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The spring 2012 Faculty Convocation, hosted by the Office of the Provost at Millersville University, will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 4 p.m. in Lehr Room, Bolger Conference Center, Gordinier Hall. Refreshments will be available at 3:30 p.m., with the event beginning promptly at 4 p.m. This year’s convocation theme is “How Innovations in Education Impact the Role of Faculty in Promoting Student Success.”
At the University’s convocation this past fall, President McNairy laid out the Case for Change that challenged Millersville University to respond through a comprehensive transformation leading to “a thorough or dramatic change—a metamorphosis—of this University at the start of the 21st century.” One of the key drivers identified is competition, which has been the focus of a number of recent publications focusing on the future of higher education in America. Online resources (e.g., Khan Academy), open-source publishing (e.g., Washington State Open Course Library), open access courses from top institutions (e.g., MIT OpenCourseWare), prior learning assessment (e.g., Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), etc., are changing the landscape of higher education in the 21st century. These changes, driven by what Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovative University, calls “disruptive innovations,” will require universities to respond in unprecedented ways if, according to Christensen, they are to survive and prosper in the face of these challenges.
Faculty will present some of their innovations and open the conversation about how these innovations are reshaping the faculty role. The program will culminate with break-out sessions to discuss in greater detail the ways in which faculty have created opportunities out of these challenges. To help inform this discussion, a series of articles and suggested references are available at www.millersville.edu/iea/assessment/files/Faculty%20Convocation.php. Several of the books referenced on this site are available for check-out through the Center for Academic Excellence in Adams House.
For more information, contact the provost’s office at 717-872-3772 or Pstudent2@millersville.edu. Faculty should RSVP by March 13 through the following registration form: docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dERpeVFDODNtV19ZTHFJR1VIdktMblE6MQ
