West
Point Recognized as Institute of Excellence
by Spc. Nate Jastrzemski
WEST POINT, N.Y. (Army News Service, Dec. 10, 2002) -- The U.S. Military Academy
has recently been named one of 13 "Institutions of First Year Excellence" in
the United States by The Policy Center on the First Year of College. The center
is "dedicated to the improvement of the first college year through enhanced
learning outcomes and the success of first-year students," officials said.
Based at Brevard College in South Carolina, The Policy Center began its work in 1999 and has culminated in honoring these 13 institutions -- out of the 130 applicants -- with a place in history by featuring them in a book tentatively titled "Portraits of First-Year Excellence in American Colleges and Universities."
"USMA's
recognition in this is very significant," said Dr. Lisa D'Adamo-Weinstein, "The
West Point story will be told across the nation by The Policy Center -- earning
us wider respect as an institution dedicated to supporting the success of our
students." D'Adamo-Weinstein is director of the Reading and Study Skills Program
in USMA Center for Enhanced Performance and the author of the proposals that
earned West Point's qualification as an Institution of First Year Excellence.
"Originally, The Policy Center invited all two-and-four-year undergraduate institutions
in the United States to submit proposals and, though they had intended on only
choosing 12 winners, they added USMA as a 13th because of how impressed they
were," said CEP Director Lt. Col. William Adams.
He added that while the researchers with The Policy Center were impressed with
the proposals, they were "blown away" when they actually visited the academy.
Policy Center Director Dr. John Gardner said, "Our panel of researchers consisted
of higher-education authorities from different colleges who we feel know a great
deal about general practices in the U.S. with respect to the beginning of college.
This was a review by peers of higher education. "Here [at West Point] we've
seen that a lot of attention and some of the best instruction is given to first-year
students. The concept of mission in the first year is very helpful. It is planned,
deliberate and constantly evaluated -- it is quite distinct from many other
colleges and universities. "Here there is a grand design and plan that changes
as the nation and the Army changes, and that focus allows students to more easily
adjust from High School student to cadet."
More
information can be found on The
Policy Center and Institutions of First Year Excellence
(Editor's note: Spc. Nate Jastrzemski is a staff writer for the U.S. Military
Academy's Pointer View newspaper.)
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