Appendix A

Center for Undergraduate Education Concept

The Center will emphasize the importance of undergraduate education and will coordinate academic functions that affect undergraduates. It will make more efficient use of present resources by making them more accessible to students, faculty and staff. It should be centrally located. It will stimulate innovation and be responsive to changing student and instructional needs. It will create clear lines of responsibility and a task structure that focusses on quality undergraduate education.

Its administrator must have the authority and resources necessary to work effectively with faculty members, department heads, deans, regional campuses and others. The administrator will report to the provost.

The Center could include:

• training and support services for teaching, under the direction of the Teaching Institute
• space for informal student-faculty meetings
• model classroom space (including distance learning facilities), which would be used for classes and as demonstration and training facilities for faculty members
• a help desk that would refer undergraduates to appropriate services outside of the Center (residential life, health services, the bursar's office, Babbidge Library, etc.)
• the Honors Program
• the Co-operative Education Program
• the Study Abroad Program
• Career Services
• the Admissions Office
• the Financial Aid Office
• facilities for the Center for Instructional Media and Technology
• permanent public recognition (through plaques, etc.) of significant student achievement (University Scholars, Honors Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, etc.)
• ongoing public recognition (through posters, displays, registers, etc.) of current undergraduate accomplishments (academic honors, outreach accomplishments, research activities, awards and grants, artistic work, publications, etc.)
• Office of Enrollment Management

Academic Affairs will bear primary responsibility for implementation and assessment.

A detailed plan for this extensive undertaking needs to be developed. Plans should be coordinated with those for the University Center (Action Item 3.4a). These will be the first of a series of steps necessary to implement this objective.