16 January - Announcement From International Education

Invitation to Faculty

The Office of International Education invites faculty to submit applications for 2007 Exploration and May Seminars. Application documents have been sent to all department chairs. Faculty may also obtain forms by visiting the Office of International Education or by request to Stacy Rodlund at rodlund@cord.edu. All faculty are encouraged to visit with OIE staff and to talk with department colleagues and students about new and revised seminar ideas for 2007.

Timeline for Development

• February 28: Applications are due in the Office of International Education
• March: Off-Campus Committee reviews applications and communicates decisions to applicants
• April-June 15: Selected leaders meet with OIE staff to discuss preliminary itineraries and costs
• Jun16-July 30: Leaders work with OIE and contracted agency staff to develop seminars and determine costs
• August 15: Office of Communications and Marketing deadline for seminar information
• Fall 2006: Leaders recruit students until Thanksgiving Break

Seminar Policy for 2007

For 2007, Exploration and May Seminar policies and procedures of the recent past will continue and are included in application materials. However, please note (1) that the policy for student participation in Exploration Seminars has changed to allow for greater student participation (see below); (2) that the subsidy for Exploration Seminars has been reduced from $350 to $200; and (3) that seminar leaders will work closely with an assigned Program Coordinator, Kirsten Buchholz or Christina Larson, throughout the development process and will work with Stacy Rodlund, Assistant to the Director, and the Director as needed.

Some Suggestions for 2007 Applicants

Dean Krejci has called for significant growth in student participation in international education over the next five years. The College claims to be a place that cultivates “world fluency.” However, for various reasons, Exploration and May Seminar participation in recent years has been down. Rising cost is one important reason. The College needs to make structural changes in order to address this problem, and they are under study. In the interim, OIE would like to offer some suggestions that may make a difference in student participation in the short term.

Faculty are encouraged to develop May Seminars (1) that cost $6000 or less; (2) that reduce cost through a compacted itinerary with minimal travel movements; (3) that are interdepartmental or interdisciplinary to increase student interest; and (4) that build on or continue high-demand seminars of the recent past. Regarding the cost question, this is simply a suggestion based upon student feedback. Given current policies and arrangements, some seminars for 2007 may need to cost more.

Faculty are encouraged to develop Exploration Seminars (1) that take students to major world cities with strong student appeal and cheap living costs and (2) that share the same travel destination with another seminar to ensure group airline travel rates.

New Policy for Participation in Explorations Seminars

Students who enroll in the course in which the seminar is embedded are eligible to participate without instructor consent and will be admitted to the seminar before students not enrolled in the course. Students who have taken the course on a previous semester, students in another section of the same course or students not enrolled in the course may participate on a space-available basis with the consent of the instructor. Students not enrolled in the course may participate on a space-available basis with the consent of the instructor. If the instructor admits students outside the course, she or he will assign appropriate preparatory academic work to be completed as a condition for participation in the seminar. Students who fail to meet preparatory expectations, whether enrolled or not enrolled in the course, will not be allowed to travel on the seminar and may lose all or part of their seminar tuition. Students who have already participated in an Exploration Seminar are not eligible for a subsidized tuition (if offered by the College).

This policy was developed in September 2005 by Off-Campus Committee in consultation with the Dean of the College and the Interim Director of International Education.

Ready to Assist

Please consider an application for 2007 and feel free to consult with OIE staff about your interests and ideas—for 2007 and beyond.

Per Anderson

16 January - Faculty Development Opportunities

To: All Faculty

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies announces a call for papers on "Prophets of Post-Communism: Toward an Open Society." Deadline is March 1, 2006. For requirements see: http://www.JIS3.org

The Collaboration asks campus groups who would like to participate in the 2006 Summer Institute to submit materials by Friday, March 3, 2006. The 17th Annual Summer Institute "Improving Student Learning Through Institutional Change" will be held June 5-9, 2006 at St. Olaf College. For more information, see: http://www.collab.org/programsservices/institute.html

The AAC&U will hold an "Institute on General Education" in Washington D.C. June 9-14, 2006. Application deadline is March 8, 2006. For more information, see: http://www.aacu.org/meetings/institute_gened

The AAC&U's "Greater Expectations Institute" will be held June 21-25, 2006 in Snowbird, Utah. Application deadline is March 17, 2006. For more information see: http://www.aacu.org/meetings/gexinstitute

Calvin College announces Summer Seminars in Christian Scholarship. The purpose of this program is "to promote a strong Christian voice in the academy by addressing issues of current debate within various disciplines from the perspective of a deep Christian commitment and encouraging the production of first-order scholarship."

Application deadline for most events is February 3, 2006. For more information see: http://www.calvin.edu/scs/

12 January - Division Chair Nominations

Faculty Colleagues,

At the end of this academic year, the terms for the Chairs for the Divisions of Natural Science & Mathematics (Dr. Mark Covey, Psychology) and Arts and Humanities (Dr. Jim Aageson, Religion) come to an end. During the fall semester, I initiated a search procedure which included a call for nominations, acceptance of applications, and consultations with department chairs in the divisions.

It is my pleasure to announce that both Dr. Covey and Dr. Aageson have been appointed to a new four-year term. Departments in their divisions strongly supported their re-appointment. I have found their work to be of high quality and agreed with their departments that they should be asked to serve another term. Both have accepted their appointment.

Please join me in thanking them for their willingness to serve the college in the Division Chair role.

Mark J. Krejci, Ph.D. Dean of the College & Vice President for Academic Affairs

10 January - Concordian digitization

The staff of the Concordia College Archives is excited to announce that The Concordian has been digitized and is searchable online. The database includes those papers from 1920-2005 and will be updated each summer with the most recent academic year. This project has been made possible through enrichment funds provided by the Academic Affairs Office as well as the support of the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library.

To view the Concordians, go to the Concordia College Archives' website http://www4.cord.edu/library/Archives/home/index.htm and click on the "Online Databases" link. On this page you will see a link for The Concordian database. While The Concordian is an invaluable resource for researching the college's history, please do consult with the College Archives as we may have additional resources to assist you.

Please contact us with any questions at 299.3241 or e-mail sjoberg@cord.edu. Thank you!

Lisa Sjoberg, Archives Manager

10 January - Faculty-as-a-whole meeting

Faculty Colleagues,

Given the lack of the need for formal action, there will not be an agenda-driven meeting during this Friday's community time.

I did talk with SCC about using the time for a faculty discussion on re-allocation of time resources on campus. We have been doing more and more as faculty over the 19 years I have been at CC and I am sure before this time as well. I think what has happened is that we have added to our teaching and scholarship time but have taken away from community and professional development. I hear about some interesting ideas on how we could be better serving our students but all of them tend to take time. When I ask, "What can we take away (i.e. stop doing or reduce) to free up time for this new activity?" people typically do not have a good answer. I must admit, neither do I but I have some ideas. I would like to hear yours.

During community time (Centrum, 9:20-10:20) I will present the issue and ask us to talk about ways we could address the issues. I am hoping to hear a combination of ideas that will allow us to reduce time in some areas to re-allocate it towards other tasks. I doubt that we will have the same ideas, but I would like us to consider ideas.

I realize that some will not be able to afford the time to attend the discussion, but I hope you will consider having the conversation.

Thanks for your consideration,

Mark J. Krejci, Ph.D. Dean of the College & Vice President for Academic Affairs

9 January - student orientation leaders

Dear Faculty:

As we continue to make plans for Orientation 2006, we would like to receive your recommendations for students that you feel would make good Orientation Leaders. We are especially interested in increasing the number of male applicants to make the Orientation Leader group more representative of Concordia’s gender ratio. Please e-mail all recommendations to seewald@cord.edu by January 20. The students will then be informed of the recommendation and invited to apply for the Orientation Leader positions. Their applications are due by February 3.

Thank you for your help with this process. A successful Orientation and the relationships developed with Orientation Leaders, Faculty Mentors, and fellow new students are critical to the success of first-year students at Concordia.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Amundsen Assistant to the Dean

6 January - January F.Y.I. Assessment and Institutional Research Newsletter

To:  Faculty and Administrators

From:  Kay Schneider

Happy new year!

The January edition of the F.Y.I. newsletter is online in pdf format at  http://www.cord.edu/dept/acd/local/assess/jan2006.pdf 

Contents include:

• Advanced Placement Scores for Full-time First-year Students In Fall 2004:  Academic Success and Retention to Fall 2005
• Projections of High School Graduates From 2001-02 to 2017-18
• Graduation Rates for the 2001-02 Cohort of Full-Time, First-Time Degree Seeking Students (by High School Rank and ACT Score)

Hard copy is available upon request.