Published: May 2, 2018

Academic advisor speaks with a student in her officeCU Boulder embarked on the Foundations of Excellence (FoE) initiative last fall in order to improve the campus experience for all first-year students.

This comprehensive self-study and improvement-planning process was guided by the Gardner Institute—a nonprofit organization devoted to improving teaching, learning, retention and student success—and represented a partnership among Enrollment Management, Student Affairs and Undergraduate Education. Over 100 babyÖ±²¥app members, staff members and students from across campus served on nine committees led by a steering committee of 18 members.

Each committee focused on a specific aspect, or what was termed a “dimension,†of the first-year experience. The self-study conducted by each committee was guided by specific questions from the Gardner Institute and was informed by five kinds of data:

  • An inventory of all first-year programs collected from across campus
  • Student data from Institutional Research (e.g., retention data, student demographics)
  • Student and babyÖ±²¥app surveys
  • Student focus groups
  • An “evidence library†consisting of relevant scholarly articles, recent campus reports and student surveys, as well as a survey of department chairs

Each committee produced a final report that assesses the current state of their particular first-year dimension, and that includes recommendations for changes so that campus can strive towardÌıcreating an excellent experience for all first-year students. The Gardner Institute reviewed each report and provided feedback to improve the committee reports.

To reduce duplication and produce a more holistic set of recommendations, the steering committee grouped the commendations from all nine committees into six themes. The recommendations were then judiciously combined and distilled into a final report (PDF)Ìıthat was sent to the provost for his preliminary approval.

A longer discussion of Foundations of Excellence and its outcomes this year can be found here. Mary Kraus also will be hosting open forums to discuss with babyÖ±²¥app and interested parties the initial Foundations of Excellence report and the next steps in implementing its recommendations.