OUS joins initiative

Oregon has been announced as one of three states that will participate in a new initiative sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The initiative, Give Students a Compass, is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through a $560,000 grant.

Oregon joins California and Wisconsin in the two-year initiative endeavor, which aims to strengthen the quality of undergraduate student learning through supporting reform efforts to the public higher education system, according to a press release issued July 28 by the Oregon University System.

Primary goals of the Give Students a Compass program focus on developing greater communication and assessment methods within higher learning systems, and supporting first-generation college students in their success at two-year and four-year universities and colleges.

According to the OUS press release, the state of Oregon will have its own goals for their portion of the initiative, centered on assessing how students learn and developing better methods for learning assessments.

“Oregon is at the leading edge of an important national movement in improving and assessing student learning,” Elisabeth Zinser was quoted as saying in the press release. Zinser, former president of Southern Oregon University and now head of the Oregon portion of the initiative, went on to say, “Being a part of the AAC&U effort complements and accelerates work that began in Oregon last year in this area.”