BOT focused on student success

By Jill Novak

[email protected]

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UK’s Board of Trustees, plus President Eli Capilouto, attended the first of two annual retreats this summer.

Their main concerns were student success and how attending UK will prove to deliver successful students.

Administrators’ presentations focused on UK’s retention rates compared with the national average.

“The goal of the retreat focused on student success and was designed to engage UK leaders in a focused discussion on strategies and methods for improving the success of our students,” said Dan O’Hair, dean of the College of Communications and Information Studies.

Retreat participants were divided into six groups, where they brainstormed ideas geared toward making students and the university more successful.

Among the ideas were topics such as curriculum changes and campus renovations.

After last year’s installment of UK Core, the board discussed ways of further improving curriculum for undergraduate students.

“The university last year fully implemented the UK Core — the overhaul of our core undergraduate curriculum, those courses required of all students regardless of major or discipline,” Capilouto said in an email to the Kernel. “This revision of the core curriculum, led by our faculty, will provide students with the set of multidisciplinary skills needed to compete in a 21st-century economy.”

More plans for renovations of campus structures are under way in hopes of providing a better learning experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.

“We need to evaluate our efforts that are aimed at ensuring student success in terms of retention and graduation,” Capilouto said. “And we know that the facilities on our campus — from living and learning communities found in residence halls to classrooms and research space — impact how well our students will learn and succeed.”

Construction recently began on New Central Residence Hall on Central Campus.

Other infrastructure changes have yet to be decided, but a proposal for five more residence halls to be built is set to go before the board at its October retreat.

Student success seems to be the main focus of the board.

“We all agreed that all university stakeholders have a responsibility for students’ success — whether it be students, staff, faculty, administrators, trustees,” said O’Hair, who was announced recently as interim senior vice provost for student success. “We are all responsible for contributing to the success and well-being of our students.”