JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assist in proposal development for new versions of University 401.
- Serve on the University 101 Academic Advisory Committee (one meeting per semester).
- Provide counsel to University 101 in other matters as may be deemed appropriate.
- Make presentations at FYE and Students in Transition conferences and teleconferences.
- Continue to develop new topics and authors for Center monograph series; and contribute his writing to those publications as appropriate.
- Be an advocate for University 101 and the Center all around the world.
- Continue to help bring new partners and strategic alliances to the Center.
- Serve as an elder statesman (for University 101, the Center, and the University, as appropriate).
- Serve as the corporate memory.
BACKGROUND & ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
John N. Gardner an educator, university professor and administrator, author, editor, public speaker, consultant, change agent, student retention specialist, first-year students advocate, initiator and scholar of the American first-year and senior year reform movements, resides in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina (Brevard, Asheville environs). This biographical sketch will describe his career and service in two distinct categories: 1) his work in his capacity as a public employee for the State of South Carolina at the University of South Carolina and most recently for a a project funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Atlantic Philanthropies based at Brevard College, and 2) in his capacity as a private citizen outside the University, and now Brevard College, as an author, educational consultant, and public speaker.
Service as an Employee of the University of South Carolina and Brevard College
John Gardner is the Senior Fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. The Center, founded by Gardner in 1986, organizes the popular and influential Conferences on The First-Year Experience, Students in Transition, and also disseminates information through an extensive series of scholarly publications, videos, national and international conferences, workshops, seminars, and teleconferences. Gardner retired June 30, 1999 after 32 1/2 years of service to the people of South Carolina, but continues to serve them in a reduced and more focused way in his new role of Senior Fellow. Previously, he served as Executive Director of both the first-year seminar course University 101 from 1974-1999, and the National Center from 1986-99. He also served 13 years from 1983-96 as Vice Chancellor/Associate Vice Provost for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education. In his new capacity with the National Resource Center, John Gardner continues to provide advice, counsel, and intellectual leadership and vision as called upon by his beloved colleagues in the Center. He is actively involved in hosting and presenting at Center conferences, seminars, workshops, and teleconferences. He also remains very involved, as always, in the Center’s scholarship and research activities as in its monograph series and other publishing activities.
Effective, 10/18/99, Gardner serves as the Executive Director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College, funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Atlantic Philanthropies, and based at Brevard College, Brevard, N.C. He is also appointed there as Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership. The Policy Center is an outgrowth of the National Resource Center at USC and works in partnership to complement the resources and services that the USC Center provides to the higher education community. The basic mission of the Policy Center is to work with colleges and universities around the nation to develop and share a range of first-year assessment procedures and tools. In turn, these will be used to measure the effectiveness of existing institutional programs, policies and structures that affect first-year students. This process helps build a body of information on best practices in the first college year, and the findings are being disseminated to other campuses which desire to increase student success as measured by academic performance and retention. Under Gardner’s leadership, the Center has organized: two National Forums on Assessment of the First College Year; a series of special institutes for chief executive officers, chief academic officers, deans, department heads, institutional researchers, and assessment officers; two Summer Institutes on Strengthening the First College Year, one for campus chief executive officers and the other for chief academic officers; and seven regional consortia of campuses in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia for the purpose of evaluating the first college year and refining a set of guidelines for that purpose. The Center has also piloted a new instrument for measuring learning, change, and development in first year students, a project undertaken cooperatively with the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA and representing an adaptation of their 37 year old Freshman Survey, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). The Center has also completed a first national survey on current practices in the first college year and has disseminated these findings. The Center is also disseminating considerable amounts of additional information on its website. The Center has developed with Educational Benchmarking, Inc. the first national survey instrument, "First Year Initiative" to measure the effectiveness of first-year seminars. Another critical assessment piece in development by the Center is a project with its partner, NCHEMS, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems entitled, "The First Year Data Audit Toolkit." The Center has been funded in the amount of $3,000,000 for the period 10/18/99 through 12/31/2002.Thanks to the US Air Force, Gardner was involuntarily sent to South Carolina in 1967 where he served his active duty assignment as a psychiatric social worker in the 363rd Tactical Hospital at Shaw Air Force Base. At the request of the Air Force he became a part-time adjunct instructor for the University of South Carolina while he was on active duty. After completing his military service, Gardner held a two-year temporary appointment as Instructor of History at Winthrop College from 1968-70, and then began his faculty career at USC Columbia in 1970. Since that time he taught courses in American and South Carolina history, interpersonal communications for librarians, public speaking, higher education administration, and other special topics. He regularly taught the first-year seminar, University 101 and a graduate course he developed for the College of Education on "The Freshman Year Experience." Most recently, from 1994-1998 he developed and taught University 401, Senior Capstone Experience (as a sequel to University 101, only for departing students).
Gardner is the recipient of numerous local and national professional awards including USC’s highest award for teaching excellence, the AMOCO Award for Outstanding Teaching (1975) and the Division of Student Affairs Faculty Award "for outstanding contributions......"(1976) The University of South Carolina Alumni Association conferred upon him its highest award for a non-alum, the Honorary Life Membership "for devoted service in behalf of the University" in 1997. He was also named the 1998 recipient of the University’s Administrative Affirmative Action Award "for an outstanding job in promoting equal opportunities at the University." Most recently, in 1999, he was the recipient of a University award created and named in his honor, "The John N. Gardner Inspirational Faculty Award" to be given henceforth to a member of the University faculty "who has made substantial contributions to the learning environment in campus residence hall life."
Gardner is the recipient of seven honorary doctoral degrees recognizing him for his contributions to American higher education (from his alma mater, Marietta College, 1985, Baldwin-Wallace College, 1990, Bridgewater State College, 1991, Millikin University, 1999, Purdue University, 2000, The University of Teeside, UK, 2000; and Rowan University, 2001. In 1986, he was selected by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) as one of 20 faculty in the U. S. who "... have made outstanding leadership contributions to their institutions and/or American higher education." In 1996 he was recognized by the Council of Independent Colleges with its Academic Leadership Award "for exemplary contributions to American higher education."
He has served on the Board of Directors for AAHE and on advisory boards for The American Council on Education, and The Association of American Colleges and Universities. He currently serves on boards of trustees for Marietta College and the International Partnership for Service Learning. In addition he currently serves on a national advisory board for The New York Times and the Lumina Foundation for Education. Gardner’s work has been favorably reviewed in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, The Times of London, U.S. News and World Report, Money magazine, and numerous other publications.
In the January 1998 issue of Change, Gardner was cited in an article naming approximately 80 people as the "past, present, and future leaders of higher education." The authors of this study drew on the results of 11,000 questionnaires to name the leaders whom The Chronicle of Higher Education dubbed "the movers and shakers." Gardner was included in a special category of eleven so called "agenda-setters."
Also in 1998 Gardner was named as one of the "top ten professionals who have most influenced student affairs practitioners." This was based on a random sample of practitioners throughout the country as part of a study entitled "The Professional Influence Project" sponsored by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Foundation and conducted by The University of Georgia. In 1999 Gardner was awarded by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) the Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising, to recognize his contributions towards the enhancement of academic advisement in American higher education. One of the nation's two major professional organizations for student affairs officers, The American College Personnel Association, recognized him with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Gardner is best known as the initiator (in 1982) of an international reform movement in higher education to call attention to and improve what he has coined "The Freshman Year Experience." Moreover, since 1990 he has developed a special focus on a second critical transition during the college years to improve and champion: "The Senior Year Experience." In 1995, he renamed the Center he directed at USC to The National Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, to signify a broader and more generic focus on the need for institutions to focus more intentionally on "students in transition."
In academic year, 1998-99, Gardner had the unique opportunity and privilege to participate in a research and planning process funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The focus in this project was to assess what had been accomplished to date by his USC Center to enhance the First-Year Experience, what steps were needed next to further improve this critical component of American higher education, and how could he best contribute to that process in some new and unique ways.
Service as a Private Citizen for the Larger Higher Education Community
Gardner’s special area of expertise in higher education is the creation of programs to enhance the learning, success, retention, and graduation of students in transition, especially first-year students, for example through first-year seminar courses. He has served as a workshop leader or trainer in hundreds of faculty development events and has spoken on/consulted with approximately 400 campuses in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, and Norway on issues related to first-year and senior students.
Gardner has authored/co-authored numerous articles and books, including: College is Only the Beginning (1985 and 1989), Step by Step to College Success (1987), Your College Experience (1992,1993,1995,1996,1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 with A. Jerome Jewler; with M. Lee Upcraft, The Freshman Year Experience (1989); Ready for The Real World (1994) with William Hartel and Associates: and The Senior Year Experience, 1997, with Gretchen Van der Veer.
Thanks to the generous grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Atlantic Philanthropies, his primary commitment now is to develop the potential of the new Policy Center on The First Year of College as his primary means of continuing on a full-time basis his crusade on behalf of enhancing the first-year experience.
In his life outside his work, John has one son, Jonathan David Gardner, a 26 year old graduate of Elon University; and one stepson, Wynn Corley, a 34 year old graduate of the University of South Carolina; both live in Lexington, S.C. John is married to another distinguished scholar and leader of the first-year experience reform movement, Dr. Betsy O. Barefoot. Betsy is the former Co-director for Research and Publications of the USC National Resource Center and currently is the Co-director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
ASSOCIATIONS:
American Association for Higher Education, National Orientation Directors Association, National Academic Advising Association, National Association for Developmental Education, Marietta College Alumni Association, Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) - Honorary Member, USC Alumni Association - Honorary Lifetime Member
PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH:
BOOKS
Gardner, J. N., & Jewler, A. J. (2003). Your college experience, (5th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (2001). Your college experience (Concise 4th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (2000). Your college experience (4th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1998). Your college experience (Concise 3rd edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Van Der Veer, G. (1997). The senior year experience: Facilitating integration, reflection, closure, and transition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1997). Your college experience (3rd edition), Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A. J. (1997). Your college experience (Expanded reader edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1997). Your college experience (Expanded workbook edition), Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1996). Your college experience (Concise 2nd ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1995). Your college experience (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Hartel, W., Schwartz, S., Blume, S., & Gardner, J. N. (1994). Ready for the real world: The senior year experience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Jewler, A.J. & Gardner, J.N.. (1993). Your college experience (Concise ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1992). Your college experience, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1989). College is only the beginning (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Upcraft, M.L., & Gardner, J.N. (1989). The freshman year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jewler, A.J., & Gardner, J.N. (1987). Step by step to college success. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (1985). College is only the beginning. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N. (1983). A guide for orientation course instructors (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
Gardner, J.N. (198l). User's guide for orientation course instructors. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. (To accompany T. Walter & A. Siebert, Student success. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston)
ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
Gardner, J. N. (2002). Why department chairs are critical to the success of first-year students. The Department Chair, 12(3), 19-20.
Gardner, J. N., interview with (2002). Improving first year: Good for students and departments. Academic Leader, 18(4), 4, 8.
Barefoot, B. O., & Gardner, J. N. (2002). The first-year experience. In J.F. Forest & K. Kinser, (Eds.). Higher education in the United States: An encyclopedia (2 Volumes). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Gardner, J. N., Siegel, M. J., & Cutright, M. (2001, Fall). Focusing on the first-year student. Priorities, A publication of the Association of Governing Boards.
Gardner, J. N. (2001). Foreword. In S. L Hamid (Ed.). Peer leadership: A primer on program essentials (Monograph No. 32). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Gardner, J. N. (2001, Spring). Gardner reflects on FYE at 20. FYE: Newsletter of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, (pp. 1-2, 4).
Hamid, S. L., & Gardner, J. N. (2001). Summary and recommendations. In S. L Hamid (Ed.). Peer leadership: A primer on program essentials (Monograph No. 32). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Korschgen, A., Fuller, R., & Gardner, J. N. (2001, February). The impact of presidential migration. AAHE Bulletin, 3-6.
Gardner, J. N., Pattengale, J., & Schreiner, L. A. (2000). The sophomore year: Summary and recommendations. In L. A. Schreiner and J. Pattengale (Eds.), Visible solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores succeed (Monograph No. 31). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Gardner, J. N. (2000, Fall). The changing roles of developmental educators. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 31(1), 5 - 18.
Gardner, J. N., Barefoot, B. O., & Swing, R. L. (2000). Guidelines for evaluating the first-year experience: Two- and four-year editions. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.
Spann, M. (2000). Rethinking developmental education: A conversation with John N. Gardner. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(1), 22 – 24, 26, 28.
Gardner, J. N. (1999). Foreword. In M. S. Hunter (Ed.), Solid foundations: Building success for first-year seminars through instructor training and development (Monograph No. 29). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Gardner, J. N., & Hunter, M. S. (1999). Outcomes and future directions of instructor training programs. In M. S. Hunter (Ed.), Solid foundations: Building success for first-year seminars through instructor training and development (Monograph No. 29). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Gardner, J. N. (March/April 1999). The senior year experience. About Campus, pp. 5 – 11. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gardner, J., & Sullivan, B. (1999). The national newspaper: A tool for educational empowerment. In S. Knowlton & B. Barefoot (Eds.), Using national newspapers in the college classroom: Resources to improve teaching and learning (Monograph No. 28). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Gardner, J., & Levine, J. (1999). Trends and future directions. In J. Levine (Ed.), Learning communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (Monograph No. 26) (pp. 109-114). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Barefoot, B., Fidler, D., Gardner, J., Moore, P., & Roberts, M.(1999). A natural linkage—The first-year seminar and the learning community. In J. Levine (Ed.), Learning communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (Monograph No. 26) (pp. 77-86). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The Fist-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Gardner, J.N. (1998, January). Bridging the gap: Enhancing partnerships in academic affairs and student affairs. Net Results, The On-line Magazine of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Gardner, J.N. (1998). What department chairs can do to foster student retention. The Department Chair, Vol. 8, No. 3 (pp, 22-23) Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.
Gardner, J.N. (1997). Conclusion. In R. Kincaid (Ed.), Student Employment: Linking college and the workplace (Monograph 23). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Gilbert, S., Chapman, J., Dietsche, P., Grayson, P., & Gardner, J. (1997). From best intentions to best practices: The first- year experience in Canadian postsecondary education (Monograph 22). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman
Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Gardner, J.N. (November/December 1996). Helping America's first-generation college students. About Campus, pp 31-32. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gardner, J.N. (1996). Power to the peers. Keystone Newsletter. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Gardner, J.N. (1996). Reflections on the first-year residential experience. In W. Zeller, D. Fidler, & B. Barefoot (Eds.), Residence life programs and the first-year experience (Monograph No. 5, 2nd Ed.). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience/Association of College and University Housing Officers -International.
Hankin, J.N., & Gardner, J.N. (1996). The freshman year experience: A philosophy for higher education in the new millennium. In J.N. Hankin (Ed.), The community college: Opportunity and access for America's first-year students (Monograph No. 19). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Gardner, J.N. (1995). Perspectives on academic advising for first-year students: Present and future. In M. L. Upcraft & G.L. Kramer (Eds.), First-year academic advising: Patterns in the present: Pathways to the future (Monograph No. 18).
Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition/National Academic Advising Association.
Barefoot, B.O., & Gardner, J.N. (1993). The freshman orientation seminar: Extending the benefits of traditional orientation. In M. L. Upcraft et al. (Eds.), Designing successful transitions: A guide for orienting students to college (Monograph No. l3). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience/National Orientation Directors Association.
Gardner, J.N., & Hansen, D.A. (1993). Perspectives on the future of orientation. In M. L. Upcraft et al. (Eds.), Designing successful transitions: A guide for orienting students to college (Monograph No. l3). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience/National Orientation Directors Association.
Gardner, J.N. (1991). Reflections on the first-year residential experience. In W. Zeller, D. Fidler, & B. Barefoot (Eds.), Residence life programs and the first-year experience (Monograph No. 5). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience/ Association of College and University Housing Officers - International.
Gardner, J.N., Decker, D., & McNairy, F.G. (1986). Taking the library to freshman students via the freshman seminar concept. Advances in Library Administration and Organization, 6, 153-171.
Gardner, J.N. (1986). Student affairs and academic affairs: Bridging the gap. Carolina View, 2, 46-49. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, Division of Student Affairs.
Gardner, J.N. (1986). The freshman year experience. College and University, 61(4), 261-274.
Gardner, J.N., & Hebron, C. (1986, February 5). Triumph over the first year blues. The London Times Higher Education Supplement, p. 16.
Gardner, J.N. (1981, February). University 101: A concept for improving university teaching and learning. Resources in Education. (ERIC Document #ED 192706)
Gardner, J.N. (1981). Developing faculty as facilitators and mentors. In V. A. Harren (Ed.), Facilitating student's career development, New Directions for Student Services, 14. (pp 67-79). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gardner, J.N. (1980, January). Continuing orientation for credit and student affairs 'faculty' - University l0l. National Orientation Directors Bulletin, pp. 4-5.
Gardner, J.N. (1979). University 101: A concept for human development. In Annual Conference Monograph of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 23-25.
Gardner, J.N. (1978). How to make students more effective consumers of their education: University l0l at the University of South Carolina. Journal of Southern College Personnel Association, 1(1), 61-68.
BOOK REVIEWS
Gardner, J.N. (1986). Review of participation and equity: The Flinders experiment. Journal of Higher Education, 57(5), 561-563.
Gardner, J.N. (1980). Review of freshman seminar: A new orientation. Journal of Higher Education, 51(1), 108-111.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Gardner, J.N. (1998). A Few Words from FYE Founder John Gardner. First Year Experience, Tallahassee, Florida; Florida State University; Newsletter of Dean of Students Department
Gardner, J.N. (1997, November). Looking ahead: Trends in first-year seminars. Empathetic Response, Counselor Education GSA Newsletter (pp. 3-4). Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University, Counselor Education Department.
Crawford, J.J. (1993). Retention and the role of developmental education: An interview with John N. Gardner. Journal of Developmental Education, 17(1), 22-26, 41l.
Gardner, J.N. (1992). Freshman seminar instructor training: Guidelines for design and implementation. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience.
Gardner, J.N. (1990). Guidelines for evaluating the freshman year experience. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience.
WORK IN PRESS
Gardner, J.N., & Jewler, A.J. (2004). Your college experience (Concise 5th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Gardner, J.N., & Hansen, D. A. (2002). Perspectives on the future of orientation. In Designing successful transitions: A guide for orienting students to college. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.
Gardner, J. N. (in press). Foreword. In E. Zlotkowski (Ed.). Service learning and the first-year experience: Preparing students for personal success and civic responsibility. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
Gardner, J. N. (in press). What, so what, now what: Reflections, findings, and conclusions on the relationship of service learning to strengthening the first college year. In E. Zlotkowski (Ed.), Service learning and the first-year experience: Preparing students for personal success and civic responsibility (Monograph). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in transition, University of South Carolina.
Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., Barefoot, B. O., and Associates. (in press). Meeting challenges and building support: Creating a climate for first-year student success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
