Vicki M. Curby - Faculty Exchange Report 2005

Final Report

University of Missouri/University of the Western Cape Linkage Program

2005

Purpose of the Exchange

To follow up on the collaboration that was established by my first linkage visit in June 2002 and the programs encouraged during an application UWC made to the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2004 (To Train and Retain the Next Generation of Academics and to Transform the Higher Education System to Serve a New Social Order in South Africa), the 2005 visits were planned to have direct application to postgraduate education at UWC and MU The focus was to develop ways to prepare undergraduates for postgraduate study, to ensure Honors students’ preparation for more advanced postgraduate study, and to work with academic staff on mentoring. The objective of the linkage was to further exchange ideas that lead to the implementation and improvement of programs and services that promote the recruitment, retention, and preparation of postgraduate students at both institutions. Specifically, the objectives were to

• Design identification and recruitment strategies for undergraduate students suitable for admission into postgraduate studies
• Development of a preparation plan whereby suitable third year and Honors students are systematically prepared for entry into Master’s studies
• Develop the mentoring skills of academic staff (supervisors).

Activities Conducted to Achieve these Objectives Exchange Visit 1: March/April 2005

• Visited with Harold Herman to gain an update on his current projects since he was instrumental in

  my connecting with the PET program in 2001 and his field of interest is the same as the faculty in my home department, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Upon my return, I followed up with one of ELPA’s faculty that has expertise in secondary leadership and experience in Africa.

• Had a brief discussion with Desiree Simonis, HERS-SA, a leadership program for women in higher education administration following a serendipitous meeting in Cape Town. We agreed to meet again on my next visit to the area since my research area was on women administrators in higher education and the academic development component that Anita Maurtin-Cairncross included leadership issues. Dr. Maurtin-Cairncross was one of their contacts.
• Having met the head of the school at Ron Turner’s retirement event, I visited Kalksteenfontein Primary School to gain a perspective on the background of students who eventually attend UWC. The school is near UWC and some students who start their education at Kalksteenfontein attend the university.
• Met with Andre Daniels regarding MS Producer to learn what the software can do for the McNair Scholars program in digital portfolios and web presentations. He demonstrated how one’s PowerPoint slides can be viewed side by side with the video of a presentation.
• Met with Lorna Holtman who introduced me to several of the peer group leaders. This concept of having doctoral students meet in groups is to be introduced at MU during the Fall 2005 term.
• Conducted a presentation for science faculty on undergraduate research by covering the reasons for undergraduate research, MU’s undergraduate research programs, case studies of students who conducted research in the areas taught by the staff at UWC to whom I was presenting, how to start undergraduates in research and mentoring undergraduates in research projects.
• Met with Anita Maurtin-Cairncross, Manager of Academic Development, to get an update on her new department. This was to follow up to our discussions in June 2004 and to confirm that the presentation that I had prepared for supervisors would not duplicate workshops that had already been conducted. Since many of the staff at UWC are also post-graduate students, she works closely with Lorna Holtman on workshops. I provided her with information on teaching and learning at MU and our “Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education”.
• At Ron Turner’s retirement event, Rector, Brian O-Connell asked that I meet with him during my visit. We discussed one major thrust for UWC: teaching and learning. I prepared a document for him on the various programs at MU that relate to teaching and learning so that future collaborations could be developed.
• By chance, I met Natalie Matjebe of the Ministry of Health of South Africa. She gave me information regarding departmental staff working with Traditional Healers who might be of help if Bill Folk and Quinton Johnson’s NIH Proposal is funded. I passed these contacts on to both of these individuals.
• Met with Jan van Bever Donker to follow up on his visit in November 2004 to MU. We discussed the improvements he is implementing in graduate education.
• Met with Lorna Holtman regarding the Doctoral Research School that UWC was hosting in June 2005 and learned that Honors students were being invited to PET activities.
• Met with Lullu Tshiwula, Vice Rector, Student Development and Support regarding undergraduate research, supplemental instruction, peer mentoring, and student affairs research. I agreed to present a workshop for peer mentors during my next visit and to bring her research studies conducted under the auspices of MU’s division of student affairs.
• During a lunch meeting, Dean Jan van Bever Donker introduced me to Larry Pokpas, Institutional Planner & Executive Assistant to the Rector since Cheryl Pearce was unavailable to meet with me. We briefly discussed Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) support for improving undergraduate experiences and how developing a pipeline of talented students for post-graduate study might be an option for UWC. We agreed to meet in more detail during my next visit in July.
• Had a brief discussion with Harold Herman and Carol Murphy (UMSL) who was also on a visit regarding their proposed grant proposal on a leadership academy for principals. We mentioned the possibility of also involving MU faculty from Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
• At the request of Quinton Johnson, I attended a seminar by John Miller, William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany, Missouri Botanical Garden.
• Had a brief meeting with Jan Persens to relate how the visit was progressing.
• Met with Lorna Holtman to discuss the following items that had come up during the previous two weeks in order to plan for my next visit to take place during the first three weeks of the term when individuals might not be so busy:
  

  • Areas of future interests: 1…Student exchanges

    2. Either Dr. Pam Benoit or Dr. Vicki Curby, or both, attending the Research School for South African graduate students, postdoctoral students and supervisors on “Rigor in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education Research : Issue of Design , Theory Analysis and Writing” hosted by the SA/USA NRF/NSF Collaborative effort to be held in June 2005. Since my visit was to begin later and Dr. Benoit gained new responsibilities for international teaching assistant training, neither was able to attend.

  • Agreed upon agenda for second visit in July and August:

    1. Presentation on funding graduate studies for post-graduate students
    2. Meet with Selwyn Mapolie, Deputy Dean of Science Faculty regarding Post-Graduate Studies
    3. Meet with doctoral support groups to determine how their work is progressing and to learn the best practices to implement for MU
    4. Present to other faculties regarding undergraduate research.
    5. Present to third year and honors students recommended by department/faculties on “Why Graduate School”.
    6. Present session on mentoring to peer mentors in Student Development Unit if requested by Vice Rector Tshiwula.
    7. Presentation on mentoring for doctoral group leaders.
    8. Develop an on-line “Tips” page for supervisors co-edited by Dr. Holtman and Dr. Maurtin-Cairncross.
    9. Work on a formal proposal to implement targeting undergraduate students and Honors students for post-graduate school preparation and participation in research.
    10. Attend the celebration of women in science and engineering during Woman’s Day. Dr. Holtman gave me the literature on the group.

• Met with Julie Phillips and Lorna Holtman regarding undergraduate research. Julie Phillips of the Physiotherapy Faculty involves her students in research and can serve as a proponent of the value of doing so.

  Exchange Visit II: July/August 2005

• Before the official visit began, I had a luncheon meeting with the entire staff of HERS, an organization to improve the status of women in higher education in South Africa. This team educated me about the situation regarding leadership development for women academics in South Africa. They also reported that they had received no nominations from UWC for this year’s workshop, the HERS-SA Academy, to be held in September 2005.
• Attended Academic Development’s three-part series of three-hour long workshops on July 27, August 2, and August 10. These workshops were part of the series on productive supervisory relationships for supervisors presented by consultant Dr. Sharman Wickham.
• Met with Larry Popkas, Institutional Planner & Executive Assistant to the Rector, regarding enrollment management and the development of enrichment programs for talented undergraduate students. I mentioned that HERS-SA had no UWC nominees for their workshop. Mr. Popkas explained the new funding regarding enrollment, especially the importance of the output of post-graduate students. The need for PET is very important in new scenario. He suggested that the two of us meet with Lorna Holtman regarding the planning required for the enhancements we discussed. A dinner meeting was set up for August 11. Unfortunately, this meeting was cancelled when he needed to be out of town.
• Met with Dr. Selwyn Mapolie, Deputy Dean of Science, to discuss post-doctoral students and best practices in graduate education. We briefly discussed undergraduate research. I arranged for him to access Making the Right Moves; A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I provided him with a copy of “Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education” that MU has established He sent me documents to review related to these issues for review by our graduate deans.
• Met with Dr. Beverly Thaver, Interim Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education to discuss the master’s program in Higher Education and issues revolving around developing Black South Africans and women for the professoriate. She shared a publication she had completed entitled, “Deracialising universities: reflexive conversations”.
• Demonstrated to Dean Jan van Bever Donker to the on-line assessment system that Steven Richardson developed for graduate students at MU. He and Steven arranged to share this software at no cost to UWC.
• Met with Gasant Gamiet who shared in master’s thesis on digital portfolios. This information will be helpful for MU’s McNair scholars and graduate students.
• To follow up on the ideas developed during the writing of the Carnegie proposal, I met with Dr. Sabie Surtee who manages the program for the University of Cape Town. She shared a relevant article and indicated that campus needs to improve the work they are doing with undergraduates as well.
• Met with Rod Uphoff to share my experiences on the exchange visits and the program in general.
• Met with Lullu Tshiwula to follow up on our March visit and to give her the series of research reports. We also discussed a visit she is to make to the U.S. in September to meet with administrators of historically Black colleges.
• As Dr. Holtman’s suggested in March, I attended the SAWISE 10th Anniversary and National Women’s Day celebration of women in science and engineering held at the South African Museum. Morning events included presentations by post-graduate students and the afternoon had talks by..Prof. Ansuya Chinsamy-Turan who had just been selected as South Africa’s Woman of the Year, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Lucienne Abrahams, and Dr. Dahlia Garwe. There was an interactive workshop on “Micro-politics Women Face in their Workplace” by the HERS-SA team. Of note was the absence of recruiters, students and staff from UWC since there were around 200 young women interested in careers in science in attendance.
• Finally, I met with Dr. Holman for the first time on August 10 where she related other projects in which she was involved. She had been busy attending a meeting representing the Science dean in Belgium, developing a linkage with the science education faculty at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and preparing a report of PET’s achievements. I shared some materials about PET that she did not have since the original files for the program had not been retained.
• An impromptu lunch with Bill Folk allowed us to share ideas about our activities and experiences between our own institution and UWC.
• Met with John Bartelas, Rod Uphoff and Beverly Thaver to discuss the development of a center or unit to focus on post-graduates, specifically research. The group assigned me the task of developing a one-page article on our proposed activities to improve the research culture at UWC. I prepared it that evening and sent it to Dr. Thaver the next day. She was to make comments and send it to the three of us.
• At the request of Dean Richard Oliver, I made a courtesy visit to Ratie Mpofu, Dean, Community and Health Sciences to share some materials that he sent with me.
• Presented a workshop on “Best Practices in Mentoring” for supervisors.
• At the suggestion of Rod Uphoff, I met with Prof. Chris Tapscott, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences to discuss developing undergraduate students for post-graduate study. I offered to forward him information on the PhD Project in the U.S. and have done so.

• During the second and final meeting with Lorna Holman, I presented the workshop she had asked me to prepare on “Funding Graduate Studies”. The topics included getting started, what the reviewer wants to know, writing the proposal with examples of a cover page, table of contents, and abstract, followed by material on the conceptual framework (purpose, writing principles) and components of the text (introduction, background, aims, design, timeline, and evaluation) using the specific examples that she requested that post-graduate students at UWC would need. Since she had not scheduled this presentation for post-graduate students, I suggested that she invite Dean Coryce Haavik of the University of Botswana to give a workshop. She could team up with Dr. Maurtin-Cairncross and have Dr. Haavik do a presentation for staff as well.

  Tangential to my official meetings, during my visit I

• Had meals with several UWC faculty members
• Revisited Kalksteenfontein Primary School and presented the principal with pencils and writing books that I donated along with MU Health Professions Dean Richard Oliver
• Met with a local high school science teacher
• Had dinners with students from three other institutions in the area: University of Stellenbosch, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and the University of Cape Town.

Future Application of the Exchange

The ideas for this visit grew out of the work I had done in June 2004 with Jan Persens and Anita Anita Maurtin-Cairncross specifically related to improving supervision of graduate students and developing undergraduates for post-graduate study. It made sense to continue working with the manager of the Post-Graduate Enrollment and Throughput Rate Project (PET) who was willing to be involved.

Since UWC did not receive the grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, other funding could be sought. In fact, there are several foundations that have interest areas in these projects. The time seems right to move beyond the exchange and for UWC to partner with UM to develop a sound proposal revolving around developing the research culture at UWC with components to serve undergraduate and graduate students. The faculty and staff at MU could put together an excellent team to consult with UWC. The administrators of the three faculties already interested (Education, Science, and Economic and Management Sciences) plus the Centre for the Study of Higher Education could develop a proposal for a pilot project. Given her contacts on the campus and in the country, Dr. Sharman Wickham would be a suitable colleague.

Depending on the outcome of the Academic Leadership Program, UWC could serve as a model for other institutions in the country and southern Africa.