Information for Prospective Students
The faculty and staff of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at St. Cloud State University are thrilled that you are considering our University. We want to welcome you and to provide you with any assistance we can as you make this important decision.
Choosing a college or university can be really exciting and kind of scary too. At least that’s how I remember the process. The decisions seemed so momentous to me – so life-determining. My parents and I spent hours talking over possibilities, looking at brochures and catalogs and applications. Ultimately, this important decision rests with you and you will need to consider a host of variables that might include cost, location, availability of programs, majors, and minors that interest you, admission requirements, and career placement.
You might also want to consider the commitment to undergraduate teaching and the qualifications, interests, and accessibility of faculty at the institutions you are considering.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is one way that St. Cloud State University demonstrates its commitment to undergraduate education. The Center provides ongoing support for faculty across the disciplines who are honing their teaching abilities, deepening their thinking about teaching, and considering the ways in which their disciplinary research can inform both what and how they teach.
When you begin to research SCSU faculty teaching in areas that interest you, one thing you may notice is how many of our faculty hold PhDs. Unlike other schools, the great likelihood at SCSU is that these are the people who will be teaching the courses you will take. At larger, research institutions, highly qualified faculty may spend far more time teaching graduate courses and pursuing their own research interests. Here, faculty balance their research interests with their strong commitment to teaching undergraduate students. Because we are predominantly an undergraduate institution, you can expect faculty here to be more accessible to you, more focused on the quality of their teaching, and to be greatly concerned with your learning.
On the other hand, one thing that distinguishes us from many of the community and technical colleges is the fact that our faculty do research and publish their writing in nationally recognized journals and in books produced by highly respected publishing houses. Many of our undergraduate students enjoy the opportunity to join with faculty in research projects. This opportunity not only helps our students learn well, but also positions our graduates for employment following graduation in their areas of interest.
Because we focus so much on teaching here at St. Cloud State University, you will find that we emphasize active learning, lots of class discussion, many opportunities to discover and explore connections between in-class learning and real-world engagement. Many of our faculty create opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in service-learning projects, community action research, internships, and civic engagement activities that promote learning as well as foster a strong sense of connection with the larger community of St. Cloud.
We would be happy to provide any assistance to you as you consider St. Cloud State University. If you would like to meet faculty in an academic area that interests you, to visit a classroom, or to talk further about learning opportunities at SCSU, please feel free to contact the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning!
