John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education

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Overview of Meetings

Launch Meeting

During the Launch Meeting, institutional teams will learn about the Foundations of Excellence conceptual model, and become familiar with key Foundations’ components Continue Reading…

Winter Meeting

Current participants will have an opportunity to relay their ideas and experiences, and former participants will be able to share longer term outcomes of the Foundations project and provide helpful counsel to current participants. Continue Reading….

End of Year Summit

Participation as a member of the Foundations of Excellence National Select Cohort will conclude with a required Summit Meeting designed to give FoE institutions the opportunity to share their year-long experience and its outcomes. Continue Reading…

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Based on my experiences with the Institute, I can assert with assurance that FoE is a highly structured but very flexible process that has 'evolution' as its signature characteristic. An institution that participates in FoE exemplifies what Peter Senge calls "a learning institution." — Roberta Matthews, Former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs - Brooklyn College

Our FoE Philosophy Statement served as the basis for the development of our Quality Enhancement Plan for SACS and for the improvements we have made to new student orientation, advising, and retention. — Debbi Clear, Vice President of Instruction & Student Services - Virginia Highlands Community College

The FoE process was transformational for MCCC. It helped us bring all stakeholders together and have a dialogue that has brought real changes to our institution. As we journey on, we are now very mindful and intentional in thinking about student success. — Dr. Steady Moono, Vice President for Student Affairs - Montgomery County Community College

The FoE self study helped us to identify initiatives that were working well, pin-point gaps in our services, and set goals for continuing to improve our efforts in meeting the needs of our students. — Amanda Yale, Associate Provost for Enrollment Services - Slippery Rock University

I am proud to say that our work is still going on almost four years later, and the focus on what is most important, the student, is still a large part of our planning for new programs and curriculum redesign. — Amy Baldwin, Instructor of English - Pulaski Technical College

We maximized our efforts by linking FoE with the Higher Learning Commission's AQIP system for accreditation. Through this link, efforts related to the first year had instant cross-functional commitment and were viewed through a continuous improvement lens. — Ali O'Brien, Asst. Vice President for Educational Affairs - College of Lake County

Working with the Gardner Institute provided a structure to look at institutional effectiveness. This structure was more encouraging, and less threatening, than evaluative agencies and brought people together from across the campus, all committed to the same task - new student success. — Mark Lange, Former FoE Liason - Holyoke Community College

We've been in the implementation process for a short time and have achieved great momentum. In a time of 'lean' operating, FoE is the perfect tool to help institutions achieve efficient and effective operating goals while adding value to the student experience. — Shawn A. Anderson, Dean of Student Services - Minnesota State Community and Technical College