Subgoal 3: Provide an Environment that Enhances the Quality of Student Life

The Goal 1.3 Committee evaluated the ways in which Michigan Tech enhances undergraduate student life. Student life is supported by student services and student organizations and can include activities directly related to the educational experience, such as academic advising, judicial affairs, and library service, as well as to opportunities for personal, social, political, and cultural development outside the classroom, which indirectly influence academic performance. Michigan Tech has no one department of student life; many departments serve students in a variety of ways. Student services that directly support the academic course of study, such as the Registrar, academic advising, and student organizations closely linked to academic departments, are discussed in Chapter 3 under "Academic Support." The Library and Information Technology are discussed separately in Chapter 10. In this chapter, we will evaluate the quality of other campus-wide student services and student organizations which enhance the quality of student life outside the classroom.

This chapter draws on the Goal 1.3 Committee Report [6.2B3], the Student Affairs Self-Study [2.6H11], Educational Opportunity Self-Study [2.6F2], and the college and school self-studies (see Appendix 6). Results of student surveys conducted by the Goal 1.3 Committee are discussed in their report. Please see these reports for additional information.

Patterns Of Evidence

Purposes

The University mission and vision suggest an appropriate climate for student life by stating that the University should be an educationally challenging, student enriching organization and a leader in promoting diversity, creativity, leadership, and teamwork among students. Many departmental mission statements echo this, as do many brochures produced and distributed by academic and academic support units. Student organizations’ constitutions and bylaws emphasize self governance and developing a spirit of progressive leadership. Admissions provides potential students with information about clubs and organizations in News & Views [7.5J], and the Organizations Fair during orientation week distributes literature about student life.

In its statements, the University recognizes not only the role it plays in the lives of students, but also the role students play in the life of the University, as they contribute to the University community. Nonetheless, academic department recruiting brochures rarely discuss student life, and the academic department self-studies contained little discussion of student life or of how the development of qualities such as leadership and teamwork were evaluated. Although many departments clearly foster student life activities, a stronger bridge could be built between the academic experience and the student life experience at Michigan Tech.

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