2021 Cohort
17
edits
Changes
==2021 Cohort==
===Strategic Priority 1: Exposing STEM students to arts and humanities===
''Project Leader: Hailey Bixler''
Many STEM students at UNO, especially engineers, have very rigid schedules that require almost exclusively math and science classes. We want to give them a chance to express their creativity and relieve stress while being exposed to arts and humanities. One of the biggest concerns unearthed was that STEM students felt intimidated participating in arts activities that arts majors also participated in. They felt as though their skills could not compare to people who were enrolled in the fine arts programs, so they were hesitant to sign up for art classes or join creativity-based clubs. This guided our ideas towards solutions that encouraged failure and experimentation instead of talent. The second biggest concern was time: STEM degrees require a lot of intensive classes. Additionally, many students are involved in other STEM-related extracurriculars and don't have time to add on anything that isn't directly related to their major. We realized that effective solutions needed to be adaptive to different schedules and meet the needs of students who only have a spare half hour or so in their day.
'''Potential Tactics'''
1. Implementing an art or music playground for students to experiment with creative mediums
2. Redesigning the engineering curriculum to include more focus on arts and humanities
3. Design quick art challenges that encourage failure, not talent
===Strategic Priority 2: Guiding students who are unsure of their career goals===
''Project Leader: Ellie Zentner''
There are many students, whether seniors in high school or early college students, who are unsure of what kind of career path they want to take. The problem is, most of these students aren't sure where to go for guidance. It's hard for students to fully grasp which majors will actually suit them based on their interests and skills. Furthermore, students might not know their options outside of attending a traditional four-year university. Overall, the goal is to implement a program or series of events that will help guide these students so they can ultimately discover the ideal career path for them. The biggest concern with this is figuring out which tactic will get the biggest response from students and be the most accessible.
'''Potential Tactics'''
1. Setting up a biyearly "major fair" where students can attend booths ran by upperclassmen of each major
2. Implementing a new section of UNO's peer mentoring program specifically designed for undeclared majors or students unsure of their major
3. Introducing seminars where students can learn about different career fields as well as options outside of four-year college (trade school, community college, etc.)
===Strategic Priority 3: Reviving student involvement through the restructuring of the presentation of opportunities for students===
''Project Leader: Joshua Oarhe''
Structured originally as a commuter campus for students who decided to go to college from home, the culture associated with the commuter nature of UNO persists to our current day. Now, UNO has many on-campus residence options for students looking to have the on-campus college experience. However, student involvement is drastically affected by the split nature of the residence of our campus. Many on-campus students that seek to have the associated experience seek out opportunities to join clubs, associations, and various types of organizations but find it difficult to find an environment within those clubs that has people as solidly committed to its purpose as they might be. the student organizations struggle to gain participation since many students have an off-campus perspective of UNO in which they attend class and return to their home. We seek to boost student involvement by presenting opportunities to become involved in a fast-working fashion that helps to meet the needs of both on-campus and off-campus students.
'''Potential Tactics'''
1. Structural redesign of the platform in which we present the list of student organizations and clubs to students that emphasizes providing dependable and relevant information that builds a proper image of the opportunities that lie within the organization
2. A continuous involvement center run by a campus representative or ambassador that acts as an easily-approachable source of information about the wide scope of student involvement opportunities and can act as a liaison that can connect searching students with readily accepting organizations
3. A renewed emphasis on the testimonials of students that are currently playing or have played a role in the organization to provide a student perspective of the worth and value of the experiences and memories that are gained from participating in this club
===Strategic Priority 4: Offering Peer Mentoring for First Year/Second Year Students===
''Project Leader: Jerome Thomas-Glass''
A lot of scholarships at UNO offer peer mentoring programs for their incoming students, but students who don’t have a scholarship program don’t have the same opportunity for a peer mentorship program . Those students face problems too with school, or life, and may need help as well, but not feel comfortable enough to go to a teacher or faculty member and talk about it. A peer mentorship program for those students who may not have one already through their scholarship program will have the same opportunity to get help and advice from older students who may have faced the same challenges as them. This will benefit those students causing them to be able to go through college more smoothly without the worry of not having anyone in their corner that they can talk to whenever they have a problem or concern.
'''Potential Tactics'''
1. Sending out forms to students asking them if they are a part of a peer mentoring program
2. Reaching out to students that we may know and letting them know of the opportunity
3. Asking upperclassmen To volunteer their time and come up with a program that will benefit both the mentor and mentee
==2020 Cohort==
===Keeping students at the forefront of higher education===
====Tactic #2 Student and Faculty Emergency Committee (Marissa Morales)====
The pandemic has taken a toll on the university altogether. When looking at how the university responded to the pandemic and how they attempted to find solutions to keep students engaged, a lot was missed from it. Students have a range of responsibilities that they have to deal with aside from their education. It’s important for students that administration keep all of their situations in mind when making decisions on their behalf. Students are highly impacted when big world events occur and they should be a part of the decision making process. That’s why we believe that an emergency committee should be made to bring all major actors from the university together to focus on the needs of all mavericks altogether. The Student and Faculty Emergency Committee would bring students, administrators, faculty and staff together to collaborate on solutions that they feel are best for the university as a whole. The university is full of committed leaders that can contribute to the decision making process but how can we best support all experiences when only a select group are representing us at the top? The idea is to create comfortable spaces where students can voice their concerns to administrators and develop a strategy where students are welcomed to be at the table alongside administrators more often. Students are full of great ideas but why hasn’t the university allowed them to be heard? At the end of the day it’s the student’s education that is on the line and they should be able to change what they feel is the most acceptable for the institution.
The Student and Faculty Emergency Committee would bring students, administrators, faculty and staff together focus is now to provide resources to those who are affected by a life changing event. One thing that was shared by many understand how students was that it is difficult to locate resources on campus. The idea is to allow can be involved in the committee to come up with a whole list affairs of resources administration. If that means opening up meetings to students can utilize and find ways , or having more town halls, or simply creating an internship program within the chancellor's office to better serve learning obstacles ensure that may come with a national emergencystudent leaders are present when big decisions are being made.
====Tactic #3 A Student Focused Week Time (Joey Gruber)====
Most students are not solely students. Many are employees, mothers, volunteers, student leaders, and much more. Due to the pandemic, many of the roles that students have are now different with new challenges and uncertainties, but it seems that the university did not consider these roles when shifting to remote learning. For instance, DACA students did not receive any emergency funds or specialized help when the pandemic happened. Other students had to pick up new jobs, were suffering from severe mental illness and more due to the pandemic, but each of these problems were not acknowledged when UNO shifted to remote learning. On top of this, students are overwhelmed with their plates and without the outlets, they previously had available, like studying in public spaces without fear of exposure, seeing friends often, and being able to easily communicate with professors. With this in mind and the knowledge that students were already experiencing high stress before the pandemic, we believe that a change should be made to improve and incorporate the livelihoods of students.
To do this, we want to create a student-focused week. This week would allow students to take a break from the ever-growing assignments and responsibilities and instead relax and remind themselves why they are going to college. First, this week would not have any due dates and instead only completion based tasks. This way students can focus on actually learning the matter rather than being graded. Next, there would be no major tests or projects during this week and the first three days following. This way students can focus on the current material without the burden of something major coming up soon. On top of this, classes should be student-centered that bring in speakers or focus on a topic related to the course. This way students can understand the material from a different perspective and engage in learning typically not offered by the curriculum. We also want to provide students with a week of services that they normally would not be offered, such as, a speaker series, massages, legal services, and other self-care services. Lastly, we want this week to emphasize partnerships. Students, staff, faculty, community members and more should be provided with any resources needed to take part and create opportunities for other students during this week. Overall, the goal of this idea is to provide students with the opportunity to focus on their passions and relax without the stress of traditional education.
Based on feedback from stakeholders, this priority has shifted to time for students to refocus and recharge. Rather than a week once a semester, this priority may be used once a month or at some other interval. This shift is due to many stakeholders saying this idea as a shift in culture, and brought up ways to incorporate this into UNO through different time periods. Moreover, one student, with preexisting health conditions, stated that this would really help them manage school and their health better.
====Tactic #4 Innovative, Changed-Focused Spaces (Joey Gruber, Marissa Morales, & Ryan Chapman)====
We believe that by having spaces to creatively work on any project, it will empower students to go beyond the curriculum to focus on what they are truly passionate about. Our goal is to have spaces on Dodge campus as well as Pacific campus to allow students from all majors to explore. Currently, there are limited spaces to only specific students that allow for innovation and creativity, such as the Scott Scholar Design Thinking Space and various art labs. We believe that we can encompass some of the existing opportunities and create new spaces that allows students to pursue their passions and ideas. This means providing students with tangible prototyping materials, funds to pursue any type of project, as well as creating a comfortable, collaborative environment.
Landscape Canvas: [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TBYI3RElNAgKb8y_9YK0gH63srk7n5wdZbdYq2W4vYA/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TBYI3RElNAgKb8y_9YK0gH63srk7n5wdZbdYq2W4vYA/edit?usp=sharing]
UNO Wiki: [https://universityinnovation.org/wiki/School:University_of_Nebraska_Omaha https://universityinnovation.org/wiki/School:University_of_Nebraska_Omaha]
Video [https://www.youtube.com/embed/okj5dBGhvos https://www.youtube.com/embed/okj5dBGhvos]
==2019 Cohort==