VTTSeries

 This free Virtual Think Tank series is designed for college and university practitioners engaged in campus-wide efforts to support the success of underserved students, including students of color, students who are first in their family to attend college, and students from low-income backgrounds. These virtual discussions are intended to be useful whether participants are developing long-term strategic change efforts or thinking about immediate programming and teaching issues. Funds supporting the Virtual Think Tank series has been provided by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation as part of NERCHE’s Project Compass.

Space is limited. Preference will be given to NERCHE Members (Associate,  Institutional, or Think Tank) and individuals from one of the four Project Compass campuses. (See our website for information about NERCHE’s new membership options, an opportunity to access important resources for leadership and change in higher education.)
May 22, 2013 The LOOC (Local Open Online Course): Full Access to Free Online Courses

Ray Rice
Melissa Crowe
June 26, 2013 Student Success at Rural Institutions Heather Bouchey


Session recordings and meeting materials from past Virtual Think Tanks are archived here.
April 24, 2013 Creating Campus Infrastructure for Effective Community Engagement  John Saltmarsh
Marshall Welch
March 27, 2013 Transforming Cities and Minds through the Scholarship of Engagement Lorlene Hoyt
Gayle Christiansen
Eric Makres
March 20, 2013 Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Civic Engagement and the Tenure Review Process Jordan Karubian
March 13, 2013 Linking Campus Priorities: Connecting Student Success to Diversity, Inclusion, and Public Engagement Timothy K. Eatman
Susan Strum
February 27, 2013 Civic Engagement in Hong Kong Dwight Giles
Carol Ma
February 6, 2013 Assessing Inclusive Excellence Glenn Gabbard
Raquel Ramos
January 31, 2013 Divided Conversations: Leadership and Change in Public Higher Education Kristin Esterberg
John Wooding

 

The LOOC (Local Open Online Course): Full Access to Free Online Courses
Wednesday
May 22, 2013
12:00 to 1:30PM EST		   Presenters:
Ray Rice and Melissa Crowe
(University of Maine at Presque Isle, Presque Isle, ME)

 

Registration opens 
April 22nd

 

  

Session Description:
Thomas Friedman recently wrote that MOOCs may soon allow students to “create their own college degree by taking the best online classes from the best professors from around the world… paying only nominal fees for certificates of completion.” If Friedman is right, then MOOCs could very well represent the ultimate democratization of higher education, but at what cost to non “elite” institutions and those committed to more localized partnerships and missions? We will briefly discuss our own institution’s process toward developing “OpenU,” a program of “LOOCs,” or “local open online courses”—as well as the politics of scalability, asynchronicity vs. connectivity, and massive delivery capacity vs. local engagement. We will then facilitate a discussion of how the MOOC movement may be repurposed to engage and promulgate the best values of a liberal education and simultaneously serve as a valuable tool for institutions of all sizes to better serve their community.
  

Student Success at Rural Institutions
Wednesday
June 26, 2013
12:00 to 1:30PM EST		   Presenter:
Heather Bouchey (Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT

Registration opens 
May27th 

  

Session Description:
Lyndon State College (LSC), a public comprehensive college nestled in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom —the most remote and underserved region of the state, serves a considerable population of first-generation and Pell eligible students. LSC is making strides toward developing a regional enrollment management system that focuses on improving access and success for vulnerable students. One successful element of this system is the Leahy Center for Rural Students, which focuses on tracking and fostering postsecondary aspirations and achievement in rural students. By building a regional PK-16 system with area educators and community partners; adopting a data-driven, research-based approach; and establishing an Early Promise Program for high school students, LSC is beginning to see both improved retention rates and a more seamless regional education pipeline.