Provost leads discussion on improving academics

University of Richmond’s new provost, Jacquelyn Fetrow, led a discussion with student leaders Wednesday night and fielded suggestions for improving certain academic policies and procedures.

The main focus of the talk was classes, which included general education requirements, international courses and major/minor opportunities. General education classes were discussed at length, and students brought up numerous ideas that earned Fetrow’s attention.

One of the more intriguing ideas was adding a requirement for a class that prepared students for “life after your major,” as one student put it. She said she had taken a business communications course because of her major, and thought this class would have been helpful to students regardless of their academic discipline.

Fetrow was visibly interested in learning more about this type of course. Another student offered an alternative option. The wellness course Life & Career After UR helped her, she said, to learn similar tools that would guide her after graduation, and this was a course available to all students.

The idea that major courses at Richmond could be helpful if they were offered more broadly was especially focused on.

Another issue discussed at the meeting was the credibility of international courses as units toward graduation. One student said she had anxiety about studying abroad because if the units didn’t transfer toward her degree at Richmond, she would be behind. She also made the point that she would be taking the same classes abroad that she would be if she stayed at Richmond.

“We are looking for a new person to lead international education,” Fetrow said. She acknowledged the difficulty of the international accreditation process, but defended the high standards required for a course to be accredited by Richmond.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included student-adviser relationships and increasing opportunities for minors and integrated majors. Fetrow asked how many students felt their advisers were actually helpful, and only about half of the students raised a hand, which clearly concerned the provost.

The conversation then transitioned to the idea of combining similar majors and broadening the minor field. One student mentioned that there was not a political science minor at Richmond.

A common issue spoken about by students was the lack of integration opportunities between the business and leadership schools. Many students were passionate and almost upset about this, but sophomore Danny Heifetz had his own perspective of the situation.

“The people in Robins don’t really respect the people in Jepson, and the people in Jepson don’t really think Robins people have souls,” he said. His comment provided well-timed humor in a meeting that featured lengthy and repetitive conversations.

Fetrow successfully enticed passion and debate as leader of the meeting, which covered a variety of issues that students shared strong opinions about.

Contact staff writer Charlie Broaddus at charlie.broaddus@richmond.edu