November 20, 2014
K-State team participates in Reinvention Center
Stephanie Banister, associate director of Housing and Dining Services, Louise Benjamin, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Steve Dandaneau, vice provost for undergraduate studies, represented Kansas State University at the Nov. 14-15 biennial national meeting of the Reinvention Center in Washington, D.C.
Originally inspired by the Boyer Commission Report, the Reinvention Center promotes excellence in undergraduate education at U.S. research universities and serves as the principal professional association for vice provosts of undergraduate education. Dandaneau is a member of the board.
The national meeting featured the heads of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Association of American Universities, the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, as well as Tony Frank, president of Colorado State University, Subra Suresh, president of Carnegie Mellon University, and many similarly distinguished plenary speakers and presenters. Notably, several members of the Boyer Commission — including its chair, Shirley Strum Kenny, former president of SUNY-Stony Brook — were on hand to reflect on developments — some encouraging, some concerning — since the mid-1990s.
K-State is as dedicated to the pursuit of engaged student success as any leading U.S. research university. K-State 2025 is replete with implicit references to Boyer Commission ideas and recommendations. Through collaboration among faculty, staff, and students, across all units and divisions, K-State is positioned to build upon its rich history of student success to continue to improve graduation rates and to enrich the quality of the learning experience for undergraduate students.
Perhaps the most significant issue discussed at the many various plenary and poster sessions was the need to use student success data to identify and then efficiently and effectively target problem areas. Student and academic affairs collaboration was another important theme, as was developing student success-oriented campus cultures along with efforts, some successful, to close untenable student subgroup achievement gaps.
Read more information about the Reinvention Center or contact Steve Dandaneau at 785-532-1097.