With the start of the new school year, administrative changes and additions are being made to improve communication between Baker University and its students.
One of these changes includes the appointment of former administrative assistant Jackie Ware-Sodsod as the director of special academic projects and assistant to the provost.
Ware-Sodsod and Provost Randy Pembrook began their careers at Baker last year. However, Pembrook said he and Ware-Sodsod did not receive as much student input last year as they had hoped.
“Our first year at Baker with provost, we really just worked and spent most of our time on building up the provost program as a whole,” Pembrook said. “Now, especially going into our second year, we really hope to go out and gain more student involvement.”
Ware-Sodsod is responsible for the Provost Student Advisory Board, a new board that will help gain student involvement. The group includes students from the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Professional and Graduate Studies and the School of Education. These students will give feedback on current issues and events within their schools.
“What I like about being on the Provost Student Advisory Board is it is allowing students to give the school input back on different academic issues,” junior board member Stephanie Nelson said.
“We recognize students are the No. 1 body of importance at Baker,” Ware-Sodsod said, which is why the provost’s office needs student input.
Ware-Sodsod will facilitate student input in order to lay the groundwork for potential improvements.
“I have a background working with school programming boards to help develop activities for students, which can create fun ways to put daily experience together with the academic experience,” Ware-Sodsod said.
In addition, Ware-Sodsod will also coordinate a number of school-related events. Students’ ideas will be incorporated in events like commencement, convocation and diversity initiatives.
“We really hope in the future we can find a way to create themes to tie all the big events together,” Ware-Sodsod said.
