Starting Strong
Starting Strong is Trinity University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Every ten years, the University must undergo a reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
A QEP is an essential component of that reaffirmation process. In 2016, the QEP Development Team held campus-wide forums, student town hall meetings, and other opportunities for members of Trinity’s community to voice their opinions on Starting Strong.
The overarching goal of the Starting Strong is that first-year students will become more aware of and engaged in practices that lead to success. With this goal in mind, Trinity University committed significant resources to improve advising, teaching, and academic support. Although these resources target first-year students, all Trinity students will benefit from an improved experience.
How will Starting Strong improve student learning?
Four “Student Learning Outcomes” were developed to assess the success of Starting Strong. The desired outcomes are that first-year students will:
- demonstrate an understanding of Pathways, registration procedures, and requirements for graduation;
- be able to assess their academic performance by the fifth week of class to identify any areas of improvement;
- identify institutional resources to help them overcome academic challenges; and
- demonstrate help-seeking behaviors in order to meet their academic goals.
Implementation Team
The following members of the Trinity University community are responsible for implementing Starting Strong:
- Dr. Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, Assoc Vice President for Academic Affairs: Student Success
- Dr. Lapétra Bowman, Director of Academic Advising
- Michelle Byrne, Interim Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment
- Betty Curry, Director for Academic Support
- Michael Hughes, Instruction Librarian and First-Year Experience Coordinator
- Jennifer Rowe, Director of Tutoring Programs
- Dr. Katherine Troyer, Assistant Director of the Collaborative for Learning and Teaching
- Dr. Luke Tunstall, Director of the Quantitative Reasoning and Skills Center
- Dr. Dennis Ugolini, Professor of Physics