The Intensive on the First-Year Seminar
Designing or revising a seminar course to transform the beginning college experience
June 6-7, 2024
Location: Embassy Suites – Asheville Downtown – 192 Haywood St., Asheville, NC 28801
The First-Year Seminar is a time-tested strategy proven to significantly impact the success of new students. The Intensive on the First-Year Seminar is a two-day experience consisting of sessions designed to help you enhance an existing or develop a new first-year seminar. Led by national first-year seminar experts, the experience will focus on proven practices and policies associated with improved and more equitable first-year seminar success. The intensive will provide practical strategies aimed at improving the success and retention of first-year students through teaching and learning that occurs in the first-year seminar course. Whether you are starting from scratch, or refining a long-standing first-year seminar course, this experience is for you.
Designed in collaboration with Houston Community College and the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Fees
Fee per participant:
Regular: $635
Registration Deadlines:
Registration is now closed. If you would like to be informed of future events please email Events@GardnerInsitute.org
Registration fee includes, two breakfasts, two lunches, refreshment breaks, and conference materials.
Refund Policy: There will be no refunds given after April 29, 2024. All refunds will be subject to a 5% processing fee. Registration can be transferred to another participant before May 15th, no transfers will be allowed after that. Requests must be made in writing to events@jngi.org.
Intensive Facilitators
Betsy Barefoot was Co-Director for Research and Publications for the University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. She has extensive university teaching experience at undergraduate and graduate levels. Her special area of expertise is the scholarship of efforts to improve the beginning college experience. She is widely published and is universally regarded as a leading scholar in her field.
She is also highly regarded for her editorial and management skills in the production of higher education publications. She has twenty-five years of experience working on issues of first-year student success at the national level.
Dan Friedman is the Assistant Vice President of University 101 Programs and the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience at the University of South Carolina. This is an integrated unit that focuses on helping students thrive through their transitions into, through, and out of the University. In his role with University 101 Programs, Dan provides leadership for six academic courses, including 350 sections of the nationally renowned first-year seminar taught by over 300 instructors and 300 peer leaders.
John N. Gardner is an educator, university professor, and administrator, non-profit organization founder, author, public speaker, consultant, public intellectual and thought leader, change agent, student retention specialist, first-year, sophomore, transfer, and senior year students’ advocate, and initiator and scholar of multiple undergraduate education reform movements. He serves as Founder and Executive Chair of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. The Institute was founded by John and his wife, Betsy O. Barefoot, in October 1999.
Drew Koch is a child of immigrants who came to the United States in pursuit of a better life. His first language was not English, and postsecondary education was valued by his family as a means for realizing the American Dream. A recipient of need-based aid while in school, Koch is a staunch advocate for and leader of efforts that increase student access to and, ultimately, completion of postsecondary education. He has worked in and with higher education institutions for over 30 years. He has done so since 2010 at the Gardner Institute where he was named Chief Executive Officer in 2021.
Kimberly Koledoye is a professor of academic student success and serves as the program coordinator for the Houston Community College system. Additionally she teaches developmental and credit level English. She has made tremendous impact on the institution and statewide as a leader of development teams for First Year Experience courses and Developmental English redesigns. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in English, Master of Education Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Rhetoric and Composition, and a Doctorate of Higher Education Leadership.
Sara Stein Koch is a Fellow and Senior Associate for Institutional Support at the Gardner Institute as well as a wife and mother of 6, traveler, hiker, caregiver, and educator. Her 30-year career has been spent in the service of students through teaching, mentoring and administration in public and private colleges and universities. She has been developing and facilitating processes at the Gardner Institute for the last 13 years. Her current work with the Institute involves advising in the various processes connected with institutional transformation to increase equitable student success including the Academy on the First Year of College.
Conference Location Information:
Asheville, North Carolina.
Asheville offers robust cultural offerings through its large array of independent businesses that serve up an eclectic mix of food, art, tours, music, and goods all in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The city caters to foodies and art lovers!
Hotel Information:
Embassy Suites – Beautiful Asheville Downtown – 192 Haywood St., Asheville, NC 28801
Rooms are also available at the DoubleTree located next door to conference hotel.
Reservation Deadline: Friday, May 31st, 2024
Air Service:
Asheville is served by both its own regional airport (AVL), 15 miles from the hotel, and by the nearby (about 50 miles) Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP). Airlines providing service directly into AVL are: Allegiant, American, Delta, Jet Blue, Sun Country, and United
