Deans' Update Spring 2019

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STUDENTAFFAIRS Deans’ Update SPRING QUARTER 2019 Dear Colleagues, We are entering the final stretch of the academic year, and commencement will soon be upon us. As things come to a close, it’s a great time to both reflect on everything Student Affairs has accomplished in the past year and to look towards the future. As the student body becomes more diverse, we’ve heard a need for more spaces on campus dedicated to members of marginalized communities. In working to make this a reality, we’re looking forward to beginning construction on the Black House this summer. The renovations will create improved spaces to be used by Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni throughout the future. In looking to support the student body as a whole, a universitywide Task Force on Student Well-Being has been assembled. This quarter, their work has been focused on determining the current state of student well-being on campus, with plans to later develop recommendations based on their findings. Since the University entered into a partnership with Compass Group as the campus-wide food service provider in fall 2018, Northwestern Dining has seen a number of updates to current dining halls and additional meal options. Elder and Allison dining halls will re-open in fall quarter 2019, with substantial renovations and enhanced, more inclusive dining options. The release of Northwestern Career Advancement’s (NCA) annual Beyond Northwestern report helps us see how students are doing once they leave campus. Featuring data collected from 80% of the graduates of the class of 2018, the report checks in on recent graduates six months after graduation. I am proud of all the hard work of the Division of Student Affairs and appreciate the academic partnerships that have promoted collaborative learning and supported this community throughout the last year. Let’s finish strong.

Warm Regards, Patricia Telles-Irvin

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Vision WE WILL BE FULL PARTNERS IN THE STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE. The Division of Student Affairs partners with the academic schools/colleges and other University Divisions in allegiance with the University’s vision and mission to advance student learning and success.

Mission THE MISSION OF THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS IS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, AND ENRICH THE NORTHWESTERN EXPERIENCE. We pursue our mission through providing learning programs, services, and mentoring to maximize students’ potential, removing barriers to learning, strengthening readiness to learn, and sustaining a safe and healthy Northwestern community.

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BLACK HOUSE RENOVATION UPDATES Discussions about potential renovations to the Black House began in spring of 2016 with the formation of the steering committee. This committee, which includes students, faculty, staff, and alumni, has spent the last few years determining the program, cost, and approach to the renovation. Now, on July 1, 2019, construction on the Black House will begin. The new opening is scheduled for fall 2020.

students who have been in the space, currently use the space, or will be using the temporary space starting in the fall. A calendar of these events will be shared in spring 2019. Created in partnership with Moody Nolan, a Blackowned and operated architecture firm, the design for the new Black House includes a patio for outdoor gatherings, a large gathering space on the ground floor, staff offices and spaces for student organizations, as well as a quiet study and relaxation space for students.

During this 15-month period, community meetings will be held in an alternate location to be chosen by the Black House Renovation steering committee members. As students transition from using the permanent space to a temporary space for the duration of construction, there will be a number of events for

The steering committee will be posting continuous updates to the website each week for the benefit of the larger community.

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TASK FORCE ON STUDENT WELL-BEING In January 2019, Provost Holloway and Vice President Telles-Irvin convened a Task Force on Student Wellbeing. The Task Force has been charged with developing a robust understanding of the current state of student well-being on Northwestern‘s Evanston and Chicago campuses, identifying existing gaps, and creating recommendations to broadly improve student wellbeing as it relates to mental and physical health. The Task Force consists of 25 invited members, including students, faculty, staff, and administrators. John Dunkle, Executive Director of CAPS, and Jennifer Tackett, Associate Professor of Psychology, serve as cochairs for the Task Force. The Task Force began work in spring quarter 2019 and will focus on understanding the current state of support for student well-being, including holding listening sessions for students, faculty, and key administrators. It will reconvene in fall quarter 2019 to develop recommendations. The sponsors seek actionable short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations, including those which are immediately actionable and will enable direct and positive impact on Northwestern students’ well-being across all programs on the Evanston and Chicago campuses. For more information and updates on progress, please visit the Task Force’s website.

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2018 BEYOND NORTHWESTERN HIGHLIGHTS and Chicago. Fortyfive percent (45%) of our students remain in Illinois after graduation, with New York and California following as the next most common destinations. To prepare for these career fields, 90% of graduates report participating in experiential learning at Northwestern, with 76% reporting that they had completed at least one internship. Similarly, they are deeply engaged in co-curricular activities, with 91% reporting involvement in at least one organization. Shortly, NCA will be updating our undergraduate dashboard (with first destination information for every major, minor, and certificate).

NCA, in collaboration with Student Affairs Assessment and Planning, has released the 2018 Beyond Northwestern highlights, detailing the success of undergraduates after graduation. Through a variety of sources, NCA and Student Affairs Assessment and Planning were able to locate 80% of the class of 2018. The results paint a picture of successful students who made the most of their Northwestern experience to achieve their post-graduate plans. Six months after graduation, more than 95% of Northwestern students were either employed (72%) or attending graduate school or participating in a fellowship (23% combined).

1%

3%

1%

23%

Northwestern students are employed in a wide range of industries after graduation, and no single field accounts for more than 20% of the student population. While fields such as consulting and finance continue to be popular, career fields that are also important to Northwestern students include communications, marketing and media, engineering and technology, education, and government and non-profit. Northwestern students begin careers world-wide; however, they also stay close to Northwestern

72%

actively applying to graduate/ professional school

6

actively job searching

employed

military service, volunteer work, other careerrelated activities

enrolled in graduate/ professional school or in a fellowship


EXCITING UPDATES FROM RESIDENTIAL DINING are grateful to our Compass partners for funding this upgrade to the residential dining experience on campus. Many retail locations across campus have also been transformed. Café Coralie, a downtown Evanston bakery and coffee shop, has opened a venue in the former Einstein Bros. Bagels location in Pancoe – NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion. Café Coralie at Pancoe offers fresh baked viennoiseries, daily lunch specials, and fresh roasted coffees. Tech Express, located on the first floor of the Technological Institute, is a showcase for local partnerships. A rotating selection of local vendors has been featured every few weeks so the menu is constantly changing. Tech Express recently hosted Viet Nom Nom and La Cocinita and will be featuring Sweet Baby Ray’s and Olive Mediterranean Grill this quarter. We look forward to another great year of growth and change in our dining program.

Serving over 3,800 students on campus, the residential dining program has been focused on providing updated spaces that reflect our commitment to an inclusive dining program. This means including well-rounded options for students who have celiac disease and allergies, require kosher and halal options, or eat a plant-based diet. Foster-Walker East recently transformed into the first “Pure Eats” dining hall, focusing exclusively on providing for the dietary needs of students with celiac disease and allergies. This centralized location helps support all Pure Eats stations in other dining halls across campus and gives those with allergies and celiac disease a place to feel more secure about the food they are eating. Students can enjoy making their own gluten-free waffles, getting a fresh stir fry, or picking from a daily rotation of entrees.

Stacey Brown has served as the Director of Dining within Student Affairs since June 2018, arriving during a time of great change for our Dining program as our longterm relationship with Sodexo ended and a new relationship with the Compass Group began. Stacey leveraged her extensive experience with residential dining to ensure a transition and the implementation of a strong Dining Program throughout the first year of our partnership with this new vendor. Stacey focuses on an inclusive dining experience that gives all students access to safe, healthy, and delicious foods near their homes and classes. She is excited to continue the next phase of transformation for dining on campus through residential dining renovation and retail innovation. Prior to joining Northwestern, Stacey served as Assistant Director of Operations for UChicago Dining and coordinator for student-run businesses at The University of Chicago.

Throughout the winter and spring quarters Elder Dining Hall has been undergoing extensive renovations in order to create a more inclusive and engaging dining experience for students on the north side of campus. Elder will open for camps and conferences in the summer and will debut a new kosher kitchen, zabiha halal street food concept, and fully renovated dining room in fall quarter 2019. Allison Dining Hall will undergo a renovation over the summer for a complete transformation and open for fall quarter 2019. We

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STUDENT AFFAIRS

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