My Armstrong Experience—Week Nine

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Oct 10, 2012, 03:29 pm - Carey Adams

With so much to learn about how my own office and division work, I have been spending much of my time on campus and focusing on tasks that are close at hand. Last week I was excited to be engaged in several conversations that focused on outside collaborations.

Faculty and administrators from the College of Liberal Arts and the Criminal Justice program met with their counterparts from Savannah Technical College to negotiate an articulation that would create a clear, streamlined path for Savannah Tech graduates to complete a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice here at Armstrong. We hope to have the last details worked out within the next few weeks.
I attended the annual new faculty reception co-hosted by Armstrong and Savannah State University. The reception also honors recipients of joint grants involving Armstrong and SSU faculty. Savannah State has its own new Provost, Dr. Reynold Verret, so we have been swapping "drinking through a fire hose" stories.
Representatives from both neighboring institutions also participated in a press conference to officially announce the collaborative CAMINO projecthttp://www.armstrong.edu/About/news3/news_community_leaders_launch_camino, in which Savannah's higher education institutions are partnering with education, business, government and nonprofit leaders across four counties to double the number of Hispanic and Latino students who enroll in and complete college in the Coastal Empire.

My last example of collaboration from last week actually is an all-Armstrong affair, but notable nonetheless. Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Keith Betts, invited me to visit with his senior staff last week. Sometimes Student Affairs and Academic Affairs misguidedly get painted as being on parallel if not opposite tracks. A good deal of what makes college a transforming experience for so many is the learning that takes place outside of the classroom. I was glad for the chance to emphasize to this group my commitment to helping Academic Affairs and Student Affairs optimize our partnerships.