Year in review for Provost Dr. Passaro
Kristi Faurie
News Editor
Carroll College’s Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Joanne Passaro, looks back on a year of changes and expectations for the 2008-2009 academic year.
“This has been a great first year,” said Passaro. “I came to Carroll because my initial impressions told me that the College had everything it takes for ongoing success—great leadership, excellent faculty, serious students, and an engaged staff. The reality is even better than I could have hoped, and we have worked together to bring about some very significant improvements in one year.”
Many visible transformations have been made during the past few months. The Dennis Punches track is almost completed, the new residence hall is under construction, and the new food service partnership with Chartwells will lead to major improvements over the summer in the Campus Center and PIT.
Academic enhancements made will not only improve the education current students receive, but also meet the needs of a new generation of students.
“The Gen Ed committee has just completed the first year of a curricular revision that should result in an exciting Pioneer Core Curriculum that will provide a current, vibrant liberal arts and sciences education that will engage the minds of students,” said Passaro.
Additional academic programs have also been added to the list of Carroll offerings. This includes a new Master’s of Science in Physician’s Assistant Studies, the Politics, Philosophy and Economics major, Applied Physics; a 3+2 Pre-Engineering program, a 2+2 in Radiological Technology, a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology, and two new minors in Graphic Communications.
“We continue to reinvest our resources in strengthening our academic programs. This year, we conducted a successful search for an Endowed Chair in Theatre Arts, culminating in the hiring of Professor James Zager, who served as chair of the undergraduate theater program at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign,” explained Passaro.
“Dr. Bruce Strom was appointed chair of the Education program, and Dr. Debra Smith was hired from Coastal Carolina University as associate professor specializing in literacy. We have also strengthened our partnership with the School District of Waukesha to benefit Carroll education students and Waukesha teachers and students.”
Back in August, Dr. Passaro noted that one of her primary goals was to expand the role The Learning Commons plays in students lives.
“The Career Services office will move into the Learn Commons, and services will be expanded to reach all students beginning in the freshman year. We will hire a second librarian dedicated to supplemental instruction and academic support,” said Passaro. “We brought in an external reviewer to help faculty and staff develop a plan for adding services to complement faculty advising in order to assure that every student has access to timely and uniformly excellent academic advising.”
Eight new Living Learning Communities (LLCs), supported by twenty-three faculty members, will open in the fall. LLCs are communities in which groups of students in the same major or who share the same specific academic goals will live together in college housing.
“The LLCs will expand and enhance students’ academic experiences beyond the classroom. The new Co-Curricular Transcripts, which will be introduced in the fall, will enable graduates to demonstrate the broad range of knowledge and skills they have gained as a result of their engagement in co- and extra- curricular experiences, this will give graduates a leg up on their peers as they apply for jobs and for grad school,” said Passaro.
International and diversity education will also be taking more of a presence at Carroll.
“We have signed new agreements with three institutions in Hanoi and Hong Kong; these will bring new students to our campus and enable outstanding exchange opportunities for Carroll students,” said Passaro. Plans for next year are underway and will be continuations of the progress that has already been made.
“I will build on the initiatives we have begun this year, including: expanding our online and technologically-enhanced course offerings, as I see them as an extremely important gateway and professional development experiences for students; continuing to promote curricular integration of diversity and global perspectives; continuing to expand and integrate academic support services so that they are pro-active and begin to touch students upon admission,” said Passaro.
“There are various ways for students to express their ideas and opinions about academic programs and issues: through the academic Committee of the Student Senate, or through contacting individual faculty members, area chairs, the three division deans, or the Provost,” said Passaro.