FROM: Susan G. Harris

SUBJECT: Minutes of the Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Commonwealth Engagement on June 7, 2018

The Ad Hoc Committee on Commonwealth Engagement of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia met, in open session, at 8:55 a.m. on Thursday, June 7, 2018, in the Board Room of the Rotunda. Maurice A. Jones, Chair, presided.

Present: Frank M. Conner III, Elizabeth M. Cranwell, Babur B. Lateef, M.D., James B. Murray Jr., and James V. Reyes.

Absent: Robert M. Blue and Mark T. Bowles.

L.D. Britt, M.D., Whittington W. Clement, Thomas A. DePasquale, Barbara J. Fried, John A Griffin, Tammy S. Murphy, Jeffrey C. Walker, Margaret F. Riley, and Brendan T. Nigro also were present.

Present as well were Teresa A. Sullivan, Patrick D. Hogan, Thomas C. Katsouleas, Melody S. Bianchetto, Jonathan D. Bowen, Susan G. Harris, Donna P. Henry, Ronald R. Hutchins, W. Thomas Leback, Mark M. Luellen, David W. Martel, Melur K. Ramasubramanian, Debra D. Rinker, Colette Sheehy, and Farnaz F. Thompson.

The presenters was Shannon R. Blevins, Steven E. Laymon, S. Pace Lochte, and Robert C. Pianta.

Mr. Jones opened the meeting. After a brief review of the committee’s charge and its work to date, he gave the floor to Ms. Sheehy.

The Role of the University in the Education Supply Chain

Ms. Sheehy said today’s presentations would provide an overview of the University’s K-12 and adult education-related programs. She introduced Mr. Robert C. Pianta, Dean of the Curry School of Education; Ms. Shannon R. Blevins, Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development & Engagement at the College at Wise; and Mr. Steven E. Laymon, Interim Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Mr. Pianta began with a report on the Curry School’s efforts to address the teacher shortage in Virginia. He said more than 1,000 teachers are needed and in many school systems there are no certified teachers in areas, such as mathematics. The school and its K-12 Advisory Council, a partnership with Virginia school system superintendents, held a summit on the teacher shortage in October in partnership with the Governor’s Office, the Virginia Department of Education, and others. The summit led to legislation, which created a pathway for certifications for teachers through a four-year undergraduate degree program in teacher preparation.

The school has a number of local, regional, and statewide initiatives focused on early childhood and primary education that affect every child in the state. This fall the school will roll out a comprehensive assessment of every child entering kindergarten in the state. This will provide information to support policymaking and investments in different regions and in different areas of education. Other initiatives include the preparation and professional development of early educators, the leveraging of existing child development data collected by state and regional administrative units to inform policy and decision-making, school climate assessments, and violence prevention. The school also works with the Virginia Department of Education to analyze data in a number of areas to drive more informed decision-making.

The School is focused on autism and has partnered with the UVA Brain Institute, the School of Medicine, the Department of Psychology, other universities, regional entities, and the Virginia Departments of Health and Education. Key activities include diagnostic services, family support, certifications, and statewide surveillance, consultation, and telehealth services.

Another initiative is K-12 coding. The state now requires the teaching of computer science and coding. The school has launched an initiative to identify effective coding curricula and to provide teacher training. It is also working to form a partnership with Apple.

Ms. Blevins described three programs at the College that impact Southwest Virginia and the Commonwealth. These are the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), the Library Media program, and the Wise Innovation Ecosystem (Wise IE). She said the College, which has educated and trained a majority of teachers in Southwest Virginia, can help address the teacher shortage in the region through the CTE and Library Media program. The CTE, which was launched in 2008, has served over 20,000 K-12 educators through continuing education courses in recertification, licensure and endorsement requirements, and enhanced teaching practices. It initiated online courses in 2009 and uses instructors from across the state. While most participants are from Virginia, some are from other states.

The Library Media program is a joint initiative between UVa-Wise and the Curry School of Education. It provides certification in library media as a stackable credential to a teaching license. The program engages instructors and internship supervisors throughout the state.

The Wise IE program is a five-year, $3.5 million initiative funded by the Strategic Investment Fund to support economic growth in Southwest Virginia. It supports the establishment of an innovation center and increased enrollments in STEM programs, such as Software Engineering and Computer Science. SIF funds are leveraged with state and federal funds.

Mr. Laymon said the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) provides outreach to communities across the state and is the leading provider of online courses and programs at the University. Much of its focus is on three inter-coordinated online programs: a Bachelors of Independent Studies (BIS); a Bachelors of Professional Studies in Health Science Management; and business and professional certificates. Students in one program can take courses in the other programs. The school places a priority on ‘stackability.’ This is the concept that credits earned for prior degrees and certificates can be counted toward the next credential. A number of new programs were initiated this past year. Pending SCHEV approval, a Master of Public Safety will be offered in the fall of 2019.

During the committee discussion, Mr. Walker said the Ad Hoc Committee on Curriculum and Curriculum Support would like to work with the committee to develop a statewide education strategy for life-long learning which would include SCPS, the College at Wise, and possibly the community college system. Mr. Murray asked about the possibility of undergraduate students being able to complete online certification programs through SCPS. Mr. Laymon said the school has a portfolio of online certificate programs that could be combined with undergraduate degrees. A few students have done this, but there is no formal program.

Economic Development Report

Ms. Lochte reported on economic development initiatives. She said the UVA Economic Development Advisory Council is working on strategy details and is moving towards a framework which identifies focus areas by geographic region. The University is partnering on a GO Virginia project proposal to enhance the biotech ecosystem in central Virginia. It is also working on a GO Virginia proposal for the fall. The Tobacco Commission has invited the University, the College at Wise, and Virginia Tech to help with a technology development workforce and entrepreneurship program. She said Ms. Sullivan has convened a task force to examine challenges in rural areas as a part of the University’s Rural Virginia Initiative. Ms. Sullivan and Ms. Henry are preparing an opinion piece highlighting successful initiatives in Southwest Virginia. She said Mr. Katsouleas and the Virginia Tech provost expanded their Initiative to include the K -12 teacher shortage, entrepreneurship, and IT education, and are funding pilot projects in these areas.

The chair adjourned the meeting at 10:00 a.m.

SGH:wtl

These minutes have been posted to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors website: http://bov.virginia.edu/june-6-8-2018-meeting-board