Part 2. Visits, Tours and Activities in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo College

This institution is a four-year college of liberal arts and sciences with 1,500 students. Our visit started at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership where their students engage in developing their leadership on human rights. The design of this building focus of elements that unifies the structure and its use to the environment.

I call this visit the lifelong learning experience because It was inspiring to find a female president Dr. Eilee Wilson-Oyelaran. She shared with us her educational model where students learn the regular academic course and gain experience through practice, community work, civic engagement, career and professional development, including internship and study abroad programs. They promote high impact practices that consist in a mandatory undergraduate research, a creative piece of work or a professional practice experience. All of them oriented towards leadership and student development.

One of the phrases from their wall that I'll take with me is "People give when they are inspired".

President's Welcome

Dr. Dunn has visited the Dominican Republic and our institutions a couple of times. As Dominican, I have to recognize his vision of bringing Dominican faculty to obtain a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. This decision has been of great benefit for all of us. In his welcome reception, Dr. Dunn openness to collaboration with our country is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bowling at Airway Lanes

Sunday evening gets a little blue when you are away from home. I couldn't have thought of a better activity for positive reinforcement of belonging to a Ph.D. cohort than this one. We engaged in a fun, relaxing and inter-personal relationships building activity that will help us develop a support group from our colleagues.

WMU Med School Tour

During this visit, the Associate Dean for Planing explained how this privately funded stand-alone school benefits from a productive liaison with a university. A joint program with Western Michigan, Borgess & Bronson corporations made possible to support a facility like the one visited. Their governance model where the Presiden of the University is a member of the board and not the main responsible gave us a different perspective on how to run a medical school financially.

Their educational model centered on team-based learning is an innovative way of teaching. Their methods include problem-based learning, case studies and simulation. Simulation center are high technology equipped so students can practice to improve patients outcomes safely. 

It was also interesting to visit their library and see how to use information technology to improve student learning. Students only use their laptops for all their classes and electronic books are available for them. 

In our visit, we observed their online library. This visit clarifies how staff can be helpful with electronic resources and what conditions should the technology platform have to facilitate the use of these devices.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Visiting the  Academic Services Administrators/Student Services Meeting at this institution reminded me of our meetings back in ITSC, Dominican Republic. I took my notes digitally so I could share them right away from there with mi staff back in DR. As similar institutions we face similar challenges in course selection, admission, leveling in math and language, 2+2 articulation, placement testing opportunities and, student dropout.

Their explanation of follow-up on enrollment was very convenient because I was looking for a different way of doing this back in my school. And the idea of phone calls, text messaging, post
cards, and targeted email are more in advance ways of approaching the students.

The best part for me was the culinary part. By listening to him looking for a similar business model than mine, to be in liaison with the American Culinary Federation was reinforcing. We are doing it with their international office, the World Association of Chefs Societies. Also, to see similar contracting problems with expert culinary instructors without a formal degree showed me how important it will be to think of a level of their interest.

It was also enriching to see their prior learning, apprenticeships and internship department and understanding how they integrate the different companies and small business for the student benefit.

The use of the strengths test for student development is an idea that I'll take back home.