This past Thursday, October 20, 2022, the second Student Advisory Council meeting of fall 2022 was held. In light of the feedback provided at the first SAC meeting, the focus at this meeting was to seek student feedback on three areas:
- Building Unique Campus Identities: Students were presented with the descriptions that have been generated so far by students, staff, and faculty for each of Vermont State University’s five main campuses. Advisory council members shared their thoughts on what is unique and special about each of their campuses.
- Community-Engaged Scholarship and Learning (CESL): Present Grewal presented how CESL opportunities could be embedded in courses, service-learning projects, or internships, which are currently part of some but not all programs. One example would be the opportunity for faculty and students to work with community partners to co-envision solutions to local and global problems. Advisory Council members were interested in CESL and shared how they have seen it work in practice and how it could be further strengthened.
- Workforce Development Micro-Credentials: Present Grewal also presented on embedding micro-credentials in courses so that students graduate with a degree, plus in-demand credentials both within and outside their field of study, thereby making them more attractive applicants to future employers. Advisory council members were enthusiastic about this concept and shared examples of how they could benefit from such an approach.
The Student Advisory Council’s next meeting will be on November 17. In between now and then, some students will be working to provide feedback on the VSCS portal as we move towards creating VTSU’s portal page.
As always, the Council’s feedback was extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. We will continue to explore opportunities with students to ensure they are practical and interesting to students. For more details, the slides and transcripts for each student advisory council meeting are posted on the transformation website within the week after the meeting.