|
RU Engaged Series: Inform, Involve, Inspire
 ASM awards undergraduate teaching fellowship to Rowan student | More Rowan's Milou honored for contributions to mathematics education in NJ | More Rowan University featured in the Princeton Review's "The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition" | MoreThe concept of Rowan's new "conversation" series, RU Engaged, is to generate discussion of what Rowan could and should look like in the next 10 years. Ideas are being thrown around, concerns raised and tough questions asked. From the perspective of a reporter sitting quietly and observantly in the back, the event was a breath of fresh air. Finally, an event that didn't feature an audience of placid-faced students being lectured to by a group of smartly dressed and seemingly humorless higher-ups. Instead, questions were posed to the group by two facilitators and responses were heard from anyone who had courage enough to accept a microphone and give one. One student accepted the microphone and as she was introducing herself, mentioned that she has a campus job calling alumni and asking for donations. It sounds simple enough, but she added a crucial detail. Many alumni that graduated from this institution while it was still Glassboro State College are reluctant to give money when it's referred to as Rowan University. They feel that it's changed so drastically and without regard to their vision of it that it doesn't warrant a donation. This is certainly not meant to bash any alumni. On the contrary, this is a warning to students. We are being given the opportunity to tell administrators, faculty and peers what parts of Rowan we want to lovingly see stay the same over the next decade. If you think the peril of crossing Route 322 in the midst of morning rush hour traffic is a unifying rite of passage - say so. We are also being afforded a chance to add concerns to an agenda that we want to see solved in a decade. That said, if you think crossing Rt. 322 is a dangerous and onerous ordeal that steals the sunshine out of your day - say so. The Rowan community needs a sense of tradition; something that transcends the years that stand between someone who is eagerly working towards a diploma and someone whose diploma is collecting dust. One of the worst things is to not know what you want until the opportunity to obtain it has passed. The opportunity is here. What do you want? We're all engaged and listening. RU Engaged kicks off talks about future The first of its kind, Rowan introduced RU Engaged to a gathering of over 200 faculty, undergraduates, graduates and administrators this past Tuesday in the Eynon Ballroom in the Mark M. Chamberlain Student Center. "We want to get everyone discussing the future of the institution," said Dr. William D. Carrigan of the history department. Carrigan served as a facilitator along with Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Carmen Jordan-Cox. Rather than provide answers, Carrigan and Jordan-Cox were charged with the duty of posing questions to the group and moderating discussion. During the opening comments of the three-part series, scheduled to take place over the course of three semesters, President Donald Farish said that everyone is a stake holder in the outcome of Rowan's present endeavors. "We are subject to the whims that fate throws at us," Farish said. When the question of how to provide the Rowan experience to all Rowan students was posed, the participants struggled first to determine what the Rowan experience is. Dr. DeMond S. Miller, a professor hailing from the sociology department, felt that the community was lacking in terms of engaging experiences. "Some of my students leave here feeling perplexed," Miller said. He added that Rowan students seem to lack enriching opportunities that their friends at other colleges and universities are enjoying. Later in the discussion a non-traditional student announced that he thinks Rowan is the most nurturing university on the east coast, and that he believes Rowan is on the way to evolving into something good. Dr. J. Harold Sahm, Director of Continuing Education, voiced that students have to make of Rowan what they hope to get out of it. "I think we can provide that same for all students," Sahm said. He added that in ten years he would like to see Rowan become an institution that values the environment, civic duty and involvement, hard work and being a holistic place. During a lull in the discussion Carrigan added that, "we need to be proud of what we're selling." "Athletic events were a big thing," said Dr. Christy Faison, a professor of education, after admitting that although her school's athletics teams were not especially talented, the games brought the community together. Having graduated from a historically black college, Faison said that she thinks they very effectively garner a sense of school spirit, "traditions that stand the test of time," she said. Lovely Durham, a graduate student pursuing a degree in higher education administration, attested to the lack of unifying traditions. "I don't feel connected to the whole campus, but I feel connected to my program," Durham said. In response to the introduction of service learning to the conversation en masse, undergraduate Iris Mendez mentioned her experiences while taking College Composition II with Tara Timberman. In Timberman's composition class, students are required to participate in service learning activities and use them as the basis for their writing assignments throughout the course. Mendez currently volunteers at a women's home and said her service experience in Camden during Timberman's class was the catalyst that drove her to volunteer. Concerns were also raised about creating nearby employment opportunities for students who do not quality for federal work-study, but still need to work to help with the costs of attending a university. Talia Sykes, a transfer student from Rowan's Camden campus, said that she thinks the Glassboro campus has a good sense of family. "Everyone is approachable and available," Sykes said. Another student that's been on both campuses and had time to observe some differences said that relations between the two campuses could stand to be improved. She said that most Glassboro students are wary of traveling to the Camden campus, while Camden students are wary of traveling to Glassboro because they view it as an unwelcoming community. Thinking beyond New Jersey, Associate Provost of Research S. Jay Kuder suggested that the community consider creating a global presence, and that internationalization would be key in molding the university in the next decade. Additional sessions of the campus-wide conversation will take place on Feb. 25, March 26 and April 18. More information and possible discussion questions are available at: www.rowan.edu/studentaffairs/ruengaged. Questions for discussion during the conversations to come can be submitted via e-mail at: ruengaged@rowan.edu. |
