What is the Foundations of Excellence®?
With the guidance of the
John N. Gardner Institute, San Antonio College has embarked upon a self-study called
Foundations of Excellence® (FoE). SAC’s Foundations of Excellence® campaign, From
the Ground Up, will unite nearly 100 faculty and staff members from
around the College to evaluate all aspects of SAC’s campus environment as it
supports and serves transfer-bound students.
During the first year, the FoE Task Force
will produce a recommendation for institutional improvement, specifically
focusing on student completion and successful transfer. In the second year, the
Task Force will lead the implementation of the action plan. After the initial two
years, adjustments will continue to be made until the plan has been actualized.
The campaign theme, From
the Ground Up, is unique to SAC. It expresses the charge of the FoE
Task Force, and is led by staff and faculty volunteers. During the fall semester
of the 2012-2013 academic year, the Task Force will survey the staff/faculty
and students and use that data to prepare an action plan for institutional
change and improvement. Volunteers are encouraged to become part of this
campaign by being on one of the nine Dimension Committees which will explore
different facets of the College.
Since February 2003, the Foundations of
Excellence® project has involved over 300 two- and four-year
colleges and universities across the nation. The Foundations of Excellence®
project is designed to help campuses evaluate and improve the overall
experience of first-year or transfer students. SAC will focus on the transfer
student’s experience, and learn how we may better serve our students.
Learn
more about the Foundations of Excellence® program.
From The Ground Up Campaign
SAC’s campaign theme is “From
the Ground Up."
The methodology behind
this theme is that the Foundations of Excellence® project at SAC is for
the people, by the people. Led by faculty and staff representatives, not
administration, the Task Force aims to unite the College in an effort to help
make SAC even better from the ground up.
Employees within any level
of the College are invited to become a part of the FoE Task Force. All faculty
and staff are able to follow the progress of the campaign on our internal
website. Please refer to the FoE workspace on Sharepoint for more information about the status of the
campaign.
FoE Task Force
The FoE project calls for 10
committees: the Steering Committee and nine committees tackling one of the
Foundational Dimensions®.
The Dimension Committees will each have two co-chairs, one from Student Affairs
and one from Academic Affairs. The Steering Committee is comprised of each of
the committee co-chairs and the five FoE Launch Team members.