Queens University of Charlotte

Queens Ranks Among Top Schools in National Survey of Student Engagement

Compared with national results, Queens scores in 10 percent in four of five benchmark categories

	Collaborating with others in solving problems or mastering difficult material prepares students for the messy, unscripted problems they will encounter daily during and after college
	Diverse experiences teach students about themselves and others. Technology facilitates collaboration between peers and instructors. Internships, community service and senior capstone courses help students integrate and apply knowledge.
	Colleges and universities promote high levels of student achievement by emphasizing the importance of academic effort and setting high expectations for student performance.
	Students learn firsthand how experts think about and solve problems through positive interaction with faculty members. Their teachers become reole models, mentors, and guide for continuous, life-long learning.
	Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relations among different groups on campus.

First-year and senior students say they are having such enriching experiences at Queens University of Charlotte that nearly all of them would choose the university again if they had to start the college selection process over. 

This and other findings come from the 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Each year, the survey asks randomly selected freshmen and senior students a series of questions to determine the quality of their undergraduate experience as well as their level of engagement with academic and campus life. 

Queens University of Charlotte performed better than the national average in each of the survey’s five benchmark categories and in the top 10 percent nationally in four of the five:

• Level of Academic Challenge (top 10 percent)
• Active and Collaborative Learning (top 10 percent)
• Student-Faculty Interaction (top 10 percent)
• Supportive Campus Environment (top 50 percent)
• Enriching Educational Experiences (top 10 percent)

“Decades of research shows that student engagement is one of the most important indicators of student success during the college years and beyond, which means that the National Survey of Student Engagement is one of the more important and strategic scorecards we have at our disposal,” said Dr. Pamela Davies, president of Queens University of Charlotte. “Because our mission at Queens is to provide transformational experiences, we spend a lot of time and energy to make sure our students have meaningful opportunities for engagement, both in and out of the classroom.  The feedback of our own students through the NSSE is critical in terms of helping us understand how well we’re hitting the mark.”

Queens’ scores were particularly strong in the areas of enriching educational experiences and student-faculty interaction.  Variables in these portions of the survey include opportunities to travel and study abroad; the percentage of students who participate in service learning and volunteerism; and the degree to which faculty and students work closely and collaboratively together.

At Queens:

• More than 90 percent of all undergraduate students study/travel abroad through the university’s renowned John Belk International Program.  During the second semester of their junior years, all students study a region of the world—its history, art, culture, economy, politics, and language--and then travel as a group with faculty to that region.  Queens students have studied in diverse locations including South Africa, Greece, Vietnam, Spain, Ireland, Micronesia, Tibet and Australia.

• More than 90 percent of all students actively participate in service learning experiences that range from local volunteer opportunities to Queens’ annual service and mission trip to Guatemala.

• All undergraduate students complete at least one professional internship and also participate in a required “World of Work” course, which prepares students for a smooth transition from college to the workforce.

• A focus on small class size and a long-standing commitment to excellence in classroom teaching means instructors spend more time and energy engaging and challenging students on an individual level.  This is reflected in the university’s unparalleled number of North Carolina Professors of the Year.  With five of these prestigious awards, Queens has more N.C. Professors of the Year on its faculty than any other college or university in the state.

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-ed, Presbyterian-affiliated comprehensive university with a commitment to both liberal arts and professional studies. Located in the heart of historic Charlotte, Queens serves approximately 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students through its College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the School of Communication, the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School of Education, the Presbyterian School of Nursing and Hayworth College for adult programs.

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Printed from www.Queens.edu.

Queens University of Charlotte
1900 Selwyn Ave.
Charlotte, NC 28274
Phone: 704 337-2200
Fax: 704 337-2403
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