Successful implementation of the QEP will equip students with the necessary structure and support to develop a toolkit of skills that will help them thrive during and after their time at UMW. These outcomes are related to student learning and student success, based on baseline data. After Mary Washington (AMW) is the vehicle for structuring and delivering that necessary support. This general education requirement was developed in response to the external prompting for higher education to better prepare students for life after college which includes the world of work. Our plan will take a requirement and make it a cultural pillar of the UMW student experience through academic preparation and structured experiential and co-curricular endeavors. Therefore, the specific and measurable QEP learning outcomes have been identified as:
- Outcome 1: Students will connect their liberal arts and sciences education with the ten core competencies and understand how they relate to life and career after Mary Washington.
- Outcome 2: Students will communicate their experiences in a way that is relevant to their life and career after Mary Washington.
The rationale for the After Mary Washington general education requirement is to prepare students by connecting the liberal arts to career success. This connection is accomplished by focusing on the preparation of undergraduates for success in the transition from college to career and to thrive in the dynamic and ever-changing 21st-century world of work. Adoption of this graduation requirement as part of the General Education review distinguishes UMW from its competitors on the very thing that drives students and their families to invest in a four-year degree. While other General Education requirements foster student attainment of career-ready competencies, this requirement prepares students to effectively transfer and translate the liberal arts experience to the workplace while learning to manage post-graduation outcomes. Approached this way, career readiness is not anathema to the liberal arts experience, but a necessary complement. In recent years, within six months of graduation, approximately 92% of UMW undergraduates are either employed, attending graduate school, or participating in a service program or the military. However, a closer examination of employment data reveals that too many UMW graduates are underemployed, often working low-wage or part-time jobs that have little connection to their degree or the knowledge, skills, and competencies nurtured during their UMW experience. A survey of recent UMW graduates conducted by the General Education Committee in the Fall of 2018 indicated that personal and professional development should be meaningfully integrated into the undergraduate experience. These and other data led the General Education committee to develop the After Mary Washington designation to help students:
- Explore their own values, interests, skills, and strengths that guide their personal and professional aspirations;
- Develop and articulate their personal and professional identities in appropriate modalities; and
- Create professional relationships which support life-long career growth and satisfaction.
UMW students will benefit from the integration of the After Mary Washington component into academic and co-curricular life. After three years of requiring After Mary Washington as part of our general education coursework, we identified areas that need enhancement. In addition, the implementation of a robust communication plan will facilitate the integration of AMW into the fabric of the university experience for students, faculty, and staff.