Lessons about Student Success from High-Performing Colleges and Universities
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Lessons about Student Success
from High-Performing
Colleges and Universities
(BY GEORGE D. KUH, JILLIAN KINZIE, JOHN H . SCHUH, AND ELIZABETH J
e 're back at Macalester College for our second site resources in ways that enhance student learning? Are students
visit. This meeting is with the provost to get feedback challenged and supported in their studies? Do they acquire the
about ihe interim report we sent a few weeks ago. lifelong learning skills and competencies that will enable them
We 're ready to record what he says we missed about to lead productive, civically responsible lives after college?
what the coUege docs to enhance student success. A time-honored approach to improving effectiveness is to
Instead, he pulls out a pen and legal pad and says. leam what high-performing organizations within a given indus-
"This was a fine report. Now lell us how we can do things bet- try do and then to determine which of their practices are repli-
ter here at Mac." cable in other settings. A team of 24 researchers coordinated by
There's a lot of buzz these days about student success and the National Sur\'ey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Institute
educational effectiveness. College costs are rising and enroll- for Effective Educational Practice at the Indiana University
ments are at an all-time high, yet the proportion of students Center for Postsecondary Research set out to do just that.
earning degrees has stayed more or less constant for decades. The Documenting Effective Educational Practices (DEEP)
This leads some to conclude that colleges aren't holding up project was a two-year study of 20 four-year colleges and uni-
their end of the educational bargain. versities that had both higher-than-predicted graduation rates
The question. Do they graduate? is receiving the most and higher-than-predicted scores on the NSSE. Graduation is
scrutiny by state legislatures and by those drafting the re- increasingly used in accountability and performance systems as
authorization legislation for the Higher Education Act. But an indicator of institutional effectiveness, and student engage-
policymakers, parents, and students are also asking tough ques- ment is important because research shows that it's linked to a
tions about what they can reasonably expect from colleges and host of desirable outcomes of college.
universities while students are enrolled. Are schools allocating The schools listed in the box on page 48 are not necessarily
the "most engaging" institutions in the country, nor do they nec-
George D. Kuh is chancellor's professor and director of the Indiana essarily have the highest graduation rates, But they exceed what
University Center for Postsecondary Research. Jillian Kinzie is asso- they are expected to do in these two key areas, after taking into
ciate director of the NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice account relevant student and institutional characteristics. Taken
at the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. John together, these two indicators suggest that these colleges and uni-
H. Schuh is distinguished professor of Educational Leadership and versities "add value" to their students' experiences.
Policy Studies at Iowa State University. Elizabeth J. Whitt is professor The DEEP research team visited each institution twice
of education and coordinator of graduate programs in student affairs for several days. Altogether, we talked with more than 2,700
at The University of Iowa. people; observed dozens of classes; and spent time in libraries.
44 CHANGE • JULY/AUGUST 2005
cafeterias, and other campus venues.
We also reviewed hundreds of print
and electronic documents. Erom this PROJECT DEEP COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
mountain of data, we distilled a handful
of common themes that cut across these Alvemo College (WI)
very different colleges and universities. California State University at Monterey Bay (CA)
These are described in our new book.
Student Success in College: Creating The Evergreen State College (WA)
Conditions Thai Matter. Fayetteville State University (NC)
One of the most important conditions
George Mason University (VA)
characterizing the DEEP institutions
is an intentional focus on institutional Gonzaga University (WA)
improvement. In this article we illustrate
Longwood University (VA)
what [his improvement-oriented ethos
looks like in practice and conclude with Macalester College (MN)
some ideas for what other institutions
Miami University (OH)
can leam from DEEP
Sewanee: University of the South (TN)
AN IMPROVEMENT-ORIENTED Sweet Briar College (VA)
ETHOS
University of Kansas (KS)
The Macalester College provost's
response to our description of his in- University of Maine at Earmington (ME)
stitution illustrates several key features
University of Michigan (MI)
of the DEEP schools. They constantly
experiment with new approaches for University of Texas at El Paso (TX)
improving teaching and learning, oc- Ursinus College (PA)
casionally adopting promising practices
from other institutions. Confident as to Wabash College (IN)
who and what they are, their motivation Wheaton College (MA)
for getting "better" generally is internal.
And they continuously moniior what Winston-Salem State University (NC)
they're doing, where they are, and where Wofford College (SC)
they want to go, in order to maintain mo-
mentum. Although generally self criti-
cal, they aren't plagued by a culture of program is reinvented on an annual basis. faculty members to discuss ways to
complaint, in large part because of their Anchoring its curriculum is the "Pro- extend their pedagogical repertories.
bent toward innovation. To varying de- gram," an interdisciplinary semester- or Each participant identifies a specific
grees, they're emblematic of the learning year-long study of a topic or problem course that he or she wants to improve,
organizations described by Peter Senge that a small group of faculty from dif- discusses ways to make improvements,
and the firms studied by Jim Collins that ferent disciplines design and pursue and implements changes during the
catapulted from good to great. with two dozen or so interested students. academic year. Theme-based leaming
Supporting this orientation toward Eaculty who teach similar material or the communities focus on such issues as
improvement is a "can-do" ethic that institution's core courses follow the basic cooperative leaming and ethics across
permeates the campuses—a tapestry of approach of the Program by frequently the curriculum, using team teaching
values and beliefs that reflect the in- revising both the content and pedagogy of and small-group strategies to enhance
stitutions' willingness to take on mat- their courses as well. leaming. Other groups experiment with
ters of substance consistent with their Improving the quality of leaming and problem-based leaming and teaching
priorities. Indeed, they exude a sense teaching is pretty much the order of the portfolios, along with strategies for as-
of "positive restlessness" in how they day at DEEP schools. As a sociology sessing student leaming.
think about themselves and what they faculty member involved in the Teaching Erom its founding in 1994. Califor-
aspire to be. and Leaming Center at Eayetteville State nia State University at Monterey Bay
Positive restlessness. Never quite University in North Carolina told us, set out to be an innovative, learner-cen-
satisfied with their perfomiance, DEEP "We are very conscious of the need to tered educational institution. Today, the
colleges and universities are restless in a understand students and to engage them university integrates interdisciplinary
positive way. A faculty member at Ever- actively in the classroom." Another fac- academic programs, active and collab-
green State College explained what this ulty member explained that it's part of orative leaming, and service learning
feeling is like on that campus. "We talk the institutional culture here "to address throughout its curriculum. According to
about what needs to be fixed all the time. poor teaching." one administrator, "We are our biggest
This is very much a part of our culture." Eaculty Leaming Communities at critics,...We hold ourselves to a higher
Indeed, much of Evergreen's academic Miami University provide a venue for standard because we're supposed to be
CHANGE • JULY/AUGUST 2005
trying new things." but where you put your money
George Mason University's speaks volumes." Like Gon-
(GMU) similar inclination to zaga, its Student Work Initiative
innovate is due in part to its rela- employs students on campus
tive youth and its self-perception in jobs essential to keeping the
as an "underdog" in the Virginia campus functioning. Jump-
higher education system. As one started with $80,000 from the
staff member told us, "Because president's office, the program
this is a young institution, there's ensures that more than half of
a strong dynamic sense, an open- UMF students work on campus,
ness to try new things and do and the school's persistence rate
interesting things." Another said, is rising.
"What's so great is there's no Decisionmaking informed by
predefmed way of doing things, data. DEEP schools frequently
of how this place moves—ex- combine stories with systemati-
cept forward." A student voiced cally collected information about
a similar sentiment: "We're big student and institutional per-
on improvement here, and this formance to estimate how well
place is so responsive. You can they're doing. As the University
make things happen very fast." of Kansas (KU) provost told us,
A faculty member added. "The "Data drive most of the things
attitude is. 'Let's do it and see we do." Most use some form of
what happens.'" benchmarking and were among
Investing in student success. the early adopters of NSSE, us-
Discretionary resources exist ing it in combination with other
at the University of Michigan assessment tools to determine
to seed innovation. The provost whether some aspects of student
supports initiatives to improve and faculty behavior could be
undergraduate education, and better aligned.
academic units sponsor scores Another example is the
of small programs that signifi- University of Michigan, which
cantly enrich the undergraduate conducted six major studies of
experience. Among these are the undergraduate experience be-
the Undergraduate Research tween 1986 and 2003. Alvemo's
Opportunity Program and a assessment-driven ability based
number of highly visible di- education and Cal State Mon-
versity initiatives, such as the terey Bay's Outcomes-Based
Pathways to Student Success Education model are vehicles for
and Excellence Program, the coordinating and revising aca-
Minority Engineering Program, demic offerings and for improv-
and the King/Chavez/Parks Col- ing instmctional practices.
lege Clubs.
Moreover, the DEEP institu-
Even DEEP schools with tions report their performance.
modest resources are committed A steady stream of reports from
to support good ideas thai prom- KU's Office of Institutional
ise to enhance student leaming. Research and Planning ensures
For example, although resources that information is available for
at Gonzaga University are lim- policy formation and decision-
ited, one senior administrator making there. Results from the
asserted, "We have a can-do at- General Education Assessment,
titude....We figure out how to get Student Perceptions Survey,
things done." Students are part of the so- dents for campus jobs is a strong sense Senior Survey, and NSSE are reported
lulion, as one administrator pointed out: of student ownership of university pro- routinely to academic and student-life
"We need to employ students to operate." grams and services. administrators. These data are then used
Campus work experiences are often Although resources at the Universi- to modify advising practices, curricu-
educationally enriching as well as a ty of Maine at Farmington (UMF) are lum requirements, and administrative
source of income, providing students stretched thin, its financial challenges stmctures. Three-person faculty teams
with substantive leadership and leam- seem to strengthen, not threaten, its at KU annually conduct interviews
ing opportunities. Another positive side sense of purpose. A senior administra- with about 120 graduating seniors to
effect of hiring large numbers of stu- tor told us, "We do a lot with a little. assess the impact of general education
CHANGE* JUIY/AUGUST 2005 47
courses, information that is then rassed by their poor graduation
fed back to departments. rates, did something about them.
Longwood University and Sewanee was disappointed in its
GMU operate under a Virginia NSSE active and collaborative
state-mandated assessment leaming scores and revised its
requirement that has led to first-year program to encourage
data-informed decisionmaking. such activities.
Extensive faculty discussions In the early 1990s, Macal-
at Longwood during the late ester commissioned a retention
1980s led to a revision and task force to examine first-year
expansion of its general educa- student retention, which was
tion requirements in 1990. To- well below the 90 percent level
day, Longwood evaluates the to which campus leaders aspired.
impact of these changes using Identifying academic advising
multiple measures, including and student-faculty interaction
surveys, academic progress as areas to enhance. Macalester
statistics, curriculum evalua- now requires all students to take
tions, and nationally normed its effective—but previously
discipline-specific achieve- "'optional"—first-year seminar
ment tests. course and clarified the aca-
GMU faculty also responded demic advising responsibilities
to the state's assessment man- of the faculty members teaching
date. Every semester faculty the course.
members in Mason's New Cen-
tury College develop a portfolio How DID THEY Do IT?
assessment for each course, on While all 20 DEEP colleges
which they base changes in the and universities are inclined
course for the next term, while toward improvement, each
the GMU School of Nursing took a different path. At some
faculty use student focus groups schools—Evergreen, Macalester,
to solicit feedback on course of- the University of Michigan, and
ferings and pedagogy. Ursinus—the curriculum was
Other GMU academic de- the focal point for promoting
partments meet with the leaders student success. Gonzaga Uni-
of student organizations to ob- versity, Longwood University,
tain comments on courses and Miami University, and UME use
to plan revisions of them. Such oul-of-class activities to engage
efforts are essential, explained students with their classes and
one faculty member: "You won- the institution.
der if your assumptions about Sometimes—for example,
leaming are correct because at Alvemo College and Cal
the student body constantly State Monterey Bay—a con-
changes and comes from differ- vergence of extemal forces,
ent backgrounds than do many such as changing accreditation
of the faculty." standards and an authentic
Miami University faculty desire to improve student learn-
members talk about the "sense ing, prompted schools to look
of momentum" that is fueled closely at various aspects of the
by continuous assessment. student experience and institu-
Groups there such as the Liberal tional performance.
Education Council, Multicul- At other schools—such as
tural Council, and Committee for the strong departments at other universities, UME, the University of Texas at El
Enhancement of Leaming and Teaching and implements the best practices they Paso. Fayetteville State, and GMU—
review programs regularly and recom- fmd. More than 100 plans for improve- visionary leaders pointed the way. At
mend ways to strengthen them. The ment have ensued. still others—Cal State Monterey Bay,
Committee on Student Assessment and And to varying degrees DEEP Evergreen State, Michigan, Sewanee,
Expectations is pursuing an ambitious schools are willing to confront "the bru- Sweet Briar, and Wabash—a salient
benchmarking exercise whereby each tal facts of reality." as Jim Collins puts founding mission and strong campus
department and program evaluates its it. Fayetteville State University and the culture sustain the necessary commit-
own practices, makes comparisons to six University of Texas at El Paso, embar- ment to student success.
48 CHANGE • JUIY/AUGLIST 2005
Although each DEEP school charted of people pulling in the same direction adds legitimacy to change initiatives and
its own course to institutional improve- at the time we conducted this study. can engender commitment from others.
ment, there are some lessons from their Put someone in charge, but make By connecting to similar activities and
experiences and circumstances that other it collaborative. There is an old adage individuals across the institution, these
colleges and universities can apply in that when everyone is responsible for groups create support and synergy for
their own context. something, no one is accountable for change.
Stay the course. DEEP schools did it. For this reason, DEEP schools usu- Eaculty collaboration is a key ingre-
not become high-performing institutions ally assign some individual or group dient of curriculum revision. At Wof-
overnight: they had the advantage of the responsibility for coordinating and ford College and Ursinus, for example,
people at the institution working on one monitoring the status and impact of its creating common intellectual experi-
or more initiatives for an extended pe- student-success initiatives. Sometimes ences tended to neutralize the polar-
riod of time. Some of the key champions the usual suspects are enlisted—faculty izing effects of disciplinary loyalty by
for change had been at the institution a and staff members with a reputation compelling faculty to work together on
long time, such as the KU provost and for getting things done. Sometimes key a project that benefited the whole col-
the Miami vice president for student af- lege and enhanced the overall quality
fairs. Evergreen's academic dean gradu- of the student experience.
ated from the college; his knowledge of Sustainable improvements are not
the institution and its founding values
were instrumental in aligning the col-
What sets usually ihe work of a single unit. Rather,
these innovations typically cross tradi-
lege's mission, educational philosophy,
policies, and practices.
most of [DEEP] tional organization boundaries, such as
the collaborations between academic
Provide leadership from every corner. presidents apart and student affairs on learning commu-
Many institutions plod along without nities at the University of Texas, El Paso;
visionary executive leadership. This from many of their the early alert programs at Cal State
is not the case at DEEP schools. What Monterey Bay, Fayetteville State, and
sets most of these presidents apart from counterparts Winston-Salem State University; and ihe
many of their counterparts is their holistic first-year initiatives at Miami.
perspective on student development and is their holistic Moreover, the innovations often
institutional responsibilities for student spread horizontally to different areas,
success. They recognize that it is essential perspective on further increasing the chances that
to provide a leaming environment that many students will be touched by the
combines high academic challenge with
commensurate support.
student effort. For example, efforts aimed at
enhancing undergraduate education at
They also surround themselves with development and the University of Michigan involved
talented colleagues—especially senior administrative leaders in the president's
academic and student affairs officers— institutional and provost's offices and were cham-
who work well together to implement pioned by the goveming board, the
policies and practices that realize the responsibilities for division of student affairs, faculty
institution's mission. The relationship members, and students. Consequently,
may not be causal, but it's worth noting the commitment to improving under-
student success. graduate programs became embedded
that all the presidents had held academic
appointments before being selected for in strategic planning activities and, sub-
their presidency. sequently, policy decisions.
As important as senior administra- newcomers help lead the way. as did Get and keep the right people. As
tors are. effective leadership for student a new academic dean at Sewanee and Jim Collins says, it's important that the
success is not concentrated exclusively the new vice president of student af- right people be on the bus. The change
in the executive ranks. Senior and fairs/dean of co-curricular life at Sweet process starts with getting the best people
junior faculty and staff members are Briar charged with pulling the in-class in the hiring pool, something that DEEP
encouraged to find ways to weave their and out-of-class experience on campus provosts and academic deans are very
ideas for improving teaching and learn- closer together. intentional about and do very well. They
ing into policies and everyday practic- At the same time, collaboration is unapologetically emphasize lo potential
es. Indeed, at many DEEP schools some key. The success of Miami's efforts was faculty the importance of high-quality un-
of the more powerful innovations were helped immeasurably by an effective dergraduate teaching and probe the extent
introduced by faculty members. working relationship among the provost, lo which potential hires are enthusiastic
Leaders are not necessarily expected the academic deans, and the vice presi- about and committed to it. Some DEEP
lo bring about the changes themselves dent for student affairs. Evergreen's ef- schools such as UMF feature an extended
but rather to motivate, monitor, encour- forts benefited from a fixed-term "think campus visit (three days) so that both the
age, and support others who are also force" of administrators, key faculty potential hire and institution can leam
working on the issues. Consequently, members, students, and governing board about one another in a variety of social
DEEP colleges and universities had lots members. Such a high-profile group and professional situations.
CHANGF. •JULY/AUGUST 200^ 49
Lee Shulman reminds us that new "sensing negative restlessness. Working But institutional culture is not mono-
faculty members are socialized during out problems is vital," he said. "We have lithic—especially as students, faculty,
graduate school to do some things and to leam to collaborate and help faculty, and staff members become more di-
not others and to value certain ideas and staff, and students to have faith in the verse—and cultures have their "shadow
views about the professoriate, teaching, process." Skills like "taking the tempera- sides," aspects of institutional life that
and leaming over others. For this reason, ture of the group" and "building group are problematic. Who and what are priv-
newcomers need lo be taught what the consciousness" are part of Evergreen's ileged and valued are often contested, as
institution values; in some instances, ethos and take different forms at other are interpretations of events and actions.
ihey need to be countersocialized. This DEEP schools. Some issues, such as striking an ap-
is best done by veteran faculty with sup- Cultivate a campus culture that propriate balance between teaching and
port from administrators. Such efforts makes space for differences. Virtually research, can quickly galvanize parties
must be ongoing, not relegated to an every study of high-performing entities into staking out all-too-familiar posi-
hour during new faculty orientation. concludes that culture is the single most tions that foreclose altemative interpre-
The Ursinus vice president for aca- important element that must be altered tations or reconciliation efforts. This is
demic affairs sponsors ongoing collo- true at DEEP colleges as well as at other
quia, attended by a few senior faculty, to colleges and universities.
introduce newcomers to various aspects To their credit, DEEP schools gener-
of the college and to emphasize the insti- ally address such matters head on by
tution's central focus on student leaming Often creating opportunities for issues and
and other values. Newcomers at KU differences to be vetted, understood, and
hear plainly from senior faculty that they too little managed. Eaculty leaders and senior
will occasionally be asked lo set aside administrators often take the lead in
personal priorities for the good of the thought is such dialogues to keep differences from
campus, such as when general education festering and paralyzing institutional
requirements are revised. As one veteran functions. When done well, public con-
KU faculty member put it, "We give up a
given to where
versations strengthen academic values
little to make the whole better," a legacy and remind colleagues of their responsi-
of the Populist heritage of its region.
the resources or bilities to encourage and model reasoned
discourse about complicated matters and
Convert challenges into opportuni- energy will come differences of opinion.
ties. As our research team colleague,
Adrianna Kezar, pointed out, organi- from to sustain A hot-button topic almost everywhere
zational change requires openness to is diversity. At Sweet Briar, students
surprises, a focus on creativity, and an the efforts debate not only whether the institution
appreciation for chance occurrences. !n is doing enough to realize its purported
some cases, the triggering occurrence is beyond a first aspirations for a diverse student body
a problem. and faculty but the meaning of diversity
For example, Wofford's failure to or second itself. At Miami, the desire to move
obtain an NSF curricular-reform grant beyond a tolerance of diversity to the
prompted it to revisit what it was doing cycle. constmction of a pluralistic community
and why, resulting in a renewed commit- has been a topic of healthy campus dis-
ment to an interdisciplinary approach cussion for more than a decade.
to general education, with leaming Avoid overload. The inclination to
communities as the featured delivery continually improve undoubtedly exac-
vehicle. Wheaton responded to enroll- and managed in order to change what erbates the universal sense that people
ment shortfalls by changing its mission an organization values and how it acts. at DEEP schools—and just about every-
and reinvigorating its curriculum with Unless they are stitched into campus where else—are on overload. One fac-
a gender-balanced educational philoso- culture, as Peter Ewell once observed, ulty member described the teaching load
phy. In some instances, concems about institutional change initiatives tend to be at his institution as "crushing." Thus,
the state of affairs tumed the institution "trains on their own track," running par- one of the most important questions for
in a different direction. UTEP adopted allel but not converging. institutions to address is not what to do
a new mission to take advantage of the "Culture" consists in part of tacit next but what to stop doing so there is
inexorable shift in the demographics of assumptions and beliefs that influence time and energy to invest in promising
its region. both the substance of policies, pro- new initiatives. Otherwise there are few
What tums these problems into op- grams, and practices and how they are periods during which people give them-
portunities is when people^usually implemented. Culture also gives people selves permission to coast, catch their
administrators, but often faculty mem- a common language and values. A breath, and renew their spirit and energy.
bers and occasionally students—identify strong, coherent institutional culture that To their credit, some DEEP schools are
successfully lobbies to have the issue features talent development, academic working on these matters. For instance,
addressed in an open fomm. A faculty achievement, and respect for differences Ursinus has a panel of faculty studying
member at Evergreen State labeled this is congenial to student success. workload demands, which increased after
50 CHANGE • JULY/AUGUST 2005
the college introduced a package of curric- one or more groups of student.s who are Indeed, this drive to improve is
ular revisions to enhance student engage- not as engaged as the institution would one of their more distinctive and en-
ment ;ind academic rigor. Evergreen State like. Although their priorities and proper- dearing characteristics. More than any
uses Disappearing Task Forces (DTFs) ties make them attractive on a variety of other trait, it may be the one that leads
to address important govemance matters levels, faculty and staff at DEEP schools them to discover even more effective
as they arise in order to concentrate fac- are the first to admit that they would like strategies for promoting student
ulty service commitments on key issues. to be even better than they are. success. E
Unlike standing committees elsewhere,
which take time away from teaching and
advising, these task forces are subsequent-
ly decommissioned.
Overload can affect students, too,
W e are indebted to Lumina Foundation for Education and the Center of
Inquiry in the Liberal Arts (CILA)at Wabash College for their support of
Project DEEP and our partners at the American Association for Higher Educa-
which is why Miami University intro- tion who assisted in various aspects of the study. However, the views expressed
duced Choice Matters, an initiative that in this article are solely those of the authors, noi Lumina or CILA.
encourages undergraduates to more de- Also we wish to acknowledge other members of the DEEP research team:
liberately select among the many learn- Rob Aaron, Charles Blaich, Anne Bost, Larry Braskamp. Ed Chan. Arthur
ing opportunities inside and outside the Chickering, Jason DeSousa. Elaine El-Khawas. Sara Hinkle. Mary Howard-
classroom that they will pursue in order Hamilton, Bruce Jacobs. Adrianna Kczar, Richard Lynch, Peter Magolda. Kath-
to get the most out of college. leen Manning. Carla Morelon. Shaila Mulholland, Richard Muthiah, Charles
Schroeder, and Mary Beth Snyder.
CONCLUSION
Finally, we wish to thank the faculty, staff, and students at the 20 DEEP col-
Our time on DEEP campuses has con- leges and universities who gave freely of their time during our campus visits and
vinced us that an improvement-oriented helped us discover what "matters " to student success.
ethos contributes to student success at To assist institutions in taking stock of the extent to which the conditions for
these institutions. It sounds simple, even student success exist on their campus, we developed the Inventory for Student
trite, but these institutions set priorities Engagement and Success described in Kuh et ai (in press). * ^
consistent with their espoused mission
and educational purposes, fund these
priorities to the extent possible, moni-
tor their performance and that of their
students, and use data to infomi deci- RESOURCES
sionmaking. They create effective leam-
ing environments for large numbers of • Collins, J., Good to Great, New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
students by linking together educational • Ewell, P. T., "Organizing for Leaming: A New Imperat'we,'' AAHF Bulletin,
practices that challenge and support them. Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 3-6. 1997.
Institutional leaders champion and reward • Eullan, M., Leading in a Culture of Change, San Francisco: Jossey Bass,
experimentation consistently with the 2001.
school's mission and values. • Kezar, A., Understanding and Facilitating Organizational Change in the 21st
If these very different colleges and Century: Recent Research and Conceptualization, ASHE-ERIC Higher Educa-
universities can do this, so can many tion Report, Washington, DC: The George Washington University, Graduate
others. That's not to say it's easy. The School of Education and Human Development. Vol. 28. No. 4. 2001.
path to institutional improvement is lit- • Kuh, G.D., J. Kinzie, J.H. Schuh, and E.J. Whitt & Associates, Student Suc-
tered with failed and faltering interven- cess in College: Creating Conditions that Matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
tions, because often too little thought is and American Association for Higher Education, 2005.
given to where the resources or energy • Kuh, G.D., J. Kinzie, J.H. Schuh. and E.J. Whitt, Assessing Conditions to
will come from to sustain the efforts Enhance Educational Effectiveness: The Inventory for Student Engagement and
beyond a first or second cycle. But Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, in press.
DEEP schools did not let sustainability • Kuh, G.D., J.H. Schuh, and E.J. Whitt & Associates, Involving Colleges: En-
paralysis set in. Highly self-critical. couraging Student Learning and Personal Development through Out-of-Class
they do not allow themselves to become Experiences, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.
complaisant. Rather, they exhibit a • Pascarella, E., and P. Terenzini, How CoUege Affects Students: A Third De-
persistent tendency to move forward cade of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2005.
with eyes wide open and altemative • Senge, P.M., The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Orga-
strategies in mind to deal with changing nization, New York: Doubleday. 1990.
circumstances. • Shulman, L.S., Teaching as Community Property: Essays on Higher Educa-
These institutions are doing many tion, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004.
things from which other schools can leam. • Tagg, J., The Leaming Paradigm College, Bolton, MA: Anker, 2003.
But they are not pertect—You can also read
