Lessons Learned

Transformations campaign

Develop strategic plan

External review team proposes internal

residential program

2003 - construct new station

2007 – add housing

2007 - launch fall semester

2008 - add summer semester

2009 - add spring semester

Hands-on field science Sustainability education Immersion into the location (Sense of

Place approach) Learning community

Residential semester

Branch campus model

students all live and take classes on site

14 beds

1 resident director

Environmental science / biology focus

Emphasis on field work

Integrated coursework

Block schedule

Faculty visit once per week

▪ (1 hr round trip)

Students take all the same classes

Integrated Research Experience

Would students want to do this?

Can you get sustainable enrollment?

Would students feel isolated from campus?

Is the group size to small?

Will students get enough faculty contact

with the block schedule?

Would this compete with study abroad ?

Will this become the lake party house?

Applied at the end of each semester Does not replace course evaluations Not anonymous Surveys topics

Academic program Residential life Research experience Sustainability attitude Learning community Facilities

Please select a number from the scale below that corresponds most to your attitude toward the following statements about your RFS experience. (1) Strongly disagree (2) Disagree (3) Neutral (4) Agree (5) Strongly agree (N) No opinion

I preferred living at the station to living on main campus.

Average response score = 4.2

(1) Strongly disagree (2) Disagree (3) Neutral (4) Agree (5) Strongly agree (N) No opinion

Block Schedule

(1) Strongly disagree (2) Disagree (3) Neutral (4) Agree (5) Strongly agree (N) No opinion

Would this compete with study abroad ? In the last 4 years, 30% of students

attending the residential semesters also spent at least one semester abroad.

When non-field based courses were offered in the curriculum, students tended to report lower satisfaction with those courses

Sustainability

Course Integration

Did you spend more time on collaborative academic work (more than 3 persons) than a typical semester on campus (non-class time group study and project work) ?

  If yes above, did the collaborative work improve your

academic performance? 77% of respondents indicated yes

On average, how many hours a week did you spend on academics? (include project time, study time, class time) Average response =30 hours

The RD factor

Be patient

Be patientBuild it and they will come?

Be patientBuild it and they will come Keep the planning a few years in

advance Students need lead time

Be patientBuild it and they will come does not

necessarily workKeep the planning a few years in

advance Students need lead time

Market aggressively

Be patientBuild it and they will come does not

necessarily workKeep the planning a few years in

advance Students need lead time

Market aggressivelyHave a Departmental Home

Be patientBuild it and they will come does not

necessarily workKeep the planning a few years in

advance Students need lead time

Market aggressivelyHave a Departmental HomeEach student group is different

Be patient Build it and they will come does not

necessarily work Keep the planning a few years in

advance Students need lead time

Market aggressively Have a Departmental Home Each student group is different Be flexible –

Integrated Research Communication / guidance from off

campus and non-faculty mentors Standards for assessment of research

projects Independent projects vs. pre-established

projects Distribution of work load Project-based overdose

Difficult to determineAssumptions

Count tuition(after discount), lab fees and room as revenue

Food service not included Ignore indirect costs Ignore indirect benefits

Requires 16 students to break even