007: Jumpstart General Education

Solutions for Higher Education with Southern Utah University President Scott L Wyatt

Quotes:
"Jumpstart is kind of the Marketing Department’s title for this integrated General Education program that we have at SUU where a student in her or his freshman year gets all the general education classes in one cohort taught around a single theme."

"...we went to lunch, and you proposed this crazy idea of, “Is it possible to create a General Education program that would be so engaging that students would actually choose to come to Southern Utah University because of it?” "

"...until I taught the first cohort of Jumpstart and I realized, “No, Jumpstart is the coolest thing, as a faculty member, that I’ve ever been able to participate in.”"

"...we do know that in talking with students who have now been out of the Jumpstart program—they are all juniors this year—that seeing things in an integrated nature is something that sticks with them."

"But now, once we start integrating these topics together and we light a fire under the student, it’s, “Wow! This is relevant to me. This is interesting to me. I see how all of these things relate.”"

"Jumpstart gives them a year to sample all these really neat areas in engaging ways and it’s really interesting to watch the student slowly decide, “I want to go into art history” or “I want to go into physiology or agriculture.” It’s fascinating to see."

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