Selecting the Topic Through Community Input

How We Selected the QEP Topic

In January 2024, we invited the campus community to take the next step: propose topics. Through an open call for proposals, we received XXX thoughtful proposals that were rooted in a shared desire to help our students thrive. After a careful and collaborative review – guided by a rubric – the QEP Steering Committee narrowed the proposals to three finalist topics.

Topic Finalists:

• • Belonging
• • Transferable Skills for the 21st Century
• • Leaders are Readers

Once we identified the three finalist topics, we brought the question back to the people who matter most: our students, faculty, and staff. Through surveys, we asked these groups a simple but powerful question: Which of these topics do you believe matters most for our students’ future? The responses gave us both clarity and confidence. One topic rose to the top – Transferable Skills for the 21st Century. We landed on this topic because it hit all these marks:

✓ It aligned with our mission and strategic goals

✓ It resonated across disciplines

✓ It addressed real needs we heard from employers, students, and faculty

✓ It was measurable and meaningful

✓ It was rooted in the realities of our campus and our community