FOR RELEASE: Nov. 28, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Jimmy Hart, 615-898-5131 or Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu
MTSU’s EXL Scholars Program touted
as ‘excellent model’ for universities
MURFREESBORO — Service learning.
MTSU is
positioning itself as a model university in this area with its Experiential
Learning Scholars Program, or EXL, which was recently commended by a regional
accrediting organization for its impact and effectiveness after five years of
existence.
MTSU
President Sidney A. McPhee spoke to a proud group of faculty and staff at a
recent campus reception honoring those involved with the birth of the program,
which started in spring 2006 as a pilot project in conjunction with MTSU’s
Quality Enhancement Plan.
The EXL program formalizes and organizes several existing
experiential learning activities into a comprehensive program of study for
students. At the end of the five-year review period, the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools rewarded MTSU with the following commendation:
“The
institution adequately addressed all required elements of the QEP Impact
Report, and its assessment efforts are to be applauded. The ‘Experiential
Learning Scholars Program’ would serve as an excellent model for institutions
considering a similar project.”
“What’s
most impressive is the sustainability of that excellence,” McPhee told the
group at the Nov. 15 reception at the James Union Building.
In recent
weeks, McPhee added, he received an email from SACS President Dr. Belle
Wheelan, again asking to showcase MTSU’s program during an upcoming membership
meeting “as a model program for institutions to look at and see how to do it.”
McPhee
pointed to the growing interest in EXL courses on campus, noting that more than
5,000 students enrolled in EXL classes during the 2011-12 academic year. About
150 students graduated as EXL Scholars that year, too.
The
president noted that in 2011-12:
§ 4,144 EXL students participated in
community projects;
§ 197,828 student hours were spent
on community activities;
§ 3,512 EXL projects were completed;
and
§ the program’s work contributed
$1,582,624 value to the community.
“What is
so neat about this program is that it shows how you can merge academic and
service learning in a way that is not only beneficial to the community, but is
substantive and it is something that students see a value you in and respond
to,” McPhee said.
Dr. Jill
Austin, who served as chair of the committee that launched the EXL program,
emphasized that “it took everyone’s involvement to make this project happen” —
the collective cooperation of faculty, staff, students and community members.”
The
initial idea of “experiential learning” was one that drew consensus from the
start.
“We had
no idea what that meant at that time, but from the beginning, we were all
moving in the same direction,” said Austin, who is a professor of management
and marketing at MTSU. “We thought that we could change the culture of learning
at MTSU and get students more engaged in the learning process.”
Students
were deeply involved in the program development from the outset, even
developing the logo and “Make it happen!” motto still in use today. Throughout
the reception, a slideshow displayed numerous EXL community service projects
involving students, ranging from Habitat for Humanity builds to ecological
restoration at the Stones River Battlefield to a family wellness fair at
Hobgood Elementary School.
“Students
feel like they’re more confident in all kinds of ways because of EXL,” Austin
said. “They feel like their leadership skills are better than if they hadn’t
had an EXL experience — their planning skills, their organizational skills,
their ability to work with lots of people and people who are different from
them. The list could go on and on.”
Austin
recalled the Alternative Spring Break in spring 2006, when 23 MTSU students
traveled to Pass Christian, Miss., to assist with cleanup efforts after
Hurricane Katrina.
“Students
really do learn by doing. Their lives can be changed. They really see
possibilities that they didn’t see before,” she said.
MTSU had
54 EXL faculty members at end of its first year. That number had more than
tripled to 173 by the end of the 2011-12 academic year, but Austin said she
wants more participation because of the positive impact the program can have on
faculty members.
“I would
like to have 700,” Austin said, drawing supportive laughter from those in
attendance.
“It
changes the way you think about teaching,” she continued. “It changes how you
think about student learning. It creates an excitement in the classroom.”
EXL
Director Carol Swayze said she expects the program to continue its growth and
sees the SACS commendation as confirmation that MTSU is on the right track.
“We are
fortunate to have such an exceptional team of faculty, staff and community
partners who are providing a top quality educational experience for our
students,” she said.
“This
honor is truly a reflection on the quality of work performed by the founding
committee and speaks to the dedication of MTSU to student success. The
program continues to grow each semester as more students discover the value of
experiential learning and the EXL Scholar Designation.”
Dr. Janet
McCormick, an associate professor of organizational communication, recalled how
she immediately embraced the EXL concept.
“Right
away, I made all of my classes EXL, because they were EXL in the first place,”
she said. “Then I went to each of my colleagues and said, ‘Please get on board
with this. We can do something with this.’”
McCormick
shared an example of EXL’s application in which one of her classes recently
used an upcoming job fair on campus to practice experiential learning.
“I said,
‘We can either read about recruiting, or we can do recruiting in preparation
for the recruiting fair,’” she said.
McCormick
had her students set up mock companies in the classroom so classmates could
visit and practice doing interviews. All the students visited each tab le to
polish their interviewing skills.
Aimee
Hawtrey Sipe, an EXL Scholars alumna and now a community partner through her
work with the nonprofit Both Hands Foundation, told the crowd about how,
through her EXL coursework, she basically created a full-time job for herself
at a pizza parlor because the owners were so impressed with her work.
She later
navigated an extensive interview process with Both Hands, a Nashville-based
organization that assists orphans, widows and adoptive families.
“They
were really impressed with the education I had gotten at MTSU,” said Hawtrey
Sipe, a 2010 cum laude graduate who majored in organizational communication.
She got
the job and credits the multitasking skills she learned during her EXL courses
as critical in enhancing her effectiveness and efficiency at a nonprofit with
limited staff. Both Hands now makes use of interns through the EXL program.
“I am so
excited to say that I am a child of (EXL),” she said. “It’s meant the world to
me … and it’s given me two jobs!”
Dr. Brad
Bartel, university provost, recognized Austin and the following founding
committee members in attendance: Valerie Avent, Joe Bales, Bill Black, Sharon
Boyce, Dr. Mark Byrnes, Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, Dr. Faye Johnson, Dr. Jan
Leone, Dr. Sheila Otto, Dr. Sandra Poirier, Dr. Don Roy, Dr. Connie Schmidt,
retired professor Dr. Lorraine Singer, Kippy Todd, Jackie Victory, Dr. Phil
Waldrop, Dr. Laurie Witherow and Dr. Jennifer Woodard.
—30—
MTSU is committed to developing a
community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear,
and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:
“I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime,
visit www.MTSUNews.com.
