带着目标前进

When Covid-19 hit the United States early last spring, colleges were forced to move fast. 学生离开校园, 教师们几乎在一夜之间开发出了在线课程, 下一个学年似乎充满了痛苦的不确定性.

After briefly reeling—along with hundreds of other higher ed administrators—Provost Eric Boynton challenged himself 和 his fellow college leaders to help 贝洛伊特 get out in front of this tough situation.

Strategic planning the college had done over the previous summer provided a solid foundation. 在那一刻，明智的决定完成了剩下的事情.

结果是 下面的行动计划, a five-part promise to students designed to make their 贝洛伊特 education 更多的 meaningful, 有目的的, 和负担得起的. The plan was launched in April 和 drew significant national attention to the college for its innovation 和 quick response.

插件

来源:Alex Garcia2020-21学年, 秋季学期和春季学期分为两个模块, 每个包含两道菜. “We realized early on that it was an immense challenge for our students to move four courses online,哲学教授兼系主任马特·特德斯科说. “mod在很多方面给我们带来了灵活性.两道模式也代表了一种“中庸之道”,特德斯科说, 在传统的四门课程和一次一门课程之间, 一些教师领导提出的街区式计划.

事实证明，Mod的想法在全国范围内也非常受欢迎. 在伯洛伊特的计划被提及的几天内 高等教育内幕 和 高等教育编年史博因顿大学接到了几十个来自同行大学和媒体的电话. “过去三个月我参加了50次面试，”他说. 等尘埃落定的时候, 还有十几所大学，包括马卡莱斯特大学, 贝茨, 和史密斯一起实施了伯洛伊特的Mod计划.

目前还不确定贝洛伊特是否会继续提供mod, 虽然特斯科, 为一个, 是坚定的支持者. 他说:“我非常看好它。. “我亲身体验过学生们是如何努力跟上四门课的. 我对这是一个学术实验感兴趣，与Covid分开. 我们能从中学到什么?”

高级辅导计划

As soon as students commit to 贝洛伊特, they’re connected to the 高级辅导计划 (AMP). 在存款后72小时内, 未来的一年级新生将由指导老师联系, 谁将在未来两年担任他们的向导.

Groups of nine or 10 students meet weekly with their advisors to learn about such matters as school resources, 时间管理, 学习技巧. 每周还有一个小时的建议时间专门用于“AMP连接”,，这是由各个校园团体领导的学习课程和活动. 连接计划, AMP的教师领导和生物学副教授雷切尔·伯格斯特罗姆说, is “designed to help students develop 和 practice skills to be successful in college 和 to prepare them for the transition to professional life.”

AMP项目, 与学院的新职业渠道相结合, 重新设想如何为学生提供建议和指导, 莱斯利·戴维森说, 伯洛伊特大学负责招生的副校长. AMP both orients students as they enter 贝洛伊特 和 guides 和 supports them through all four years, keeping their focus on the outcome of their education from the very beginning.

“We want to be really clear about what a 贝洛伊特 education is all about,” adds Boynton. “So we make things explicit for students as they enter our institution: What should they focus on? 他们来这儿干什么? 他们如何获得大学的服务?”

Davidson says AMP served as a structure this summer that allowed the college to build programs to keep students engaged during the p和emic—everything from special summer courses to initiatives that connected international students until they could return to 贝洛伊特. “AMP is exactly the program we would have created if we’d known Covid was coming,” she says. “从学生到校前到毕业后, 我们要确保他们在伯洛伊特的时间, 以及他们的转变, 得到支持和成功.”

伯格斯特罗姆认为“这个项目有很大的潜力和可能性. Connecting with advisors in the summer [before school starts] is incredibly powerful 和 meaningful for students, 尤其是今年, 所有的不确定性. 我们想让他们立刻把自己当成beloiter.”

职业生涯通道

传统观点认为，文科教育, with its wide-ranging content 和 emphasis on analytical thinking 和 intellectual 敏捷性, 为毕业生的未来做好准备, 但不是针对规定的职业. 如今的学生两者都想要.

“Students’ concerns about first 工作 和 career success are legitimate,” Davidson says. “我们需要对这些担忧做出回应, 同时还保留了文科教育的完整性和精神.”

贝洛伊特对这种日益增长的需求的回应被称为职业渠道, 这有助于学生集中学习, 工作, 实习, 以及围绕特定主题的课外活动. The five established career channels are business 和 entrepreneurship; health 和 healing; justice 和 rights; sustainability; 和 the arts. Three 更多的 channels—sports; curating 和 communicating; 和 world building (including writing)—are still in the planning stages.

埃莉·安德伯恩，05年, 渠道部联席主任兼学院机构研究部主任, says the program explicitly connects students’ activities inside 和 outside the classroom to help move them into careers. 例如, 安德伯恩说，校园演讲嘉宾也会领导第二轮演讲, 注重职业发展活动, directly addressing how they ended up in their field 和 found their first 工作.

中西部旗舰赛

这是《十大菠菜台子》两个财政组成部分中的第一个, 而且可以说是最强大的. The college is promising prospective students living in six states—Wisconsin, 伊利诺斯州, 印第安纳州, 爱荷华州, 密歇根, 和 Minnesota—that the cost of 贝洛伊特 tuition will be no higher than that of their state’s flagship university. 例如, 威斯康辛州的学生支付的学费不超过10美元,742美元(威斯康辛大学每年的学费)的学费, 尽管后者的标价是52美元,858, 2020-21学年.

“We realized that Covid is presenting significant financial hardship for our families,博因顿说. 他和其他管理人员也认识到，在这个令人不安的时代, many parents prefer to see their kids stay close to home—which is why the college has focused on states within easy driving distance.

Davidson said the flagship match guarantee is costing the college very little additional money, 同时为家庭提供清晰的信息, 简单, 在一个不确定的时刻确定. “Many students were already receiving merit 和 need-based aid that brought the cost of tuition down to in-state levels, 但他们必须等到被伯洛伊特大学录取后才知道,”她说。. “Now they’re able to see upfront that we’re an affordable option—和 an incredible investment.”

贝洛伊特承诺

来源:Alex GarciaThe college is also taking some of the fear out of finances through the 贝洛伊特承诺, which both guarantees that no current student’s tuition will rise this academic year 和 provides other monetary supports including deferred payment dates 和 up to two months of payments on a student’s behalf. “我们知道今年我们特别需要作为一个有爱心的人向前迈进, student-focused机构,博因顿说.

认识到在新冠肺炎期间，校园生活将变得不那么丰富多彩, 贝洛伊特 added one final feature to the 贝洛伊特承诺 in early August: a ninth 和 tenth semester tuition-free to students enrolled full time during the 2020-21 school year. “我们正在努力打造一个有趣的校园秋季, 但我们知道它会有所不同,博因顿说. “This initiative ensures that every student can experience the many dimensions of a 贝洛伊特 education, 哪些远远超出了教室.”

The tuition-free term[s] must start in the academic year immediately following a student’s eighth semester; participating students also must live in residence halls while in the program.

The college has received plenty of positive feedback for its 下面的行动计划, 博因顿说, 他认为他知道原因. “为复杂的全球现实做好准备, 来到一所在这个充满挑战的时刻真正闪耀的大学, 创新, 敏捷性, 速度, 制度创新也体现了深思熟虑,他说. “在那样的地方, you can expect as a student 和 a parent you are going to get the kind of education that prepares you for the evolving complexities of the world we live in.”

---

勒奈特·兰姆(Lynette羊肉)是明尼阿波利斯的一名作家，也是一名伯洛伊特大学毕业生的父母.