CMU 2010

Progress Report - July 2007

Site Transition

Welcome to the improved CMU 2010 website!  As you can see, the pages have taken on the newly adopted look and feel of the university's site.  Please bear with us as we finalize the transition.  Thanks to all who have worked hard to make this a reality!

KPIs

As the 2006-07 academic year comes to a close, data collection for CMU 2010 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) surges forward.  Collaborative efforts are underway to facilitate finalization of all the measures used to assess the progress of 2010 priorities. Additional KPI definitions and recommendations for targets are in the process of being created. Visit this site often to monitor our progress.

Annual Reports Available

July 1, 2007, marked the deadline for all FY07 projects receiving funding from the CMU 2010 Vision Funds to submit annual reports with their findings and/or progress.  Each team was given the opportunity to briefly describe its success, in which case a summary was provided instead of the full-length report.  In most cases, the entire report has been posted.  Follow this link or the one in the right column for more information on annual project reports.

Introducing Spotlights!

In an attempt to provide the campus community with a closer look at each thriving project sponsored by the CMU 2010 Vision Fund, we have created a "spotlight" feature within our monthly update.  Unfortunately, we only have space for one spotlight each month even though there are many great groups on campus making tremendous progress.  We encourage you to visit often to catch a glimpse of the changes being made at CMU!   That said, we are proud to announce the Honors Program as our first CMU 2010 Spotlight project (below).

Spotlight on the Honors Program

Below are highlights of only a few of the many successes this project has encountered over the past year.

The awarding of CMU 2010 funding has put in motion the fundamental transformation of the CMU Honors Program from a primarily two year program to a full-blown four year program, with the accompanying positive changes in the university community's attitude towards honors education at CMU.  Some specific honors "firsts" that the first year of  funding has created include:
 
1. Significantly Increasing  the number of honors courses (especially at the 300 level or above) to an historic high, as well as creating a number of new and challenging honors courses.
2. Through a more equitable and efficient funding process, improved the entire honors course scheduling process with departments to enhance student scheduling and advising, as well as to simulate greater honors course enrollments.
3. Provided the foundation for the adoption of the first formal honors faculty qualification process to ensure quality faculty instruction in honors classes.
4. Strengthened the CMU Honors Protocol so that it meets National Collegiate Honors Council recommended standards for honors programs and further enhances the rigor and academic value of a CMU Honors education.
5. Provided the financial foundation that made possible the creation of the first truly student-learning outcome honors assessment plan which will be implemented this fall, as well as provided support for the creation of  an outside panel of faculty reviewers and an honors assessment expert to develop and execute the assessment plan.
 
This funding has provided the impetus for realizing many of the goals recommended in the Provost's Honors ad hoc task force report and, through the enhanced education of high achieving students, will help CMU better realize its goals of national recognition and academic excellence.  

For more information on how the Honors Program is helping CMU's Vision Plan move forward, follow the link on the right column to the full report.