Report of the Global Engagement Council to the Facult Senate and the Office of Academic Affairs
This report [PDF] details the efforts of the Global Engagement Council (GEC) to assess the feasibility of, and draft a general strategy for, comprehensive internationalization at Eastern Michigan University.
Provost's Message
Dear Colleagues,
I wanted to update you on some of the activities taking place as a result of initiatives coming out of the Degree Completion and Retention Plan (DCR), specifically in the area of student support services. The Plan cites the need for improved academic advising and support services throughout the institution via key actions such as greater support for students who have not selected a major, enhanced communications with students, and implementation of online systems for audit/degree tracking, to include transfer and planning modules.
Holman Success Center Offers Enhanced and Expanded Services
The Holman Success Center (HSC) continues to expand and enhance its service offerings to students. As you may know, Eagle Study Tables are staffed by Holman Success Center staff and supported within the Halle Library space. Eagle Study Tables "opened for business" last fall and have expanded hours significantly to meet demands this year. To date, attendance figures are nearly triple what they were last year at this time. By September 7th, the HSC had already scanned 10,127 hours of attendance from 732 separate students. .
Eastern Michigan Game Day Rewards both Athletic and Academic Activities
The Holman Success Center and EMU Athletics have partnered to bring a new program to campus - Eastern Michigan Game Day Rewards. The program is designed to encourage students to adopt academic habits that will help them become effective students and develop their Eagle ID. The Game Day Rewards Program provides students with an opportunity to earn points by attending both athletic and academically focused activities.
Enhanced Advising Activity to Support Students
As parts of its efforts to improve retention and degree completion in the past 18 months, we have added staff and resources to the academic advising offices across campus. Two colleges have added new offices: the College of Health and Human Services Advising and the Francine Parker Advising Center that supports College of Arts and Sciences advising.
Career Services Enhances Technology-Based Resources
Career Services has a new jobs portal and career management system for students and employers called Handshake. EMU is one of the first schools in the nation to switch platforms to a product utilizing Facebook-like logic to heighten student and employer experiences. The Handshake system provides an array of easy-to-use tools that allow students to proactively and consistently document and manage their professional competencies, experiences and job search activities.
Noteworthy
Honors College students share their challenges and successes in transitioning to college life
Honors College, Soaring Higher
EMU’s Honors College has demonstrated enrollment growth of 69% overall, from 850 students to 1450 from fall 2010 to fall 2014. Diversity has been actively promoted and the College has seen a 91% increase in minority students in that same time period; diversity remains a major goal for the college. The number of sections of Honors courses has increased 130% since fall of 2010, from 33 to 79 sections. These increases are not only due to larger incoming classes, but to deliberate recruitment, programming strategies, and creative collaborative efforts on the part of Honors College staff and the Director, Dr. Rebecca Sipe. Visit the Honors College.
