Deadline:  November 12, 2007

The Provost’s Office will provide up to 10 awards of $500-$2,000 to departments, programs or groups of programs for initiatives designed to increase first-year student success at SUNY Oswego. Our focus in 2007-2008 will be on changes we can make in courses and course-related activities that will lead to greater student persistence from first to second year.  Our aim is to make students more successful as they begin their academic careers at Oswego.

Proposals should meet the following guidelines:

1.  Proposals should focus on making changes in courses most frequently taken by first year students:  100-level courses and general education courses.  Proposals for changes in the course delivery and/or course-related activities are acceptable. 

2.  Proposals should reflect an understanding of best practices in student retention literature, such as:

• Providing early feedback (3^rd week) on student performance with appropriate remediation programs (tutoring, study skills, time management)
• Building connections of students to each other and to faculty members
• Offering faculty and peer mentoring programs
• Providing study groups for students outside of class- ex. supplemental learning
• Promoting collaborative learning within and beyond the classroom
• Planning linked courses and/or living-learning programs
• Responding to millennial students’ perspectives, technologies, and communication approaches
• Demonstrating interest in students as individuals
• Planning ways for students to bring their own interests to the classroom
• Connecting activities outside the classroom with activities inside the classroom
• Meeting with students outside of class for discussions of course material
• Helping students understand future opportunities if they persist in school

3.  Projects undertaken should be designed as permanent changes in course delivery or course-related activities that can be continued in future years. 

The following guidelines should be followed for making a proposal:

1.  Describe the changes you will be making in the course(s) and/or course-related activities.

2.  Explain how the change(s) relate to known best practices in promoting student success.

3.  Explain what you expect to accomplish and how you will measure success.

4.  Provide a budget of start-up costs, such as materials for students or professional development costs for faculty members.

5.  Provide a cover sheet with the name and contact information of the proposer, the department/program or group of programs participating, and the department(s) budget number(s) for the award.

Note:  The size of the award will depend on the number of faculty contributing to the project, the number of students that will be affected, and the proposed start-up costs.

Proposals should be no more than 3 pages in length and should be submitted by November 12, 2007.  Submit proposals electronically to Darlene Abrantes (abrantes@oswego.edu).  The proposer and departments/programs will be notified by December 1, 2007 and funding will be transferred to the departments.