Engaged Learning at Miami

Greetings to all of the admission blog followers! One of my favorite things about being the President of Miami University is the time I get to spend interacting with students – and they never cease to amaze me! I was particularly impressed with two recent conversations I had with two very different student groups and I thought I’d take a moment to tell you about them and about engaged learning at Miami. Not sure what we mean by engaged learning? It’s a concept Miami excels at and it is best explained when put into real life examples like those below.

Earlier this week my wife Valerie and I spent some time with 30-40 first year students in the Morris Residence Hall lounge. We had a great conversation about a variety of topics; they asked a lot of good questions about the future of Miami University, and I asked them a few. When I asked how many were involved in an organization of some kind, about 3/4 raised their hands. I then asked how many had had some research experience with their professor outside of class and at least 2/3 raised their hands, and they raised them with gusto! Miami is well known for providing research opportunities to students at the undergraduate level, but I was quite impressed that 2/3 of these first-year students have already participated in a research project.

This is just one example of engaged learning at Miami – guiding students to develop their own belief system which prepares them personally and intellectually for lifelong learning; actively engaging students in discovering new knowledge to enable them to think critically, make informed judgments and act ethically; and creating a vibrant campus learning community that blends out-of-class learning opportunities and involves everyone in promoting students’ learning.

I also recently spent some time with the Psych 212 student section leaders, which was another great experience. Once a week, these Psych 212 section leaders lead the Psych 111 small section groups in an effort to facilitate discussions and create an atmosphere of engaged learning. These section leaders range from sophomores to seniors, from finance to zoology, and they did not earn the highest grade when they took the Psych 111 class. Rather, they were chosen because of how they participated in class. We had a terrific conversation about creating a culture of engaged learning and I challenged them to help us help new students develop an understanding of what it means to be an engaged learner.

This is just a small piece of what Miami has to offer students and a great example of what we do best. Come visit us in Oxford – you will be happy that you did!

Dr. David Hodge
President

Headed to the championship!

LET'S GO REDHAWKS!! Anyone catch the game of Miami v. Bemidji State in the Frozen Four last night? I didn't have a chance to watch the whole thing, but I did catch some of it and am so excited for our hockey team as we head to the championship on Saturday night! Watch it on ESPN at 7:00pm eastern.

Can you tell we're a little obsessed with Miami Hockey? As Matt has blogged before, ice sports are big on Miami's campus. Not only is our hockey team amazing, but our synchronized skating team is great as well and recently placed 7th at the World Championships! Many of our students will play broomball—which is kinda like hockey, but you wear tennis shoes instead of skates, play with a ball instead of a puck, and a stick that shaped like a broom instead of a hockey stick. OK, so basically what it has in common with hockey is that you play on the ice. It’s so much fun to watch, and even more fun to play. As a student here, you might have a chance to play our University President, Dr. Hodge!

If you’re ever in town when there’s a hockey game—I definitely encourage you to come over to the Goggin (our ice arena) to cheer on the RedHawks! You’ll be in for a treat!(literally, hit up the concession stands!)

Meredith

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the Reds team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, there strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.

You may be asking yourself, why am I reading (I know some of you were singing) the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game?” It is because Miami University will be going on the road and cheering on the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park on April 26. As part of our Bicentennial celebration, Miami University is traveling south to Cincinnati to watch the Reds take on the Atlanta Braves. However, we won’t just be watching the game; we will be part of it! The first pitch will be thrown by Miami University’s President and his wife, Dr & Mrs. Hodge. Also our athletic coaches, mascot, band and glee club will take part throughout the afternoon festivities. So come out to the game and join us as we cheer on the Reds to a victory.

For ticket information visit www.Reds.com.

Until next time,
Brian

Frozen Four here we come!

It's a really exciting time on campus as we are celebrating Miami's Hockey Team playing in the Frozen Four!
Miami students, faculty and staff will gather this Sunday at the Goggin Ice Arena for a pep rally in support of our RedHawks. Check out more at:
http://www.muredhawks.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/040109aac.html

Want to catch the game? The RedHawk's semi-final game will be at 5:00 on ESPN2 on Thursday, April 9th and the Championship game at 7:00 on ESPN on Saturday, April 11th.

Let's go 'hawks!!

Get Ready for China Week!

Hey!

Have you ever wanted to learn Chinese calligraphy? How about Chinese Martial Arts? Tai Chi? Chinese paper cutting and knotting? These may be things you’ve never heard of, but they are all part of the Chinese culture. Our students will have the opportunity to experience all of these neat things during China Week. China Week, a week-long, campus-wide event, begins next week. The Confucius Institute at Miami University and Liaoning Normal University in Dalian, China are teaming together to present this interesting week-long experience.

China Week includes a Chinese skit competition, lecture, concert, handicraft workshops, martial arts demonstrations and musical performances. These events are free to students and sound like a fun option for evening activities. If you happen to be on campus for a visit next week, check out China Week!

The Miami Family

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Hope everyone is enjoying the increasingly warm weather. I know I am! One of the best things about being a student here at Miami is the ability to remain connected to your family once you become a student. Miami does its best to make its entire student body feel connected to both the university and their family at home. This weekend, April 3rd and 4th, is Miami’s annual Kidsfest. And no, it’s not a joke. Miami does it best to include all family member’s in the Miami experience.

Kidsfest is a special weekend each year when younger siblings, family friends, and other young family members (under the age of 14), can come visit Miami in a safe and fun-filled environment. Hosted by the Campus Activities Council, Kidsfest has numerous activities for the current students and their younger family members to participate in, such as a magic show, cakewalk and a fair. The Goggin, Miami’s ice arena, is even opening its doors to allow an inexpensive public skate with only $3 for admission and free skate rentals. Many student organizations and community participants are partnering up to ensure that this weekend will be memorable for all.

This particular Kidsfest will be honoring the Bicentennial of the university, keeping a birthday theme. This weekend, which is filled with entertaining events for both ages, is bound to be an endless expanse of fun. For more information about Kidsfest and the activities, contact the Campus Activities Council at 513-529-7447.