October 24, 2012
Group of Dominican Sisters of Peace
Individual Interviews
Sr. Anne Kilbride, OP
29 Participants
"Truths" — Statement was made by almost all people
"Trends" — Statement made by many people
"Unique Ideas" — Statement made by only one or two people but with remarkable insight
Facts ("Truths"):
- Community spirit
- Location - opportunity and challenge
- Informative web site
- Challenge of many adjuncts
- Program for Freshmen and new students
- Catholic Identity
- Dominican tradition
- Strong mission that is sustained
- Perception - small commuter school
- Open to all students - diversity of student body
- Small college known in the community
- Faculty - Student mentoring
- Variety of delivery systems
- Values based education
- Land - locked
- Teaching institution that is student centered and offers an integrated liberal arts program
- Marketing
- Involvement in civic community
- Students need economic help
- Diversity of student body
- Good at what the College does with limited resources
- Support given for faculty development, student interests
- Liberal arts tradition
- Teacher education
- Concern over student demographics, those able to finance education
- Financial viability of the College in light of changes in financial aid, demographics
- Finding strong leadership in all areas of the College
- Ability to change - adapt to needs of the times
- Students are the most important part of the College
- Relations with all College groups
- Team approach
- Alternative to larger public institutions without losing its mission and values
- Adult education
- Campus accessibility
- Mission, Dominican and Catholic hold place
- Only Catholic college in immediate area
Trends:
- Family support
- Cohort model for adults
- Market all programs
- Support for traditional age student
- Emphasize unique education
- Offer readiness for at risk students
- Concern over financial aid
- Programming to meet new needs
- Succession planning for leadership
- Integrative learning
- Use of technology, delivery systems
- Promotes ethical values
- Witness to the pursuit of truth
- Integrative learning of whole person
- Supportive environment
- Cooperative faculty
- Advertise sports
- Neighborhood outreach
- Communications with alumni
- BA program is decreasing in popularity
- Adult education is increasing
- Integrative learning
- Growing diversity
- Recognize change around us and adapt to change
- Teacher training
- Look for areas of professional need and develop programs
- Fiscal stewardship
- Relevant technology
- Attention to competitive salaries
- Faculty/student ratio
- Planned maintenance
- Develop creative programs to fit needs of today's students for post college employment
- Diminishing presence of Dominicans in all aspects of the College
- Listening and collaborating from many angles in decision making
- Maintain Dominican mission and tradition
- Public presence essential
- Catholic Identity
- Improve academics for students
- Not known
- Emphasize students and alumni who meet success
- Use multi formats for advertising
- Graduates find meaningful employment in their field of studies
- Keep studies relevant
- Emphasize the exploration of ideas in programming
- Articulations with community colleges
- Keep buildings up-graded
- Keep solid, varied curriculum, raise academic expectations
- Feature accomplishments of faculty
- Become better known as an academic institution
- Seek grants for special programs
- Emphasize strengths in marketing: safe, professional preparation, reasonable cost, community etc.
- Faculty development
- Build sciences
- Don't change mission to market
- Strong leadership: relationship to faculty, reads signs of the times, takes risks, handles change well, involved in civic community, dedication to mission --- needed in all areas of leadership
- Leader should be an academic
- Fundraising ability needed in leadership group
- Collaborative leadership
Unique (New) Ideas:
- Find more sources to support at need students - collaborate with community business, grants
- Develop more programs geared to developing professions
- Program for sophomores to strengthen retention
- Add programs for traditional age and adult students - (example - bio-technology), partner with companies needing college educated employees
- Connect with churches
- Develop more in Hartford area
- Develop an abroad program or adapt to shorter programs to connect students with global realities
- Hire well known faculty and feature accomplishments of present faculty
- Collaborate with local business to develop programs or with other colleges especially for on-line courses
- Utilize expertise and involvement of alumni
- Develop new programs that address needs, holes in educational offerings from other colleges
- Religious education of student with disabilities
- Advertise new programs
- Find new sources to assist in financial aid for students
- Increase discount rate for students
- Campaign to increase the endowment
- Increase integration of disciplines
- Take more creative risks for the future of the College within College mission
- Development of readiness programs for high school students especially for who do not have an effective educational background
- Find holes in educational offerings and develop programs that meet these needs
- Remain on cutting edge of academia and be a catalyst of change
- Cultivation of Board members; term limits for members
- Connect to mission of sponsoring Congregation
- Study small colleges that have grown in the last 20-30 years --- what factors enabled this to happen?
- Encourage administrators and faculty to be on national committees, feature scholarship of faculty
- Connections with neighborhood
- Change profile with special programs
- Increase science program
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