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Vol. 2 No. 2
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April/May 2010
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Director's Message
 To
borrow from Martha Stewart, collaboration is pretty much universally
acknowledged as "a good thing."
That's
not to say that within the Colonial Academic Alliance we haven't faced lots of
questions about it.
"Why should we?"
"We
play basketball together...does that mean we need to work together academically?"
"What good will this do my individual
institution?"
To
better understand the nature of collaboration in higher education, the Alliance
is participating in a study with researchers at George Washington University,
examining if and how participation in a consortium contributes to
organizational learning.
As
our universities grapple with a rapidly and dramatically changing environment, our ability to learn as an organization helps shape our institutional ability to adapt to
change. As Burton Clark has written, "So much is now demanded of universities
that traditional ways prove inadequate. Universities require not only an
enlarged capacity to respond to changes in the external worlds of government,
business, and civic life but also a better honed ability to bring demands under
control by greater focus in institutional character. Strongly needed is an
overall capacity to respond flexibly and selectively to the changes taking
place within the knowledge domains of the university world itself."
We'd
like to know how that process works in the consortium setting, and we hope our
research will help us be more effective at helping our institutions respond to
those new challenges.
Best,
Mary Frances Forcier
Director, Colonial Academic
Alliance
mforcier@gmu.edu 703.993.4797
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Students Present Work at
2010 Undergraduate Research Conference | The 8th annual CAA Undergraduate Research Conference was held on April 16-17 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.  Over 110 students - a record number - shared their scholarly efforts through oral presentations and posters in biology, chemistry, physics, business, engineering, math, psychology, social sciences, fine arts, and the humanities.
Speakers included Dr. Sheldon M. Retchin, CEO of the VCU Health System; Dr. Thomas F. Huff, VCU vice provost for Life Sciences; and keynote speaker Jeffrey C. South, associate professor in the School of Mass Communications.
 The Alliance thanks Dr. Jacqueline Smith-Mason and Jamie M. Stillman from VCU for coordinating this year's conference. Event photos are on the Alliance website.
Next year's conference will be at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. |
| Listservs Link CAA Colleagues | |
Do you have a question you'd like to ask your colleagues at other institutions? Would you like to engage in online discussion and debate on current topics in your field?
You can use email listservs to share information and engage your colleagues from throughout the Alliance. The following listservs are open to all CAA faculty and staff working in these fields:
Alumni Relations
AssessmentCorporate & Foundation RelationsEnglish Language EducatorsSouth Asian StudiesStudy AbroadUndergraduate Research
Participants at the recent CAA Global Education Conference also asked us to create a new international student support listserv. Th  is listserv is for those working in international admissions, immigration, and general support services for international students. To join a listserv, email us your request and we'll add you to the group. |
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Seminar Supports Academic Department Chairs
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The Alliance launched its first workshop for new academic department chairs in February. Held in conjunction with the department chairs' seminar conducted by the Council of Colleges of Arts and Science, the Alliance workshop focused on the resources available to department chairs within the 12 CAA institutions.
"Leadership in a time of change" was discussed by Nance Lucas of George Mason University, while Frank Baskind and Amy Unger of Virginia Commonwealth University presented guidelines for personnel evaluation and performance counseling. Attendees also explored how the Alliance can support department chairs through a community of practice, in a discussion led by Kimberly Eby of George Mason University and Karen Santos of James Madison University.
Department chairs attending included Matt Kinservik, English, University of Delaware; Sandy Saperstone, Mathematical Sciences, George Mason University; Kathryn McClymond, Religious Studies, Georgia State University; Eustace Thompson, Foundation, Leadership, and Policy Studies, Hofstra University; Ron Janssen, Writing Studies and Composition, Hofstra University; Sharon Mazzarella, Speech Communication Studies, James Madison University; Ann Conner, Art and Art History, University of North Carolina Wilmington; Dale E. Miller, Philosophy, Old Dominion University; Sam Collins, Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Towson University; Scott Gronert, Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University. |
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2010-2011 Executive Committee
| We are pleased to welcome the newly elected Colonial Academic Alliance Executive Committee:
Dr. Carol Simpson, Old Dominion University (Chair)
Dr. Michael Halleran, College of William & Mary (Chair-elect)
Dr. Peter Stearns, George Mason University (Past Chair)
Dr. Risa Palm, Georgia State University (Member-at-large)
Thank you to Dr. Douglas Brown of James Madison University and Dr. Mark Greenberg of Drexel University, for their service on the committee. |
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Student Affairs Staff Learn from their CAA Peers
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Through the CAA Staff Shadowing Program, student affairs staff members spend two to three days at another institution, gaining a fresh perspective and learning about best practices in their field. Since the program began in 2008, feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of participants saying they gained new insights into their area of responsibility and new ideas to implement at their home institution. "Visiting the University of Delaware's student health center was a wonderful experience," said Maureen Houck, Director of Hofstra's Health & Wellness Center. "They were extremely receptive and kind, and I learned everything I hoped to and more."
Houck is one of nine participants this spring; the others are Ron Butler (Towson), Chaundra Daniels (Hofstra), Ann Knettler (Drexel), Karen Oppenheimer (Towson), David Satterlee (Towson), Charles Schnur (Drexel), Sandy Turnage (William & Mary), and Sarah Young (VCU).
Thank you to our host institutions this spring: Drexel, University of Delaware, Georgia State, UNC Wilmington, Hofstra, James Madison, Old Dominion and William & Mary.
The shadowing program runs every fall and spring; applications and further information can be found on our website. |
Alliance to Debut Online
Undergraduate Research Journal | |
With the support of Georgia State University, the Alliance is launching the CAA Undergraduate Research Journal, a peer-reviewed online journal for undergraduate work of the highest caliber.
"We are delighted to be hosting this journal through Digital Commons, a platform for document sharing and electronic journal publishing," said Laura Burtle, associate university librarian at Georgia State, who is leading the project.
The journal builds on the success of the Alliance's annual undergraduate research conference, adding to the body of knowledge in all fields and showcasing the outstanding scholarship of undergraduates. It provides a forum for students to publicly share their research, offering opportunities for exposing their work to potential graduate programs and employers. By making use of student reviewers, the journal also provides the opportunity for undergraduates to participate in the scholarly publishing process.
For more information, or to submit a paper, contact Burtle (lburtle@gsu.edu) or the Alliance office at 703.993.4797. |
Study Abroad with UNC Wilmington: Swansea, Wales
Students - How does a semester in Europe with a
one-month spring break sound?
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is pleased to offer CAA students a semester at Swansea University in Wales, a vibrant research-led university on the beautiful Swansea Bay.
Many areas of study are available, including the arts, business and economics, engineering, environment and society, humanities, international studies, law, medicine and the physical sciences. In addition to their regular semester coursework, students conduct either a pre-semester internship or an additional academic program in Swansea or London worth three credits. Internships can be arranged in an area of interest of the student's choice.
The program is especially well suited to honors students, as they may earn an additional two credits by enrolling in an honors seminar for program participants. A visiting professor from UNCW stays in Swansea the entire semester to teach the honors seminar and organize events for the UNCW group.
Says Mark Gallovic, director of education abroad at UNCW, "This program is an excellent opportunity for students to complete an international internship, earn honors credit and take classes toward their degree - all with ocean views of campus!"
 This 12-15 credit program takes place from January to June 2011 - and yes, that includes a month-long spring break! The application deadline is Sept. 30(with internship) or Oct. 15(no internship). More information.
| | To have your institution's study abroad program featured in CAA Connections, please contact us. |
Meet the New Provost
|  Dr. Beverly J. Warren
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Beverly J. Warren was appointed interim provost of Virginia Commonwealth University on April 1. Previously, she served as interim dean and dean of VCU's School of Education for five years. She came to VCU in 2000, serving as Professor and Division Head of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She has numerous publications in the areas of the treatment of childhood obesity and the physiological parameters of youth fitness. For her research efforts, Dr. Warren received Lander University's Endowed Professorship for 1999-2000. Currently, Dr. Warren's research interests focus on issues in urban education including access and success for urban youth, the preparation of teachers for urban environments, and coordination of education through P-20 initiatives. |
In the News
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Life from the provost's perspective: Provost Herman
Berliner of Hofstra University is one of the featured bloggers at Inside Higher
Ed: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/provost_prose
Also on Inside Higher Ed: George Mason Provost Peter
Stearns' podcast on educating global citizens: http://www.insidehighered.com/audio/podcasts/peter_stearns_on_educating_global_citizens
And you can catch Provost Tom Apple in a cameo role in
"Delaware: The Musical" on YouTube: http://whyy.org/cms/news/regional-news/delaware/2010/04/20/ud-produces-glee-like-musical-for-prospective-students/36272 |
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Transitions
| Dr. David Vanko has been named dean of the Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Towson University. Vanko had served as the acting dean of the College since 2007.
Dr. George H. Watson has been named dean of the University of
Delaware's College of Arts and Sciences. Watson, an alumnus of the University
of Delaware and a member of the faculty since 1987, had served as interim
dean of the college since July 2009.
Please click here to send us your news for publication
in the next issue of CAA Connections. |
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The Colonial Academic Alliance develops, promotes and facilitates collaborative programs and resource sharing to enhance academic quality and institutional effectiveness throughout our member institutions. | |
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