2019-2020 Strategic Initiatives Funds Awarded
The University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund provided initial support for several initiatives that have continued, including STEAM Activities for School/Community Groups.Seven projects that focus on supporting and improving the student experience received 2019-2020 Strategic Initiatives Funding awards from The University of Scranton. Projects funded range from initiatives to offer students multidisciplinary STEM research experience to resilience training to support for the use of Open Educational Resources as replacements for commercial textbooks. Projects also offer support for first generation students, diversity and inclusion training, academic support to students and training to facilitate discussions between those with different perspectives.
To date, more than $500,000 has been awarded through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund to support innovative projects that advance the goals of the Strategic Plan: Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.
Funding is open to University students, faculty and staff, and collaborative projects are encouraged. For those projects that may span multiple years, awards provide “seed money” for the first year of the initiative. Several projects initially funded through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund have continued, including a Student Leadership Capstone Experience, the Humanities Initiative, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Activities for School/Community Groups and a Community-Based Learning Office to support and develop academic experiences for students to work with individuals, groups or organizations in ways structured to meet community-defined needs.
Strategic Initiatives Funding for 2019-20 was awarded to the following projects:
“Thinking Outside the Academic Box: Student Focused, Multidisciplinary Research in Neuroscience,” Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, primary author;
“RISE Student Success Program,” Christina Lenway, reading specialists and Gonzaga Program director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, primary author;
“Open Educational Resources Development,” George Aulisio, associate professor and research and scholarly services coordinator, Weinberg Memorial Library, primary author;
“First Generation Student Support Initiative,” Shannon Murphy Fennie, assistant dean of students, primary author;
“Inclusion and Diversity Pedagogy Initiative, “Christine Black, J.D., assistant director of the Office of Equity and Diversity and deputy Title IX coordinator, primary author;
“Resilience Training and Development Programming,” Lauren Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for student life and dean of students, primary author;
“Dialogue Across Differences Initiative,” Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology; Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations; and the Dialogue Across Differences Campus Working Group; primary authors.
