OPPORTUNITY – "Access to Quality Programs for Diverse Populations"The theme opportunity is meant to communicate the idea that a quality education should be available to all eligible students. This is evidenced by a strong commitment to equity that ensures the lowering of barriers to entry and retention for all groups of learners—be they low-income and migrant students, community college transfers and first-generation college attendees, immigrant and international students, reentry adults and returning professionals, or distance and Web-based learners. The Opportunity theme is therefore dual-faceted, stressing both a strong commitment to equity and diversity and a purposeful dedication to the provision of a quality education for all concerned. It is important to note that the opportunity discussed here is thus not limited to students; it also refers to the chance afforded to faculty, staff, and administrators for involvement in this critical endeavor, as teachers, advisers, supporters, and enablers of students. These faculty, staff, and administrators—as diverse learners themselves—require access to excellent training and development programs for professional advancement and for the improvement of the university. And overall, the assurance of quality creates as well the need for structures and processes of vigilant, ongoing oversight and accountability. This theme is closely aligned with the university's Vision and, particularly, the first, third, and sixth paragraph of the Mission Statement, above; the first two Institutional Purposes; and the first and fourth Educational Goals. Two representative features of university activity, dealing directly with access and quality, will be examined in detail in the Thematic Features section of this essay: Outreach and Academic Support Services, and Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. |