Registration Form
Nomination Form for Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate
Application Form for Undergraduate Student Fellowship
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http://www.denver.org/
As The First-Year Experience Conference series proudly enters its 29th year, we gather once again to share ideas, research, experience, and strategies aimed at improving the quality of education for first-year students. While the needs and challenges our students and institutions face are constantly evolving, The First-Year Conference series continues to provide a relaxed environment conducive to intensive learning and professionally enriching discussions. We invite you to be a part of this year's experience in Denver.
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Community College of Denver Metropolitan State College of Denver University of Colorado at Denver University of Denver
The Annual First-Year Experience Conference is designed to provide educators from nearly every corner of higher education a comfortable, welcoming environment, which invites innovative ideas, programs, tools, and research critical to the first-year experience. The conference aims to promote a comprehensive and engaging community open to the diversity of ideas, in which all delegates are given the opportunity and resources to grow personally and professionally. The conference continues to welcome undergraduate students to attend and participate, encouraging them to grow their knowledge of the academics, experiences, and communities that surround them.
George D. Kuh
George D. Kuh is Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education at Indiana University Bloomington where he directs the Center for Postsecondary Research. Founding director of the widely-used National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Kuh has written extensively about student engagement, assessment, institutional improvement, and college and university cultures, and consulted with more than 250 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. Among his recent publications are Student Success in College (2005), Piecing Together the Student Success Puzzle (2007), and High Impact Practices (2008). In 2001, he received Indiana University's prestigious Tracy Sonneborn Award for distinguished career of teaching and research.
Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas
Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas is an associate professor in the College Student Personnel Program, Department of Counseling & Personnel Services at the University of Maryland. She is the principal investigator for the National Study of Living-Learning Programs (NSLLP), which includes over 20,000 undergraduate respondents at over 50 U.S. postsecondary institutions, and representing over 600 living-learning programs. She has over two dozen publications and presentations stemming from the NSLLP, including referred journal articles, book chapters, technical reports, and invited talks. Inkelas obtained her B.A. and M.S. from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Improving and institutionalizing first-year seminars Using assessment to build better programs Researching the first-year Exploring first-year programs at community colleges Forging stronger partnerships between academic and student affairs Initiating and strengthening service-learning and community service initiatives Maintaining a commitment to a diverse student body Implementing vibrant learning communities Exploring student health issues Improving academic and career advising Encouraging critical thinking and holistic learning Expanding teaching methods to include active learning Expanding first-year initiatives past the first semester Involving peer mentors in educational initiatives Designing and implementing common reading programs Implementing early alert/early referral programs Exploring teaching tools and technology use to enhance learning Developing partnerships with parents Bridging generational gaps Managing classroom and technology etiquette Improving faculty training and development
Preconference Workshops
Conference Registration
Opening Session & Keynote Address - George D. Kuh
Opening Reception
Dinner on your own
Continental Breakfast with Poster Sessions
Continental Breakfast
A1 - How to Create or Enhance a Successful Summer Reading Program Friday, February 12, 2010<>1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <>$135
Janet Beck, Academic Advisor - Appalachian State University
Since 1996, Appalachian State University has hosted a successful summer reading program. Articles in Time, Newsweek, and the Chronicle of Higher Education attest to this, as does an internal evaluation process. This interactive workshop will help participants garner faculty/administrative support, build an inclusive summer reading committee, create an appropriate book selection process, foster an economically self-sustaining program, expand summer reading into the community, create publicity, recruit volunteers, and effectively evaluate the program.
A2 - The Myths and Magic of Learning Communities Friday, February 12, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Jean M. Henscheid, Journal Editor and Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina; Managing Editor - About Campus
Enough institutions of all types have now had sufficient experience with curricular learning communities to paint a clear picture of why they work and why they don't. This workshop's participants will benefit from the wisdom of educators from John Dewey forward to uncover the myths and magic of this curricular strategy and to apply this wisdom to their own campus. This workshop's participants will leave with a plan to create or improve upon their own learning communities.
A3 - Teaching Critical Thinking and Learning Strategies in the First Year Friday, February 12, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Timothy L. Walter, Dean of Academic and Student Services; Lisa Nemitz, , Academic Support Center Faculty - Oakland Community College
This workshop is designed for those teaching first-year seminars, traditional first-year courses, and academic support courses. Workshop participants will learn strategies for engaging students in interactive classroom exercises that facilitate the learning of critical thinking and learning strategies for first-year students. These strategies are critical to the academic success of students and lead to long-term retention, and based on Bloom's Taxonomy, are viewed by many educators as general education attributes upon which higher-level critical thinking skills are based. Participants will leave the workshop with the skills and an extensive series of activities that make the thinking and learning processes more orderly and effective.
A4 - Making Sense of First-Year Assessment Friday, February 12, 2010<> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm<> $135
Jennifer R. Keup, Director, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition; Dan Friedman, Director, University 101 Programs - University of South Carolina
This workshop provides an overview of assessment structures and methods; offers strategies for implementing effective evaluation, including the development of learning outcomes; and explores instruments used to assess student learning, experiences, satisfaction, and change. Participants will receive a reference list of recent resources on the topic of assessment, sample assessment instruments, and materials to guide the development and implementation of effective first-year assessment on their home campuses. The workshop will include a discussion of qualitative and quantitative assessment practices. Participants will develop the knowledge needed to make sense of first-year assessment issues at their respective institutions.
A5 - Academic and Career Advising: Focus on the First Year Friday, February 12, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Paul Gore, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Student Success Special Projects Coordinator - University of Utah; Betsy McCalla-Wriggins, Director Emeritus of the Career and Academic Planning Center - Rowan University
Richard Light (2001) suggests, "good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience." Advising, both academic and career, is central to the teaching/learning mission of institutions of higher education and this workshop will explore the multiple ways that academic and career advising can be incorporated into the first year of college. Participants will learn how to enhance individual and group advising sessions, to develop curricular initiatives, and to identify other collaborative opportunities and models that integrate academic and career advising which can be replicated at both two- and four-year institutions.
A6 - Get With the (First-Year Seminar) Program: Creating Connections to Promote Engagement Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 8:30 am - 12:30 pm <> $135
Denise Bartell, Associate Professor of Human Development and Psychology; Donna Ritch, Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences - University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
First-year seminars are a powerful tool to engage students and integrate them to campus. Many campuses are searching for ways to develop new programs or maximize outcomes of existing programs. This session will provide several models that can be used to achieve these outcomes with our own experiences intertwined. Areas of emphasis will include developing coherent objectives for the program that reflect the mission of the university and the needs of your first-year student population; facilitating connections between faculty and first-year students; developing rigorous, content-based seminars that promote engagement within the classroom; the importance of cross-campus collaborations in effective seminar programs; and designing valid and reliable assessments for your program.
A7 - From Diversity to Cultural Competence: Taking Students to the Next Level Saturday, February 13, 2010<> 8:30 am - 12:30 pm <> $135
Aaron Thompson, Professor of Sociology, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - Eastern Kentucky University
Students are often introduced to the basic concepts of diversity without understanding what it truly means to be a culturally competent individual. This skill is needed to thrive in both our personal and professional lives as society continues to become more diverse. Culturally competent individuals cope more effectively when dealing with the unknown and can communicate more effectively and respond more effectively to miscommunication when dealing with people from varying backgrounds. This workshop will focus on infusing diversity into the first-year curricula and introducing students to the process of becoming aware of their beliefs and the effect they may have on others.
A8 - Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Link to Student Success Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 8:30 am - 12:30 pm <> $135
Catherine Andersen, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management - Gallaudet University; William Moses, Professor of Art - Gallaudet University; Constance Staley, Professor of Communication - University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Whether the institutional setting is a two-year, four-year, public or private college or university, higher education professionals face many similar questions regarding first-year students. Why do some academically prepared students fail while other students with marginal academic skills succeed? What innovations can faculty and staff members bring to their work to increase student success? What expectations do students bring to campuses today that are different from expectations of earlier generations? What skills do faculty members need beyond knowledge in a content area? What's "out there" that may be valuable for our students and faculty? What research findings may help us in our search for the missing link to student success? This workshop will review the growing body of research related to the link between emotional intelligence and student success.
A9 - Experiential Learning for First-Year Students, as Easy as Falling Off a Log Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 9:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $125
David Thompson, Coordinator of Learning Communities, Department of First-Year Programs; Deborah Mixson-Brookshire, Instructor of First-Year Experience - Kennesaw University
Experiential learning is "the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience" (Kolb, 1984). In this workshop, participants will experience the empowerment of growth through failure in an experiential learning environment based on challenge, support, and feedback (Joplin, 1995; Sanford, 1996). Participants will engage in activities such as Traffic Jam, Mine Field, Warp Speed, Blind Trust, and Communication Puzzle to create knowledge about problem solving and analysis, communication, decision making, and team work - all skills that transfer across disciplines, situations, and circumstances in college and beyond. Challenge course experiences, such as low ropes and high ropes, will also be discussed. In these situations, learning truly is as easy as falling off a log.
A10 - Social Media 101: Facebook and Twitter in the Classroom Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 9:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $125 A laptop with Wi-Fi access is required for attendance.
Greg Heiberger, Coordinator & Adivisor - Pre-Health Professionals - South Dakota State University; Reynol Junco, Associate Professor and Director of Disability Services in the Department of Academic Development and Counseling - Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Recent research has focused on using social media to increase student engagement and success. Research also shows that student engagement is critical to student success. First-year experience instructors have an opportunity to meet their students "where they are" through social media. This workshop will teach participants who currently do not use social media how to use Facebook and Twitter. The workshop is designed for those who have limited understanding of social media and who would like to integrate educationally relevant uses of Facebook and Twitter into their students' first-year experience.
A11 - Developing and Sustaining First-Year Seminars to Address Diverse Curricular and Student Needs Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 9:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $125
L. Lynn Marquez, Associate Professor of Geology; Linda L. McDowell, Coordinator of the First-Year Experience; Daniel O'Neill, Faculty Member, Department of Counseling and Human Development - Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Every educational institution has a diverse set of first-year learners with specific transition and curricular needs. Colleges and universities have responded to those needs with various seminar formats including one-credit extended orientation, three-credit content-rich, and discipline-specific seminars. This workshop provides insights on these contrasting seminar models and provides guidance for faculty and administrators attempting to create a broadly based first-year experience program. Participants will explore the benefits and challenges associated with the various seminar styles, develop course shells for seminars specific to their needs, and discuss implementation and assessment issues associated with the respective models.
A12 - Improving and Institutionalizing First-Year Seminars Through Liberal Education and Other Institution-Wide Programs Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 9:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $125
Leon Book, Director, Student Transitions and First-Year Experience - Southeast Missouri State University
As background information, the presenter will relate how Southeast Missouri State University's first-year seminar has been an integral part of the institution's liberal education program since 1988. After a brief outline of how the present version of the seminar evolved, the audience will engage in a discussion of how and why institutions might want to consider connecting their seminars to their general education programs. In the final portion of the workshop, participants will consider other institution-wide programs for possible connections to the seminar.
A13 - Creating Solid Foundations for First-Year Seminars: Fundamentals of Faculty Development Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 9:00 am - 4:00 pm <> $235 Limited to 36 participants
Mary Stuart Hunter, Assistant Vice Provost, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition/University 101 Programs; Jennifer Latino, Assistant Director, University 101 Programs - University of South Carolina
Many well-conceived initiatives for first-year students begin with much fanfare, gradually weaken after the initial excitement fades, and then fail to meet their full potential. Faculty and staff, like students, are more likely to remain engaged in initiatives when they are learning and developing. This workshop is grounded in the belief that faculty and staff engagement and learning are critical to program sustainability. Topics in this interactive workshop include: a rationale for faculty development, adaptable frameworks for workshop designs, group learning pedagogies, characteristics of effective workshop facilitation, and program assessment.
A14 - Best Practice in the First College Year: Defining What Works and Why Saturday, February 13, 2010<> 9:00 am - 4:00 pm<>$235
John N. Gardner, President - John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education ; Senior Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina; Betsy O. Barefoot, Vice President & Senior Scholar - John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education ; Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina
For more than two decades, a significant investment has been made by many colleges and universities to improve the first year. But funds spent have often not yielded expected returns in student learning and retention. In this workshop, the presenters will explore the question, "What works in first-year programs and why... or why not?" They will draw from recent research findings and provide a variety of examples of best practice. Participants will be challenged to reflect on the first year at their own campuses - what initiatives have made a positive difference in the first year and what challenges remain?
A15 - Promoting Student Success Through Early Intervention Initiatives Saturday, February 13, 2010 <>1:00 pm - 4:00 pm <> $125
Vivia Fowler, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Patricia Gibbs, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs - Wesleyan College
This workshop will explore various early intervention initiatives designed to promote student success and provide appropriate intervention when a student's academic success is in jeopardy. Presenters will model and discuss the importance of a student affairs/academic affairs partnership. Participants will use case studies to apply multiple models of early intervention initiatives.
A16 - First-Year/New Student/Entering Student Experience in the Community College Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Amy Baldwin, Professional Development Coordinator - Pulaski Technical College; Donna Younger, Director, Learning Center - Oakton Community College
Community college students in their first term may be in their first year of college, in their first year at a community college, or in transition in other ways, but all benefit from a clear institutional approach to supporting the success of entering students. This workshop will examine (a) distinctive characteristics the community college and the populations it serves, (b) iterations of core first-year experience practices customized for the community college, and (c) examples of best practices from a variety of community colleges. In addition, research on the impact of the first-year experience and questions that might guide future research will be addressed.
A17 - Affecting the First-Year Experience for African-American and Hispanic Males Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Wayne Jackson, Director of the Multicultural Academic and Support Services Program; Erik Range, Coordinator of SOAR (Seizing Opportunities for Achievement and Retention) and Brother to Brother Program - University of Central Florida
This workshop will address in particular the first-year experience for African-American and Hispanic males attending colleges and universities. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a hands-on examination of their campus culture and how it affects African-American and Hispanic males. This workshop will also provide the opportunity to begin the work of designing new programs and initiatives to implement in the first year that will address the retention of African-American and Hispanic males on your campus.
A18 - Creating Collaborative and Comprehensive Programs for Entering Student Success Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Scott Evenbeck, Dean of University College - Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis; Frank E. Ross, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Learning - Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis; Maggy Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs - St. Mary of the Woods College; Dorothy Ward, Associate Dean of University College and Director of the Entering Student Program - The University of Texas at El Paso; Gayle Williams, Assistant Dean of University College at Indiana University - Purdue Indianapolis
Authors of the forthcoming monograph, Organizing for Student Success: The University College Model, will examine a structure and strategy that has proven successful in addressing student transitions to a collegiate environment in a comprehensive and collaborative fashion. Presenters will share strategies for development of University College structures, and specifically will address how University Colleges engage with undergraduate curriculum; how they provide support for holistic student learning; strategies for developing necessary collaborations that include faculty, advisors, librarians, student affairs, support staff, and students; and a discussion of comprehensive assessment strategies for University College structures.
A19 - Brain-Based Learning: Its Impact on Teaching, Mentor Programs, Advising, Assessment, and Retention Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135
Jill Wilks, Director of First-Year Experience and Learning Assistance - Southern Utah University
Using interactive learning tools in the workshop's workbook, Your Expanding Intelligence, participants will gain rudimentary information about up-to-date brain research in learning and wellness. Participants will also receive a skeleton of a first-year experience program developed over 20 years from a grassroots program for at-risk populations to a required seminar course. Using cross-campus collaboration, the design includes general education/thematic learning communities; student-driven seminars; faculty and student mentors; conference format to deliver wellness and advisement support; mentor/faculty development; and formative and summative assessment.
A20 - Dinner Workshop: An Evening with John Gardner Saturday, February 13, 2010 <> 7:00 pm - until <> $150 Limited to 40 participants John N. Gardner, Senior Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition-University of South Carolina; President -John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education
This dinner workshop is a perennial conference highlight and an excellent way to begin the conference. It allows an opportunity for relaxed and extended interaction with the founder of The First-Year Experience Conference series. With guidance from the host, workshop participants will collectively assess trends and the status of the international effort to reform the first-year experience. This workshop would be appropriate for any educator involved in programs for first-year students.
Concurrent session, roundtable discussion, and poster session proposals are invited on topics addressing the myriad aspects of the first year of college. Quality proposals that sufficiently and seriously address college student transitions in the first-year of college are welcomed for review.
Selection criteria regarding acceptance for presentation for each session type are listed on the proposal submission web site.
Proposals should be submitted via our web site at www.sc.edu/fye/events/annual/proposal/. The proposal form can be faxed to you upon request. If you have any questions as you complete this form, contact Shana Harrison at scharri2@mailbox.sc.edu or call (803) 576-6328.
Proposal Deadline The proposal deadline is October 19, 2009. You are strongly encouraged to submit proposals as soon as possible. Since the conference program must be finalized and presenters notified in time for preconference coordination, it may not be possible to accept late proposals.
The conference proposal review committee reserves the right to combine similar proposals to create 60-minute panel discussions. An interactive schedule planner of all accepted proposal topics will be available on the Center's web site after December 14, 2009.
Presenter Information Due to budgetary restrictions, it is not possible to offer an honorarium or to waive registration fees for program presenters. All program chairs and additional presenters will be expected to register and pay appropriate conference registration fees. Presenters not registered by the registration deadline will have their presentation removed from the conference program.
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition is offering five undergraduate student fellowships that will cover the registration fee to the Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. To learn more or to apply for this fellowship, visit http://www.sc.edu/fye/events/annual/fellowships or contact Tricia Kennedy at (803) 777-3984. The deadline for submission is November 2, 2009.
Conference Venue: Sheraton Denver Hotel 1550 Court Place Denver, Colorado 80202 Reservations: (303) 893-3333 or visit http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/fye Room rate: $149 single/double occupancy plus tax, $20 additional person (conference rate expires January 10, 2010). Specify "Annual First-Year Experience Conference" when making reservations.
Make your reservations early. Once the room block is filled, we cannot guarantee the conference room rate will be available. Reservations must be made by January 10, 2010 to receive this special rate. After this date, reservations are accepted on a space available basis and may not be available at the conference rate.
Parking
Valet parking service is available at a rate of $26 per day with in and out privileges. Self-parking is also available at a rate of $21 per day, with in and out privileges.
Airport Transportation
Transportation service partners to and from Denver International Airport include: Super Shuttle: 303-370-1300 Fox Limousine/Sedans: 303-882-0525; Toll Free: 866-369-6200
Airline Discounts
American Airlines is offering convention discount of 5% discount off the lowest applicable published air fare. To make a discount reservation, please call our Meeting Services Desk at 1-800-433-1790 from anywhere in the United States or Canada or go to www.AA.com and refer to Promotion Code A2920AD.
There will also be a separate ticketing charge of $20.00 USD for tickets purchased via the phone or $30.00 USD for tickets purchased at the airport. This amount is subject to change. At this time there is no ticketing fee for reservations made and ticketed on www.AA.com. The percentage discount can be booked on-line at www.AA.com for American Airlines and American Eagle flights only.
