| Status | Last Updated |
|---|---|
|
On Track |
September 2026 |
Overview
Develop a campus-wide, systematic approach to Experiential Learning in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students to further foster EL and bolster IUP student engagement in these critical high-impact practices.
Create a robust administrative infrastructure to optimize IUP’s hybrid approach to Experiential Learning (centralized-decentralized) and increase IUP student engagement in EL, whereby all IUP students participate in, at a minimum, one documented EL experience.
Promote and disseminate EL information, processes (opportunities, timelines, application cycles, etc.), and success stories with current and prospective students and parents/guardians, as well as IUP faculty, staff, and external partners and audiences through an easily recognizable and accessible public-facing EL space/portal (physical and online).
Progress Report: July – September 2026
The Experiential Learning priority is focused on establishing the framework and infrastructure needed to support a coordinated, university-wide approach to experiential learning at IUP. Initial work has centered on developing the administrative structure and capacity necessary to support this work for the long term. The team is expanding to include faculty and other campus perspectives that will help shape the framework and ensure broad engagement across the university. Staffing plans are also being developed to provide dedicated leadership and support for experiential learning. Together, these efforts are laying the groundwork for a sustainable infrastructure that strengthens coordination, provides consistent support for experiential learning across IUP, and positions the university to expand student participation in meaningful experiences that complement and enhance their academic learning.
| Focus Area | Progress This Quarter | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Framework | Initial positioning and structure for a university-wide approach to experiential learning are being developed. | In Progress |
| Campus Engagement | The initial team has been established and is expanding to include additional faculty perspectives. | In Progress |
| Staffing Plans | Position descriptions for dedicated leadership and support are being developed for review. | In Progress |
| Physical Infrastructure | Space to support the experiential learning initiative has been reviewed and tentatively identified. | In Progress |
Next Quarter
- Finalize the positioning and administrative structure for the Experiential Learning initiative.
- Advance staffing plans and identify the resources needed to support implementation.
- Continue expanding campus participation to help inform the university-wide framework.
- Leadership Attention
Implementation Planning: As the framework takes shape, the team is identifying the staffing, space, and financial resources needed to establish and sustain the university-wide infrastructure.
Milestone Timelines
September 2026: Finalize positioning and structure to carry EL forward. Identify resources (staffing, space, and funds (start-up and annual operating)) to support EL initiative.
December 2026: Onboard EL Staff
March 2027: Convene Key Stakeholders for EL Council (Select ADeans, Faculty, Navigators, Athletics, Reps from units tasked with Research, Clinical Placements, Student Teaching, Field Schools, Internships, Study Away, Washington Center, Service Learning, On-Campus Employment, Student Leadership, etc. (e.g., Research and Innovation, Office of International Education, Career Professional Development Center, Human Resources, Financial Aid, Student Inclusion Office, etc.)).
June 2027:
- Launch a public-facing EL space/portal (physical and virtual)
- Design EL materials and processes: student success stories (narratives and images), opportunities, timelines, application cycles, etc.
- Develop draft calendar of 2027–28 EL outreach and promotional efforts
- Identify software to track campus-wide EL
January 2028: Pilot cocurricular transcripts; Align EL more closely with curriculum
Priority in Action
Ten students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania completed a unique service-learning project at the Navajo Nation in Arizona as part of an anthropology class taught by Abigail Adams and Amanda Poole.
Challenges and Risks
Team Members
- Michele Petrucci, chair
- Rachel DeSoto-Jackson
- Ben Ford
- Kelly Heider
- Adam Jones
- Chris Koren
- Tammy Manko (until 9/18/26)
- Vicky Ortiz Juarez Paz
- Tiffany Potts
- Ileana Townsend
- Kira Wertz