As part of the ongoing reaccreditation process, which takes place every 10 years, members of the Arts and Sciences Council discussed developments on the University's Quality Enhancement Plan Thursday afternoon.
The QEP is part of the University's upcoming reaccreditation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which requires a learning institution to perform self-studies about its mission before an external review by SACS. SACS accreditates Duke to confer baccalaureate, masters, doctorate and professional degrees.
The primary goal of this year's QEP, titled "Enhancing Students' Capacity for Global Citizenship," will be to promote "development in students a view of themselves as local, national and world citizens, with a corresponding empathy for people from different backgrounds," said Mary Boatwright, co-chair of the QEP committee and a professor of classical studies.
The QEP will advocate creating a Global Advising Program that will work closely with the Office of Study Abroad, DukeEngage and the Career Center and oversee two new curricular resources for students: Winter Forum and Global Semester Abroad.
Winter Forum was proposed as a two-and-a-half day symposium right before the start of Spring semester that examines a particular global issue. Boatwright underscored the importance of maximizing student participation in Winter Forum, saying the short duration of the program would make it easily accessible.
Global Semester Abroad will be a study abroad program in two different countries that examines several global issues, and will be like the international counterpart of Winter Forum, Boatwright said.
The program would be housed in the Academic Advising center under Dean Michele Rasmussen and have a staff of four to six specialized Global Advisers, Boatwright said.
"[The advisers will] work to create connections among students and open students to global curricular and co-curricular opportunities," she added.
Judith Ruderman, vice provost for academic and administrative services, spoke to the council about the importance of self-assessment, saying it is meant to show that "we're doing what we said we're going to do, and to maintain a standard of quality."
Both Ruderman and Boatwright expressed confidence in Duke's reaccreditation.
"We all know that Duke is going to be accredited," Ruderman said.
In other business:
Director of DukeEngage Eric Mlyn presented plans to enhance the DukeEngage experience. One of the most notable changes is the new DukeEngage Academy, a two-and-a-half day training retreat that will occur May 4-6 right after classes end and will replace the DukeEngage workshops that students attended in past years. The DukeEngage Academy's objective is to help students better prepare for their upcoming DukeEngage experience.
Mlyn said he hopes to encourage greater student participation in DukeEngage, domestically and abroad. This past summer, 360 students participated in DukeEngage programs, and Mlyn expressed hopes to raise that number to at least 400 by this summer, with the Durham programs hosting the greatest number of participants.
He also emphasized increasing student-athlete and faculty participation in DukeEngage.
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