RPInsider

So, you probably got that extremely long email about the CLASS initiative if you have an RPI email (if not, it’s below!).  But, you also probably didn’t read it or didn’t want to.  There isn’t very much new in the email, but I thought it would be nice to give you the highlights, so here you go:

• CLASS = Clustered Learning Advocacy and Support for Students, and it starts this fall.
• Tom Tarantelli of the CDC is now acting Assistant VP for Student Life and Janette Fayelle is the Acting Dean for FYE
• CLASS is based on residential clusters with all types of students and some faculty living with the students
• In the Fall of 2010, all sophomores will be required to live on campus or in greek life, so that they feel like they “belong.”
• The new Blitman Commons Residence Hall opened downtown.  They didn’t mention that it is being used for conferences this summer.
• More “Student Life Signature Events” to come at EMPAC such as Bela Fleck.

Pretty simple really!  Nothing new in this email, but at least they’re trying to make sure everyone does have access to what little information there is available.

To:    The Rensselaer Community
From:  Eddie Ade Knowles, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life,
Adjunct Faculty, Department of the Arts
Date:  June 11, 2009
Re:    The Rensselaer CLASS Program: A Transformation in the Making

Improving the overall student experience has been a core goal of The
Rensselaer Plan since its inception. Building on the success of the
award-winning First-Year Experience, and through the vision and guidance
of President Jackson, we are embarking on several new initiatives
designed to elevate the undergraduate experience to a new level. The
“CLASS” initiative – the new vision for student life – is based on the
concept of “Clustered Learning Advocacy and Support for Students.”

We are launching the CLASS initiative this fall, and we will be working
to appoint individuals who are dedicated to promoting student
engagement, success, and satisfaction at Rensselaer.

As you know, in October 2008, Lisa Trahan, former dean of the First-Year
Experience and interim director of residence life at Rensselaer, was
appointed to the newly created position of assistant vice president for
the student experience. In her new role, Ms. Trahan has primary
responsibility for the oversight, planning, creation, and development of
programs and activities that will further enhance the student
experience, including undergraduate, transfer, and graduate
students. Her responsibilities include working with me to establish the
class dean model as an extension of the First-Year Experience,
collaborating with the academic portfolios to provide leadership and
assistance with the development and implementation of the
internationalizing of the student experience, and overseeing the
development of programs and services for graduate students.

Today, I am pleased to announce two new appointments in the Division of
Student Life. Tom Tarantelli, director of the Career Development Center,
has been appointed acting assistant vice president for student life; and
Janelle Fayette, assistant dean of the First-Year Experience, has been
named acting dean of the First-Year Experience.

Dr. Tarantelli will have primary responsibility to provide leadership
and oversight for the Office of Residence Life, including implementation
of the CLASS initiative, programs, and services, and will also supervise
the staff. Dr. Tarantelli’s additional responsibilities will include
assisting me with the implementation of the Division of Student Life
FY’10 Performance Plan initiatives, and managing Residence Life on-call
and response to emergencies.

Of special note, last month, Dr. Tarantelli received his Ph.D. with
distinction from the University at Albany in educational administration
and policy studies. He also holds an M.Ed. in counselor education and
student personnel from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s in
international relations from Boston University, and a bachelor’s in
political science from the State University of New York College at
Fredonia. He has received awards from several academic and professional
associations for his work, and has published articles and appeared as a
panelist for local/regional and national organizations.

Ms. Fayette will provide leadership for all aspects of new student
services, including programmatic and retention efforts for the entering
class, as well as working with the assistant dean of the student
experience on parent-related services and programs. Ms. Fayette will
also train, supervise, and evaluate performance of FYE staff members,
and identify ways to support the CLASS initiative and transition FYE
students to their new class dean. She will serve as a member of the
Intervention Team, a multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff tasked
with the responsibility of developing campus-wide strategies to increase
the “safety net” and student retention at Rensselaer.

Prior to coming to Rensselaer, Ms. Fayette held the position of
assistant director of student life at Bennington College. She holds an
M.S. in educational administration and policy studies and a bachelor’s
in psychology from the University at Albany.

Please join me in congratulating these two dedicated members of our
campus community for their past contributions and future achievements to
come. Dr. Tarantelli and Ms. Fayette, along with their colleagues, have
been instrumental in their efforts to connect with the student body and
make a positive impact on the campus community and beyond. Together,
along with the Student Life leadership team, I am confident that

Dr. Tarantelli and Ms. Fayette will help to provide the necessary
direction and momentum needed as we launch the CLASS initiative.

CLASS Initiative Updates

In the last few months, we have shared highlights of the CLASS
initiative with the campus community during campus events, and through
Inside Rensselaer and The Poly. It has required much discussion and
planning involving many interested parties to develop President
Jackson’s original vision into an action plan, and there is much news to
share.

The CLASS initiative is a comprehensive effort built around time-based
clustering and residential clusters. It builds upon Rensselaer’s
First-Year Experience with class deans, and extends learning across the
spectrum of student residential life at Rensselaer. It is based on
clusters of residence halls – or commons – with faculty deans living in
or near each of the commons, with live-in commons deans, upperclass and
graduate student assistants, and individual class-year deans. Overall,
the objective of this new model is to integrate academic and student
life initiatives in support of student success, while enhancing
mentoring, community building, and experiential opportunities for
student growth and development.

In the fall of 2010, we will phase in the Sophomore Year Experience, in
which all sophomores will live on the Troy campus, or in fraternities
and sororities who partner with Rensselaer. The goal of the program is
to provide students with a greater sense of belonging and community at
Rensselaer as they continue to live in on-campus housing or with partner
fraternities and sororities.

Beginning in August 2009, the Institute is also poised to offer students
a new campus housing option in the heart of downtown Troy. The Institute
held a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 15 to unveil a project that has
converted the former Best Western Rensselaer Inn into a residence
commons to house Rensselaer undergraduate students. The Howard
N. Blitman, P.E. ‘50 Residence Commons will expand housing options for
Rensselaer upperclass students, while bringing approximately 300
students downtown to engage in the vibrant community of Troy. The new
residence commons will be situated at the bottom of the Rensselaer
Approach, the century-old granite staircase that symbolizes the
connection between the City of Troy and the Institute.

The Blitman Residence Commons will be a key element of student
progression through the CLASS experience. Within the hallmark residence
commons, Rensselaer will build a complete living and learning community
- a place designed to foster a sense of belonging, and a feeling of
community. There is a nationwide search under way to hire an assistant
dean of residential commons, who will oversee the program, engage
students, and offer counseling and guidance.

With the opening of EMPAC in October 2008, the Division of Student Life
also has embarked on a plan to develop an arts initiative that will
generate new arts and signature programs. A number of the programs
planned for last year’s Family Weekend and Homecoming event featured
Rensselaer Union student music and performing arts groups. During the
spring of 2009, Student Life, in partnership with the Provost, sponsored
the first Student Life signature event at EMPAC: a sold-out performance
of Bela Fleck. That is just the beginning; future programs are being
planned for the coming year.

Stay Tuned

Through the implementation of The Rensselaer Plan, there have been
significant changes at Rensselaer that have made the student experience
livelier and more engaging. We plan to continue to provide compelling
programs that suggest exciting futures; provide a firm grounding in the
fundamentals; bridge knowledge to practice; emphasize discovery,
reasoning, and action; inculcate a world perspective and cultural
understanding; and produce leaders.

The CLASS initiative will truly enhance support for our students and
engage the broader Rensselaer community on their paths to success. This
is just the beginning, and we wanted to make sure that we share this
special and exciting news with you. Stay tuned for more news to come.

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