ABSTRACT
Meredith Skolar, fresh out of a master’s degree program, has been on the job for six weeks as assistant dean of residential life at Midwestern State University. Midwestern has almost 15,000 students, about 90% undergraduates. Reporting to the dean of students, Meredith’s responsibility, among others, is to oversee the development of a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) program—groups of about 20 first-year students who live with one another in the residence halls, coenroll in two or three courses, and meet together weekly in a peer instructor-led seminar. FIGs at Midwestern are supposed to help students make the academic transition to college life, with the hope of boosting persistence rates. Meredith coordinates the work of the implementation committee, which includes nine people: the dean of students, the associate dean for academic affairs, the assistant registrar, three faculty members (biology, sociology, English), two students (the student government president and the residence halls governor), and Meredith.
