The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions On What Matters Most

Higher education is going through a time of significant change, raising important questions about the purpose of college. These questions center on the impact and value of undergraduate education. Is college worth the ever-escalating cost? Are today’s students academically adrift? Ultimately, what is the difference between a degree and an education?

The Undergraduate Experience addresses these questions and more, encouraging all higher education leaders to change current practices that fragment the student experience. The book demonstrates how leaders can focus on the creation of excellent, integrated undergraduate learning experiences for all students. More integrative—even transformational—experiences are possible if institutions adapt the fundamental principles outlined in the book, based on a synthesis of scholarly literature and the authors' diverse experiences in the field. The book also includes supplemental guides to ensure that these fundamental principles transcend institution types and student characteristics. Addressing such topics as using high-impact practices to foster an engaged student experience, fostering excellence through strategic and annual planning, maximizing institutional revenue, engaging campus constituencies, and sustaining a culture of engagement over time,The Undergraduate Experience offers an aspirational vision and a practical framework to enhance undergraduate learning and development in any higher education setting.

THE AUTHORS

PETER FELTEN is executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, assistant provost for teaching and learning, and professor of history at Elon University.

JOHN N. GARDNER is senior fellow and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina and president of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.

CHARLES C. SCHROEDER is a past president of ACPA?College Student Educators International and former vice chancellor for student affairs and professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Missouri.

LEO M. LAMBERT is in his eighteenth year as president of Elon University.

BETSY O. BAREFOOT is cofounder and senior scholar of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, and coeditor of New Directions for Higher Education.