Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan helps launch new office

Colleen Rich — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 17:19:21 +0000

Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan helps launch new office Colleen Rich Tue, 03/01/2022 - 12:19

��AV has submitted its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), "Transformative Education through Anti-Racist Community Engagement," to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), as part of its upcoming reaffirmation of accreditation. The plan, which focuses on student learning and student success connected to community engagement, civic learning, and anti-racism, has led to the launch of the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECiL).

CECiL reflects the strengths of civic engagement by organizing and engaging academic and co-curricular opportunities across Mason and with the surrounding community. The office will help position students and faculty to respond to current social issues through the development of programs for undergraduates, graduates, faculty and community partners. Other goals include expanding students’ understanding of anti-racism through community and civic engagement and increasing opportunities for students to participate in anti-racist community engaged courses and experiences.

CECiL will provide central coordination of engagement projects and infrastructure support for community work—all of which will align with the efforts of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force.

“We are excited to formally launch CECiL and build upon the great work already taking place at Mason and in our communities,” said Kristen Wright, director of civic engagement.

Shauna Rigaud has been named the office’s associate director of student programs. In this role, she will focus on developing and implementing high-impact student community-engaged experiences in collaboration with community partners.

“With a centralized office in community engagement, Mason can make a greater impact across the university and the wider community,” Rigaud said. “We have the opportunity to set the stage and be the model for what sustainable, equitable and reciprocal relationships look like between the community and a university.”

For the next several months, the office will host information sessions for faculty, community partners, and students regarding how to get involved with CECIL. The first faculty information sessions will be held Tuesday, March 8, at 3 p.m. and Monday, March 28, at noon via Zoom.

An event for graduate and professional students, “Community Engagement: The Why and How for Mason Graduate Students,” will be held at noon Tuesday, March 31, in Fenwick Library Main Reading Room.

Topics

Campus News

Quality Enhancement Plan

Center of Community Engagement and Civic Learning CECiL

Feedback opportunity for Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan

Colleen Rich — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 19:22:09 +0000

Feedback opportunity for Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan Colleen Rich Mon, 10/04/2021 - 15:22

The university community is invited to provide feedback and suggestions on the full draft of Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Transformative Education through Anti-Racist Community Engagement.

The purpose of the QEP is to improve student learning or the student experience in a specific way over the course of a five-year evaluative period. Mason’s last QEP, Students as Scholars, led to the creation of the Office of Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) and the significant presence of undergraduate research at Mason. The hope is to embed civic learning and anti-racist community engagement into the Mason student experience in similar ways.

“We are excited to share this plan with the university community after this year-long development process,” said Kristen Wright, director of civic engagement and undergraduate education and QEP co-chair.

The QEP’s four areas of focus include:

Curriculum and Pedagogy, which includes incorporating community-based learning, civic learning, and anti-racism into curriculum;
Staff and Faculty Development, which includes the creation of faculty and staff training, as well as funding for faculty development related to anti-racist community engaged teaching and research;
Critically Responsive Student Experiences, which includes investment in graduate and undergraduate community engaged experiences that are paid or credit-bearing; and
Community Engagement, which includes expanding K-12 engagement and hosting symposia on anti-racist community engagement.

“Core to the mission of the QEP is to include the campus community in the development of the process. The feedback from the campus community has been crucial to developing a plan that is collaborative, student-centered, and that will positively affect student learning and development connected to anti-racist community engagement and civic learning,” Wright said.

The QEP Development Committee will meet and review the feedback as it is submitted.

After integrating feedback from the campus community, Mason will submit the plan to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) as part of the reaffirmation process.

“We look forward to continued partnership and co-creation as we finalize the plan and move into implementation,” Wright said.

For individuals who are interested in learning more, the QEP Development committee will host meetings and provide presentations. Email Kristen Wright if you would like a representative from the QEP Development Committee to speak to your department or group. Kiosks will be strategically placed across campus throughout October to provide additional information. The deadline to submit feedback is Friday, Oct. 29.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Quality Enhancement Plan

Accreditation

reaffirmation process