BEAMS Faculty Engagement Working Group Update Presented by Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Co-Chair Brian Hurwitz, Web Page

1. BEAMS Faculty Engagement Working Group UpdatePresented byAntoinette Ellis-Williams, Co-Chair Brian Hurwitz, Web Page Liaison JANUARY 27, 200610:00-12:00 p.m.Gothic Lounge (H202)

2. Faculty Team Members • Joanne Bruno, Co-Chair • Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Co-Chair • Grisel Lopez-Diaz • Brian Hurwitz, WEBPAGE Liaison • Hilary Englert • Christopher Shamburg, Recording Secretary • Gloria Boseman • Kathleen Filak • William Sohoo • Maria Lynn • Student, TBD

3. What Have We Done So Far? • Familiarized ourselves with BEAMS mission • Reviewed and discussed the Data • BEAMS Project and Faculty Working Group introduced to faculty by VP Academic Affairs (mail and website) • Faculty Work Group letter sent to faculty (mail and website) • Included NSSE questions of interest to faculty • http://www.njcu.edu/programs/beams/faculty.html

4. Posed Four Salient Questions • Which practices and programs best promote [minority] student learning at NJCU? • What can faculty do to promote [minority] student engagement in learning both in and outside of the classroom? • What do you do to promote [minority] student engagement in learning activities both in and outside of the classroom? • What kinds of new programs or other institutional changes might we implement in order to increase [minority] student engagement in learning at NJCU?

5. Emerging Questions • Minority focus seems lost in NSSE data disconnected from BEAMS initative. • How do we gain faculty buy in around issues of culture and diversity? (See Peter Incardone response) • How do we separate minority and majority students and learning? • How different is learning for minority students? • What types of ongoing faculty training will be required?

6. Faculty On the Right Track • Peter Incardone on Friday, December 30, 2005 at 11:37 “I have some expertise in student retention, especially for minoritystudents. Current research holds much promise for improving retention/graduation rates for today's college students, but one issue stands out very clearly. Retention rates will improve when instructional strategies used by college teachers improve! Given our diverse student population simply standing in front of a lectern and lecturing for a single or double hour is not a contemporary, research-based technique for learning amongst hundreds of thousands of college students today in America. Make no mistake about it: to improve retention, college faculty will, literally, have to be taught HOW to teach. Many college faculty… have never had an educational strategies course; they are content-driven..

7. Upcoming Initative • “Heart to Heart: Engaging Minority Students in Teaching and Learning” Monday, February 13th @ 11:30-1:30 p.m. in Gothic Lounge (H202)

8. “Heart to Heart” InitativeProgram Goals • Acquaint faculty with BEAMS project & Working Group • Provide faculty with a “safe space” for dialogue via roundtable discussions • Provide resources to faculty • Provide jump start for series of brown bag lunches hosted by Center for Teaching and Learning

9. BEAMS Faculty Engagement Working Group Update January 27th, 2006 Gothic Lounge (H-202)