The Village Commons Initiative
Institutional Affiliations
Susan Traverso, President
Steven Wuhs, Interim Dean
Kathleen Feeley, Associate Dean
College of Arts and Sciences
David Haney, President
Daniel McGann, Interim Dean
Noelle Cutter, Associate Dean
School of Arts and Sciences
Kelly Brown, Director
Grants, Proposals, and Special Projects
Initiatives and Innovation, and Information Technology
Scott Steele, Provost
Shadia Alvarez, Senior Vice President
Equity and Strategic Development
Professional Affiliations
Gregory Prince, President Emeritus
Hampshire College
Trygve Throntveit, Co-Founder and
Director
Institute for Public Life and Work
Christopher Malone, Associate Provost
Farmingdale State College, SUNY
Marie-Louise Ström, Co-Founder and
Director of Education and Training
Institute for Public Life and Work
Brian Amkraut, Vice-President
WF Credentialing and Community Impact
Mercy College
Harry Boyte, Co-Founder and
Senior Scholar of Public Work Philosophy
Institute for Public Life and Work
What is The Village Commons Initiative?
A network of liberal arts colleges working to integrate mutually reinforcing reform ideas on their campuses that lead to new enrollment streams and serve a broader range of students.
Activities:
I. A series of monthly virtual discussions with executive and academic leaders at member institutions about how to implement the six mutually beneficial aspects of the Village Commons Initiative to their particular campuses:
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- strengthen partnerships with regional high schools and increase regional enrollment via campus-based coordinator facilitating activities in each high school;
- engage leading area businesses and organizations to align the liberal arts with essential career skills;
- enhance student self-motivation, academic responsiveness, sense of community, and creativity through a coordinated sequence of freshman/sophomore seminars that produce high levels of critical inquiry;
- attract new teaching talent to these seminars, while honoring faculty contracts and prerogatives;
- sequentially replace exams and grades with performance criteria;
- create a baccalaureate option that is affordable and attractive locally and beyond
II. Opportunity to engage with NAB as consultants to help with implementation with any or all of the aspects.
III. Work closely with your institution’s development office to attract both national and area funding for these efforts.
Ready to start making changes for a resilient future? You can contact us here for a free 1 hour consultation to discuss how you can join this Initiative that will serve you and your community.
Curious to learn more? Check out our video series and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with our work.