1. BEAMS Faculty Engagement Working Group Update Presented by Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Co-Chair Brian Hurwitz, WEBPAGE Liaison JANUARY 27, 2006 10:00-12:00 p.m. Gothic Lounge (H202)

2. Faculty Team Members Joanne Bruno, Co-Chair Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Co-Chair Grisel Lopez-Diaz Brian Hurwitz, WEBPAGE Liaison Hilary Englert Christopher Shamburg, Recording Secretary Gloria Boseman Kathleen Filak William Sohoo Maria Lynn Student, TBD

3. What Have We Done So Far? Familiarized ourselves with BEAMS mission Preliminary Review of the Data BEAMS Project and Faculty Working Group Introduced to Faculty by VP Academic Affairs- Mailed and Website Sent a Letter to All Full Time, Part Time and Adjunct Faculty- December 2005 Home [webpage link] Included questions of interest to faculty based on the NSSE data

4. Guiding Questions How do you define student engagement? Based on your experiences at NJCU, how do you define minority students? Are there differences in learning and teaching minority students? What do you do to promote [minority] student learning at NJCU? What can faculty do to promote [minority] student engagement in learning both in and outside of the classroom? What do you do to promote [minority] student engagement in learning activities both in and outside of the classroom? What kinds of new programs or other institutional changes might we implement in order to increase [minority] student engagement in learning at NJCU?

5. Emerging Questions Minority focus seems lost in NSSE data disconnected from BEAMS initative. How do we gain buy in around issues of culture and diversity? (See Peter Incardone response) How do we separate minority and majority students and learning? How different is learning for minority students? What will now be required of faculty? What types of ongoing training will be required?

6. Faculty On the Right Track Peter Incardone on Friday, December 30, 2005 at 11:37 “I have some expertise in student retention, especially for minority students. Current research holds much promise for improving retention/graduation rates for today's college students, but one issue stands out very clearly. Retention rates will improve when instructional strategies used by college teachers improve! For example, simply standing in front of a lectern and lecturing for a single or double hour is not a contemporary, research-based technique for learning amongst hundreds of thousands of college students today in America what with our very diverse student population. Make no mistake about it: to improve retention, college faculty will, literally, have to be taught HOW to teach today. Many college faculty, especially Arts/Sciences personnel, have never had an educational strategies course; they are content- driven..”

7. Upcoming Initative “Heart to Heart: Engaging Minority Students in Teaching and Learning” Monday, February 13 th @ 11:30-1:30 p.m. in Gothic Lounge (H202)

8. “Heart to Heart” Initative Program Goals 1.Acquaint faculty with BEAMS project & Working Group 2.Provide faculty with a “safe space” for dialogue via roundtable discussions 3.Provide resources to faculty 4.Provide jump start for series of brown bag lunches hosted by Center for Teaching and Learning

9. BEAMS Faculty Engagement Working Group Update January 27 th, 2006 Gothic Lounge (H-202)

10. Salient Questions Which practices and programs best promote [minority] student learning at NJCU? What can faculty do to promote [minority] student engagement in learning both in and outside of the classroom? What do you do to promote [minority] student engagement on learning activities both in and outside of the classroom? What kinds of new programs or other institutional changes might we implement in order to increase [minority] student engagement in learning at NJCU?

11. Faculty Engagement I.Welcome & Overview of BEAMS Project, Joann Bruno, VP Academic Affairs II.Introduce Faculty Team & Our Charge, Antoinette Ellis-Williams III.Review NSSE Data & Benchmarks, Dr. Arthur Kramer IV.BREAK OUT GROUPS V.Groups Report VI.Where Do We Go From Here?