Provost

Students will be able to choose from the following six pathways:

1. Technoethics - Courses and activities in this Pathway may emphasize critical thinking skills as they relate to seeking, consuming, and evaluating information. They may also pose questions about our relationship to technology and its impact on the environment.  

2. Sustainability - Courses and activities in this Pathway may focus on the Earth’s natural resources and sustainable solutions to a broad range of global issues, such as needs for food, energy, education, and safe living conditions. 

3. Healthy Communities - Courses and activities in this Pathway may inspire students to use creative  problem solving, sustainable design, economics, innovation, science,  medicine, art, and social change to offer impactful solutions to existing and  emerging humanitarian problems. 

4. The Good Life  - Courses and activities in this Pathway may expose students to various perspectives on life's meaning, including perspectives from marginalized populations. Potential perspectives include those from the LGBTQIA+  community, a range of religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions,  literature, and psychology. 

5. Identity and Equity - Courses and activities in this Pathway may facilitate students’ study of identity and equity, focusing on how identity is formed and expressed in different cultural contexts, issues of gender and equity on a global scale,  racial and ethnic identities, global social justice, and intercultural communication. 

6. Creativity and Design for Change - Courses and activities in this Pathway may introduce students to creative problem-solving, innovation, art and social change, creative writing, and sustainable design. 

During the 2023-2024 school year, Provost Denise Cobb shared her early ideas with faculty and staff for creating thematic pathways that would foster connections across student coursework and co-curricular activities by giving students the option of a problem or idea to explore. Provost Cobb described Changemakers as a way to highlight the very best SIUE has to offer and address challenges our institution faces in the current higher education landscape, including:

• Skepticism about the value of a college degree
• The “enrollment cliff” or reduced number of college-aged students which increases enrollment competition between institutions
• Scarcity of financial and human resources to conduct the work of the institution
• Widening equity and student success gaps

Then in April 2024, Provost Cobb solicited volunteers from faculty and staff to participate in a full day working session to bring Changemakers to fruition. The invaluable insights, perspectives, and expertise of SIUE faculty, staff, and administrators along with Provost Cobb’s vision for inclusive excellence, gave rise to the Changemakers initiative which is an innovative enhancement to the SIUE general education program.

In Fall 2024, Jessica DeSpain, Faculty in English and Director of the Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars Program returned to the Spring volunteers to organize a new set of working groups to finalize planning and implementation Changemakers by Fall 2025.

The working group chairs met bi-weekly throughout the 2024-2025 school year and met with their working groups in the off weeks. The committees working to research and
implement the pathways included:

• Pathway Topics, led by Pamela Williams, Instructional Designer, Active Fall 2024
• First-Semester Transition, led by Matthew Schunke, Faculty in Philosophy and Director of First-Semester Transition
• Curricular Integration, led by Jessica DeSpain
• Co-Curricular Initiatives, led by Tammy Taylor, Associate Director of Career Services
• Marketing, led by Ramana Madupalli, Faculty in Marketing

• Pathway Topics, Active Fall 2024, led by Pamela Williams, Instructional Designer This working group collected information on comparable pathway programs at a variety of institution types, and through a series of feedback efforts, determined the list of six pathways. After Fall 2024, the group members moved into other working groups.
  • Emily Wonacott-Stanley, STEM Center Community Engagement Coordinator o Elza Ibroscheva, Associate Provost
  • Jason Stacy, Faculty in History
  • Joshua Wooten, Faculty in Exercise, Sport, and Nutritional Science, Active Fall 2024
• First-Semester Transition, led by Matthew Schunke, Faculty in Philosophy and Director of First-Semester Transition This working group collaborated with the curricular and co-curricular working groups to develop a plan for introducing the pathways in FST to enrich the course’s focus on how to succeed as a college student.
  • Letrice Young, CORE Team Program Coordinator o Bethany Guida, Tutoring Resource Center
  • Dann Rosen, Associate Director Resident Life o Simone Williams, Diversity and Equity Librarian
• Curricular Integration, led by Jessica DeSpain, Faculty in English and Director of CODES Program This working group researched the best intervention points in the general education curriculum for each year of the program to impact the most inclusive number of SIUE students. They developed plans for how to integrate High Impact Practices into each phase of changemakers and wrote descriptions for each curricular touchstone. They worked with the Philosophy Department to determine how to integrate Changemakers most effectively into RA101. They also led the way on needed changes to the general education policy to implement Changemakers.
  • Elizabeth Cali, Interim Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Active Fall 2024
  • Laurie Woolf, Faculty in School of Business
  • Allison Thomason, Chair History, Active Fall 2024
  • Margaret Smith, Interim Director of the IRIS Center
  • Susan Foster, Faculty in Teaching and Learning
  • Sarah Stover, Academic Coordinator, SOAR
  • Laura Del Rio, Director for Research Teaching and Learning, and Humanities Librarian, Active Spring 2025
  • Shannon McCarragher, Faculty in Geography, Active Spring 2025
  • Erin Vanderbunt, Faculty in Applied Health, Active Spring 2025
• Co-Curricular Initiatives, led by Tammy Taylor, Associate Director of Career Development Center This working group developed a plan for course introductions to longer-form, intensive co-curricular opportunities. They developed models for the student experience integrating curricular and co-curricular experience. They also designed a menu of additional co-curricular options that relate to each Pathway.
  • Mallory Sidarous, Director of Residence Life o Sade Shepherd, Academic Coordinator, SOAR
  • Ryan Donald, Study Abroad Specialist o Kevin Cannon, Chair Criminal Justice
  • Tammy Moore, Director of Compliance, Educational Outreach
  • Amelia Perez, Faculty in Nursing o Ian Toberman, Assistant Director of Honors
  • Angela Andrews, Associate Dean of Nursing o Cordell Billups, Associate Director of Humility, Empathy, and Action, Kimmel Belonging and Engagement Hub, active Spring 2025
• Marketing, led by Ramana Madupalli, Faculty in Marketing This committee conducted a focus group and launched a student survey to understand how and when to best communicate the value of the Pathway to students. They conducted research into which Pathways might most engage students and what forms of validation students might seek to recognize their participation.
  • Pamela Williams, Instructional Designer, Active Spring 2025
  • Ashley Chitwood, Market Specialist
  • Cathy Taylor, Associate Vice-Chancellor for University Advancement, Active Fall 2024
  • Virginia Klein, Assistant Director, Enrollment Systems, Research and Analysis
  • Sally Boutelle, Director, Enrollment Systems, Research and Analysis
  • Erin Vanderbunt, Faculty in Applied Health, Active Spring 2024

Previously conducted work

• Fall 2023 Provost introduced Changemakers at Faculty Senate
• March 2024-Provost held two information sessions for faculty and staff
• April 29, 2024-Provost led all-day work session to discuss the possibility of Pathways and possible models
• September 2024-Jessica DeSpain sought volunteers to organize working groups to continue the Spring 2024 discussions
• December 2024-Working groups issued findings and implementation plan
• January 2025-Philosophy Department agreed to integrate Changemakers Pathways into RA101 curriculum, Changemakers curricula was announced as a priority for Excellence in Undergraduate Education Grants, Chairs began holding informational sessions for faculty

Implementation Timeline (2025-2029)

Phase I Raising Awareness, Laying Foundations

Spring 2025/Summer 2025

• Introduce Changemakers at Faculty senate and prepare policy change to recommend RA101 in second year
• Plan for course shifts in College of Arts and Sciences to accommodate move to RA 101 in second year
• Visit college meetings to introduce concept
• Introduce to advisors
• Plan for necessary changes to IS to accommodate scheduling and student course plan needs
• Train FST faculty to add Changemakers to curriculum
• Prepare Co-Curricular Introductions for FST

Fall 2025/Spring 2026

• Launch changemakers with new modules in FST
• Introduce Changemakers in spring advising appointments with students
• Philosophy prepares new curriculum for RA 101
• Necessary policy/document changes to IS course brought to faculty senate
• Develop system for fast-tracked IS course approvals that integrate the experiential requirement
• Continue outreach to IS faculty and ensure there are enough courses scheduled for each Pathway
• Co-Curricular committee prepares student menu and vets different software options for sharing with students

Phase II-Implement RA101 and Planning for Changemakers Course Launch

Fall 2026/Spring 2027

• Launch sections of RA101 integrating Changemakers project
• Assess outcomes of RA101 via faculty and student check-ins and shift as necessary
• During spring advising, help students find a Changemakers course that fits schedule and interests; discuss participation in co-curriculars
• Create faculty working groups in the Center for Faculty Development and Innovation that support faculty who are making Changemakers assignments for their courses
• Assess interest and viability of Pathway-centered faculty groups to support curriculum development and student mentorship
• Begin audit of courses that align with Pathways and include High Impact Practices for inclusion in an expanded Pathways program
• Co-Curricular committee launches student menu

Phase III-Launch Changemakers Course & Plan for Expansion

Fall 2027/Spring 2028

• Launch Changemakers courses
• Assess outcomes of Changemakers course via faculty and student check-ins and shift as necessary
• Continue to collect information from student body about their participation in Pathway and future interest in transcriptable credit for their participation
• Continue to offer faculty development opportunities for Changemakers course to expand offerings
• Submit necessary curricular changes to develop expanded transcriptable Changemakers credit for students
• Devise system that allows for integrative credit of curricular and co-curricular experiences

Phase IV-Launch Expanded Changemakers Offerings

Fall 2028/Spring 2029

• Continue to assess student experience in Changemakers and progress toward co-curricular goals, looking for ways to enhance the experience and encourage participation
• Expand, as necessary, Pathways-focused communities of faculty and staff
• Work with registrar to make necessary changes to catalog and degree works
• Begin advertising transcriptable Changemakers to students