Opening Sessions Theme  

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Opening Sessions will be held on Thursday, September 6, 2012.  Amidst increasing competition from emerging industrialized nations, the US strives to remain a leader in the global marketplace and we at LaGuardia Community College continue to embrace President Obama’s 2009, “American Graduation Initiative” to prepare America’s youth to fully participate in an increasingly competitive world system. This year’s theme, “The 21st Century Learner: A Holistic Approach,” is a student-centered initiative that explores the interdependent connections of all aspects of the student’s life, including cultural and biological factors that can impact the learning process. In so doing, we can develop a more comprehensive and systematic model that helps us prepare them to become effective leaders and contributing members of society.  Our primary focus must be the totality of the students’ life experiences, including but not limited to “the whole system of values, beliefs, and norms surrounding the student rather than just his/her individual characteristics”.  Such a focus can be a guidepost for the alignment of the divisions of Academic and Student Affairs, a major college initiative for the upcoming year.

This will be a day of inquiry, reflection, and learning.  It will be an opportunity to learn more about innovative classroom techniques and support services being used nationally and at LaGuardia to reach and connect to a culturally diverse and technologically “plugged-in” student body.  We will explore what we do and examine ways to improve our pedagogy, as well as our student support services - how to make them more effective and relevant to and for our students.  We will spend the day delving into and answering the following questions: How do our students learn?  How do we connect with students to empower and encourage them to become fully present and active in the learning process and in so doing, provide them with the skills necessary to achieve success not only in academia, but also throughout life? How can we aide students in understanding that the subject matter in various disciplines is connected, and how that connection can be harnessed in their careers?  How can we inform students of the importance and value of the college experience? How can we present education in ways that encourage and promote student learning?  How do we, as a college community, influence learning?

Please join us as we launch the academic year with an engaging, stimulating and insightful dialogue about LaGuardia’s students: the key to tomorrow’s future.