Students, faculty and staff were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the student experience at MU in two open forums on Tuesday and Wednesday. The forums were led by Keeling & Associates, a consulting company which had been hired to evaluate MU student support programs and services.
The forum on Tuesday took place in Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union, and the forum Wednesday took place in Leadership Auditorium in the Student Center. Both focused on evaluating the current experience for graduate, undergraduate and professional students as well as suggesting improvements for the future. The discussion was based around the question, “What would you like to be true about the student experience in three to five years that is not true now?”
One of the main concerns among attendees was ensuring that all students have a sense of belonging. The discussion centered on providing groups such as nontraditional students, graduate students, students with disabilities and international students with connections and resources on campus.
Another recurring theme was improving communication. Many suggestions involved increasing communication among departments and services on campus in order to eliminate inefficiencies and inconsistencies. Improving communication both ways between students and administrators was also emphasized.
MU senior Mark Boyd, who attended the forum on Wednesday, said that the major change he wants to see is administrators listening to student input.
“It seems like a lot of the initiatives that Mizzou and the UM System have started [are] just built on administration opinions and their thoughts, and it doesn’t seem like they’re really making an effort to reach out to the student body and make themselves more accessible,” Boyd said.
The forums took place as part of a larger effort by Keeling & Associates to get feedback from those affiliated with the university. The company has also conducted interviews with students, faculty, staff, student employers and alumni.
In order to include the views of students who did not attend forums or interviews, two “idea walls” were set up for students to answer questions about their experience on Post-it notes. One was located in the Student Center on Tuesday, and the other was in Memorial Union on Wednesday.
“It’s a very collaborative process involving stakeholders in the process,” said Ashli Grabau, senior assessment and planning consultant for MU Student Affairs. “It’s kind of a partnership with the consultant taking what their recommendations are and what they’ve observed and then developing strategies to move forward from that.”
A report based on the company’s findings will be issued in the coming months.
“They’ll be benchmarking what we do with national best practices and making recommendations on how we can make sure we’re doing everything we can to support students and improve the student experience,” MU spokesperson Liz McCune said.
_Edited by Olivia Garrett | ogarrett@themaneater.com_
