Psychology chair chosen for standard-setting team
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hrough a grant from the Lumina Foundation, the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) launched an initiative to work with college and university faculty from multiple states to discuss performance in higher education. Marcia Pasqualini, Ph.D., chair of Avila University’s Department of Psychology, was the only psychology professor from a private Missouri university selected to work on the project, which encompassed the three-state area of Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. “We are pleased Marcia was selected for this outstanding initiative,” said Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, president of Avila University. “We are fortunate to have someone with Marcia’s expertise as a member of our faculty and know that her vast experience and knowledge of psychology will serve the team well.” A meeting of the group brought together 30 faculty members along with representatives of MHEC, the Lumina Foundation and the Institute for Evidence-Based Change to discuss the foundation, process and logistics of the initiative.
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As part of the evaluation, or “tuning” process, faculty members create shared understandings of the knowledge and transferable skills students in specific academic disciplines and professional fields must demonstrate upon completion of their degrees. The process helps clarify to students, parents and policymakers what degree holders know, understand and are able to do. According to Pasqualini, much of this work centers around an initiative of the Lumina Foundation called “Goal 2025,” which has a stated purpose of increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees or credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Pasqualini said that percentage has hovered below 40 percent for the last 40 years. “Our work is very discipline specific,” Pasqualini said. “Basically, what are the knowledge and skill sets students in psychology should be able to demonstrate once they graduate? We want our psychology graduates to have a clear career pathway … to be able to get a job.”
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