Members present: Genaro Padilla (Co-chair), Carolyn Porter (Co-chair), Robert Knapp, Cathy Koshland, Robert Brentano, Robert Middlekauff, and Mark Tanouye; Staff: Gail Kaufman, Alix Schwartz, Cynthia Schrager, Susan Wells

Announcements and review of previous meeting (4/2/99)

Introductions were made and Carolyn Porter gave a brief review of the key issues that were discussed at the last meeting.

First Year Experience Report Discussion

Padilla indicated that there is no unifying experience for students in the first year. Our decentralized operations may be more efficient from an administrative perspective; however, they can present a confusing picture for students. The report addresses some of the issues that are faced by incoming students.

Padilla is in the process of creating a "transfer lounge" in the old deli space in Lower Sproul Plaza. At first it will just be a space furnished with couches, tables, and some lockers, but eventually Padilla would like to have advisors, career center staff, and others available in the space on a regularly scheduled basis.

Undergraduate Affairs (UGA) is also considering a program that is being referred to as "Getting Ready." At this point it is in the thinking stages. It would be some sort of preparatory program for transfers, who are often surprised at the amount of writing and reading and the caliber of work expected of them at Berkeley. There have been discussions about having the program in the summer, in the evening, on weekends, or during welcome week. UGA hopes to have this in place by Fall of 2000.

Porter questioned why in one of the recommendations there was such an emphasis on preparing for professions. We'd like to have some opportunity for students to learn for the pleasure of learning and to have some time to explore and expand their horizons. Padilla noted that students often comment that they get information on careers too late and that the idea of developing portfolios also relates to summer internships and research work as well as careers after they graduate. Koshland commented that this comes back to an issue that was discussed earlier: what do we want the educational process to be about during the 4+ years that a student is here?

There are 1,500 transfer students each year. They have the same needs as freshmen in regard to forming community, becoming oriented to the campus, adjusting to a new academic/intellectual culture, and learning how to navigate the bureaucracy. However, transfer students experience an intensified sense of urgency because of their short time on campus. To help these students, we are thinking of having "transfer seminars." The focus might be on 1) exploring careers, 2) exploring the major, 3) general interest, and/or 4) skills building

There followed a lengthy discussion on the need for small classes by transfer students. The general sentiment was that these classes may be a good idea, but they need to be conceptualized to meet the needs of transfer students and not be a simple overlay of the freshman seminars on another group. We need to clearly understand the real problem and consider the broader context. It was suggested that there be a survey of transfer students to find out what might be preferred. The goal would be to integrate these students into the community faster, help them create a "Berkeley identity" and create a community of their own, as well as to further their academic and intellectual development.

Action: Padilla will 1) further investigate the specific needs of transfer students, and 2) propose some models.

The general consensus was that all students need experience in smaller classrooms. The focus needs to be on education. Middlekauff believes that we need to establish more small courses in established disciplines, courses that develop the intellect. In addition, there needs to be an advising system that enables students to focus on developing their intellect. He feels that these are the two most important areas to consider. Several committee members agreed.

Porter commented that this comes back to encouraging the faculty to participate in the way that we would like them to participate. Incentives need to be developed and they should be geared to progressive/innovative ideas for changing or improving undergraduate education.

There was a general consensus that housing, while it may seem less important, does have an impact on the educational process. The tenor of the campus changes if we are a largely commuter campus. In addition, the access to the web and other support systems and technology in housing creates an intersection between housing and instruction. 

The meeting concluded with an agreement to look more closely at two major areas: 1) improvements to the academic enterprise (for example, the proposal made by Middlekauff); and 2) improvements to advising (for example, the proposal made by Knapp).

At the next meeting we will continue to pursue these two issues and Porter will use the Michigan conference as a springboard for the discussion.

Last updated on 4/28/99 by CS.