive seminar for first year students would be a good intro to liberal arts and help with retention
  • find a way to reach out to society – the 75% who don’t go to college to make them begin to value the arts and education

Research – Positive
  • examples of excellence – research experience for undergrads
  • develop a university press for faculty research and publishing
  • BSU faculty is doing a lot of great research in the liberal arts
  • undergrad research conferences and other venues to present
  • an example of excellence: faculty incorporating/including undergrads in research
  • we support our research programs increasingly well
  • undergrad research becoming more widespread
  • research office has expressed interest in finding ways to advance liberal arts research efforts
  • flexibility in pursuing research interests

Research – Negative
  • funding is not equal
  • hiring problems
  • no course reductions/teaching loads
  • div. req.
  • more value placed on programs/fields that are not necessarily large contributors of research funding
  • define outcomes and measure – what gets measured gets done
  • resources for research (archival collections in particular)

Other – Positive
  • support from community – business, corporations, sports, music
  • good speakers come through
  • lecture series
  • good performances and exhibitions are available
  • SPB concerts
  • galleries in the SUB
  • need to speak to the value of liberal arts at the beginning of each year and throughout the year as a part of the core education for all students – we just don’t do this!
  • good creative classes in our Honors College
  • a question: to what extent should we be striving to provide a liberal arts education?
  • we have a College of Arts & Sciences that brings together faculty leaders across a broad range of disciplines on a regular basis
  • KBSU
  • The Big Read in the fall
  • the university core

Other – Negative
  • Many cultural opportunities re not well attended
  • our community does not value the liberal arts. – the priority is in technology, math, sciences – look at where the monies go starting with the university!
  • little evidence of communicating the value of liberal arts education to students and campus community
  • at no time is liberal arts spoken to the entire university community as a core value
  • lack of shared understanding of what the liberal arts are – limits on ability to articulate their importance to students and community
  • help prepare educated students to live and work in community
  • Arts & Sciences is split among several colleges – COAS/COBE/SSPA
  • tribal (departmental) culture often interferes with interdisciplinary program development
  • is there a consensus on what constitutes a liberal education?
  • faculty salaries and grant funding
  • not enough financial aid and scholarships

Administrative Support – Positive
  • clarity of purpose – CTL assists in process
  • Honors College – at least potential for strengthening it
  • accreditation recognizes value of liberal arts education and requires this
  • I am glad BSU is starting this discussion!
  • presidential and provost support (2)
  • CTL

Administrative Support – Negative
  • few interdisciplinary courses and no program to encourage their development
  • we as faculty are so overworked and thinly supported financially that we often don’t have time to be creative and we don’t have the resource to really be leaders in liberal arts
  • lack of oversight
  • administrative accountability
  • provide more funding for liberal arts research (course releases, etc.)
  • budgets for liberal arts departments have not increased with enrollment
  • our liberal arts dept. has no vision for itself. I suspect we’re not alone.
  • value of liberal arts degrees not communicated
  • shared (more) communication
  • more special lecturer slots
  • imperative that support be given to adjunct faculty
  • class size is getting bigger
  • need to defend arts for arts sake
  • emphasis on empirically measurable “outcomes assessment” is wrong headed
  • resources available to support new initiatives
  • operating expenses do not reflect need or goals and growth
  • State of Idaho too frugal
  • lacking financial support especially from the State
  • disconnect between community interest in the arts and the funding of the arts at BSU
  • increase funding for the arts
  • outreach to K-12 regarding value/need for liberal arts education
  • need intersession options for study abroad or shorts courses

Curriculum – Positive
  • core curriculum I & II
  • core curriculum (Area I) helps exposed students to liberal arts
  • Area Core I requirements for bachelor degrees include the arts and humanities
  • the core offers a broad based liberal arts intro to higher education
  • core requirements are right-minded whether we have the courses distributed correctly is a separate question
  • languages as a central component of Area I is correct
  • we have a core requirement that spans the liberal arts
  • core curriculum “protects” the liberal arts education
  • core curriculum encourages students to select courses from a variety of disciplines
  • core requirements are a great start
  • core curriculum
  • we have a core but….
  • core curriculum and assessing outcomes
  • the core is broad and inclusive , allows students to explore a range of topics
  • BSU provided opportunities to students in a balanced manner, including core curriculum and research/creative activities for undergrads well.
  • strong humanity core courses
  • Capstone courses
  • curriculum is here
  • there are some strong programs already in the arts and humanities
  • we have fairly significant credit hours dedicated to general education
  • talks/events offered outside of class are good
  • ISD major
  • requires 42+ hours of curriculum devoted to liberal arts
  • Capstone courses that require student presentation and defense of perspective
  • increased emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches/experiences
  • Service-learning (3) – promotes creativity
  • we have many programs that are easily measured
  • we have a large number of well educated and often published liberal arts professors
  • Honors College
  • good communication between departments when initiated
  • interdisciplinary programs – i.e. Enviro. Studies
  • interdisciplinary courses offer students insight into how diverse disciplines are intertwined
  • creative writing programs – MFA
  • residential college
  • the push for diversity as part of required curriculum
  • great effort t made by some departments to require foreign language knowledge

Curriculum – Negative
  • static core that hasn’t been revised since really the ‘80s
  • curriculum is 50 years old
  • review the core curriculum
  • core structure is amorphous
  • core objectives are ethereal
  • core connections are non-existent
  • is there a problem? no, however re-evaluation on a periodic basis is positive
  • we need to emphasize classical languages more as they are the basis for the original liberal arts of the university – grammar, rhetoric, logic, history, poetry, math & the sciences
  • don’t look at students’ prior experiences that aren’t in their transcripts (i.e. private lessons)
  • need more events during academic day (accessible to commuters
  • specialization – discourage wide involvement
  • too much focus on disciplinary requirements
  • no language requirement (4)
  • BA degrees require a language in curriculum
  • seriously consider requiring a foreign language competency for all majors
  • languages need emphasis in requirements for academic majors
  • challenge: nature of university makes interdisciplinary work challenging and hard for students to see
  • courses that require integration across disciplines are almost non-existent
  • no interdisciplinary
  • we don’t articulate intentional connections between majors and general education
  • too much separation of arts and science disciplines
  • more links should be made between COAS and the other colleges on campus
  • there should be a more comprehensive effort to offer cross disciplinary courses that bring students with different interests together
  • too much emphasis on “practical” training – not enough on creative thinking as a worthwhile goal in itself
  • need an informative literacy course that fosters critical thinking about information resources for liberal arts education
  • writing and critical thinking need to be incorporated into more required courses, not just Eng 101
  • no opportunities for intellectual engagement
  • learning outcomes emphasis instead of core knowledge
  • need to encourage all students regardless of major to study abroad
  • need international internships
  • lack of funding at BSU for liberal arts
  • too much emphasis on sciences
  • more support for developing cross disciplines for specific ethics courses, business, geosciences, geology, nursing, law etc.
  • preparedness of students
  • focus on professional education
  • too much focus on product – not on process
  • need to expand/market IDS major as option to students
  • lack of masters and PhD arts degrees
  • diverse curriculum
  • courses that reflect a global world with faculty to match
  • what general areas need attention? - integration of the areas
  • more reverence for preserving high culture and out cultural history for its own sake
  • world music offerings in the arts are limited or narrow in focus
  • too many classes taught by adjuncts
  • does not foster and measure civic engagement such as voting, community engagement, practices of engaged citizens
  • too much emphasis on business, engineering and athletics
  • little global focus
  • the community is not oriented to liberal arts education
  • isolated courses
  • we have programs that are easily measured but these do not tend to be arts, social sciences, etc.
  • difficult to measure well rounded, engaged thinking
  • writing requirements need to be more consistent for students exiting E101 and E102
  • the lack of interdisciplinary programs that focus on cultural issues
  • funding hires that promote the written goals of the university
  • racial disparities in faculty, staff and student body
  • where is the classics department?
  • lack of inclusion of liberal arts course work within some sciences
  • not enough rigor in classes, in programs
  • grade inflation
  • drive toward outcome assessments that are solely empirically driven can do damage to connection of liberal education
  • what problems need to be addressed?
  • we need to know what can be done (future employment) with a liberal arts degree

Faculty – Positive
  • great faculty
  • diversity and diverse faculty
  • active faculty
  • caring professors
  • great leaders
  • we have good faculty – well trained, well educated
  • faculty do good research and creative activity in spite of relatively few resources to support them
  • engaged faculty with great diversity
  • exciting talent in all liberal arts and sciences
  • excellent faculty to implement whatever initiatives are undertaken
  • historical grounding of disciplines
  • the CTL itself!
  • interdisciplinary
  • marketing speaks to culture
  • we have opportunity for lots of engagement, speakers, music, etc.
  • bring good events
  • opportunity forum for faculty exchange
  • good variety of liberal arts classes

Faculty – Negative
  • lack of communication among faculty
  • some faculty focus on multiple choice and put little effort into a rigorous class and others put enormous time
  • university doesn’t reward non-research
  • lack of interdisciplinary strength
  • support interdisciplinary faculty exchange
  • lack of collegiality between science and humanities departments – we don’t know each other – perhaps some team teaching for cross fertilization
  • faculty members who don’t enjoy teaching
  • too much of general education is farmed out to adjunct faculty
  • more support for faculty to rework courses to incorporate diversity, writing
  • support = time! course releases!
  • arts & humanities as the step-child of the university (re: funding, value, facilities, recognition, etc.)
  • advisors play a key role in encouraging students and pursue varied interests – the university could include advising in P & T outlines
  • lack of consensus – what is liberal arts?
  • faculty need more time to think in order to improve the interdisciplinary side of their courses
  • Bronco Guarantee = Finish in Four
  • we could have more team teaching between different disciplines on related topics
  • undiscovered resources in people and in knowledge
  • poor marketing (?) of lesser known corners of university
  • work load policy may send contradictory message about how to “count” interdisciplinary teaching
  • “real education: seen by students as not the liberal arts
  • BSU marketing starts with football
  • raise value in local community for liberal arts
  • there is not enough room and time for open-ended exploration
  • for critical thinking we must value adverse opinions
  • outcomes assessment may take attention from liberal arts as currently framed
  • lack of understanding of reasons for liberal arts education – students, faculty, public
  • large sections can reduce critical thinking
  • need to have a celebration at every faculty authored book
  • students not prepared with basic history and philosophy
  • department silos
  • challenge of adjunct labor – harder to have deep, disciplinary content-based courses (e.g. math 124)



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posted by nmiller   Jan 28 2008, 1:46 PM EST
Kickoff Luncheon Notes