Innovative Partnerships for Student Learning Conference

The conference, hosted by Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University and Heartland Community College, will be held on September 25, 26 & 27, 2008 in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

Conference Goals

Feature exemplars of current practices in partnerships for student learning from participating campuses.

Identify barriers to the development and implementation of joint programs and share resolution strategies.

Illustrate the benefits that partnerships promote, not only for the students, but for faculty, staff, and the community.

Provide a scholarly forum for recent research on partnerships.

Foster new partnerships among and within participating institutions.

Disseminate electronically a collection of papers, web sites, and other resources to share what is learned with institutions nationally.

The Innovative Partnerships for Student Learning Conference is designed to bring together faculty, administrators and students from all types of higher education institutions as well as business and community members to share innovative practices and research on partnerships to promote learning. These partnerships are many and varied and can include valued connections between the curriculum and co-curriculum or between on-campus and off-campus experiences. Partnerships may also form between two-year and four-year institutions both public and private.

Keynote Speakers

Tony Chambers, Associate Vice Provost, Students and Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

Gwen Dungy, NASPA Executive Director

Cecilia L. López, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Harold Washington College

Felice Nudelman, Director of Education, The New York Times

The Conference will include the following themes in which innovative partnerships that enhance student learning may be referenced:

  • The first year experience
  • The transfer student experience
  • Civic and community engagement
  • General education
  • Capstone experiences in the major
  • Student-faculty/staff collaborations on disciplinary or teaching-learning research
  • Student Affairs and Academic Affairs collaborations
  • University and corporate partnerships to advance student knowledge
  • Partnering with student support networks (e.g. families) to facilitate student development
  • Fundraising initiatives that support efforts to improve student learning
  • Technology
  • Other innovative partnerships that impact student outcomes