Wayne State languages chair receives student career planning grant
The Modern Languages Association (MLA) has bestowed its prestigious inaugural Pathways Step Grant upon a select group of scholars, including Vanessa DeGifis, Ph.D., chair of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (CMLLC). This national recognition and the accompanying grant are a beacon of hope, signaling the significant strides we can make in expanding knowledge of humanities professions through Vanessa's proposal, "Transfer Pathways for Equitable Access to Global Learning."
The project, led by CMLLC and in close collaboration with Wayne State's Transfer Student Success Center (TSSC), is a testament to our commitment to inclusivity. It aims to strengthen the partnership and build career plans for transfer students, offering clear degree plans for students from community colleges. This ensures that all students, regardless of their background, have the equal opportunity to pursue a major in global studies or world language programs. The plan also includes creating optional tracks within these pathways that will integrate global and language degree enhancements around certificates, minors and co-curricular activities. The goal is to provide a diverse student body with equitable access to global humanities in any major," DeGifis said.
"Wayne State recognizes that the transfer admissions process is inherently inefficient and inequitable, especially for students who are from socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. First-generation college students are often working with much less information, resources and understanding of how to navigate the application and transfer process," DeGifis said. Each pathway will offer admissions, transfer credits and advice to make the transfer process effortless.
The development of these pathways will take about a year. DeGifis and Michael Quattro, WSU's educational outreach and transfer initiatives director, will lead the effort. Initially, CMLLC will partner with two Michigan public community colleges, Delta College and Schoolcraft College.
These partnerships, a testament to the project's collaborative spirit, provide a diversity of student demographics, institutional size, geographic location and resources. "During the summer months, Mike and I will work with community college partners to develop direct transfer pathways (associate to bachelor) for global studies and world languages and develop a template for certificate and minor pathways for degree enhancement," DeGifis said.
The plan will also develop avenues for students in other majors to incorporate global and language opportunities without adding extra time to their degrees. Towards the end of summer, they plan to hold workshops for each consortium college to inform faculty of the pathways, host a global event and invite new students to join WSU's Global Living learning community. In the fall, they plan to continue expanding on event collaboration. Next January, DeGifis and Quattro will present their progress at the annual MLA conference.
DeGifis pointed out two main obstacles. First "is a mistaken assumption that the humanities do not prepare students for any profession. The fact is the humanities doesn't prepare you for any one profession; it prepares you for professionalism. It cultivates in students the qualities that characterize a successful professional person… and Wayne State equips students with a distinct technical skillset for thinking and communication that grows their capacity to traverse the full range of life's possibilities," DeGifis said.
The second is, "Logistically, an obstacle for many students coming to Wayne State is how to integrate the humanities in a sustained way with other STEM-oriented curricular interests. Our project aims to help make every credit count and make it easier to embed a language certificate and global studies minor ("Degree Enhancement") into existing pathways for any and all majors," DeGifis said.
Establishing career pathways and overcoming these obstacles will aid their vision of "global learning for all." Creating customizable pathways will serve as a model for similar pathways for years to come and with other community colleges.
By Andy Jeffrey