October 14, 2013

Student outcomes and new trustees in spotlight at October board meeting

Highlights from the October 3 board meeting included a review of student outcomes and the introduction of new trustees.

A new survey of young alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences finds that respondents feel prepared for life after Lewis & Clark. Preliminary findings of the study, which was led by Public Affairs and Communications and conducted by Institutional Research, were presented at the October Board of Trustees meeting by Dean of Students Anna Gonzalez.

Also at the October 3 meeting—the first led by new Board Chair Mark Dorman BS ’83—the trustees welcomed four new members to the board, received updates on the new Career Development Center and entrepreneurship, toured the newly renovated Fields Dining Hall, and approved a new law school certificate program in environmental law.

At the Academic Affairs Committee meeting, Gonzalez reported the results of the survey of young alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences. The study found that about 94 percent of respondents had secured employment, begun another educational program, or enrolled in some form of service (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or military service) within a year of graduating. Eighty-two percent said that Lewis & Clark prepared them adequately or better for their first position after college.

Among respondents who have earned or are earning an advanced degree (approximately half of all respondents), about 97 percent reported that Lewis & Clark prepared them adequately or better for their degree program. About 89 percent reported feeling better prepared for their program than their peers.

Survey responses were received from nearly 1,100 alumni who graduated from 1998 to 2012.

Career preparation and entrepreneurship were in the spotlight at both the Academic Affairs and Institutional Advancement committee meetings. Gonzalez briefed trustees on the move this summer to establish the new Career Development Center. At the IA session, the board was introduced to Michael Kaplan, the new managing director of the Entrepreneurship Center, and heard a presentation by Kaplan on the program and the vision for entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark. (The following day, several trustees attended the finale of Lewis & Clark’s first venture competition, which culminated in awarding funding to two student/alumni ventures.)

During the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting, trustees toured the newly renovated Fields. Their visit included brief talks by two students on the dining experience at Lewis & Clark as well as an opportunity to sample the revamped food offerings.

The meeting was marked by “firsts” for five trustees. Dorman, appointed chair last spring, presided over the meeting for the first time. And four new trustees were welcomed—Amber Case BA ’08, Ruth Sigal, Adina Flynn JD ’96, and Carol Timm BA ’87. Flynn and Timm are the presidents of the law school and CAS alumni boards, respectively.

The meeting began with introductions of new trustees and student and faculty representatives to the board by Chair Dorman and President Glassner, followed by updates from President Glassner.

The day ended with a plenary session that began with a presentation by Janis Lochner, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of Science, and two of her former students about biochemical research at Lewis & Clark and the unique opportunity students have to participate in cutting-edge research as undergraduates. The trustees also thanked past chair Jim Richardson BA ’70, JD ’76 for his leadership during his two years as chair.

In other action at the meeting, trustees:

  • Approved a new environmental law certificate program in the law school, geared initially to visiting attorneys from Asia.
  • Passed a resolution honoring Life Trustee Ralph Holman JD ’37, onetime member of the Oregon Supreme Court, who passed away in September.