Convocation 2016: Fine-tuning our strategic vision

A strategic plan discussion and an address by Interim President Ashish Vaidya are among the events at the Aug. 17-19 Convocation that heralds the new academic year.

Fall semester day and evening classes begin Aug. 22. View the academic calendar.

Convocation includes workshops, meetings, training sessions, social events and orientation of new faculty (PDF).

Three workshops will explicitly focus on Husky Compact, our shared commitment to a St. Cloud State education that sets students apart and prepares them to be global citizens in the 21st century.

Highlights

Convocation 2016 is managed by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, St. Cloud State’s engine for inquiry and critical engagement. Check the Convocation booklet (PDF) event locations:

Wednesday

The presidential address is 9 a.m. in Ritsche Auditorium. An ice cream social will follow in the lobby.

Draft revisions to the strategic plan will be shared at 11:30 a.m. in the theater of Atwood Memorial Center. Strategic Planning Committee members are seeking feedback.

Among the 1 p.m. concurrent sessions is a Huskies First 4 discussion about faculty opportunities to engage first-year and transfer students during orientation.

The 2:10 p.m. concurrent sessions include a presentation on facts, myths and misconceptions about campus policies. Facilitators will guide an examination of key policies, new and old.

At 2:45 p.m. employees from the Admissions Office and the Office of Strategy, Planning and Effectiveness will present demographic data that define “Who are the SCSU Students?”

Thursday

College/School meetings are at 10:45 a.m. Department/Program meetings are at 1 p.m.

Stephen E. Hornstein, faculty co-director for accreditation, will host a 2:45 p.m. preview of our Nov. 7-8 Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit.

Ashish Vaidya, interim president, shares remarks at the 2015 Convocation.

Friday

Among the 8:45 a.m. concurrent sessions is a workshop on digital badges, an emerging assessment and credentialing tool.

Also at 8:45 a.m., our Academic Technologies Team will train participants on MediaSpace™ by Kaltura, a tool for capturing audio, video and screen content for sharing on D2L Brightspace.