Future of Higher Education Research Team Report

Student Congress Big Questions Responses

Mark Caprio

Sunday, March 12th, 2017

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Student Congress Notes for feedback from the Future of Higher Education Committee, January 31st, 2017
(Facilitated by Patrick Rogers, Mark Caprio, and Peter Rogers)

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Members of the Student Congress were divided into subgroups to provide feedback to members of the Future of Higher Education Research team. They were asked to answer the following questions:

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 Question One: If Providence College were to be best known for one thing within the next 10-20 years, what should it be?
Question Two: What should the college be doing in the next 10-20 years that it isn’t doing today?
Question Three: If Providence College had $100M new dollars to spend, how should it be spent?
Question Four: What should be the most important measure or indicator of the success of Providence College? Why?

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 The following are the answers from each group in response to the questions:

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Group One:

• ¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0
• Question One: Friar family, athletics, academics – liberal arts, good professors, Business School, food, inclusive community, strong alumni network, post-graduate success, better health services, meeting full financial need
• Question Two: Sexual health, addressing sexual assault more effectively, more eco-conscious campus, relationship with outside community/outreach, better accommodations for handicap community, better mental health resources, providing more financial aid if not 100% of financial need, improving the presidents relationship with students, critical revisions of DWC program
• Question Three: Financial aid and scholarships, health resources and services, food, networking/career ed, dorm renovations, more faculty for more course selection, energy efficiency – solar power, more parking spots, community gardens, benefiting outside community, larger stipend for student workers and RA’s
• Question Four: Post-graduate job and grad school placement, high student satisfaction rate, and strong alumni network, high retention rate, community impact

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 Group Two:

• ¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0
• Question One: strong academics, Liberal Arts, Catholic Identity, Readiness for the work force, More women in science, Sense of Community, High retention rate, Competitive Business School, Worldwide recognition, Larger Endowment, More diverse/larger applicant pool
• Question Two: Recruitment around the world and the country, racial diversity, an actual friar dog, Cultivate a relationship with the surrounding neighborhoods and greater Providence area, Renovating Aquinas
• Question Three: Better allocate funds to all sections of the school, Renovate Aquinas, Reduce cost of apartment living, Equipment for Science majors, Get a new food vendor, Scholarships for first gen college students, Resources for first gen students, more parking, Create a football team
• Question Four: A higher retention rate, professors, overall happiness of students

¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 Group Three:

• ¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 0
• Question One: Stronger academics, a school that empowers students to be independent, great networking school, not a PWI, internationally known
• Question Two: More resources for current students, ask for students opinions, eco-friendly, more recruiting worldwide, more student spaces, revamping worldwide, more student spaces, revamping traditional dorms, parking, more accessible campus, shuttle only for PC, engaging with other colleges, improving study abroad
• Question Three: Moore Hall, parking, dorms, upgrade food with healthier options, independent food system
• Question Four: High percentage of graduates with jobs in the desired field, satisfaction in education at PC

¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 Group Four:

• ¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0
• Question One: Meeting 100% of need according to FAFSA, improving health and health services on campus which would impact the quality of life of students
• Question Two: Organized way to manage student health and the quality of life on campus. Create a commuter lounge in the Davis basement.
• Question Three: Investing in more security and infrastructure. More parking around campus and making the new parking garage more accessible. Creating parking numbers and spots for better traffic and makes parking easier. Expansion of the library and the library’s resources. More leisure titles in the library. Enclosing the rooms in the library so there can be space for practice presentations and group work better.
• Question Four: Retention rate, overall happiness of students, more security involvement, recognizing the amount of students off campus, shuttles. Larger focus on the global impact and international students.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on paragraph 13 0 Group Five:

• ¶ 14 Leave a comment on paragraph 14 0
• Question One: Athletics, diversity, enrollment progressive, academics, the new business school
• Question Two: Better recycling program, working towards a smaller carbon footprint, dorm renovation and updates, incorporating more diverse staff and students, perspective and views, studies and community aspects
• Question Three: Provide more scholarships for grants and other investments to better students, dining services and investing in a new service provider, Green house on campus, build our own basketball stadium on campus which would mean more revenue for ourselves in the long run, more zip-cars and transportation option for students
• Question Four: How students feel about coming to the school post-high school education matters, our experience matters, how students feel able the school matters, focus on the retention rate is important

¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 Group Six:

• ¶ 16 Leave a comment on paragraph 16 0
• Question One: Well rounded student body entering the real world post graduation, sports- national title contenders, and holistic development of all students including the Catholic tradition of the College, 100% graduation rate with job security
• Question Two: Meet 100% of students financial needs, renovate major buildings, develop more majors and minors that allow for a wider span of people to experience in order develop these skills prior to job searching (marketability of skills), better relationship with community around us including the other colleges, better advising system between students and faculty, more departments and resources in the career center
• Question Three: Financial aid, green energy, endowment, dining hall food, expand the library, additional study spaces outside of academic buildings, larger arts buildings, and more green spaces.
• Question Four: Level/rate of students graduating with jobs or going to grad school, job placement in the course of study from time at PC, percentage of liberal arts majors due to values of the school, and alumni participation

¶ 17 Leave a comment on paragraph 17 0 Group Seven:

• ¶ 18 Leave a comment on paragraph 18 0
• Question One: More attention on athletics
• Question Two: Better athletic recruits, residence life renovation, better student life outside of class-living and food, improvements to the personal counseling center
• Questions Three: Aquinas and residence halls, renovations specifically of Moore Hall and Fennell Hall, creating new scholarships and funding for students to be on campus, investing endowment and funding, revamp of the Counseling Center, green energy, expansion of access and hours to the Health center
• Question Four: Athletics, improve application number, higher rankings for the business school, respectable science program, and improving the retention rate

¶ 19 Leave a comment on paragraph 19 0 Group Eight:

• ¶ 20 Leave a comment on paragraph 20 0
• Question One: A more competitive school, known for getting jobs right out of school, strong alumni relations, being notable school, more medical programs – science building, strong academics – invest in the current buildings, improving dorms, more diverse, more recognizable – move up in rank of schools, want people to know about more than just athletics, excellent value – what you pay vs what you get
• Question Two: meeting financial aid for more students, more study spaces – ensuring all students can find a place to study, updating dorms, adding majors/minors or the ability to create your own major, parking spaces, diversity – reaching different target markets (different areas of the country)
• Question Three: More parking, Health Center and Personal Counseling – equipping them with better resources for student needs such as Sexual Assault Kits or Physical Evidence Recovery Kit, Library – take out the empty book shelves and add seating and lab, update Albertus Magnus laboratory and equipment, solar panels on new buildings, tables and chairs instead chair/desk combination
• Question Four: Student value, getting out of the school what you are putting in, Retention rate of students – is the school doing a good job

¶ 21 Leave a comment on paragraph 21 0 Group Nine:

• ¶ 22 Leave a comment on paragraph 22 0
• Question One: Increased endowment, Friar family- inclusive, supportive, increased diversity, athletics, academics, preparing all students for the real world/life, promoting the science department, specifically being able to graduate with an engineering major from PC and not being forced to do the 3-2 program, advocating for current student needs
• Question Two: Listening to the needs of the students and applying it, doing an accurate job getting student feedback, show more support for all major and minors, distribute funds appropriately and advocating on behalf of all students and activities, offering more advances classes past the capstone, recruiting from the other countries
• Question Three: Renovation of Moore Hall with more and new dorms, provide scholarship for deserving students of all backgrounds and trying to meet 100% of financial aid need, put money into the neighborhood and the school
• Question Four: Student happiness, degree of connection between the students and the administration, how much alumni contribute back (money and volunteering), Pc’s legacy, maintaining and increasing job placement after graduation, maintaining and improving retention of rates of students, alumni impact of the students on the world after college

¶ 23 Leave a comment on paragraph 23 0 Group Ten:

• ¶ 24 Leave a comment on paragraph 24 0
• Question One: Strong Academics, produces influential leaders, strong community, excel in sports, international presence
• Question Two: Meet full financial need, increase parking availability (provide parking for all faculty/staff and students who seek passes), renovate and update the student living dorms, increase the study space on campus
• Question Three: Make financial need and merit scholarships become more available for students, renovate academic buildings, improve the dining experience have more options for people who have dietary restrictions and looking into adding another chain restaurant on campus
• Question Four: acceptance and retention rate, student satisfaction after graduation, how many people that get a job that is relevant to their degree

¶ 25 Leave a comment on paragraph 25 0