Landscaping Service in Dayton Ohio

Found it for you, this landscaping company in Dayton Ohio and in the Centerville area does outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kitchen, and has a lot of photos of recent projects.

Asian inspired dry stream bed

Best landscaping and gardening blogs

I know some people think landscaping and gardening blogs are a dime a dozen, but these really stand out - they are the top picks!

• Alternative Eden
• Backyard Gardening Blog
• Backyard Neophyte Landscaping Blog
• Danger Garden
• Digging
• Gardening Gone Wild
• Gardening Turned Up to Eleven
• Growing with Plants
• Indiana Garden
• Kyle Carl and Cal
• Needles + Leaves
• North Coast Gardening
• Spiky Obsession
• Succulents and More
• Sweetstuff's Sassy Succulents
• The Rainforest Garden

List of plants in my yard

Delosperma ‘Jewel of Desert Peridott’
Ice Plant

Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Foerster'
Calamagrostis acutiflora
Cut clumps to the ground in late winter just before the new shoots appear.

Russian Sage 'Little Spire'
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Cut back plants almost to the ground in early spring before new growth begins.

Purple Coneflower
Echinacea prpureua 'Prairie Splendor'
Cut down the coneflowers to soil level after they stop blooming and wither or after a frost.

PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower
Echinacea prpureua 'PowWow Wild Berry'
Cut down the coneflowers to soil level after they stop blooming and wither or after a frost.

'Silver Mist' Variegated Mondo Grass
Ophiopogon japonicus

Rainforest Sunrise Plantain Lily
Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise'
Cut back in Fall or early Spring

Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' Coral Bells
Cut back in late Fall. Divide clumps every 2 to 3 years in early spring.

Blue Fescue
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
Divide clumps every 2-3 years. Cut back foliage in early spring to 3-4" to tidy clumps.

Bressingham Blue Plantain Lily
Hosta 'Bressingham Blue'
Cut back any time Fall to mid Spring

Brunnera 'Silver Heart'
Heartleaf Alkanet
Prune and divide in early Spring

River Birch - 5 stem
Prune healthy trees during their dormant season, which is late summer to early winter. While the tree is young, leave lower branches on the trunk to nourish the tree and shade the trunk.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
Plants may die to the ground in harsh winters. Bloom occurs on new wood, so plants may be pruned back close to the ground in late winter to revitalize and to encourage vigorous stem growth and best form. If not pruned back, any weakened and/or damaged stems should be removed in early spring.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Luna Red'
Cut back old hibiscus stems to about about 3 feet tall just before winter. The stems generally will die back over the cold season. Prune the old stems to the ground in spring to make way for new growth shoots

Hardy Pampas Grass
Erianthus ravennae
Cut back to 4-6" every winter for new fresh look

'Emerald Green' Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis - 'Emerald Green'

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' Switch Grass
Cut back clumps to the ground in late winter to early spring.

Crocus bulbs (purple, not sure what kind)

Hostas from Chris' aunt probably Hosta 'Patriot'

Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’

Dwarf English Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'

Weeping Japanese Maple (not sure what kind)

Littleleaf Linden (Tilia cordata)

American Boxwood

Liriope muscari 'Variegata' 

Veronica spicata ‘Royal Candles’


Siberian Iris (not sure what kind)


Backyard bed wish list:

Buckthorn 'Fine Line'
Rhamnus frangula 'Ron Williams' - instead of bamboo with a tropical vibe, one in back and one in side yard in front of electric meter

Pinus densiflora 'Low Glow' - small golden clumping evergreen

Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’ heather

Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'
Morgan's Chinese Arborvitae Thuja orientalis 'Morgan' - color changing small arborvitae**

Platt's Black Brass Buttons Leptinella x 'Platt's Black' - small fernlike ground cover, would be great for making a 'path' through the stepping stones and into the rocks.

Carsten's Wintergold Mugo Pine Pinus mugo 'Carsten's Wintergold' - small longer needle evergreen for among the rocks in the dry bed or near rocks in backyard bed

Peve Minaret Dwarf Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' - bald cypress look in 6'x2' form column very slow growing

Sherwood Compact Mugo Pine Pinus mugo 'Sherwood Compact' - short radiant evergreen max 24 in

Irish Moss Sagina subulata - between rock garden rocks in the back dry bed

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Filicoides Compacta'- dwarf fern-like evergreen

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Pin Cushion'- dwarf golden compact evergreen almost looks like moss

Fothergilla gardenii - shrub with white pipecleaner flowers and fall interest leaves

Little Henry® Dwarf Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica 'Sprich' P.P.  - shrub with long white flowers and bright red fall leaves

Black mondo grass

Ruby falls weeping redbud

 

Shade garden wish list:

Astilbe 'Straussenfeder' OSTRICH PLUME

 Golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola’)
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum Japanese Painted Fern
Fargesia rufa Green Panda - clumping bamboo

Front yard wish list:

Ruby falls weeping redbud

List of Men's Senior National Team Gymnasts on Twitter and Instagram

In the spirit of "Found It For You" here is your ultimate stalker list for USA Men's Gymnastics. The national team members from 2012 VISA Championships and their Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Chris Brooks, Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics)

Chris Brooks ‏ @cbrooks_wpr

Alex Buscaglia, Cary, Ill./Team Hilton HHonors (Stanford University)

None found - let me know if you find it!

Jake Dalton, Reno, N.V./University of Oklahoma

Jake Dalton ‏ @jake_dalton 

Instagram: jake_dalton

Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center

Josh Dixon ‏ @JoshNDixon

Instagram: joshdixon

Jonathan Horton, Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics)

Jonathan Horton ‏  @J_Horton11

Instagram: jhorton11

Glen Ishino, Santa Ana, Calif./University of California – Berkeley

None found - let me know if you find it!

Steven Legendre, Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma)

Steven Legendre ‏ @legendz50

Danell Leyva, Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics)

Danell Johan Leyva ‏ @DanellJLeyva

Instagram: grp3ap3

CJ Maestas, Corrales, N.M./University of Illinois

Cj Maestas ‏ @MaestasCj

Sam Mikulak, Ann Arbor, Mich./University of Michigan

Sam Mikulak ‏ @SamuelMikulak

Instagram: samuelmikulak

Alex Naddour, Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton HHonors (USA Youth Fitness)

Alex Naddour ‏ @Alex_Naddour

Instagram: alex_naddour

John Orozco, the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center)

John Orozco ‏ @JohnW_Orozco

Instagram: johnorozcopix

Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y./University of Illinois

Paul Ruggeri ‏ @Paul_Ruggeri

Instagram: ruggeri2

David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Illinois)

None found - let me know if you find it!

Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J./Team Hilton HHonors (Ohio State University)
Brandon Wynn ‏ @BrandonWynnGym

Best Instagram plugin for Blogger

This amazing widget uses iframes to allow you to embed your Instagram photos into Blogger. It's easy to use and turns out a great result! The plugin can be embedded using HTML, so just add a new HTML box to your sidebar, or put it directly into a post like this...

 

Just go to the SnapWidget site, enter your information, and grab the super simple code!

IM Leagues mobile site

IMLeagues.com has a mobile site, and it took me forever to find because I don't think it's prominently marketed. I actually spent about 20 minutes trying to find it today, and ended up asking their online customer service rep about it. The IMLeagues.com mobile site is: http://m.imleagues.com

I know right, pretty idiot proof, or so you'd think! In any case, maybe this post will help someone out if they are frantically Googling like I was.

Check out my amateur photography blog

I'm teaching myself astrophotography through trial and error, and my new blog is logging my progress. Check out my amateur astronomy and photography blog here.

Hooray! My Spring Break Checklist was just sent out to the entire campus! Feel free to use this on your own campus. It also makes a great handout or outline for a presentation:

Spring Break Checklist

Before You Go

Make back-up copies of important documents (passport, driver’s license, insurance cards) and leave them at home with your parents/guardians or friends that you trust. While you’re at it, leave the address of where you’ll be staying along with your cell phone number.

• I will tell my parents/guardians where I will be going and when to expect me home.
• I will give my parents/guardians copies of important documents and travel itinerary.
• If I need help planning ahead, I can use University resources (see below).

On the Road

If you are driving, make sure the car is big enough so everyone gets a seatbelt. This will not only make the drive more comfortable, it will keep you safe!

• I will make sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt, even if they are trying to sleep.
• I will keep the driver company whenever I ride shotgun.
• Double check to make sure everyone has their driver’s license with them.

In the Hotel

Read reviews online, and get as much information as possible. Try to book a room above the 1st floor but below the 6th floor. Rooms on the 1st floor are more vulnerable to break-ins and rooms above the 6th are too high for some emergency ladders.

• I will check to make sure the hotel is legitimate.
• I will read reviews to see if there have been problems with crime.

Set Personal Limits

If you plan to drink on Spring Break, decide how many drinks you are going to have before you go out. Intoxicated students are easy targets for pickpockets. Respect yourself and set physical boundaries for intimate situations.

• I will set my personal limits about alcohol, drugs and sex before I go out each night.
• I will confidently say “no” to any offers that contradict my decisions made beforehand.

On the Beach

Hiding your wallet in your shoes isn’t fooling anyone. Zip your valuables into your swim trunks or carry a small purse or backpack with you. Take it slow and stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. Avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours and use plenty of sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher).

• If I drink outside, I will alternate alcoholic drinks with water to stay hydrated.
• I will keep track of my stuff and keep valuables with me.

The Buddy System

If you go out with your friends, go home with your friends. Keep an eye on each other and be sure to step in if you think your friend is in a bad situation.

• My friends are important to me, so I will make it my duty to keep them safe at all times.
• I won’t hesitate to intervene if I think my friend is in trouble.

Know the Laws

If you’re going abroad, make sure you are familiar with the local laws. Remember that the Student Code of Conduct applies to all BGSU students (even on vacation).

Underage consumption, purchasing or possession of alcohol: 
The legal drinking age in the United States for alcohol is 21. Purchasing, possessing or consuming alcohol prior to your 21st birthday is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Providing alcohol to an underage person: 
A person who furnishes alcohol to an underage person is guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor.

Fake ID: 
Possession or display of a fake operator’s license is a first-degree misdemeanor. The offense includes mere possession of a fake license or display of someone else’s valid operator’s license.

We’ll help you plan ahead!

The Campus Police Department offers free personal safety workshops. Call 419-372-2346 for more information.

The Counseling Center offers confidential alcohol and other drug counseling to BGSU students with screening, evaluation, referral and follow-up. Appointments can be made by calling 419-372-2081.

The Wellness Connection offers peer education programs on issues relating to substance abuse prevention as well as intervention. Visit the Wellness Connection for more information.

Alphabetical Stories: A sample 26 sentence creative writing exercise

Alphabetical writing is something that was first introduced to me in a creative writing workshop as a way to improve your ability to express yourself within strict structural guidelines. Begin your first sentence with an 'A'-word, and complete a 26 sentence narrative using successive letters of the alphabet to begin each sentence. Coming up with a coherent story within these parameters is sometimes difficult, but can be rewarding if you choose your words carefully. During your story, you might find it advantageous to introduce key concepts, locations, or characters whose names begin with the more difficult letters of the alphabet (such as X, Y, and Z). Eventually, you will be comfortable enough with the limitations to express yourself freely in spite of the extremely specific format.

Furthermore, it is important to choose words that flow easily from one sentence to the next, rather than choosing a word that blatantly fills a requirement but sounds awkward. Generating specific words for each letter is much easier if you move the story along quickly, rather than talking in circles to thoroughly explain a few simple points as I am doing now. However, because this story serves as a tutorial in the exercise while at the same time meets the requirements that it in itself describes, I am forced to progress slowly. Including an Alphabetical story in the very format the instructions prescribe was an idea that came from an article that explained Socratic Dialogues through the use of Socratic dialogue. Just as easily, I hope this tutorial is serving the dual purpose of explaining the requirements while providing a sample piece.

Keep in mind that using the most common words will improve the overall flow of the story.  Look for ways to begin sentences in a variety of ways, or consider using common expressions that will make the reader forget they are reading from a rigid structure. More importantly, be sure your story is fun and expressive! Name your characters, use descriptive language, create plot lines, and wrap everything up in only 26 sentences. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, it's against the rules to use words from other languages unless the words are included in dialogue. Place quotation marks around the dialogue just as you would in any short story or essay. Questions always arise toward the end of the story, coupled with the inexplicable appearance of quails, xylophones, Volkswagen cars, and watermelons. Rather than sprinkling these in at the end, try your best to make them seem relevant to the plot. Since I’m never going to read your story, however, it's really none of my business how many quails you include. Try using quail for your Q sentence and just see how cheap you feel, and remember that I warned against it. 

Using challenging exercises to improve, we are all capable of becoming great writers. Varying your sentence structure alone doesn’t make you a great writer—you have to have an acrobatic command of your thoughts and vocabulary (damn, vocabulary would have been a better V word to use). Whatever your purpose for attempting this exercise, remember that no one has a good X sentence, and there are only so many times you can talk about xylophones and get away with it. X-rays and xylophones—the end to nearly every Alphabetical story ever written (unless your story takes place in Zimbabwe). You can sit there for hours trying to come up with a good ending, but the end of the alphabet doesn't give you much to work with. Zooming along at a carefree pace in the beginning is replaced by a disheartening let down when you realize you should have named your character Xavier. 

Intended Outcomes for a Liberal Undergraduate Education

On the importance of institutional mission, James Lyons emphasizes the need to “know our tasks, which flow from many sources” (1997, p.136). In addition to knowing our tasks in the context of higher education administration, it is beneficial to borrow a bit of straightforward advice from Stephen Covey’s popular The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in which he reminds us to “begin with the end in mind” (1989). The ends that I will keep in mind throughout this idyllic prescription are the intended outcomes for a liberal undergraduate education.

Intended is a powerful modifier for the type of outcomes that college students should expect to gain by attending a four-year liberal arts college. I could have substituted the synonyms planned, envisioned, even wished-for to articulate how lofty these goals might seem to the 2 million unemployed Americans over 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). Herein lies a major discrepancy between the expectations of modern society and the espoused purposes of higher education at large. In a 1987 publication by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (as cited in Lyons, 1997), the traditional purposes of higher education are summarized as “to preserve, transmit and create knowledge, to encourage personal development and to serve society.” There is no mention of guaranteed jobs, fruitful employment, or satisfying careers to follow. However, because institutions of higher education operate within a society that demands opportunities for vocational advancement, such institutions should choose to accommodate this purpose by accepting it into their institutional missions. To turn their backs on this growing need would be a disservice to the communities in which the colleges and universities reside.

There is obviously more to college education than providing a competitive edge in the job search. As the feature in an article on contemporary unemployment, an underemployed graduate with two degrees in American Studies admits, “if I hadn’t received the kind of education I did, I would be less of an active citizen and less engaged in the world in ways I would not have discovered on my own” (Fairbanks, 2010). This anecdote highlights the previously mentioned purpose to serve society, and also alludes to an underlying self-discovery that should be a fundamental goal of higher education. Self-discovery and personal growth should remain crucial components of the college experience, and provide uniqueness to the institutional purpose that accounts for all manner of individual interests.

Before reaching my summary of the espoused purposes of higher education in a liberal college setting, it would be careless to neglect several documents that attempted to derive just such a list through years of collaboration and research. The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU), in a publication on College Learning for the New Global Century, describes the essential outcomes students should reach through college education: Knowledge, intellectual and practical skills, personal and social responsibility, and integrative learning (2007). In their publication of “Greater Expectations,” the AACU prescribes an “invigorated and practical liberal education” to impart the mastery of intellectual and practical skills, knowledge of the natural and social world, knowledge about forms of inquiry, and responsibility for personal actions and civic values (2002). Outcomes for liberal education vary only slightly from the purpose and intended outcomes of higher education as a whole, and reiterate themes of knowledge, intellectual and practical skills, and individual and social responsibility (AACU, 2005). In an address at the Annual Conference of the American Association for Higher Education, James Hunt Jr. proposed that the purpose of higher education in America is to promote citizenship, prepare people to be good human beings, and to educate people with world-competitive skills (1998). As Chair of The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Hunt’s proposed purposes of higher education differ from the AACU’s consistent requisites, and focus on skills more than the transmission of knowledge. However, similarities between these lists of intended outcomes (Table 1) constitute what the AACU describes as a “remarkable consensus,” and provide a functional template for what the purpose of a liberal college education should include (AACU, 2005).

Table 1 The purpose and intended outcomes of higher education
	Knowledge	Intellectual and Practical Skills	Personal Development	Social Responsibility
College Learning for the New Global Century (AACU, 2007)	Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world	Intellectual and practical skills, integrative learning	Personal responsibility	Social responsibility
Liberal Education Outcomes (AACU, 2005)	Knowledge of human cultures and the natural world	Intellectual and practical skills	Individual responsibility	Social responsibility
Greater Expectations (AACU, 2002)	Knowledge of the natural and social world and about forms of inquiry basic to these studies	Mastery of intellectual and practical skills	Responsibility for personal actions	Responsibility for civic values
Organizing for Learning (Hunt, 1998)		Educating people with world-competitive skills	Preparing people to be good human beings	Promote citizenship
NASPA, 1987	Preserve, transmit and create knowledge		Encourage personal development	Serve society

Borrowing heavily from the consensus of intended outcomes prescribed over the past several decades (Table 1), and in light of the social demands that higher education serve as an avenue for vocational advancement, I believe the role of postsecondary education at a liberal arts college should include: A breadth of knowledge in arts and sciences, intellectual and practical skills that serve the individual and others, and the development of personally and socially responsible citizens. These broad themes include a variety of specific outcomes that merit closer examination in the following sections.

A breadth of knowledge in arts and sciences is an essential component of a liberal college education. A broad exposure to science, social sciences, mathematics, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts has several benefits beyond the retention of specific knowledge in each of these areas. A foundation in a diverse array of academic subjects “prepares graduates to think more broadly, to conceptualize at a multidisciplinary level that’s more responsive to the increasingly broad issues confronting people in all walks of life” (Herman, 2000). The importance of such a broad base is not in the memorization of discrete facts from a variety of fields, but in the ability to think between academic disciplines, draw inspiration from historical lessons, and develop meaning through the incorporation of multiple perspectives simultaneously.

In Forbes magazine, Mark Mills and Julio Ottino, a physicist and an engineer, endorsed humanistic training by suggesting “that the government funding agencies ought to support ‘whole-brain’ research agendas, as opposed to the usual ‘left-brain’ grant proposals” (as cited in Edelstein, 2010). Their recommendation comes with an awareness of “the attributes of the humanities found in right-brain thinking: creativity, artistry, intuition, symbology [sic], fantasy, emotions” (as cited in Edelstein, 2010). In combination, the resulting “whole-brain” thinking leads to the development of innovative thinking, a crucial skill that is difficult to teach directly. Innovative thinking, among other skills, is cultivated by exposure to a broad base of knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is the foundation rather than the endpoint in a liberal education that includes a multidisciplinary curriculum.

Innovative thinking is one of many intellectual and practical skills that serve the individual and others, which constitutes the second major theme in my summary of the purpose of higher education. In terms of vocational skills, innovative thinking is a highly prized skill for employees at all levels. A recent publication by MIT’s Sloan Management Review explains that innovation is no longer the responsibility of specialized divisions within corporations, but that innovation has increasingly been thought of as the responsibility of the entire organization (Birkinshaw, Bouquet, & Barsoux, 2011). Essentially, employees should constantly be searching for ways to improve, advance, and create new value. As mentioned by Mills and Ottino, this requires “whole-brain” thinking, which results from a liberal education. Aside from innovative thinking, there are a number of other specific skills that future employers will require. Returning to The Futurist predictions of Roger Herman:

In the years ahead we’ll need more and more workers who can think, collaborate, create, solve problems, communicate, and lead. Demand will be high for people who have learned how to learn; who have a strong multidisciplinary education; and who can adapt easily to whatever comes their way (2000).

Although Herman’s predictions pre-date the AACU’s Liberal Education Outcomes (2005), his recommendations touch on many of the specific skills noted by the organization; including written and oral communication, critical and creative thinking, teamwork, and a propensity for lifelong learning.

Intellectual and practical skills should be marketable to future employers, but should also serve the individual in everyday life. College graduates should be able to articulate their thoughts through written, spoken, and visual communication. They should be resourceful, and be able to navigate increasingly vast amounts of information available through interconnected technology. In order to make sense of this flood of information, graduates should be able to quickly filter through irrelevant content and apply a skeptical lens to unsupported claims. A graduate of a liberal education college will have the ability to work creatively with others to produce collaborative work that spans traditional academic disciplines. While these skills are not vocational skills per say, one can easily see how these skills translate into desirable employee characteristics. However, the inclusion of others into the description of this broad theme is not limited to future employers. There are many others in society that can benefit from the skills gained as a result of a liberal college education.

Remember back to the American Studies graduate who admitted that he would be a less active citizen and less engaged in the world if he had not received a liberal education. This call to civic engagement is a common theme among higher education outcomes, and is mentioned in all five of the summative lists outlined earlier. Civic values such as these may look different between individuals, but the common core seems to be a desire to use the skills acquired during college to affect positive change on one’s surroundings. This sense of empowerment is an important piece of the broader theme of developing personally and socially responsible citizens.

The AACU’s subset of outcomes under the header of individual and social responsibility includes civic responsibility and engagement, ethical reasoning, intercultural knowledge and actions, and propensity for lifelong learning (2005). While these are important traits that should result from a liberal education, I would expand this list to include a sense of empowerment, a belief that positive change is possible, and the rejection of passivity and complacency. These traits form what I refer to as the theme of developing personally and socially responsible citizens. There is an implied call to action in this theme, and an equally implied belief that positive changes are indeed possible. This call to action, partnered with a belief that change is possible, creates an enduring sense of optimism. Higher education should include these beliefs as intended outcomes for the betterment of the individual and society.

The order in which I have presented these themes was intentional, because I believe that there is a foundational dependency on the more basic elements that play a supportive role in helping graduates reach their personal and social potential (Figure 1). First, the breadth of knowledge in arts and sciences provides the base from which inspiration is drawn, through which perspectives can be challenged, and from which insights are formed. Second, the multidisciplinary knowledge is required in order for the individual to gain subsequent intellectual and practical skills that serve the individual and others. The “whole-brain” thinking is required for the full range of skills to be realized, and thus depends on the knowledge base. Finally, in order for the individual to develop into a personally and socially responsible citizen, they must possess a range of useful skills. In this way, the ability for the individual to continue developing personally and socially is dependent on the acquisition of skills, which in tern is dependent on the knowledge base.



Figure 1. Relationship between intended outcomes for a liberal undergraduate education. This figure illustrates the relative foundational aspects of each outcome theme.

A liberal undergraduate education does not operate independently of majors, but compliments the major with a well-rounded curriculum that provides a broad base of knowledge, as mentioned earlier. In terms of vocational preparation, the liberal education should provide flexibility rather than job training. Majors, in this sense, should be thought of as themes or sequences rather than job-ready specializations.

A broad range of coursework, the ability to think creatively, to adapt, and to merge knowledge from diverse areas will benefit future employees. In fact, a 2010 publication by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Americans born between 1947-1964, and who received bachelor’s degrees, held around 11 jobs from age 18 to 44 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). Because of this volatility in employment, a flexible and innovative work force will be better prepared to navigate the labor market. In addition, Roger Herman argues that “the riches will go to those who have learned how to learn,” and that “a nucleus of permanent employees will manage the organization, drawing on a wide range of contingent labor … and outsourcing to accomplish the work to be done” (Herman, 2000). It is the purpose of a liberal four-year college to provide the flexible life-long learners who will occupy this nucleus of employees, whereas technical and vocational schools will provide the job-training outcomes for future contingent labor, or to supplement specific skills that are desired in a short amount of time. Four-year colleges with a liberal curriculum, as I have described, should cater to students looking for a profound opportunity to learn, develop, and innovate. In a sense, these students come to college waiting to develop and to be inspired, and are not seeking a purely pragmatic exchange of tuition for future job security. While other paradigms for higher education are developed and thrive in an increasingly occupational education industry, liberal undergraduate education should continue to impart a breadth of knowledge and skills that produce broadly empowered leaders.



References

Association of American Colleges & Universities. (2007). College learning for the new global century. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/leap/documents/GlobalCentury_final.pdf

Association of American Colleges & Universities. (2005). Liberal education outcomes: A preliminary report on student achievement in college. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/pdfs/LEAP_Report_FINAL.pdf

Association of American Colleges & Universities. (2002). Greater expectations: A new vision for learning as a nation goes to college. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://greaterexpectations.org

Birkinshaw, J., Bouquet, C., & Barsoux, J. L. (2011). The 5 myths of innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved from http://sloanreview.mit.edu/files/2011/06/INS0111-Top-Ten-Innovation.pdf

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2011, August). Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2010, September). Number of jobs held, labor market activity, and earnings growth among the youngest Baby Boomers: Results from a longitudinal survey. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf

Covey, S. R. (1989). Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. Retrieved from https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit2.php

Edelstein, D. (2010). How is innovation taught? On the humanities and the knowledge economy. Liberal Education, 96(1). Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/le-wi10/le-wi10_Innovation.cfm

Herman, R. E. (2000). The case for liberal arts. The Futurist, 34(4), 16. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hunt, J. B., Jr. (1998, June). Organizing for learning: The view from the governor’s office. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.highereducation.org/reports/learning/learning.pdf

Lyons, J. W. (1997). The importance of institutional mission. In E. J. Whitt (Ed.), College student affairs administration (pp. 136-144). Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster.

The Impact of First-Year Seminars on Student Outcomes

The first year of college is a contemporary milestone that brings with it opportunities and challenges as unique and diverse as the students themselves. Perhaps the challenges outweigh the opportunities, as only 73.9 percent of students in four-year public institutions persist to their second year of college, and only 55.9 percent of students in two-year colleges persist into their second year nationwide (American College Testing, 2010). Although these figures may be inflated by the frequency with which students transfer to other schools rather than dropout altogether, the numbers paint a tumultuous picture of the first-year experience. In response to these and similar findings, institutions have created a vast array of programs designed to ease the adjustment process for new students. Orientation sessions, learning communities, student mentors, peer counseling, bridge programs, and first-year seminars represent the variety of initiatives designed to set students up for success (Barefoot, 2000; Keup & Barefoot, 2005). Of these initiatives, first-year seminars are the most common, and can be found at over 87 percent of all colleges and universities (National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 2009).

The term first-year seminar describes a variety of initiatives that vary by institution. The 2009 National Survey of First-Year Seminars found that over 40 percent of U.S. institutions offer extended orientation seminars as their primary first-year seminar type (National Resource Center, 2009). Other common initiatives included seminars with uniform academic content (16.1%), academic seminars on various topics (15.4%), hybrid courses (15.3%), and around 5 percent of institutions focused primarily on basic study skills (National Resource Center, 2009). Furthermore, these courses tended to be one semester in length (67.8%), taught by tenure-track faculty (61.4%), and counted for general education requirements (53.1%) (National Resource Center, 2009).

While first-year seminars come in many shapes and sizes, empirical studies on the subsequent outcomes indicate that the specific format is rather unimportant. For example, Friedman and Marsh investigated possible differences in outcomes between basic college success seminars, and thematic seminars (2009). They found no significant differences in retention rates or academic performance between students in thematic seminars and those in the seminars that generally focus on student transition and study skills (Friedman & Marsh, 2009). These findings seem to indicate that the type of first-year seminar is less important than the mere existence of the courses at all.

Outcomes for Participants / Nonparticipants

When comparing the outcomes for students enrolled in first-year seminar courses to those not enrolled in such courses, the benefits are undeniable. Pascarella and Terenzini summarized the literature and found “uniformly consistent evidence of positive and statistically significant advantages to students who take the courses” (2005, p. 400-401). Broadly, these advantages include increased persistence to the second-year of college (Porter & Swing, 2006; Starke & Sirianni, 2001), increased graduation rates (Schnell, Louis & Doetkott, 2003; Starke & Sirianni, 2001), and academic success (Keup & Barefoot, 2005; Reed, 2011; Starke & Sirianni, 2001).

Starke and Sirianni (2001) measured retention, academic achievement, bonding (to the college), and satisfaction between students in a first-year seminar course and students who did not take the course. Their results showed significant differences in third semester retention between students who took the seminar and those who did not. Seventy-nine percent of the students who took the course went on to their third semester at the same college, while only 51 percent of students not enrolled in the course returned following their second semester (Starke & Sirianni, 2001). Significant differences were also reported for graduation rates, with 50 percent of students enrolled in the first-year seminar graduating within six years compared to 20 percent of students not enrolled. Finally, cumulative GPA within four semesters of taking the course was significantly higher (M = 2.32 / M = 1.59) for students enrolled in the seminar compared to those who were not (Starke & Sirianni, 2001). Based on recent contributions to this expansive body of research, Pascarella and Terenzini’s summary (2005) holds true today:

Studies consistently find that [first-year seminar] participation promotes persistence into the second year and over longer periods of time. More recent studies employ various multivariate statistical procedures to control for academic ability and achievement and other precollege characteristics. Whatever the procedure, the research points to the same conclusion, indicating positive and statistically significant net effects of [first-year seminar] participation (versus nonparticipation) on persistence into the second year or attainment of a bachelor’s degree. (p. 402)

While these positive effects are evident in terms of persistence, graduation, and academic success, it remains unclear if the positive outcomes associated with first-year seminars are direct or indirect results of participation in the courses.

Course participation is related to a host of psychosocial and academic benefits that could be the underlying cause of the noticeable increase in persistence, graduation rates, and academic success. It has been shown that “course participants are more likely to report interacting with faculty and engaging in good classroom practices such as speaking up in classes, academic collaboration with other students, and course attendance” (Keup & Barefoot, 2005, p. 36). In addition to academic skills, students who took a first-year seminar course were more likely to engage in the campus community, and develop close friendships with other students. In another study, students who took a first-year seminar course showed improvements in attention, self-efficacy, and academic and general resourcefulness (Reed, Kennett, Lewis & Lund-Lucas, 2011). These outcomes have a positive influence on students’ perceived success and satisfaction with the institution, and could answer how first-year seminars are able to improve graduation rates, grades, and retention statistics (Keup & Barefoot, 2005). Early socialization, improved academic skills, regularly attending class, and interacting with faculty have already been established as ways to promote retention and academic success (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Therefore, it remains unclear whether the benefits of first-year seminars are direct or indirect.

Conditional Effects and Individual Traits

Earlier reviews reported that “first-year seminars appear to benefit all categories of students,” including differences in gender, minority status, age, major, on/off campus, and at-risk status (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005, p. 401). Recent studies have investigated possible conditional effects for students with learning disabilities (Reed et al., 2011) and varying high school achievement (Schnell et al., 2003). Some conditional effects were found, but it is important to note that differences only existed in the magnitude and not the direction of the relationship.

In a study of relative benefits for students with and without learning disabilities, Reed and colleagues used pre/post tests to survey students taking a first-year seminar course. All students reported significant improvements in inattentiveness, self-efficacy, academic resourcefulness, and general resourcefulness (Reed et al., 2011). Furthermore, “students with learning disabilities had higher gains in their academic self-efficacy than students without disabilities” (Reed et al., 2011). These findings show that trait differences can affect first-year seminar outcomes to a small extent.

Another study, focusing on graduation rates between students taking a first-year seminar course and a matched comparison group, found that around 40 percent of the seminar group graduated in 5 years or less, while the matched group only graduated 32 percent within 5 years (Schnell et al., 2003). The role of first-year seminars leading to improved graduation rates has already been established, however, the authors discovered an interesting relationship between high school achievement and the magnitude of the benefit received by the seminar. High school deciles were constructed to standardize student performance by controlling for the size of high schools students attended. Students in the lower to middle deciles benefited the most from taking the seminar, whereas students in the uppermost high school decile showed minimal benefit compared to students not enrolled in the seminar (Schnell et al., 2003).

Conceptual Model

These results demonstrate that, although first-year seminars have general positive effects that lead to persistence, graduation, and academic success for a variety of students, individual differences in traits and pre-college experiences still have an influence on student outcomes. This idea is conceptualized in a variety of models, but most simply in Astin’s (1991) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) framework (As cited in Keup & Barefoot, 2005). Astin’s framework is useful for considering biases resulting from the fact that characteristics and preferences students possess prior to attending college (inputs) can, and do, simultaneously influence the selection of environment and subsequent experiences in that setting (environment), and outcomes that result from both the environment and the initial inputs (Keup & Barefoot, 2005, p. 17-18). The influence pre-college experiences and individual traits have on the selection of the environment (particularly the selection of a first-year seminar course) draws attention to selection bias as yet another confounding factor in research regarding first-year seminars.

Selection Bias

Previously, researchers have attempted to control for selection bias through matched comparison groups (Porter & Swing, 2006; Schnell et al., 2003), comparison of required and elective seminar courses (Keup & Barefoot, 2005), and true experimental design. Matched comparison groups provide controls for potentially confounding pre-college variables in attempt to eliminate or reduce group differences. Such studies have controlled for gender, race, socioeconomic status, and academic ability, but rarely account for motivation for taking a seminar course and beliefs about college. When these variables are controlled, “advantages tend to shrink, although the benefits of [first-year seminar] participation remain” (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). These results suggest that conditional effects and individual traits account for some, but not all, of the positive outcomes associated with first-year seminars.

Looking at differences between required first-year seminar courses and elective courses, researchers found that “required first-year seminars do have an impact on key student outcomes” (Keup & Barefoot, 2005, p. 37). However, in the same study, multivariate analyses showed no statistically significant impact on adjustment to college for student electing to take the seminars. Paradoxically, this suggests that first-year seminars are more beneficial to students who do not choose to take them, and that students who are motivated to enroll in these seminars already possess the traits necessary to succeed.

Unfortunately, true experimental studies of first-year seminar courses are rare. A previous review of literature was only able to identify one such study by Strumpf and Hunt (As cited in Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). This study was able to control for motivation to participate in a first-year seminar by randomly assigning students to two groups (course and no course) after they had already expressed interest in enrolling. While this procedure does not create intentionally similar groups, in theory it should provide a true experimental control for conditional effects, individual traits, and motivation. The researchers, in this case, reported significantly increased rates of persistence for students in the seminar group (As cited in Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Since this previous review, another experimental study was conducted by Yale (2000) at Bloomsburg University (As cited in Cuseo, in press) “in which students were assigned randomly to be course participants or non-participants” (p. 3). Results of this study revealed higher levels of academic and social integration for students in the seminar group. While only two experimental studies do little to establish a causal linkage between first-year seminar courses and outcomes, they do add to the weight of research that suggests participation in first-year seminars has either indirect or direct effects on factors leading to persistence, graduation, and academic success in college.

Implications for Student Affairs Professionals

Six years after the second volume of How College Affects Students (2005) was published, we are no closer to establishing causal links between first-year seminar courses and a multitude of beneficial outcomes. It is undeniable that first-year seminar courses have statistically significant and positive impacts on adjustment to college, the likelihood of persistence, eventual graduation, and academic success. However, it remains to be seen whether these positive impacts are the result of underlying dimensions producing an indirect effect on related outcomes, or direct links to substantial outcomes. While the academic question is tantalizing, from the viewpoint of a practitioner it may be irrelevant. Whether the positive impact is a direct or indirect result is inconsequential in light of the fact that first-year seminars at least contribute to sizeable improvements in student success.

Administrators can rest assured that first-year seminars have been thoroughly scrutinized, and that positive benefits are substantive. Cuseo provides the empirical case for first-year seminars in his own review of research-based outcomes. He concludes that “positive outcomes associated with the first-year seminar undoubtedly have been more carefully and consistently documented than have the outcomes of any other single course in the history of higher education.” (Cuseo, in press, p. 2).

Even more reassuring is the fact that vastly different types of first-year seminars at worst will minimally improve student retention, graduation, and academic success. In other words, these programs have a very low risk of negative consequences, but provide an enormous opportunity for promoting student success. Future research should focus on comparing the differences between seminar performance levels to identify best practices that have not been established empirically. Finally, rather than focusing on outcomes at the student or cohort level, research targeting campus-wide impacts will help identify the possibly subtle impact resulting from increased student involvement and social integration throughout the campus community.




[Photo courtesy of Tobias Leeger. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.]

References

American College Testing. (2010). National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/retain_2010.pdf

Cuseo, J. (monograph in press). The empirical case for the first-year seminar: Promoting positive student outcomes and campus-wide benefits. The First-Year Seminar Research-Based Recommendations for Course Design, Delivery, & Assessment. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Retrieved from https://collab.uwex.uwc.edu/uwc/shb/committees/esfy/Shared%20Documents/ESFY%20-%20Literature/The%20Empirical%20Case%20for%20the%20First-Year%20Seminar.pdf

Friedman, D. B., & Marsh, E. G. (2009). What type of first-year seminar is most effective? A comparison of thematic seminars and college transition/success seminars. Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 21(1), 29-42.

Keup, J. R., & Barefoot, B. O. (2005). Learning how to be a successful student: Exploring the impact of first-year seminars on student outcomes. Journal of the First-Year Experience, 17(1), 11-47.

National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. (2009). 2009 National Survey of First‐Year Seminars. Retrieved from http://sc.edu/fye/research/survey_instruments/index.html

Pascarella, E. T, & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Porter, S. R., & Swing, R. L. (2006). Understanding how first-year seminars affect persistence. Research in Higher Education, 47(1), 89-109.

Reed, M. J., Kennett, D. J., Lewis, T., & Lund-Lucas, E. (2011). The relative benefits found for students with and without learning disabilities taking a first-year university preparation course. Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(2), 133-142.

Schnell, C. A., Louis, K. S., & Doetkott, C. (2003). The first-year seminar as a means of improving college graduation rates. Journal of the First-Year Experience, 15(1), 53-76.

Starke, M. C., & Sirianni, F. (2001). Retention, bonding, and academic achievement: Success of a first-year seminar. Journal of the First-Year Experience, 13(2), 7-35.