Caelin Bragg
Lantern Staff
Butler has been working on making it smoother for students to get their degrees which will cost them less time and money.
Starting in the fall 2018 semester, incoming students will be placed in the new degree system, Pathways, which plans out what classes students need to take each semester to graduate within two years.
Students who enrolled prior to the new degrees are not required to switch over to the new model, but they are given a choice if they think it will benefit them.
“Butler’s focus is on providing a pathway for students to reach their educational goal,” Lori Winningham, vice president of academics, said. “If they plan to transfer, the pathway will provide the most efficient pathway for them to transfer to a university. If they are wanting a skill to enter the workforce, the pathway incorporated industry requirements to get them employed once they complete their associate’s degree.”
This change, which has been in the works since the spring 2017 semester, to Butler’s degree system’s purpose is to help students get through their time at Butler without wasting time and money on classes they do not need.
The new model also helps students who are unsure about what they want to pursue through the new meta majors being offered. The meta majors allow students to take the mandatory courses for all degrees in a related field like fine arts or science. For instance, if students know they want to go down a science major but are unsure which specific field to go down, they can take courses required for all degrees in that field before deciding where they want to take it.
“Butler’s leadership determined that changes needed to happen to improve student success,” Winningham said. “It was time to review and revise all programs. We had not done something like this across all programs in a very long time. We wanted to provide a streamlined, concise road map for students, no matter what their educational goals are.”
Another new change to Butler’s degree system is the introduction of milestone courses. Milestone courses are specific courses in a student’s degree that are considered the most important for a student’s success in their field. These classes are given more backing in terms of support for students to make sure they are able to pass.
“Students often wait until the last minute to speak to an advisor about enrolling for various reasons,” Troy Nordman, associate dean of humanities and social science, said. “My hope is that both current and incoming students would start early, ask an advisor about Pathways and commit to a field of study for which they have a passion. Even if they change that focus in the first semester, they won’t be losing ground. We want to connect students with their interests and get them on a path to success.”
These changes were done with the help of faculty ranging from lead faculty and department chairs, to members of advising, to deans and associate deans and to vice presidents of academics and student services. Nordman and Academic Advisor Gary Royse spearheaded these changes.
“I have been at Butler for more than 25 years, and I will say I have learned more about the various programs across the institution by going through this process than ever before,” Winningham said. “We have some very dedicated and talented faculty who are very much concerned about student success and mentoring students. I am very excited about where this will take Butler and the students we serve.”
