Campus community conference to focus on student potential

The Office of the Provost and the Division of Diversity and Inclusion on Sept. 3 will co-lead a campus community conference called “Maximizing Student Potential.” The initiative is one of five themes that make up the Purdue Teaching and Learning Excellence Initiative Road Map.

The event, which is open to the campus community, will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., opening in Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse. Registration is free but is needed. A reception will follow the event.

Maximizing student potential involves a shared responsibility between students and institutions to both understand and act on student achievement data that show some groups of students have not had the same experiences and outcomes at Purdue, including first-generation students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, underrepresented minority students, rural students, and students with disabilities, among others.

John Gates, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, says he’s anxious to get the work underway.

“While retention and graduation rates are important, they do not tell the whole story, so we will learn more about important student milestones on the way to graduation, such as experiences in critical gateway courses, students’ sense of belonging, or the extent to which students are prepared for their chosen careers,” he says. “Our shared responsibility for student success means expecting hard work and commitment from our students, but in turn adopting inclusive and equitable policies and practices so that all students are fully supported in their drive to reach their maximum potential as Boilermakers.”

Speakers for the event:

• Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity.
• John Gates, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and clinical professor, Krannert School of Management.
• Bridget Burns, executive director of the University Innovation Alliance.
• Terrell Strayhorn, founding CEO and senior research scientist of Do Good Work Educational Consulting LLC and vice president of academic and student affairs, LeMoyne-Owen College.
• Claude Steele, American social psychologist and professor of psychology, Stanford University.

This event stems from a larger body of work related to the Purdue Teaching and Learning Initiative Road Map. Organizers say the primary conference takeaways will be for all to:

• Understand the motivation behind the work.
• Think about their roles as change agents in this effort.
• Prepare to engage in moving the work forward.

For more information or to register, click here.