TO: Susan Kress, VPAA

FROM: Terry Diggory, Chair, Center Study Group

RE:  Center Study Group Update

This is the second of a series of updates stipulated in the timeline accompanying your charge to the Center Study Group (CSG).  After gathering reports from contact with other institutions that occurred over the summer (see May ’08 update), CSG focused this semester on identifying needs and opportunities for faculty development from a diverse array of perspectives on campus.  During the months of September and October we met with:

As chair of CSG, I presented a brief report at the October faculty meeting and announced a series of Focus Groups meetings.  These meetings were held on October 24, and consisted of faculty invited according to a random sampling method for each of four cohorts:

Copies of the questions used to guide discussion at these meetings accompany this report (click on above links for questions).  We have just begun review of the results of these discussions, based on extensive notes taken by CSG members.  Special thanks are due to Chris McGill for coordinating the logistics of this effort (and taking notes at two of the meetings).  Chris has been providing invaluable administrative support to CSG since last spring. 

An additional open forum, to which all faculty will be invited, has been scheduled for Friday, November 21, at 3:30 pm in Davis Auditorium.  We also plan to continue meetings with individuals on a variety of topics, including Bill Tomlinson and Barry Pritzker on external funding, Sarah Goodwin on assessment and Phyllis Roth on retirees.  Meanwhile, we will begin identifying key findings and concepts to be presented in the preliminary report due to you by the end of February 2009.  We anticipate further consultation off campus in the spring as well, through Skidmore representation at two conferences: 

As always, we welcome any questions or comments that you may have in response to this update.  Our next update is due to be submitted in December 2008.