UB Buzz

Summer Reading—The Gateway to the First Year Experience

As the hottest days of summer begin to arrive, there are, without a doubt, a lot of things on the average high school graduate’s mind. Where do summer reading assignments fall? While perhaps not in the prioritized position reserved for the beach or tanning, summer reading will play an integral part in the first year experience of many of 2010’s incoming college students. “[Our] main goal is to find a book with a diversity-related theme that gives us a jumping off point to talk about diversity issues,” says Cari S. Wallace, director of new student programs at the University of Dayton (Ohio). After an extensive search involving a committee of faculty, staff, and students, When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka was selected this year. The text will provide an important gateway into the first year experience. From the first days of orientation when students will discuss prepared essays to programming pertaining to Asian culture, Wallace notes how the book is only the beginning to understanding the institution’s commitment to diversity, community, and inclusivity.

Bentley University (Mass.) has similar plans in mind. “[We] approach it more from a thematic perspective—what is it we want to get students to read in order to have a fruitful discussion?” explains Gerry Stenerson, First Year Seminar associate dean. Themes like diversity and adjustment were ones deemed important for incoming students to delve into, and they were overwhelmingly present in A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind.  A story about the struggles a boy from a poor neighborhood faces entering an Ivy League school, the text helps students explore “who they are and how they fit in” to their own new college experience while addressing the fact that “it’s not an equal playing field for everyone,” Stenerson says. Students will continue that discussion during a semester-long first-year seminar and various on-campus projects, including a presentation by antiracism activist Tim Wise. 

The key to summer reading success seems to lie in the potential for integration of themes and issues once students get on campus in the fall. “In choosing the assignment, we wanted to find an author who could come to campus for a public presentation and some other smaller group discussions—meetings, dinner, etc.,” says Mark Graham, an associate professor of Religious Studies at The College of Wooster (Ohio), and a member of the planning committee for the 2010 Wooster Forum. Ali Eteraz and his memoir, Children of Dust, fit the bill. A central part to this year’s Wooster Forum, “South Asian Perspectives,” Eteraz’s book is a coming of age story that explores “his values, ideals, and the role he wishes to play in being a leader in this complex world… [speaking] to the place in life that many of our students find themselves as they work to figure out who they are, what values they hold, and how they will live in this world,” Graham explains. Beginning with a book discussion and introduction to the concept of critical inquiry, the themes of Children of Dust will be explored throughout the semester in the first-year seminar. 

What book has your institution assigned incoming students this year? How do you integrate the themes of your chosen text into campus life and real-world experience? Please share with us!  

Cleveland State University Goes to School

This past February, UB featured a story by Ron Schachter that investigated the exciting opportunities—and potential obstacles—that universities face in developing on-campus K-12 schools. Now, as fall 2010 approaches, Cleveland State University is about to join the ranks of those institutions that have already embarked upon this new chapter in education, with the opening of the Campus International School (CIS) near its urban campus.
 
The Campus International School has big plans for both K-12 and university-level students. “K-12 students will have access to university facilities … and in the future, secondary students will have opportunities to take university credits,” says Ronald Abate, a member of CSU’s College of Education and Human Services’ faculty and the liaison for the new Campus International School.  In addition, “a number of academic colleges and departments have expressed an interest in conducting enrichment learning experiences for K-12 students both at the CIS school site and on campus.” Departments include Psychology, Speech & Hearing, Urban Studies, and Chemistry, and more are expected as the program grows.  And of course, it only seems obvious that CSU education students and faculty will take advantage of the hands-on, real-world opportunities that an on-campus K-12 school offers.
 
CIS is in part a response to the city’s need for development and growth.  “Local foundations, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and Cleveland State University recognized the need to establish a public urban K-12 school that produced high quality graduates that are prepared to contribute to the economic future of the greater Cleveland area,” Abate says.  Funding provided by the Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation have “been instrumental in the planning and start-up process.”  As Ron Schachter noted in his UB’s February issue, the start-up for a charter school such as this is estimated at anywhere between $250,000 to $500,000. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will fund the CIS’s general operating expense, as it is an important part of the district’s transformation plans.  The new school is expected to aid in reversing the flow of urban sprawl and draw new families into the city by offering a new, viable option for students and their families living downtown. During the start-up years of the school, the CIS will focus primarily on the needs of students and parents, but there is a high level of community interest in the school, Abate says, adding that “community outreach efforts are planned.”
 
Seeking Swiss-based International Baccalaureate (IB) program authorization, the Campus International School hopes to “raise academic performance requirements beyond the baseline Ohio standards,” while educating students to compete in a globalizing world and ensuring the necessary preparation for transition to the university level.  
 
The Campus International School will accept 120 students in kindergarten and first and second grades for its first year and plants to extend classes to the 12th grade by 2015. It will be housed in a school building near the CSU campus owned by the United Methodist Church.  CSU and the CMSD are “seeking external funding to design and build a state of the art K-12 school building on the campus of [CSU],” and Abate puts the current estimate of the building at twenty-two million dollars.  

Focus on Gulf Oil Spill

It hasn't taken long for academic researchers to recognize, and even offer their assistance with, the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We want to learn more about these efforts.
We seek information on how your instructors and officials are giving their time and expertise in promoting awareness and potential solutions to the region's plight. Whether in the field or back at campus, we encourage you to tell us how your institution is getting involved for inclusion in a UBBuzz news piece.
Please e-mail Associate Editor Michele Herrmann at mherrmann@universitybusiness.com.

Text Messaging Supplants E-mail for College Students

A new study from Ball State University says that text messaging on mobile devices has overtaken e-mail and instant messaging (IM) as their main form of communication. Ninety-seven percent of students surveyed reported sending/receiving text messages as compared to 30 percent for e-mail and 25 percent with IM.
Smart phones now account for 49 percent of mobile communication devices on college campuses, up from 38 percent in October 2009 and 27 percent in February 2009, says BSU's Michael Hanley, director of the university's Institute for Mobile Media Research.
Hanley has conducted 11 surveys of mobile device usage since 2005 that includes a total of 5,500 college students.
"College students are increasingly adopting the smart phone as the core mobile communication and entertainment device for their hectic lifestyles," observed Hanley. "In the few years since instant messaging leaped from the computer to the cell phone, a new mobile lifestyle has evolved for college students. And except for studying, the computer is quickly being left behind."
Other findings from the survey:

• The use of cell phones is nearly universal on campus, with 99.8 percent of students having a cell phone.
• Nearly nine in 10 students with smart phones access the Internet from the device, versus less than half with a feature phone.
• Cell phone camera usage has soared, with 97 percent of smart phone owners taking and sending photographs while 87 percent take and send video.

"In the next few years, I see smart phones saturating the collegiate market, but at the same time, devices similar to the iPad will become increasingly popular among young people," Hanley says. "College students are the first to adopt new types of communication technologies. I think the iPad and similar devices may change the way they communicate yet again as the technology evolves."

June Reads

Three web exclusives accompany University Business magazine's June issue:

 - "Greening Your Dining Services"
Tying in with UB's Green 2010 section, campus dining services has been one area for institutions to adopt sustainable practices. "Greening" them doesn't have to be expensive. Grace Zarnas-Hoyer, president of Hoyer & Associates Inc., Public Relations and Communications, offers some tips from institutions managed by Parkhurst Dining for keeping costs low. She has clients in the onsite food service management industry.

- "Innovative Design Enhances the Post-Secondary Education Experience"
Can a campus's design stimulate student satisfaction? Officials at West Coast University (Calif.) recognized that a better campus experience could be a positive factor in recruitment, retention, and overall student success. They chose to work with Shlemmer Algaze & Associates (SAA) to renovate its Orange County campus with a $2 million dental clinic built to support WCU’s dental hygiene program. This decision ignited an effort that would ultimately incorporate each campus’s aesthetics, branding, and design. Rick Shlemmer, SAA's founder and principal, writes about WCU's progress and end results.

- "No Reservations: Transforming Hotels into Housing"
When there’s an opportunity to convert a hotel into student housing, should officials pursue it? A hotel building can be turned into a housing solution due to having similar amenities—including bedrooms, dining rooms, and bathrooms—found in traditional residence halls. It can provide an immediate solution when an institution is in dire need of quick housing due to a sudden spurt in enrollment before the school year starts. UB's Associate Editor Michele Herrmann spoke with higher ed administrators who have pursued such a conversion and give their take on how and why they did it. Facility experts offer their insight as well.