When he receives his bachelor’s degree in psychology in May, Weber State University student Jason Close will be one step closer to his desire to become a counselor. In a way, though, he’s already been pursuing his passion by mentoring students in a WSU program that helps incoming students transition smoothly to the university.

As a freshman, Jason enrolled in the voluntary First Year Experience (FYE) course, which teaches skills in such areas as time management and interpersonal communications. He went on to mentor other WSU students in the course and is now a peer advisor in the Academic Advisement office.

The FYE program is just one example of the kinds of programs at WSU that lead to student success. I wanted to share with you some of the exciting ideas that have emerged from campus-wide conversations about where Weber State should focus its efforts during the next three to five years to ensure continued success for our students.

Last spring, we formed the University Planning Council. Composed of faculty, students, staff and alumni, the council has discussed how we can capitalize on WSU’s strengths of small classes, personalized education and strong faculty-student interaction. Four initiatives have emerged from these meetings.

One initiative is to ensure student success by providing a comprehensive experience during the first year, going beyond the FYE course. While Weber State already has many mechanisms to keep students on track to their degree, we want to be sure we’re doing everything possible. That’s why the committee charged with implementing this goal will look at all facets that promote an enriching first-year experience: from orientation to assistance with math and composition skills, from faculty support for students in and outside the classroom to academic advisement.

A second initiative is to provide opportunities for all students to collaborate on scholarly activities with faculty. In an earlier letter to you, I discussed that such activities can be a community-service project, hands-on research or artistic endeavors.

Students benefit from these collaborations in a number of ways. For example, Erik Bowen, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology last May, says the undergraduate research study he did with professor Eric Amsel helped him gain admission to the Ph.D. program in math science education at Vanderbilt University. Erik and Professor Amsel studied how third- and fifth-grade students handle various mathematical concepts to better understand how children learn the subject. They will present their findings at a professional society meeting in Toronto in June.

"The project was invaluable in helping me understand all the details involved in doing research," says Erik. "It really gave me a solid foundation to step into the research environment at Vanderbilt. Weber State students have some really great opportunities to delve into research."

A small number of undergraduates engage in these collaborations; we want to expand the opportunities so that every student who wants to participate, can.

A third initiative is to communicate clearly the identity, quality and value of the university. It will involve providing consistent images and messages about WSU not only to people outside the university but also to our faculty, staff and students. A committee will examine how we set ourselves apart in today’s information-saturated world, so we can continue to attract quality students.

The fourth initiative focuses on non-compensation factors that strengthen the recruitment, retention and recognition of outstanding faculty and staff. Given decreasing financial resources from the state, we want to enhance the institutional culture so that talented people continue to be eager to work here. Ultimately their success translates into students’ success as well.

As you can see, the challenges are many. A future Web site will have information about the entire university planning effort. We plan to revisit the four initiatives periodically so that Weber State is always fine-tuning activities to meet the educational needs of our students.

I invite your comments on the four goals and how we might accomplish them. Together, we can ensure that WSU students continue to receive an unparalleled education.

Sincerely,

F. Ann Millner
President
Weber State University