Changes to the Fort Lewis Cycling Team

While much of the current cycling buzz might revolve around whether Lance Armstrong will ride in the 2009 Tour de France, Fort Lewis has its own cycling news...Beginning January 1, the Fort Lewis College cycling team will move over to the Department of Athletics. Previously as a club sport, FLC Cycling operated under Recreation Services. However, given the cycling team’s tremendous national success, the move makes sense. With the support of the Athletic Department and the joint leadership of Michael Engleman and Rick Crawford, the FLC cycling team will be in an even better position to stay ahead of the collegiate cycling peleton.

Fort Lewis College Cycling is the winner of eleven national championships and is the reigning USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Champions. The Skyhawks will race December 11-14 at the Cyclocross National Championship in Kansas City, MO. Good luck this weekend. Allez! Allez!

A Holistic Review Process

Election years are often filled with hope, anticipation and anxiety. This year was no exception. In addition to the obvious Presidential and congressional contests, several states had ballot initiatives for their voters to consider as well. Here in Colorado, Amendment 46, if passed, would have directly impacted higher education. Amendment 46 was designed to eliminate race and gender preferences in admissions to public universities. Backed by Ward Connerly who successfully advocated for similar ballot initiatives in California and Michigan, Amendment 46 was defeated 51% to 49%.

Affirmative action is a slippery slope, and I'm not here to discuss affirmative action policy in detail. I will, however, advocate for a holistic review of college applications. In short, some individuals feel that colleges and universities lower their standards through their affirmative action policies whereas others feel that affirmative action policies are necessary to correct historic wrongs and to promote diversity. Over the years, I've seen a growing number of colleges and universities gravitate toward a holistic review process in lieu of affirmative action policies and student enrollment quotas. At Fort Lewis College, we implemented a holistic process for this year's admission cycle, and it seems to be working well. Our holistic approach reaffirms our commitment to admitting students who are capable of succeeding in college and who are appropriate matches for our community of learners. The goal of admitting any student is to ensure his or her success. Typically, there is a direct correlation between academic aptitude (measured by GPA and test scores) and one’s academic persistence and success. It does not do anyone any favors to bring an ill-equipped student to a college campus. Through the holistic approach, we have a better understanding of a student's fit for our academic community.

In general, colleges should encourage academically capable, intellectually curious, mature and open-minded students to apply for admission. Across the country, student bodies are extremely diverse, possessing a multitude of different educational, cultural, and personal talents. Colleges should actively ensure that their study bodies are representative of the country as a whole and provide their students with the opportunity to interact with students who have different academic, political, cultural and economic outlooks.

I see great benefit to evaluating applicants on an individual basis, especially when a variety of factors such as applicant’s grades, class rank, number of completed academic units, ACT/SAT scores, extracurricular activities and personal talents are considered. Rather than relying solely on GPAs and test scores, colleges and universities should use highly personalized admission review process, one that stays true to the mission of the institution. Colleges should aim to provide pathways for success for all of their students. Simply put, the fiduciary responsibility of any college to ensure their students' success.

Andy is now on Twitter

Blogs, MySpace, Facebook, what's next? Twitter, well at least for me. A couple weeks ago I created a Twitter account. While I am still trying to figure out how to use it, Twitter operates like a mini-blog. It allows you to send a small update (only 140 characters), and it also allows you to send and receive updates via your Facebook, email accounts and even blogs. Look in the bottom right hand-corner of this page for my Twitter updates.

I hope you follow me on Twitter (@andyburns5280), and feel free to give me any advice on how to use it. I plan to use my twitter account for brief updates on events here on campus as well as for sharing articles and policy papers about higher education.

Talk to you soon.

Wilma Mankiller to Speak at Fort Lewis College

Wilma Mankiller, the former first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, will be the 2008 FLC Presidential Native American Lecture Series speaker. The lecture takes place on November 6, 2008, at 7 p.m. at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. The event is free and open to the public.

Truly a pioneer among her people, Wilma Mankiller served as the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation beginning in 1985. The causes she championed included better healthcare, and women’s and children’s rights. Her success as a leader led to her re-election as chief for a second term.

Today she is an advocate for free speech and free press in Washington, D.C. as a trustee for the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation.

Her work has brought her many honors, such as being inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the International Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame.

The popular FLC Presidential Native American Lecture Series brings prominent members of the Native American community to Fort Lewis College. In the past, such speakers as Sherman Alexie and M. Scott Mommaday have visited campus.

FLC--National Champs...Again!

While I try to keep my blog clear of shameless self-promotion, sometimes, it's needed. I'd like to congratulate the Fort Lewis College cycling team on their 9th mountain bike national championship. At the 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in Banner Elk, North Carolina this past weekend, Fort Lewis College bested the field including the host Lees-McRae to win the Division I team competition. Dave Hagen, the FLC cycling coach, had nothing but compliments for the FLC riders. "It was a great day for us," Hagen said. We had a bunch of riders who really stepped up for us." This year, we brought a more well-rounded team. And we did well in both (dual slalom and downhill)."

As someone who slowly rides his bike to work, I have great respect and admiration for our riders. Congratulations!

Dorm Life

One of the defining aspects of college life is the residence hall. The anxiety associated with moving away from home, doing your own laundry and living with a complete stranger can keep many seniors awake at night. Indeed, dorm life is one of the one of the biggest adjustments to college. The questions that fly through high school seniors' minds are often anxiety-ridden: What if I don't get along with my roommate? Do I want the top bunk or the bottom bunk? Why if my roommate is messier than me? Will I be homesick?

To help with the transition to life away from home, Fort Lewis has developed some innovative programming for our residence halls. We offer five Living Learning Communities (LLC) -- exciting options for residential students. By joining an LLC, you live with other students with common interests and who are similarly invested in having fun and learning together. LLCs combine a common interest or theme with the social aspects of a campus housing community. The result is an experience that will last a lifetime.

In addition, Fort Lewis is excited to offer a new residence hall this fall. Animas Hall is the College’s new $12 million residence hall. The facility will offer 148 students suite-style living accommodations with the most modern conveniences, such as flat panel TVs and wireless Internet access. The hall will also include faculty/staff apartments and classroom space. Construction on the project has already begun and it is anticipated that students will begin moving in for the fall 2009 semester. Check out some of the photos below.

While dorm life can be overwhelming at first, conversations and time in my residence hall include some of my fondest college experiences. Its OK to be nervous, but remember your rooommate is as well. You're not alone in your feelings. Here are some quick tips on adjusting to your home away from home.

1. Talk to friends or older siblings who have lived in a college dorm. Get an understanding from them about the fun as well as the challenging aspects. If possible, try to spend the night with a colelge friend in his or her dorm room.

2. Prior to arriving on campus, call or e-mail your roommate. Get to know them as individual. Many a friendships are formed between college roommates. I still stay in touch with my freshmen roommate.

3. Once on campus, be social. Take the time to get to know your roommate and others on your hall. These are friendships that will last a lifetime.

4. Use Skype or other video/phone systems to communicate with your family. You're not as far away from home as you might first imagine.

Again, enjoy the transition to college. It's a lot of change, but it's exciting and a great time in your life.

Writing your personal essay

On October 26, seniors will breathe a sigh of relief. The ACT will be behind them, and they will have jumped over a major hurdle in the college admission process. Are the admission hurdles now a thing of the past for our college-bound seniors? Not quite yet... And students realize that.

As I meet high school seniors from throughout New Mexico this week, they are anxious about the remaining aspects of the college application process, namely their personal essays. Here are some of the reoccurring personal essay-related questions that I've heard this week:

• What should I write about?
• Is there a right way to write my essay?
• Should I have a counselor proofread it?
• What if I don't have enough space to tell my story?
  

After hearing the same questions at several high school presentations, I decided to focus this week's blog on the personal essay. Hopefully, it will allay some of the concerns out there.

While writing the personal essay can be one of the most challenging aspects of the admission process, it's an opportunity to let admission officers understand who you are as a person. You should take advantage of this chance to tell your unique story. You're more than a GPA, an AP score or class rank. Colleges want to learn more about you--about you as an individual or about your interests. I encourage students to write about a passion of theirs--something that excites them. Think about your favorite birthday or an exotic family vacation. Now think about yard work or household chores. As you probably would agree, it's easier to describe experiences that are enjoyable, invigorating or rewarding. Writing about your passions allows your true character to come forth.

As you think about writing your essay, be sure to set aside enough time. Students should block 3-4 two-hour blocks of time spread out over a 2 week span. This allows students to properly create an outline for their essays, to critically reflect on the content, and to share various drafts with parents or counselors. You should not assume that you will have your final draft completed after one setting. The weakest essays are often the ones assembled at the last minute. Most admission counselors read between 500-1000 applications per season, and it's easy to spot a last-minute essay. Give your essays a chance to develop with time. Many first drafts start out too long. That's OK. You will reduce the essay's size through proofreading and by reflecting on it over time. To paraphrase T.S. Elliot, if I had more time, I would have written a shorter personal essay.

Once you have begun to write your essay, maintain a consistent voice and theme. Admission officers are looking for the clarity of your writing style and an understanding of your sentence structure in addition to the essay's content. Always include specific, concrete examples. Essays that rely on vague generalities don't provide the same level of understanding or comprehension for the reader. While still being succinct, we want the writer to use specific examples.

Students should stay within the word count limits. While admission officers aren't going to automatically deny admission to a student whose essay exceeds the word count, be mindful that admission officers are reading a 20-40 applications per night and don't have time to sort through an extra page. After a long day of reading applications, a 5 page essay instead of a 2 page essay could have a negative subjective response from your reader. Indeed, don't feel compelled to use the entire word count. I've seen many an essay fall apart at the end because the writer forced the final 50 words.

The essay's tone can cause concern for students. Students often try to add humor to their essay, but I encourage you to be careful about using humor. In some situations, it can work. In other situations, it can backfire woefully. My recommendation is to use humor only if it comes naturally to you as part of your writing style. Again, be yourself, and let your inner voice shine through. On the flip side, don't be pretentious or snooty. Just be yourself.

Finally, proofread, proofread, proofread. Each year, I see a handful of essays with misspellings or worse yet, the use of the wrong college's name in the essay. You should always have a friend, parent or counselor read your essay before you submit it. I also find reading essays aloud--as a means of proofreading--to be an effective way to catch mistakes or questionable sentences. I recall a student a few years ago who ended his essay with "It's been a lifelong dream to attend INSERT NAME OF COLLEGE HERE." Please avoid mistakes like this.

Obviously, there are many other aspects of the personal essay to cover--Too many to cover if I am to follow my own advice of being succinct. To continue the conversation, please feel free to share your thoughts or questions on the personal essay.

Three Cups of Tea

Greg Mortenson, co-author of the bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time, spent last Thursday on the Fort Lewis College campus. Three Cups of Tea is the College’s Common Reading Experience selection for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see Mr. Mortenson speak--I was meeting with students in Fort Collins, Colo. In talking to FLC students who attended the event, they were impressed with Mr. Mortenson's committment and vision. Many students walked away feeling that they could make a difference--that it doesn't take an extraordinary individual to combat the problems in the world today. Mortenson reiterated the benefit of a global effort: "If we wanted to we could eradicate global illiteracy in 15 years," he said. "The price tag for that is $6 billion per year for 15 years - $90 billion dollars. It sounds like a lot of money, but it's only about $1 or $2 per child per month."

Mortenson's efforts over the past few years have focused on raising awareness for his Central Asia Institute. The Institute was co-founded by Mortenson in 1996 to help build schools and support other projects throughout Central Asia, namely in Afghanistan and Pakistan. To date, Mortenson has helped build over 60 schools in Central Asia. Due in part to Mortenson's efforts, today more than 6 million children in Afghanistan and Pakistan are pursuing an education as opposed to 800,000 children just a few years ago.

The Fort Lewis College Common Reading Experience began in 2006 with Folding Paper Cranes. Last year, students read Mountains Beyond Mountains. The Common Reading Experience provides an intellectually-engaging and community-building experience for our freshmen class. Each year's book is provided to new freshmen and is incorporated into all freshmen Rhetoric and Writing classes. Presentations by the authors, panel discussions, films and other events are arranged throughout the year to extend and complement the ideas presented in the book.

Have you read Three Cups of Tea? If so, post your thoughts on the book.

Or, if you have any suggestions for next year's Common Reading Experience, post your suggestions as well.

Attending a College Fair

A chill is in the air, the leaves are starting to change colors and grocery stores are carrying Halloween candy. For most people, these signs signify that Fall is on its way. For college admission counselors, it is a sign that the college fair season has arrived. This week I will be representing Fort Lewis College at a variety of fairs in Colorado. I start with two high school visits in the Pueblo area and will work my way north to Fort Collins. Five nights. Five different hotels. After 1,500 miles of driving, I know I will sleep well this weekend.

For students who haven't attended a college fair, here are some pointers.

What is a college fair? A college fair is typically held at a high school or a local hotel or convention center. Smaller fairs often include colleges and universities from just your state while larger events colleges statewide as well as out-of-state colleges and universities. These events provide you with an opportunity to chat with college representatives and help you find the colleges that may be right for you.

How should I prepare for a college fair? Find out which colleges will attend your fair. You usually can find out the list of colleges from your high school counselor. Spend some time researching the schools on the internet. Several education websites have search features that can help you determine good college "matches" for you. Prepare address labels with your name and contact information (include your e-mail) so that you can spend more of your time speaking with the representatives as opposed to filling out your personal information with each college. Develop a list of questions that you want to ask (i.e., the size of the school, admission requirements, majors offered, tuition, and scholarship). Bring a pencil/pen and a notebook to take notes.

What should I do at the fair? Be sure to visit the schools that interest you, but also save time to visit with all of the schools as there might be one or two schools that you haven't heard of that are a good fit for you. Ask for a business card from each of the representatives--this will help you follow up with school once you develop a short list of schools to which you plan to apply. Be polite. Make eye contact and shake hands with the representatives. Also, be sure to dress appropriately.

Do I need to do anything after the fair? Sit down with the materials that you've picked up and sort through them. Talk with a parent or counselor about which schools you like and try to find if there are any common themes between the schools. Begin a running list of schools to which you might apply. This will become your short list of schools. Try to include a list of pros and cons for each school on your short list. Using the business cards that gathered, send thank you notes to the schools that are on your short list. If you haven't visited your short list schools, begin to schedule visits.

Move-in Day

Move-in Day was last week. It was great to see our freshmen students settling into their new homes. As part of Move-in Day, Fort Lewis faculty and staff are there to lend a hand. Our involvement shows families that we care about their students and want to make Fort Lewis feel like a home away from home. After a long day of moving boxes and furniture, I was tired.

But I also had developed a Top 10 list for moving into dorms:

10. Measure your room first. I saw a good number of disappointed students who couldn't fit their extra-long couch into their room.

9. Hang a dry erase board on the exterior of your door so that friends can leave you messages.

8. Call your roommate prior to Move-In Day so that you can divide up items to bring such as TV, stereo, Wii, etc.

7. Bring posters. Add some of your personality to your walls.

6. Bring flip-flops or shower shoes for trips to the bathroom.

5. Don't use nails or screws when hanging up items. You'll pay for these marks on Move-Out Day.

4. Ask your parents to send care-packages to you. There's nothing like a care-package from home in the middle of the semester. An instant pick-me up.

3. Bring food and snacks. It might be a while before you make it to the grocery store. Stock up in advance.

2. Bring a hand-truck with wheels especially if you live on the 2nd floor. This will greatly ease your move-in process.

1. Enjoy the day, and get to know your hallmates. You'll spend a lot of time in your dorm. Be social and have fun!

Back to school

Fort Lewis is abuzz with energy this week. Students begin moving into their dormitories later this week, orientation takes places this weekend, and classes begin on Monday.

After a quiet summer, it's exciting to have students back on campus. New students are eager to explore Durango while continuing students look forward to seeing their friends.

My favorite part of the new school year is helping students move into their dorms. It's a fun tradition we have here at FLC--faculty and staff all pitch in to help move students back into the dorms.

Check back later this week to see some pictures from move in day.

The Senior Slide

As high school students begin their senior year, many students think it's time to relax and have fun after three years of hard work. This attitude is called the "senior slide."

As you settle into your class schedule, remember that colleges and universities will look closely at your senior year grades. Many schools ask students to submit their first semester grades or a mid-term report.

This isn't the time to slack off. Remember: Have fun during your senior year, but also stay focused on your academics. Keep up the good work.