Transitions and Celebrations
ENGAGE YOUR STRENGTHS | COMMUNITY | FUTURE AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 


October has been a particularly busy month as we celebrated the university's 50th anniversary, participated in Homecoming festivities, and prepared students for spring registration while grading fall mid-terms. In the midst of all of that activity, we achieved a significant milestone in University College. The Board of Regents approved the first graduate program in the college! We also welcomed new members to the University College team and said farewell to Brian LeDuc, who moved to Washington, D.C., for a new opportunity. It's a month of celebrations and transitions.
M.S. in First-Year Studies approved 
By unanimous vote, the Board of Regents approved the Master of Science in First-Year Studies at its October meeting. This fully online degree program, the only graduate program in the college, will welcome its first students in fall 2015. It is the only degree program in the country focused specifically on the emerging discipline of first-year and transition studies.

Stephanie Foote, Keisha Hoerrner and I traveled to Milledgeville earlier this month to attend the two-day BOR meeting. The proposal was initially reviewed by the Academic Affairs Committee, who agreed the implementation of the degree program would assist the state in reaching Complete College Georgia goals. That committee then recommended that the full Board approve the degree the following day.

Foote will direct the graduate program within the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies. She will be responsible for oversight of marketing materials, recruitment, development of courses and assessment. 
Leadership Studies faculty invited to join select group of scholars in Coles' WLC
Heather Scott, Jennifer Purcell and Debbie Smith were selected to become Women's Leadership Center affiliated research faculty members. This group consists of 15 scholars from across campus interested in forming research collaborations around women's issues. The Center is sponsored by the Coles College of Business and is led by Executive Director Erin Wolf. Scott, Purcell and Smith will be working with Dr. Samantha C. Paustian-Underdahl, a visiting professor and research director for the WLC..
CSL hosts South Paulding High School seniors  
More than 40 seniors from South Paulding High School's leadership development program, Spearhead, visited KSU earlier this month to learn more about educational opportunities. Their visit included a campus tour, lunch at the Commons, and an interactive team-building activity facilitated by Jennifer Purcell, Judy Craven, and Center for Student Leadership student leaders Ryan Delaney (LINK), T'Keyah Duke (Thrive), Katherine Ellsworth (Peer Leaders) and Rachel Martini (PEGS). The students also presented an informative panel discussion on the transition from high school to college.

CSL anticipates an expansion of such outreach programs, particularly as they relate to RRPG initiatives, to provide opportunities for student leaders to demonstrate their knowledge of leadership theory and practice.
Global Challenges panel set for Nov. 6
The 2nd Global Challenges panel discussion is set for Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. in the Prillaman auditorium (HS 1000). The seven challenges that form the framework for KSU 1111 will be explored by panelists Dr. Vanessa Slinger-Friedman, Dr. R.C. Paul, Dr. Adriane Randolph, Dr. Farooq Kperogi, Prof. Michael Patrono and Dean Robin Dorff. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Lance Askildson, senior international officer and executive director of the Institute for Global Initiatives. Like last year, audience members will be able to send questions and comments to the panel through Twitter (#GCPanelKSU). This year's discussion will be televised live on KSU TV. All faculty, staff and students are invited.
Faculty publish on collaborative learning  
Deborah Mixson-Brookshire, Stephanie Foote and Donald Brookshire's research on "Learning to Leap: Using Experiential Education and Collaborative Learning to Enhance Student Perceptions of Self-Confidence in the First-Year Seminar" will be published in the next issue of the Journal of College Orientation and Transition.

Faculty researchers were also in the spotlight at the National Conference on Students in Transition held in Atlanta this month. Kennesaw State University was an institutional co-host, and University College faculty served as proposal reviewers, presenters and roundtable facilitators. Keisha Hoerrner and I collaborated with Dr. Chris Caplinger from Georgia Southern University and Dr. Steve Elliott-Gower from Georgia College to deliver a four-hour pre-conference workshop, "Transitioning Students into Globally Competent Citizens: Strategies for the First Two Years." Other SIT participants included Becky Casey, Joan Dominick, Stephanie Foote, Rick Mosholder, Hillary Steiner and Jean So from Orientation and Transition Programs.
Moves scheduled for December, January 
Although the launch date of the Honors College has yet to be determined, several faculty and staff members will be moving their offices in late fall in anticipation of KSU's newest academic college. I will be moving to the honors suite in Willingham Hall in early December. Keisha Hoerrner and Linda Lyons will be moving into the University College Dean's Suite, and Nicoly Miles will be moving into UC 219.

Deborah Mixson-Brookshire will be moving to UC 216A to allow her to spend more time meeting with faculty individually and in small groups as the college continues to expand its distance learning offerings. Dee Grindell and Cathy Bradford will also be moving offices in the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies.

Due to the expansion of the Veterans Resource Center, both Zai Sookram and Sunny Pradhan will be moving offices in early spring semester. Final dates have not been set for those moves.
New distance learning, technology workshops
The college's Distance Learning Committee has designed several new workshops for November. Please contact Deborah Mixson-Brookshire here for details regarding specific times, locations and RSVP requirements for the following sessions:
- "10 Tips for Creating Lecture Capture"
- "Instructional Strategies for Blended Learning"
- "There's an App for That! Version 3.0"

The committee is also sponsoring an open discussion (with lunch provided) for faculty/staff interested in hybrid and online teaching environments. There will also be another AIE workshop and a D2L drop-in session. Finally, the committee will be offering the webinar "Engaging and Retaining Online Students" in late November. Please contact a committee member for information about dates and locations.
October 2013
College Gains Graduate Program
Furthering Leadership Scholarship
CSL Hosts Emerging Leaders
Global Challenges Panel
Spotlight on Scholarship
Office Moves
Distance Learning Workshops
Quick Links
Steiner serves as consultant for Univ of N. Ga
Hillary Steiner led a half-day workshop for faculty in the University of North Georgia's Gifted Enrichment program. This fully online program serves K-12 teachers seeking certification to teach gifted students.

One of Steiner's former graduate students at the University of Georgia now directs the UNG program. She invited Steiner to present a model of online education that encourages active learning and student-to-student engagement. Faculty are now redesigning their online courses based on the model.
Course offerings expanded for spring semester
A new seminar for sophomore students will be piloted in spring to promote career exploration. A collaboration between the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies and the Career Services Center, the one-credit-hour seminar will "introduce sophomore-level students to the skills and strategies needed to navigate the transition from the course work in their academic major to their chosen career. The course emphasizes career and internship options, transferable skills and helps students develop a better understanding of personal work values."

The Undergraduate Policies and Curriculum Committee (UPCC) is currently reviewing three new LDRS courses. If approved, at least one will be offered in spring semester. There are also two LDRS 4490 special topics courses scheduled for spring: "7 Habits of Leadership" and "Leadership & Decision Making."
Welcome to Our New Faculty, Staff Members
Lauren Lallande, a KSU 2013 alumna and recipient of the Leadership Studies certificate, will be joining the Center for Student Leadership staff as an administrative assistant at the end of the month.

Nadia Abdulahi, a current MAPW student, recently joined the front office in First-Year and Transition Studies.

Dee Grindell moved from CSL to FYTS to serve as a Lecturer and Thrive Graduation Coach.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Kennesaw State University | 1000 Chastain Road, MB #2401, Kennesaw, Georgia  30144-5591

Dr. Ralph J. Rascati, Dean
p: 770/499/3550 | f: 770/499/3464 | e: [email protected]