Transcript Kickoff - Opening Comments - Beverly Kahn: 10/22/2015

First in the World Grant
Grant Title: “Creating
Research Opportunities for
Students”
Performance Period: October 2015 –
September 2019 (4 Years)
The Mid-Atlantic Consortium
Partners:
 Farmingdale State College (SUNY) – lead
 Bowie State University
 Central Connecticut State University
 Kean University
 SUNY College at Old Westbury


Introductions of partner delegations
Organizing Theme:
Unity in Diversity
Centralized & orchestrated by FSC so as to assure conformity to the model and
uniform implementation of program
components
but – recognizing & encouraging the
diversity of our individual institutions
strengths – curricular, faculty, etc.
Goal: Improving Each School’s
4-year graduation rate by 20%
Student Population served:
High Need Students =
low income, minority, first generation
college, and/or adult learners
Selected from Full-time Baccalaureate-students:
 Incoming First Year Students
 Transfer Students who arrived with 60+ credits
Most Innovative Feature:

Placing Faculty and Students in Mentored
Research Experiences
Both on campus – Off-campus at National
Labs, Research Universities, Business
Accelerators, etc.
“RAM” program –
Research-Aligned Mentorship
RAM PROGRAM COMPONENTS:

Mentored Research Experiences OnCampus and Off-Campus

Faculty and Curricular Development

First-Year & Sophomore/Transfer-Year
Experience Courses

Treisman-Style Collaborative Learning
Workshops
Project-Based Learning
 Special Events – receptions, group
exercises. Etc.
 Intensive Counseling and “Roadmap to
Graduation and Beyond”
 Partial Block Scheduling


ALSO – technology – TED Talks,You Tube
– renowned scientists, entrepreneurs, etc.
Size of Treatment Groups:
revised
FSC –
250/ year
 Bowie –
100/year
 Central CT – 100/year
 Kean Univ - 100/year
 SUNY OW - 100/year

Unduplicated
4-year total = 2,600
Equal size control groups
First in the World Web Site:
www.farmingdale.edu/fitw/
Personnel Serving all 5
See handout
Changes that need to be made:
Foundational courses – reconfigure to
include active project-based & problem
solving - supplemented by Treisman –
style collaborative learning groups
 College Experience Courses – especially
Sophomore/transfer year experience
course
 Special Events – to build group cohesion
& hear active researches

Research – both on campus or offcampus leading to on-campus
poster sessions
Advisement and Mentoring - required
Timeline –see handout in packet
Year I - Planning
First cohorts enter fall 2016
Budgets:

Still being refined…..but
Each partner will be awarded
c. 280,000 (instead of original 195K)


Meeting Friday Afternoon with team
leaders
our consortorium

Will meet President Obama’s Goal

Will serve as a model for other public
and private institutions where the bulk of
American students are educated