Education Commons^™

Creating An Alternative Route To Teaching Certification And Adding Teaching Endorsements For Community Members, Marcia Fetters

Academic Leadership Academy

This project was to develop an alternative route for community members who wish to come to WMU to earn secondary teaching certification. The first focus will be for science and mathematics teachers, since this is an area of national shortage. The goal will be to expand to other disciplines in the future.

English Department Faculty Development Forum, Beth Bradburn

Academic Leadership Academy

This project consisted of the first ever English department retreat, where different disciplines in the field (Linguistics, Rhetoric and Writing, Literature, English Education, and Creative Writing) came together and shared their insights to the English language. This forum was called “What is a Difficult Text?”, and was followed by another forum, called “Authority.”

A Portrait Of Change: Student Engagement At Western Michigan University, Suzan F. Ayers

Academic Leadership Academy

The NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) is a national survey that asks first-year (FY) and senior (SR) students about their college experience, how much time they spend studying, and the types of interactions they have with faculty. The results are used in a variety of ways, including assessment, institutional improvement, and prompting discussion on teaching and learning initiatives. This survey was conducted at WMU.

Micro Enterprise – Macro Impact In Liberia (Memi), Susan Weinger

Academic Leadership Academy

The aim of this project was to support the start-up of a few small businesses by collecting quality used and new wedding dresses and sending them to Liberia, West Africa. The project began by helping a 30-year old mother, who just graduated from college in Liberia, in starting a bridal gown rental business.

Creating An Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor, Karlis Kaugars

Academic Leadership Academy

This project suggests a new minor to the Academic Catalogue- Game Development. Game Production is multidisciplinary in nature. A minor in game development would consist of six to eight introductory courses, each from a different department, emphasizing core concepts of the discipline with a focus on how discipline topics relate to game design.

American-Chinese Connections Via Mathematics: International Conference On Representation Theory (Icrt) V, Terrel Hodge

Academic Leadership Academy

Representation theory is a mathematical means for capturing and studying symmetries within all sorts of systems. Starting a decade ago, a triennial conference surrounding representation theory was initiated by a small group of Chinese and American mathematicians. This conference is conducted to introduce Chinese and American mathematicians to cutting-edge research in various subfields of representation theory.

The Business Learning Community: A New Option For Freshman Business Students Starting In Fall 2009, Nancy Schullery

Academic Leadership Academy

In Fall 2009, entering freshmen will have the option of living in a community with other students who are interested in Business. The Business community residence will emphasize peer support, and foster a positive environment for academic and social success amongst those with similar career interests. This community will reside at LeFevre Hall on WMU's campus.

Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home Literacy & Tutoring Center, Allison L. Baer

Academic Leadership Academy

On June 15, 2009, the new Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home facility will open. The expanded facility will have 62 beds for detention, a day treatment program for youths living at home, and an alternative education program for non-residents. This facility will provide a continuum of programming for youth involved with the 9th Judicial Circuit Court from secure long term residential programming to community based services incorporating the families and community in the treatment of our youth.

In the past, many adjudicated youth spent time in the Juvie Home and were ultimately sent out of state for secure residential treatment. This …