GC Journeys Newsletter

The 2019-2020 brought a 15.3% increase in student participation in GC Journeys milestones. While COVID19 may have interrupted the school year, especially with Study Abroad and Career Milestones, the increase in CbEL and Undergraduate research experiences helped grow the total number of transformative experiences. Last year, the Office of Transformative Learning Experiences offered faculty support for workshops on Transformative Experiences, Essential Skills, GC Journeys Info Sessions, as well as GC Journeys mini-grants.

Georgia College's MURACE (Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors) is a finalist for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA). This award recognizes the top program for undergraduate research each year. According to Dr. Doreen Sams, the Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research, "this is the first time that GC's made it as a finalist."

Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors have increased over the past year. In 2019-2020, nearly 40% of all Georgia College participated in an undergraduate research experience. According to Sams, "Georgia College is unique because there is so much undergraduate research and creative endeavors activity happening all over campus."

This summer, 22 Georgia College faculty took part in the GC Journeys/Center for Teaching and Learning “Incorporating Transformative Experiences in the Classroom” course. This course, which focused on delivering Transformative Experiences (also known as High Impact Practices) gave faculty time to learn about the Transformative Experiences at Georgia College, as well as to develop a Transformative Experience course.

The course featured guest speakers, such as Dr. Jeff Galle, the Associate Vice Chancellor for the University System of Georgia and author of How To Be a “HIP” College Campus, as well as working internally with experts. Upon completion, all participants will have developed an experience to offer at Georgia College, as well as earning a Transformative Experience certification.

According to Jordan Cofer, Associate Provost, this is the first time the course has ever been offered. “When we first started advertising the course, I wasn’t sure we’d get enough interest to offer it,” said Cofer, “but instead, we received more applications than we had space.” The course was offered online by instructors Drs. Cynthia Alby, Simeco Vinson, Jordan Cofer, and Jim Berger, as well as champions from the Office of Leadership (Dr. Harold Mock & Ashley Copeland), MURACE (Dr. Doreen Sams), CbEL (Dr. Karen Berman), and International Education (Dr. James Callaghan & Liz Havey). According to Dr. Cynthia Alby, “the course was such a hit, I can’t wait to offer it again!”

The Faculty Director of MURACE, Dr. Doreen Sams, and the Director of the First Year Experience, Erin Weston, have both completed certification as scorers to be part of the AAC&U Value Institute. Both GC representatives underwent training and certification as part of the 2020 VALUE Institute.

Georgia College received a $4,000 grant from the National Association of System Heads (NASH). The grant was awarded to support the Transformative Experiences in Georgia College's GC Journeys initiative. The grant serves as recognition for GC's work on developing high-impact practices as an institution. NASH has been involved in helping to support and scale High-Impact Practices across the nation. http://www.hips.nashonline.org/

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• September 15 at 11:00 AM

• October 16 at 12:00 Noon
• November 18 at 3:00 PM

* All sessions will take place on Zoom

Call for Papers:

The 2020 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference is now accepting abstracts from students in all disciplines. The final submission deadline is September 10, 2020 at 11:59PM. Abstracts can be submitted here. The link will also be available on our website starting later today.

Non-UWG students will need to create a free InfoReady account in order to submit their abstract(s). I have attached an infographic here with instructions that can be shared with students, in addition to the written instructions below.

To submit an abstract to GURC 2020 (non-UWG students):

• Begin on the UWG InfoReady website.
• Click Login in the upper right corner.
• Click the Register button at the bottom of the page.
• Enter your information using your school email address. Click Create Account.
• Check your email to confirm your account.
• Click 2020 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) Abstract Submission, and complete the application.

Students can send any questions to us here at gurc@westga.edu.

I've also included the full instructions from the application below.

We need GC students to submit their work for the inaugural issue of Undergraduate Research.

Undergraduate Research journal invites students to submit their undergraduate work TODAY!

PAPER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 1st, 2020

Main Website: http://undergraduateresearch.org

Papers will be published in

Undergraduate Research, Vol. 1(1), Winter 2020-2021

Debuting in Winter 2020, Undergraduate Research publishes research and creative endeavors from undergraduate students enrolled in institutions of higher education from across the United States. This journal highlights the best of mentored undergraduate scholarly products across all disciplines from all types of higher education institutions.

Faculty Research Small Grant Program

The Faculty Research Small Grant Program provides seed funding up to $5,000 for faculty research projects. Funds can be used for supplies, equipment, software, or travel expenses incurred in carrying out the research. Faculty Research Grant Committee members individually read and rank research proposals using a rubric to make funding decisions. The calls for proposal are every fall and spring semester.

Email: journeys@gcsu.edu
Website: https://www.gcsu.edu/gcjourneys
Location: Carl Vinson House