Systemic Resilience: COTA Meta-Strategy, 2020-2025
Systemic Resilience: COTA Meta-Strategy, 2020-2025

Implementation

Pillar IV: Student Experience Lifecycle

The College of the Arts is committed to supporting a thriving Student Experience Lifecycle, which begins with the recruitment of prospective students and their initial demonstration of interest in UF and continues beyond graduation into alumni life.  

Implementation Highlights

Year 1  |  Completed
  1. Form a college-level working-group to review the student experience lifecycle. Student Experience Lifecycle Working Group established.
  2. Produce a report that describes current COTA processes at each stage relative to the elements of a thriving student experience. Student Experience Lifecycle Working Group reported on their work at the Spring 2021 COTA Meeting. In other units, SOM established the SOM Health and Safety Committee, SOTD published new policies to clarify options students have in raising concerns to faculty, staff, and administrators, and DW implemented a new virtual student showcase to properly represent student’s work across academic programs.
Year 2  |  Completed
  1. Create a comprehensive Student Experience Improvement Plan based on the Year 1 approach. The COTA Student Experience Lifecycle Working Group reconvened and prepared an overview of student experience lifecycle activities among college units for presentation at the 2022 COTA Fall Symposium. In other areas, the COTA Business, Entrepreneurship, and Career Planning (BECP) Working Group convened and gathered information to develop a deeper understanding of what business, entrepreneurship, and career planning means across all units and amongst the faculty, resulting in a presentation at the 2022 Fall Symposium. The BECP Working Group also distributed five mini-grants to host entrepreneurship promotion and education activities in the college, profiled on www.artsbecp.com. Additional activities in units included SAAH’s creation of a new Graphic Design BFA cohort room and additional Studio Art BFA/BA student studio space; SOM approvals of zero-credit ensemble participation at the undergraduate and graduate levels to enable upper-division students to continue performing at no cost; SOTD improvements to facilitate the course selection and enrollment process; CAM launch of the Friends in the Field networking opportunity connecting students and professionals; and DW’s completion of their new Online/On Campus research and production classroom. 
Year 3 | Completed
  1. Implement aStudent Experience Improvement Plan. COTA academic and student affairs leadership and representatives continued to advance work toward a Student Experience Lifecycle Report. The COTA Recruitment Team produced new recruitment materials focused on yield, including two new PaCE-focused videos. SAAH refurbished the MxD studio space in Infinity Hall to accommodate more students and refurbished screen-printing facilities used for teaching and by multiple student organizations. SOM partnered with UF Audiology to acquire student protective hearing devices to mitigate the building’s poor acoustics. SOTD launched a new portfolio event for design and production students in the fall. CAM launched a “Friends of the Field” program that matches current students to alumni and field leaders. DW launched the new Future Reality Speaker Series, specialized Career Advising Sessions, and a new study abroad program with the Department of Engineering Education. 
YEAR 4 | IN PROGRESS
  1. Implement a Student Experience Improvement Plan.
  2. Assess and adjust Student Experience Improvement Plan.
Year 5
  1. Implement a Student Experience Improvement Plan.
  2. Assess and adjust Student Experience Improvement Plan.