Notre Dame College promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission. Core

Component: The organization demonstrates, through the actions of its Board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff, that it values a life of learning.

Vision Statement Becoming the finest, small, Catholic, liberal arts college in the Great Lakes region.

Mission Statement Notre Dame College, a Catholic institution in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame, educates a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility.

Notre Dame College’s planning and pattern of financial allocation demonstrate that it values and promotes a life of learning for its students, faculty and staff.

With an overarching goal to survive as a mission-based institution, the College continues to place mission and vision first within its planning activities. The President’s April, 2006 Strategic Thoughts document outlines four strategic goals for the College’s future direction:

  1. To create a distinctive Notre Dame College education

    • Anchored in the liberal arts,

    • Attuned to professional preparation,

    • Cognizant of students’ multiple learning needs and styles,

    • Sensitive to its Catholic heritage, and

    • Focused on the need “to not only prepare students to earn a living, but also to learn how to live a life.”

  2. To attract a high quality and diverse student population of sufficient size to ensure both the College’s survival and to create a vibrant learning community.

  3. To attain the financial, human, and physical resources necessary to ensure both the College’s survival and to position it for the pursuit of excellence.

  4. To create an academic and administrative culture of accountability and assessment.

The President is meeting with small groups of faculty and staff over lunches and dinners to determine if these goals resonate with the Notre Dame College community. If these goals are to be long-lasting and meaningful, they need to engage the community.

Questions raised and issues addressed are:

  • What do the terms in the vision mean? What does “finest” mean, relative to what? To whom? What is the minimal/optimal enrollment for financial and educational health? Given the Mission Statement, what are the educational outcomes we expect?
  • What do the concepts within the Mission Statement mean today and what might they mean 10 years from now? What does it mean to be a Catholic institution? What does “in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame” mean? Define “diverse” as it relates to “a diverse population.” What does it mean that we teach “liberal arts” when almost two-thirds of our students are enrolled in Education and Business? What does this mean for the Core Curriculum? Define what is meant by “personal” “professional” and “global responsibility.”
  • “The function of a college is to inculcate students with a love of learning and that is done best within a liberal arts education.” Andrew P. Roth, Ph.D. Notre Dame College President
    What would “distinctive” mean? What are the Core Curriculum’s goals? How are they measured?
  • What should Notre Dame College students know and accomplish? What does the College do to help students gain this knowledge and skill?
  • What is the College’s philosophy of student life and development that it imparts to the students? What does the College do to help students internalize this philosophy?

These lunch and dinner groups have discussed these issues, often for over four hours at a time. These discussions continue and the result will be a vision and mission that are described by and understood by the College community. This endeavor is the foundation of the College’s life of learning .

The Board has approved and disseminated statements supporting freedom of inquiry for the organization’s students, faculty, and staff, and honors those statements in its practice.

A review of the Board minutes and those of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee minutes over the last five years do not reveal any specific statements that stipulate freedom of inquiry or expression for students, faculty, and/or staff.

A LIFE OF LEARNING presumes the realization

–that the search for wisdom is the underpinning of that life; –that the intellectual life is a life in process and that the pursuit of knowledge is a “sine qua non” of the process demanding examination and reflection;

–that learning takes place in every aspect of one’s life and a respect for each nuance and challenge is essential to that experience;

–that human joys and sorrows accompany a life of learning, deepening, maturing, enriching the learning quest;

–that beauty and goodness are hallmarks of a learned life, giving it value and merit;

–that an embrace of all facets of human knowledge and divine, an openness to possibility and the achievements of others enhance the learning so desired;

–that an awareness that one cannot say in all truth, “I have reached my capacity for learning” is a truth discovered.

Sr. Mary Louise Trivison, SND Professor Emeritus Spanish and Theology

The absence of any such accounts can be traced to the fact that while Board meetings are held four times a year, the committees have not established routine meeting schedules. Moreover, the Board committee most involved with the academic life of the College, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, has met infrequently during the past couple of years.

However, it is worth noting that in Article IV of the Board Constitution and Bylaws that the Board of Directors shall have and exercise the corporate powers prescribed by law. Included in these functions is the determination of the College’s general, educational and financial policies consistent with its mission. Additional powers as they relate to academic oversight include:

  • Establishing, reviewing, and approving changes in the educational programs of the College, and
  • Approving and authorizing all earned and honorary degrees upon recommendations of the faculty.

Notre Dame College supports professional development opportunities and makes them available to all its administrators, faculty, and staff.

Professional development opportunities for administrators, faculty, and staff have increased over the last few years. Previously, lean budgets severely hampered spending; however, a greater understanding of the value of investing in human resources has led to increased budgeting for development, greater participation, and in turn, improved performance, increased productivity, and better morale. The College’s support of professional development ranges from verbal encouragement and acknowledgement of significant contribution to more concrete forms of support such as financial assistance, release time, and work schedule adjustment.

The recent appointment of the Special Assistant to the President for Mission Effectiveness is the latest example of the College’s desire to enhance professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. The Special Assistant began on February 1, 2007 to plan ways to infuse the mission into all areas of the College.

Faculty Development The Faculty Affairs and Development Committee (FADC) of the Faculty Senate is the advocate for faculty development. Specific professional development responsibilities of this committee include:

  • Formulation and oversight of policy for faculty participation in programs of academic growth and development, including programs of teaching and scholarly research,
  • Facilitation of faculty development, strategies, and professional growth activities, such as faculty mentoring, training programs in technology, and on-campus workshops, and
  • Determination of internal faculty grants and travel awards.

The Faculty Affairs and Development Committee (FADC) is charged with the distribution of funds for the purpose of faculty growth and development. Due to limited subsidies, FADC carefully developed a plan for the distribution of funds that encourages and supports all faculty members to engage in growth and development. Within the plan, funding has been designated within three categories:

“I recall sitting across the table from Victor Schreckengost at an art show, having just brought my children back from a music lesson. He reached over and picked up my daughter’s theory book and began turning the pages, reading the information within…His curiosity about his world has not diminished, even as he has celebrated his 100th birthday. In one brief moment of interaction with my daughter, 90 years his junior, Mr. Schreckengost demonstrated his practice of a life of learning by just being interested in what was inside her book.”

Reed Simon Assistant Professor of Art

Category 1 funds are used for personal growth and development. Each proposal is evaluated by FADC to determine the potential for growth and development within the requesting faculty member’s academic discipline. Awards are capped at $125.00 per faculty member. Requests for funds are accepted for professional membership dues, professional meeting and training seminar fees, and other individual growth opportunities.

Category 2 funds are used to sponsor workshops, seminars, or other inservice events for development of the entire faculty. Proposals are accepted from individuals, teams, departments, or divisions. Awards are capped at $1,000.

Category 3 funds are awarded for scholarly research and/or travel to present at professional meetings. Proposals are accepted from individual faculty members. Awards are capped at $800.00. Faculty are encouraged to pursue scholarly research in their respective disciplines and to report results at professional conferences.

Since 2003, most faculty development awards have covered attendance at local conferences and workshops and membership dues in professional organizations. Some monies have been used to promote assessment practices on campus and to cover expenses for attendance at off-campus or national conferences.

College-sponsored, on-campus professional development programs within recent years include:

  • SMART Board training for those who wish to teach in the new SMART Classroom,

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Workshop presented by Dr. Michael Manos, world-renowned clinician in the field of behavioral pediatrics, learning disabilities, and pharmacotherapy,

  • “Reaching the ADHD Student in Your Classroom,”

  • A half-day workshop on designing service learning experiences,

• Assessment 101, a day-long workshop on assessment vocabulary and strategies, and

• “Defining Faculty Development at Notre Dame College” facilitated by Dr. Michael Olin-Hitt, professor of English at Mount Union College. Topics included defining teaching, scholarship and service at the College; finding materials which prove excellence in teaching; and designing a peer observation element for faculty development.

The increase in funding for faculty development is a direct result of hiring more faculty as well as understanding the value of investing in such activities.

In 2003 – 2004, 20 of the 24 full-time faculty members requested and obtained FADC funds. The total spent was $4,042. In 2006 – 2007, $10,000 has been allotted for FADC funds for the 42 full-time faculty members.

“A life of learning brings to mind a person who possesses an attitude of being open to always learning new things and growing each day as a fully functioning, alive, and vibrant human being, actively contributing to making this a better world.”

Sr. Helen Burdenski, SND Professor of Business Administration

In January, 2007, FADC recommended an allotment of $500.00 per fulltime faculty member. At the current level of 42 full-time faculty, this requires an annual budget of $21,000. To reach this rate of funding, FADC proposed increasing the budget by $2,500 per year for the next five years as follows:

 

2007-2008: $12,500
2008-2009: $15,000
2009-2010: $17,500
2010-2011: $20,000
2011-2012: $22,500

Staff Development Professional development for staff is less formalized than faculty development. Staff participation is at the discretion and approval of each supervisor. Departmental budgets do not yet support professional development opportunities for staff on an annually budgeted basis. However, institutional priorities such as the need to increase enrollment and prepare for the reaccreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission have dictated which professional development opportunities are supported.

Admissions counselors attended the National Association for College Admissions Counseling and the Ohio Association for College Admissions Counseling workshops for the last three years. They learned to implement best practices and how to respond effectively to the constantly changing world of college admissions. New counselors attended the Ohio Association for College Admissions Summer Institute as an orientation to the profession.

“Lifelong learning is aspiring to augment one’s personal knowledge base at every opportunity; drawing upon all learning activity one engages in throughout life. Specifically looking for an enhancement skills and achieving competence in an assortment of areas.

Lifelong learning cannot be measured by formal qualifications. Lifelong learning is attained through social interaction, travel, the desire to experience diverse situations, open-mindedness, the ability to adapt, and lastly, formal education.”

Michael (Mac) McBride Head Men’s Soccer Coach

In 2005, the tri-chairs of the Steering Committee for Self-Study attended the Higher Learning Commission conference to learn the basics of facilitating the process. The Chair of the Board of Directors attended the sessions designed for board chairs and college presidents. In 2006, the co-ordinator of the Steering Committee attended again to learn more details of preparing for the visiting team. The President also attended the conference.

In Summer, 2005, the Center for Professional Development, in cooperation with the Human Resource Department, offered Microsoft Office Suite assessment and training to administrative and support staff. Of 42 administrative and support staff members, 22 returned assessments. These employees attended Friday morning and afternoon workshops to improve their skills in using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Access and Excel.

During the last two academic years, the need to respond publicly to campus safety issues required crisis communication and media training. Hennes Communications provided training to selected College spokespersons. In Summer, 2006, representatives from the law firm of Hahn Losser and Parks presented a workshop based on the Jeanne Clery Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Disclosure Act for college faculty and staff.

An attractive feature of the benefits package is free tuition for full-time faculty and staff who register for individual academic classes, certificate offerings, and degree programs. In addition, the College participates in two tuition exchange programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Notre Dame College publicly acknowledges the achievements of students and faculty in acquiring, discovering, and applying knowledge.

Publications regularly provide announcements of scholarly, civic, and athletic accomplishments. Publications include:

“A life of learning is a way of thinking as well as acting. It is the embodiment of an inquiring mind which thirsts for knowledge, a willingness to share experiences and knowledge without being arrogant or demanding, a flexibility to reach into other areas always looking for that great idea that can be applied, and the ability to put aside ego and self-interests to go the extra mile for students and the curricular discipline.”

Kathleen Molnar Assistant Professor of Education

Honors Convocation, a long-standing tradition, is celebrated at the end of Spring Semester. This ceremony presents faculty and student awards for achievement.

Student awards include:

  • Outstanding Students Awards are presented to students in nine academic departments including Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, English/Communication/Theater, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Social Science, and Psychology,

  • Kappa Gamma Pi, the national Catholic college graduate honor society, inducts up to 10 percent of the graduating class. Graduating seniors are selected by the faculty based on the criteria for membership which include graduation with academic honors, demonstrated leadership and service, and strong potential for assuming leadership of their Church, civic, or professional community,

  • Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges recipients are acknowledged. Seniors elect 10 percent of their class into membership based on participation in campus life, service, and leadership,

  • Club of the Year recognition,

  • All-College Art Show Winners, and

  • President’s Award for Academic and Athletic Excellence

Faculty awards include:

  • The Distinguished Faculty Award, awarded since 1981, is presented to a full-time faculty member selected by a faculty committee from nominations submitted by students, alumni, and faculty. The criteria include excellence in teaching, scholarship, and College and community service.

  • The Outstanding Teaching Award, instituted in 1987, recognizes the excellent teaching by a part-time faculty member. Based on nominations from students, alumni, and faculty, the criteria for selection include excellence in teaching, service, availability to students and a commitment to the mission of the College.

Awards presented at Commencement include:

• The St. Catherine of Alexandria Medal is awarded by Kappa Gammi Pi to a Master of Education degree candidate on the basis of unusual and unselfish service to the College. The recipient must exemplify the high ideals of a Catholic college education and is chosen by the Education Department faculty based on leadership, scholarship and service to and support of the College and community.

• The Sr. Mary Agnes Bosche Award is presented to a traditional undergraduate student who embodies the qualities evident in the life and service of Sr. Mary Agnes Bosche, SND. The recipient must demonstrate honesty and trustworthiness, a commitment to excellence,and selfless service to Notre Dame and the larger community.

• The Sr. Mary Leroy Finn Award is awarded to an adult student who has demonstrated academic excellence and leadership qualities. The recipient must have attained a minimum grade point average of 3.5 and embody the characteristics inscribed on the custom-made award presentation bowl: Scholarly, Catalyst, Diligent, Spiritual, and Resilient.

“A lifelong learner asks questions about her world and herself and seeks persons, resources and experiences to answer these questions, and usually finds more questions hidden in the answers.”

Louise Prochaska, Ph.D. Professor of Theology& Women’s Studies

Testimonials of student and faculty achievements are published in admissions and institutional advancement literature. The College’s website provides external publics with current and archival information about student and faculty accomplishments.

The College’s Public Relations Office regularly sends press releases to local media promoting outstanding and noteworthy achievements.

The faculty and students, in keeping with Notre Dame College’s mission, produce scholarship and create knowledge through basic and applied research.

Although Notre Dame is not primarily a research institution, scholarship on the part of faculty and students is plentiful. Faculty have produced artistic works and performances, led discussions of research findings, given presentations at workshops and professional meetings, applied for and received grant funds, and engaged in consultations.

In 2003, Notre Dame College partnered with neighboring Ursuline College in hosting the Ohio Writers’ Celebration. This two-day event celebrated Ohio’s Bicentennial by highlighting two centuries of Ohio writers. Faculty members in the English and Communications Department participated with professors from St. Mary’s College in Maryland, Cleveland State University, Lorain County Community College, University of Dayton, Illinois State University, Kent State University, and others.

In 2005, faculty member Dr. Louise Prochaska co-conducted the “Picture Perfect Workshop” at Notre Dame designed to educate women, particularly young women 18 years of age and younger, about the often unrealistic body images portrayed by the media.

Also in 2005, Dr. Prochaska was among 70 professors invited to participate in a study of introductory courses in theology and religion. The proposed outcomes of the study include a book, workshops around the country designed for new professors teaching this type of course, and a listserve of current ideas and strategies.

In November, 2006, Dr. Roy Berko, an adjunct instructor for communication and psychology, was honored at the National Communication Association (NCA) convention in Texas for his work with Lambda Pi Eta, the communication society of NCA.

Sr. Mary Karita Ivancic, D.Min., Assistant Professor of Music and Theology, had an article published in an upcoming edition of Theological Education, the professional journal of the Association of Theological Schools. The article, titled Biblical Imagination in Theory and Practice, is based on her doctoral dissertation and is also an integral part of her class, An Arts Approach to the Bible (Theology 325). Sr. Karita also delivered a keynote speech about biblical imagination at the Creative Grace Art Show on May 20, 2006 in Huntsburg, Ohio.

“Lifelong learners remain curious. They seek out answers or possible answers to our dilemmas and enigmas. They enjoy the journey as much as the destination. They read, write, walk, ride, run, and breathe the stuff of life.”

Bruce Jones, Ph.D. Director of Undergraduate& Graduate Education

Natalie Strouse, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture in accounting at Ternopil Academy of National Economy in Ternopil, Ukraine during Fall, 2006. Ms. Strouse taught financial and managerial accounting to upper level university students.

Students with journalistic talents, artistic abilities and communication prowess are recognized for their contributions to the College newspaper, the Notre Dame News, the College’s literary magazine, Pivot, and with their submissions to the All-College Art Show.

Students also join clubs and organizations to engage in intellectual activity. Students participated in “The Problem Solving Competition” where they joined students from over 500 U.S. colleges and universities to compete in a monthly problem solving activity. The top problem solver was invited to the U.S. National Collegiate Mathematics Championship in August, 2006 in Knoxville, Tennessee during “Mathfest 2006.”

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