1. Reimagining a philosophy
of excellence:
New habits of mind
Janet
Cottrell, Champlain
College
@cottrell | cottrell@champlain.edu

2. Context
• Founded in 1878
• Beautiful campus
• Small
• 2,000 UG
• 13:1
• Avg 17, max 30
• Geography

3. Context
• Fast pace of change
• Business, communic
ation, human
studies, technology
• Liberal arts core

4. “A radically pragmatic
education”

5. Advantages
• Budget ?
• Staffing ?
• Time ?
• Support ?
• Past success ?
Nope!

6. Finding direction:
• Mission
• Start with why

7. Finding direction:
• Mission
• Start with why
• Embedded info lit
• inquiry-based
• scaffolded
• rubric-based assessment
• Intentional innovation
and autonomy
• Reflective practice

8. Since then:
• Turnover of 25-30%
• Core “broke” our
model
• Instruction, and
• Assessment
What to do?

9. Renewal:
• Confidence during change
• Identifying what to preserve
• Great hires
• Management team
• Continued reflective practice

10. Habits of mind
• Reflection/retreat
• Tolerating failure
• Living with uncertainty
• Resonance
• Resilience
• Grit (CWRU and Penn)

11. Habits of mind
• Reflection/retreat
• Tolerating failure
• Living with uncertainty
• Resonance
• Resilience
• Grit (CWRU and Penn)
Knickers in a twist?
Audeamus!

12. Janet Cottrell, Champlain College Library
@cottrell | cottrell@champlain.edu | champlain.edu/library