A new commission is charged with improving academic expectations at WVU. by Becky Lofstead Instead of enjoying the lull that summer brings to a university campus, Physics Professor Carl Rotter raced through the months between the spring and fall semesters gathering information about the students he would be working with this fall. The scope of his research ranged from the typical WVU undergraduate's high school grade point average and standardized test scores to the number of hours the typical student spends studying and working. Doesn't sound like the typical work of a physics mind, but Dr. Rotter-former chairman of the Faculty Senate-is leading the University's new Commission on Academic Standards and Expectations, which aims to improve the academic performance of undergraduates. Rotter, Provost Gerald Lang, and Student Administration President Adam Green are co-chairs of the 28-member commission. "We're looking at a number of factors," Rotter said, ing class attendance, job expectations, and grading systems in addition to high school and college GPAs, test scores, and time spent studying and working. "We want to make sure we are preparing students to be lifelong learners and leaders." Rotter said an education should be based on developing analytical skills, not just absorbing information. He applies this concept when grading his physics students. "The student who thinks gets an A or B. The student who memorizes gets a C or D. They need to ask why, rather than just knowing that things are." Adam Green's perspective reflects his experience on the other side of the classroom. "As a student," he said, "I plan to ensure that not only faculty and staff expectations are examined, but also student expectations. "One of the first tasks of the commission must be to define the term 'study.' Everyone's definition varies." Green said the commission should also review the existing goals for undergraduate education at WVU and determine if they are adequate. But for now, Green says he is excited to be a part of this new commission. "I hope to look back on my time as student body president and know that this administration helped make a difference at WVU, both in and out of the classroom," he said. Announced in May by President David C. Hardesty, Jr., the commission is a response to both on-campus concerns and those outlined in an April 1998 national report by the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University. Funded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Boyer Commission included 11 renowned scholars and educators, among them National Academy of Sciences President Bruce Alberts and American Council on Education President Stanley Ikenberry. Their report, "Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities," suggests that the nation's 125 research institutions are placing more emphasis on research than teaching, and sets forth an Academic Bill of Rights—elements of a quality education that every undergraduate at a research university should be guaranteed. Students, says the Boyer report, should have the opportunity to "work with talented senior researchers" and have "access to first-class facilities in which to pursue research." The report further states that traditional lecture courses should be restructured to promote "inquiry-based learning" and course work should be evaluated to make sure students can write well enough to be understood by a lay audience. In his announcement, President Hardesty noted that many WVU undergraduates already work in hands-on research teams with top faculty members, some large lecture classes have been revamped, and a writing element has been added to the curriculum, but there is still much to be done. "We have so much to be proud of, such as our outstanding history of postgraduate fellowships—especially the Rhodes, Truman, and Goldwater Scholars," Hardesty said. "WVU has the highest entry standards, highest retention statistics, highest graduation rate, and excellent academic standards among its athletes, compared to other state institutions. But we can do better. "Our collective reputation and the value of our degrees could be much, much better if we collectively expect more of ourselves," he said. Hardesty set a March 1, 1999, deadline for the commission's report, but expects actual changes to take anywhere from one to five years. While noting that the study's results are not predetermined, he said they will include higher entry standards, closer ties with the regional campuses, better orientation and study-skills programs, improved recruitment of top students, and increased scholarships. "Universities need to take advantage of the immense resources of their graduate and research programs to strengthen the quality of undergraduate education. . . . There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between all the participants in university learning that will provide a new kind of undergraduate experience available only at research institutions." —Boyer Commission report, April 1998.

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