[1192] in UA Senate
better questions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Betsy Riley)
Mon Mar 14 18:48:26 2011
From: Betsy Riley <rileyb@MIT.EDU>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:48:00 -0400
To: ua-senate@mit.edu
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Here are better versions of the questions I sent earlier.
-- What is your take on the current state of student engagement at MIT? What
do you think the root of the problem regarding student engagement is, if you
think there's a problem at all?
-- Do you think the requests in the letter from the UA presidents in the
Faculty newsletter are reasonable, and do you think they'll be effective if
implemented? Do you have other plans for improving student engagement?
(The requests in the letter are letting the UA and GSC P/VP sit on the
Academic Council, having reps on all ICs, providing students with more info
and time to give feedback before final recs are made, no spokesmen, use of
proper process to appoint student reps on committees, and President
Hockfield meeting with the UA and GSC presidents monthly.)
-- What are your top priorities for the coming year?
-- What, if any, value do you see in involving students in administrative
decisions? Are there any decisions that students shouldn't be involved in?
-- To what extent do you think MIT should model itself after other schools?
Are there areas of MIT that you think could be improved by copying or
modeling other institutions? You've been connected with the University of
Regina and Harvard -- is there anything you've noticed that either of those
schools does better than MIT?
-- One aspect of student life that matters a lot to undergrads is MIT's
residential system, with its self-selecting dorm and living group cultures.
This is not, however, a model found at many other schools. What do you think
of MIT's residential system? Do you think it could be improved at all?
-- The waiting list numbers for dorm transfers seem to have changed rather
dramatically recently, such that now East Campus has the longest waiting
list and Next House and Simmons have no waiting lists. Although I can't be
sure that this is due to the changes in dining that will occur next year, if
there is a mass exodus from dining-hall dorms, how does DSL plan on handling
it?
-- The dining plan will almost certainly continue to cause controversy. What
specific plans does DSL have to make the transition to the new dining model
smooth? How will DSL continue to gather and act on student feedback once the
plan is in place?
-- How have student-administrator relations fluctuated throughout your ~35
years here? Have you seen more functional models of student engagement? Is
there anything current students or admins could learn from the past?
-- Do you see any value in preserving MIT traditions, and if so, which ones
specifically? How does one go about preserving tradition?
-- What do you want your legacy as Chancellor to be? How do you want to be
remembered?
-- Why did you take the job of Chancellor even though you had such a
successful career as a faculty member? What is the appeal of being an
administrator?
Betsy
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Here are better versions of the questions I sent earlier.<div><span style=
=3D"font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;border-collapse:collapse">=
<div><div><br></div><div><div>-- What is your take on the current state of =
student engagement at MIT? What do you think the root of the problem regard=
ing student engagement is, if you think there's a problem at all?</div>
<div><br></div><div>-- Do you think the requests in the letter from the UA =
presidents in the Faculty newsletter are reasonable, and do you think they&=
#39;ll be effective if implemented?=A0Do you have other plans for improving=
student engagement?=A0</div>
<div><br></div><div>(The requests in the letter are letting the UA and GSC =
P/VP sit on the Academic Council, having reps on all ICs, providing student=
s with more info and time to give feedback before final recs are made, no s=
pokesmen, use of proper process to appoint student reps on committees, and =
President Hockfield meeting with the UA and GSC presidents monthly.)</div>
</div><div><br></div><div>-- What are your top priorities for the coming ye=
ar?=A0</div>
<div><br></div><div>--=A0What, if any, value do you see in involving studen=
ts in administrative decisions? Are there any decisions that students shoul=
dn't be involved in?</div>
<div><br></div><div>-- To what extent do you think MIT should model itself =
after other schools? Are there areas of MIT that you think could be improve=
d by copying or modeling other institutions? You've been connected with=
the University of Regina and Harvard -- is there anything you've notic=
ed that either of those schools does better than MIT?</div>
<div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:=
13px;border-collapse:collapse">-- One aspect of student life that matters a=
lot to undergrads is MIT's residential system, with its self-selecting=
dorm and living group cultures. This is not, however, a model found at man=
y other schools. What do you think of MIT's residential system? Do you =
think it could be improved at all?</span></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>-- The waiting list numbers for dorm transfers seem to have changed ra=
ther dramatically recently, such that now East Campus has the longest waiti=
ng list and Next House and Simmons have no waiting lists. Although I can=
9;t be sure that this is due to the changes in dining that will occur next =
year, if there is a mass exodus from dining-hall dorms, how does DSL plan o=
n handling it?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>-- The dining plan will almost certainly continue to cause controversy=
. What specific plans does DSL have to make the transition to the new dinin=
g model smooth? How will DSL continue to gather and act on student feedback=
once the plan is in place?</div>
<div><font color=3D"#CC0000"><br></font></div><div><font color=3D"#CC0000">=
<span style=3D"color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">-- How have student-administrator relati=
ons fluctuated throughout your ~35 years here? Have you seen more functiona=
l models of student engagement? Is there anything current students or admin=
s could learn from the past?=A0</span></font></div>
<div><br></div><div><div>-- Do you see any value in preserving MIT traditio=
ns, and if so, which ones specifically? How does one go about preserving tr=
adition?=A0</div><div><br></div><div>-- What do you want your legacy as Cha=
ncellor to be? How do you want to be remembered?</div>
</div>
</div></span><div><span style=3D"font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13=
px;border-collapse:collapse"><div><br></div><div>-- Why did you take the jo=
b of Chancellor even though you had such a successful career as a faculty m=
ember? What is the appeal of being an administrator?</div>
<div><br></div><div>Betsy</div>
<div><br></div>
</span></div></div>
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