Alverno
and the Media
Click on the following links to learn more about Alverno College
- Alverno's internship program featured in The New York Times EducationLife section, January 6, 2008 details
- Alverno named as one of the nation's 10 leading schools for teacher preparation, Edutopia magazine - details
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article details
- Alverno College releases 2007 Status of Girls in Wisconsin Report in conjunction with Alverno Debates' first event of the season focused on this same subject. Read the report summary.
- New charter school integrates Alverno's abilities-based educational model to help achieve its mission, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 10, 2007 details
- Alverno professor authors article on assessment for Inside Higher Education's August 14, 2007 edition details and retorts to its responses in the publication's Sept. 28 edition details
- Alverno College and Concordia University combine forces on music therapy program. Read Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, February 6, 2007 (pdf)
- The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights Alverno's assessment methods. details
- Atlantic Monthly magazine article "What
Does College Teach?" recognizes Alverno College for the
innovative way it assesses overall student performance (November
2005). Read article (pdf).
- Alverno Scores Big on National Survey details
- Fast Company magazine features article about Alverno's approach to education details
- Alverno College Wins National Award details
Read Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, "Hearing a Call for Help," January 5, 2007.
 U.S.News & World Report gives high ranks to Alverno
Alverno outperforms many other Wisconsin schools in U.S.News & World Report's 2008 edition, America's Best Colleges.
Best Universities - Master's
Programs to Look For
Back to top
he New
A few previous mentions:
Study Shows Alverno Outpaces 90% of Nation’s Colleges in Student
Engagement and in Learning
More
than 185,000 students from 649 colleges and universities nationwide
participated in 2003 National Survey of Student Engagement
Milwaukee – “Parents are worried so
much about getting their kids into college and paying for it; they
should be worried about whether or not they’re actually learning
anything once they’re there,” says Alverno professor
Donna Engelmann, one of the Alverno faculty instrumental in the
college’s involvement with the National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE). With that statement, Engelmann summed up the
focus of NSSE: are students engaged in meaningful learning experiences
in the college classroom? At Alverno, they are – and the proof
is in.
NSSE Explained
NSSE annually assesses the extent to which undergraduate students
are involved in educational practices linked to high levels of learning
and development. “Engagement is a critical factor in the educational
process because the more time and energy students devote to desired
activities, the more likely they are to develop the habits of the
mind that are key to success after college,” says George Kuh,
the NSSE director and professor of education at Indiana University
– Bloomington.
NSSE is being viewed nationally as a more accurate,
effective means of measuring the impact the institutions are having
on the actual educational experiences of the students. In other
words, instead of emphasizing prestige and selectivity as many college
rankings do, it measures the effectiveness and quality of student
learning.
The study looks at five benchmarks of effective
practices to determine the quality of a college’s contributions
to the learning process: 1) Level of Academic Challenge, 2) Active
and Collaborative Learning, 3) Student Interactions with Faculty,
4) Enriching Educational Experiences, and 5) Supportive Campus Environment.
Raw scores of colleges are tabulated, adjusted for student and institutional characteristics, and noted in percentile format for comparative purposes. Though agreements with participating schools
prohibit NSSE from releasing individual school information, schools
are permitted to release their own data.
Alverno Leads the Pack
Alverno scored beyond the 94th percentile overall for freshman,
and beyond the 91st percentile for seniors, far outpacing the nation’s
colleges. These very positive results reflect consistent ability
to set high standards and assist students in meeting them. “We’re
continuously looking for ways to improve the Alverno experience,”
said Kathleen O’Brien, Interim President and Senior V.P. of
Academic Affairs. “We’re in the business of learning
here, and the NSSE results have shown us precisely where we need
to work. Alverno scored higher than the national average by a considerable
margin in most categories, but I know we can do even better. The
goal for Alverno is to continue fostering each student’s unique
pathways to success.” Across the board, Alverno College far
outpaced predicted performance based on NSSE’s calculations
and the institution’s characteristics.
What Does This Mean to Students and Parents?
In short, when weighing decisions on attending a college, prospective
students and their parents should be asking the right questions
at admissions offices nationwide. One right question is “How
did your school perform on the National Survey of Student Engagement?”
“College is one of the biggest investments a student will make
in her life,” says O’Brien, “by taking the time
to make sure a particular school is delivering on its promise to
educate at the level it should be, a student will help ensure a
learning experience that will benefit her well throughout her entire
life.”
What’s Next for Alverno?
Alverno College was asked to participate in a special study of NSSE
participants. This project, called NSSE DEEP, explored in great
detail the practices on 20 top performing campuses across the U.S.
in an ongoing effort to help define educational practices that work.
By participating in this study, Alverno not only served as an exemplary
school for others, but also gained even more insight into its own
practices, helping to ensure growth and even more future success
for students.
Additional information on the National Survey of
Student Engagement can be found on their Web
site. The site contains links to articles written by The Christian
Science Monitor, The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education,
and National Public Radio.
Back to top
Fast
Company Magazine - "Think for a Change"
The March 2002 issue of Fast Company magazine features an article
about Alverno's ability-based approach to education and assessment
and how the college prepares students to relate their experiences
to life. The article is "Think for a Change: What can executives
learn from a women's liberal arts college in Milwaukee?" by
Curtis Sittenfeld.
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/56/think.html
Back to top
Alverno
College Received National Honors for its
Experiential Learning Programs
Innovative, future-facing internships, hands-on educational
style and abilities-based curriculum all cited as tops in field
Alverno College received the prestigious 2001 Experiential
Education Program of the Year award from the National Society for
Experiential Education (NSEE). The award recognizes an outstanding
K-12 or higher education institution that has demonstrated an exceptional
commitment to experiential education in their classrooms, on their
campuses and in their communities.
During the award ceremony, Alverno was recognized
as "The Mother of Higher Education's Experiential Learning
Programs." The award comes on the heels of the New York Times
selecting Alverno College as "one of the five higher education
institutions on the cutting edge of serving the needs of students
in the new millennium."
In January of 2001, Alverno's internship department
and then Alverno President Joel Read organized a consortium of local
colleges and universities to formally organize the internship experience
in Milwaukee. Armed with nearly 30 years of experience, Alverno
has now achieved national notoriety for their innovative program
work, which includes mentor training programs, helping students
find professional hands-on experiences themselves, a required internship
off-campus for all students, and a growing network of some of the
most coveted opportunities in the country.
Back to top
|
 |
Honors
and Awards
Campus
News
Faculty
News
Student
News
Events
Calendar
Visit
Alverno |
