PULLMAN The new University College, approved Nov. 20 by the WSU Board of Regents, will likely touch every WSU student at some time between their freshman and senior years.
The new college will house the University’s General Education Program, will be the central location for first-year programs, and will offer academic opportunities and support in the way of writing tutorials and undergraduate research.
“The University College will contribute significantly to achieving our strategic goal of providing a transformative educational experience for students at Washington State University,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Warwick M. Bayly.
Ten of WSU’s colleges are structured around academic disciplines, characterized by faculty research and the offering of major courses of study to students. The new University College, like the WSU Honors College, is structured instead around a certain body of students. It will serve as the academic home for all students until they certify into a major, with the aim of promoting the success and retention of these students.
The new college will house the University’s General Education Program, will be the central location for first-year programs, and will offer academic opportunities and support in the way of writing tutorials and undergraduate research.
“The University College will contribute significantly to achieving our strategic goal of providing a transformative educational experience for students at Washington State University,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Warwick M. Bayly.
Ten of WSU’s colleges are structured around academic disciplines, characterized by faculty research and the offering of major courses of study to students. The new University College, like the WSU Honors College, is structured instead around a certain body of students. It will serve as the academic home for all students until they certify into a major, with the aim of promoting the success and retention of these students.
The University College will also provide academic advising and career support, serving as a home base for undecided students and those in transition between majors (about 70 percent of students change majors one or more times before certifying).
“The University College will provide a coordinated institutional approach to retaining students beyond the first year and helping every student attain his or her full academic potential and educational goals,” says Mary F. Wack, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and proposed dean of the University College.
The concept of such a “student-centered” unit within a university has been popular among many universities for some time. There are hundreds nationally, typically at larger public institutions. They often serve as the central location for first-year programs, for students before they enter their major, and for programs that support student success and retention. Institutions that have university colleges include Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, Pennsylvania State, and the Universities of Arizona, Nebraska, and Maryland-College Park.
In July of this year, WSU’s Office of Undergraduate Education in the Academic Affairs side of the institution merged with the Office of Student Achievement from the Division of Student of Student Affairs, Equity, and Diversity to create a coordinated body that would focus on promoting undergraduate students’ academic success from early in their time at WSU.
The University College was approved by the Faculty Senate on November 12.
