AFA Committee Minutes for October 19, 2006

Present: L. McClusky, L. Miller-Bernal, C. Patella, J. Schnurr, S. Sloan, , V. Spears, A. Staples


1. Meeting was called to order by J. Schnurr at 10:05 am.

2. We discussed the joint AFA/EMT meetings, and they seem to be progressing well. We discussed the results of the CIRP survey for the past 3 years that Cindy Speaker had distributed to members of both committees. Although the data for last years' class (2005) look similar to past years at Wells, we are concerned that the upperclassmen are actually feeling slighted by the higher numbers of incoming students. Student Life may need to make an effort to make those students feel more comfortable. Also, we discussed the NESE and FESE (SPELLING? PLEASE HELP!) surveys and where we are with that data. We decided that survey data will be helpful in not only shaping the future student body but also on issues of retention.

3. On the issue of shaping the future student body, Susan will send along data about students receiving mid-term grade warnings and their incoming admission data to help identify trends. Once we have an idea of what these data look like, we will schedule an open meeting of the faculty to discuss our options for the future.  

4. As part of the shaping discussion, we again mentioned that an Academic Resource Center is needed to keep students here once they enroll. Leslie said that Senior Staff if discussing an Information Commons that may be in preliminary form as early as next spring.

5. Amy mentioned the need for Department Chairs to have a better idea of the numbers of incoming students enrolled in courses as early as possible. Discussion ensued about the trade-off between offering courses that students think that they want to take, versus the need to offer courses that are in line with the Academic Plan of the College.

6. The meeting adjourned at 11:00.


Respectfully submitted,

Jaclyn Schnurr
Secretary Pro-Temp