Snow College Staff Share Innovative on Campus Programs at International Conference
March 25, 2016
Ephraim, UT – Snow College was invited to present some of their groundbreaking programs at the 18th Annual League for Innovation in the Community College Conference in Chicago this week.
MarKay Gold, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Lurlynn Potter, Alumni and Donor Relations Manager, presented “SnowFit: An Innovative Approach to Employee Health and Wellness”. The program is designed to incorporate the FitBit step-tracking device, social support, accountability, friendly competition, departmental collaboration, and community involvement. All these factors are pulled together to create a fun, engaging experience to get everyone moving more, and making healthier lifestyle choices resulting in real change and improvement in the health of employees. Representatives from around the nation attended the presentation and were provided all the information they will need to launch similar programs in their community colleges.
Beckie Hermansen, Director of Institutional Research and Melanie Jenkins, Director of General Education presented “Innovation Academy: Not Just for Students Anymore”. The presentation also discussed a new General Education Model Snow College is developing with the assistance of the Innovation Academy. The new curriculum will be more integrated and provide students with general education courses that will best serve them in their education. The Innovation Academy is an exciting program they have implemented at Snow College for faculty and staff that was created last year and focused on faculty development, curriculum reform, and integrative course design including pedagogy, high-impact teaching practices, and implementation and assessment strategies.
“This conference is for schools just like Snow College, two-year schools with the same kinds of student and programs that we have. We are exposed to a lot of fabulous things that other schools are doing, and share what we are doing here at Snow” said Beckie Hermansen, Director of Institutional Research. “Both of our presentations were well received. We were scheduled during difficult times, but we still had great numbers. The attendees were engaged and interested in some of the new, innovative ideas that are working here.”
The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international organization comprised of more than 800 member colleges, 160 corporate partners, and numerous governmental and non-profit agencies working together to improve the community college student experience.
The League’s annual Innovations conference regularly attracts a diverse group of community college educators, administrators, and staff from around the world. It is the premier event for professionals dedicated to improving teaching and learning, and discovering new approaches for enhancing the community college experience. This international conference provides a forum for collaboration among academic experts and leading community college professionals while granting participants exclusive access to the most inventive and thought-provoking programs from around the world.
ABOUT SNOW COLLEGE
Snow College, founded in 1888 by Utah pioneers, is a two-year college with campuses located in Ephraim and Richfield, Utah. Serving more than 4,500 students, the college has been nationally recognized for its student success rates, affordable cost-for-value, involvement opportunities, and exceptional teaching.