Foundations of Excellence kick off reception

SAN ANTONIO, TX (Sept 5, 2012) – The San Antonio College Foundations of Excellence  Task Force hosted a reception this week to kick off the college’s “From the Ground Up” campaign.  

Sponsored by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Foundations of Excellence (FoE) will utilize a model of excellence for the transfer student experience. This model can be used by colleges and universities to develop and refine their overall approach to educating transfer students.  This nationally recognized program has involved over 300 two- and four-year institutions across the nation since February 2003.

“SAC is a great place already, but I know after we complete this process we will become even better. Whether you are new to SAC or you have been here as long as I have, I encourage you to get involved because the campaign needs to hear your voice,” said Dr. Robert Zeigler, president of the college.  

The SAC Foundations of Excellence®   “From the Ground Up” campaign will  focus on completion and transfer by students.
Led by co-liaisons Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer (Director of Murgiua Learning Institute)and Dr. David Wood (Director of Institutional Research), the FoE Task Force will consist of about 100 members making up 10 committees: the Steering Committee and nine Dimension Committees.

 
During the 2012-13 academic year, the FoE Task Force will survey students, faculty and staff and will convene several times throughout the fall and early spring semesters to produce a report. Feedback from this report will result in an action plan. During 2013-14 academic year, the college will begin the implementation of the plan.  

Foundations of Excellence® is a voluntary self-study and is led by SAC volunteers. It is not tied to funding and is completely in the hands of the college.

“I look forward to discovering how we can enhance our services in order to prepare more students to successfully complete a degree/program and transfer to a four-year institution,” Dr. Zeigler said.

The Gardner Institute, based in Brevard, NC, is a non-profit higher education research/policy center established in 1999. The work of the Gardner Institute is intended to help both two- and four-year institutions of higher education enhance new student learning and retention through systematic appraisal and improvement of their programs, policies, and institutional procedures.   

Additional information about the Gardner Institute and this project can be found at JNGI.org.

For more information about the campaign at SAC, visit Alamo.edu/sac/fromthegroundup/

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 Pictured (from left): Dr. David Wood, Dr. Robert Vela, Vanessa Torres, Tammy Perez, Dr. Robert Zeigler, Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer, Mona Aldana-Ramirez, and Susan Espinoza.