University of Delaware

Academic and Student Affairs Council*

 

In the publication, Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience (2004), it is argued that students should receive a transformative academic education that prepares them to become “intentional” or active learners; this type of preparation must be endorsed and promoted by both academic and student affairs units and by faculty members. The University of Delaware’s Academic and Student Affairs Council seeks to promote and develop initiatives aimed at building a community of scholarship and enhancing the learning environment through the interaction and integration of academic and student affairs’ programs and activities. The Council will explore opportunities to develop initiatives and partnerships that combine the acquisition of knowledge in an academic setting with experiential learning through student life activities. One of our goals is to promote and encourage the development and implementation of initiatives (e.g, conferences, workshops, academic and research opportunities), in concert with on-going learning opportunities through academic course work and student life activities, to enhance students’ educational experiences at the University of Delaware. Specifically, the Academic and Student Affairs Council will:

 

·         Promote the growth and development of a campus culture that recognizes, encourages, and expects the integration of academic initiatives with student life initiatives.

 

·         Identify important points of intersection:  Essential learning for UD students that is enhanced by collaborations between academic and student affairs.

 

·         Forge sustainable partnerships and integrate the resources of academic and student life units at the University of Delaware to support student learning in concert with the University’s academic priorities as set forth in its Periodic Review Report (PRR-2006).

 

·         Provide a forum for exchange between academic and student life units to develop and implement activities that will facilitate and enhance the integration of academic learning and student development at UD.

 

·         Promote the active participation of faculty, staff, and students in developing, sponsoring, and participating in activities aimed at integrating academic and student life issues.

 

·         Work with and encourage faculty to develop new courses, innovative learning modules, and interdisciplinary and international efforts which integrate academic and student life issues.

 

·         Serve as a resource for and assist members of academic and student affairs units as they seek to create sustainable partnerships with one another.

 

The Council will promote and encourage university-wide initiatives and activities to address the existing gap between academic and student affairs. It is noteworthy that there are many opportunities for the integration of academic and student life issues, including service learning, internships, living-learning programs, and study abroad, among others. The Council recognizes that the educational process is a complex and multi-dimensional one that requires that educational institutions pay special attention to the changing demographic and socio-economic characteristics of their students, as well as to issues related to an increasingly diverse student population. Therefore, the Council aims to promote enhanced learning experiences that prepare students to live and function effectively in a diverse and multicultural world.

 

*Council Co-Chairs: Havidán Rodríguez, Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs, and Cynthia Cummings, Associate Vice-

  President for Campus Life.

Revised: 10/30/06-Rodríguez