Elon University - NewCentury@Elon

Elon University Faculty
Discussion Summary – Oct. 7, 2005
"On Arriving, Deepening and Sustaining: Key Questions about Elon University's Future"

The Faculty Meeting of October 7, 2005, was dedicated entirely to an initial faculty-wide discussion of the white paper, “On Arriving, Deepening, and Sustaining: Key Questions about Elon University’s Future.” Faculty were randomly divided into five groups. All five discussed the common question mentioned immediately below, and then each group discussed a specific question or set of questions (see below). What follows is a summary of the key points that arose out of this initial discussion. Further Faculty Meetings, as well as other forums, will be committed to additional discussions about the white paper.

Question-Set #1 (Common across groups)

If you visit Elon in 2020, what values and attributes of today’s Elon would you want to have been preserved?

Faculty meeting The values and attributes most strongly argued to preserve were Elon's strong sense of community and collegiality, the focus on students and their close relationships with faculty, and the global perspective and a strong study abroad program. A number of faculty across groups also frequently mentioned the importance of preserving Elon's liberal arts core along with outstanding professional schools. Other items mentioned often were the emphasis on undergraduate programs; Elon's active, engaged, experiential style of teaching and learning; the focus on excellence in teaching; the university's spirit of innovation; the aesthetically pleasing, cohesive campus design; the total "Elon Experience"; and maintenance of the institution's current size.

What would you hope to find in 2020 that is not at Elon today? How would you go about making that happen?

Faculty meeting Looking into the future, one of the most frequently expressed desires was to expand Elon's emphasis on global perspectives and international study programs. Many faculty also hope that Elon will become more diverse (both culturally and socioeconomically), and that there will be a greater commitment to sustainable practices and environmental awareness. Emphasis was also placed on a stronger academic environment, as well as enhanced shared governance. Several faculty hope that Elon will grow its endowment, providing greater scholarship support as well as facilities and financial support for more faculty development activities. Some faculty recommended efforts to better engage alumni and an expansion of development staff to build the endowment. Developing new partnerships with international universities and organizations to further develop global perspectives/study abroad was also mentioned. This question also prompted a myriad of other suggestions, mostly related to the points above.

Question-Set #2 Specific to Group 1

Who are our peer institutions? Who are our aspirant institutions?
Elon has rapidly moved up in U.S. News and World Report rankings in the “Southern Universities” category. We were ranked 39th in the 1996 rankings and 5th in the 2006 rankings. Wake Forest held the #1 position in that category from 1983-1994, when it moved to the “National Universities” category. The University of Richmond then held the #1 position since 1994, but will be ranked in 2006 as a “National Liberal Arts” institution. Is it our destiny to be “channeled” into one of those other two categories, or will we pursue a distinctive, more hybrid-like “third path”? How will that third path be characterized?

In general, the faculty participating in this group resisted constructing a specific list of peer institutions, recommending instead that Elon select the best qualities of several other schools, departments, programs, etc. to emulate while preserving Elon's unique identity. They generally agreed that Elon is a "hybrid" institution.

Question-Set #3 Specific to Group 2

We have had great success with our Elon Experiences: study abroad, leadership, service learning, undergraduate research, and internships. What would you recommend as the next level of quality in this area? Should we add another experience (what would it be?), or are there ways we should deepen existing experiences?
A premier program of international education and top-rated pre-medical and pre-law programs have been suggested as prime foci for “deepening”? What other examples can you suggest and defend?

David Crowe Faculty participating in this group had several suggestions for deepening the Elon Experiences, including recommending new connections to the undergraduate research program. They said students could do research while studying abroad, or could combine their research with faculty scholarship. Some faculty also recommended finding new ways to increase cultural immersion and make academic connections with international study.

Several faculty argued that the general studies program be assessed as a focus for deepening, suggesting, among other things, more "thinking papers" assigned in the liberal arts courses, more rigorous grading, stronger math and science requirements and more writing in all areas.

In large part, faculty recommended deepening curricula in the current programs. They caution against too much growth in the fellows/honors programs, which may disadvantage students who are not in those programs.

Finally, faculty in this group generally called for a reduction in the "culture of busyness" and overscheduling, which leaves students little time for contemplation or the many cultural opportunities at the university.

Question #4 Specific to Group 3

How specifically can Elon further develop a culture of philanthropy in our community? What is the role of faculty in such a long-term endeavor?

Faculty involved in this group generally supported the idea that all members of the community should give back to Elon. They said decentralized fundraising should be considered, so that schools and departments would get more involved in development and also enjoy the benefits of their efforts to raise resources. The role of faculty at alumni events was seen as an essential element in reengaging alumni with the university.

Question #5 Specific to Groups 4 & 5

The quality of Elon’s student body continues to rise. SAT scores for the Class of 2009 average above 1200 for the first time in our history. Are Elon students being sufficiently challenged? How can we improve consistency and uniformity of academic challenge throughout the university?

Faculty meeting Faculty in both groups exploring this question said Elon has raised the level of academic challenge, but there are still problems with consistency among departments/majors. They cited cases in which there are inconsistencies between semesters and Winter Term and in study abroad courses. To deal with those inconsistencies, they recommend department discussions and university-wide forums to discuss curricula and assessment techniques, clear support and rewards for faculty who are working to increase challenge and student involvement in discussions about consistency and the prevailing attitudes toward study. There was wide support for creating university-wide policies and a total university environment that supports academic challenge. When possible, Elon should use outside/national measures to assess how challenging our programs are. Carefully defining challenge/rigor and examining possible consequences of diverse definitions is crucial and should be a task brought to the faculty for extensive, faculty-wide discussion. Faculty in this group cautioned that increased rigor should be authentic challenge (not busy work) and that there should be reward for risk-taking by faculty and students, so that there is less student focus on the GPA and more focus on learning. Some faculty also recommended that academic challenge be extended much more aggressively to student life programs. The important role of admissions/marketing in communicating academic challenge was also discussed.