Foundation of Excellence®
Foundations of Excellence®:
A Project to Improve First Year Student Experiences
In 2008, EWC applied for and was accepted into the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year (FoE). This initiative is designed to study all aspects of the new student experience and to produce a plan for institutional improvement leading to higher levels of student learning and persistence in college. The FoE self-study includes these components: a Steering Committee composed of leaders for nine aspirational principles of first-year excellence, termed Foundational Dimensions®, three Co-Liaisons, a Survey Administrator, and a FoETEC Software Technician.
The Dimension committees gathered evidence relating to the dimensions, developed a report of their findings and suggested action items for improvement. The Steering Committee compiled the Dimension reports into a final report and implementation plan. The project started this past fall and continued through March when the implementation plan action items were submitted through the strategic planning and budgeting process. The dimension reports along with the final report will be incorporated into the Higher Learning Re-accreditation process starting this fall. The complete Final Comprehensive Report can be viewed here:
FoE Final Comprehensive Report
Seven initiatives were submitted as strategic objectives for the 2009-2010 Strategic Planning year. They included:
First-Year Communication Improvements
Retention Initiatives
Diversity Improvements
Assessment Tools & Institutional Data Usage
Professional Development Improvements
