Parents,
This is the week that both faculty and students dread. While final exams are one of the traditions of higher education, I don’t believe they are a very good indicator of what a student has learned in classes.
In class last week, I told our students that my support for them doesn’t end with the end of the course. I really mean that. I will do anything I can to help them. For some, that support could be recommendation letters. For others it could be advice on getting an internship. For many it will be help on academic recovery plans.
Grades should be available on the University’s STAR system on December 23. Should students get D’s or F’s in classes, they should change their schedule so that they can repeat these classes next semester. They can do this from home.
For students who have scholarships, next week is the time to evaluate what needs to be done to retain their scholarships. For all scholarships I’m aware of, students have until the end of this academic year (mid-August) to meet their scholarship requirements. I have seen very few situations where a student couldn’t recover from a bad semester in order to meet their scholarship requirements. But they need help in putting together a realistic plan. I’ll be available to help them with the plan.
In almost every student’s case, next week is also a good time to reassess their academic habits. For students who have done very well, you might ask them how they can start developing the other part of their credentials (engineering experience and leadership activities). For students who didn’t do as well as they could, now is the time to make changes in their approach to college.
I plan to be in my office over the holiday break. My current plans are to be in the office on the following dates:
Monday, December 14, 2015
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Friday, December 18, 2015
Monday, December 21, 3015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015 (morning only)
Monday, January 4, 2015
Wednesday, January 6, 2015
Thursday, January 7, 2015
Friday, January 8, 2015
Would you encourage your student to take home their Engr 199 notes. There are many issues we discussed in class that they may need to reference when they are home.
I have found that phone calls generally work best when helping students work through their academic issues. My phone number is 304-293-3612 x 1. Ask your student to make a phone appointment. If no one answers, have them call again. Often I’ll be on the phone with another student. Also have your student send me a transcript before they call.
I hope that you will take a few minutes to respond to a short parent evaluation. The link is as follows:
This will just take a few minutes to complete. We really value your input.
Let me close with the story of Mike. Mike’s father was the basketball coach of my high school’s main rival. I take sports very seriously, and Mike’s father was the representative of the enemy.
When I got to know Mike, I was very impressed by his maturity, his leadership, and his intelligence. He was special. I began to view Mike’s father in an entirely different light. His father was a great coach and had raised a wonderful son.
During Mike’s sophomore year, he told me that his father was very ill with cancer and wasn’t expected to live. That’s a tough thing for a young person to accept, but Mike was incredibly strong.
I wrote a letter to Mike’s dad telling him how impressed I was with his son. I tried to convey to Mike’s father the future that Mike had ahead of him. It’s hard sometimes for a parent to view their children as anything but children. And I wanted to help Mike’s father visualize Mike’s future.
Mike’s father died shortly after I sent the letter. I got a nice note from Mike’s mother several weeks later. She told me that the letter really helped her husband. He never let the letter leave his hands, and he died holding that letter.
I’m glad that I helped Mike’s father visualize his son’s future. I hope that I have helped each of you start to glimpse the future that is ahead for your son or daughter.