November 17th, 2015

Dr. A. Rupiper Taggart

North Dakota State University
Department of English
Dept. 2320, Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58105-6050
Dear Dr. Rupiper Taggart,
Enclosed is my revised proposal for my capstone final project. After looking at your
feedback and looking at the changes that my project has gone through, I have chosen to
revise this document so that it accurately reflects my knowledge and proficiency in this
course.
Since I wrote my original proposal, the form of my project has changed. Originally, my final
project was going to be a proposal that had a redesigned program for the AHSS LivingLearning community in Thompson. After completing more research, it made more sense
for me to turn this into a research paper, especially since I began to see so many
informational gaps between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. After making this
decision, I had to revise every section of my proposal so that it accurately reflected my
new project idea. As per your suggestion, I added more sources to my reading list and
referenced them throughout my paper so that it bolstered my argument. I also added a
tangible research question, as my original question was vague and was not really found
within my first submission of this project.
My timeline has been updated so it reflects my new trajectory for project completion.
Finally, I took more care to fix my grammatical and citation errors. I also took more care to
create a more readable document that illustrates my professionalism and seriousness
about this project. This was one of my biggest weaknesses with this project, so I took time
to make it sound more formal and official.
This was a challenge, but I feel that I have completed all of the revisions that you
suggested. Thank you for this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Meghann Kuhlman

Proposal
At North Dakota State University, traditional first-year students are given an option
to participate in the Department of Residence Lifes Living-Learning Program. This
allows students to request to room in specific communities that are reserved for
students who major within a specific college. These college that offer this program
include the College of Human Development and Education, Engineering, Science
and Mathematics, Wellness, Health Sciences, and the Arts, Humanities, and Social
Sciences. As a resident assistant that worked closely with the Arts, Humanities,
and Social Sciences (AHSS) community for three years, I want to investigate how
well Academic Affairs and Student Affairs work together to create this program.
Since these communities were created in order to allow students with similar
academic interests to live together, I want to research if the perceived benefits of

this program match with the curriculum that has been created by North Dakota
State Universitys (NDSU) Department of Residence Life. After compiling this
information, I will write a research paper that assess my findings and possible
solutions in order to further assess the success of the AHSS Living-Learning
community.
My preliminary research shows that there are many roadblocks to the success of
these communities, especially with faculty engagement. Ellet and Schmidt discuss
the shortcomings of faculty engagement when resident assistants (RAs) do not
work with faculty to create interest in programming (37). In The Journal of
Excellence on Teaching, many faculty have trouble with balancing their personal
research projects and developing interpersonal relationships with students
(Hershberger et al. 171). With these roadblocks in mind, I wish to see if NDSU has
faced these issues with the Living-Learning Program.

Objectives
As a future Student Affairs professional, I understand that academic engagement is
a very important aspect of a students college career. By marrying academic and
student affairs, students can feel comfortable learning in the classroom and where
they live. While some of this has to do with programming, much of it has to do with
the curriculum that was developed by NDSUs Department of Residence Life.
Students are to travel through five different waves through their time at NDSU,
with wave five being the most developed. This final waves proposes that the
student is a global citizen. This, to me, is a very vague term. I want to find out
what the actual definition of global citizen and if this definition is universally
understood by the curriculum director, hall director, and faculty advisor. If it is not,
why is this definition not well understood? How does this lack of communication
affect students, either positively or negatively?
My project also gives faculty and students the opportunity to create positive
interpersonal relationships. By getting to know their professors, students can feel
comfortable asking questions or succeeding in the classroom. The AHSS
community offers faculty to get to know incoming students, their interests, and
what keeps them engaged. By getting to know these students, faculty could
potentially develop engaging lectures or classes that explore students interests
and questions. If a student is thinking of changing their major, they will have the
tools to ask professors about different programs within the AHSS college and who
they should talk to for more detailed information. Plus, students will be exposed to
a variety of faculty with different research interests and teaching styles.
By investing in the academic side of the living learning community, NDSU will be
able to produce students who are more prepared to enter the professional world.
These experiences from the AHSS community will have allowed them explore their
major and how it extends into the real world. Such experiences will have also led

them to the unique academic communities that set NDSU apart from other
colleges. I believe that having a program that is better understood between faculty
and student affairs professionals will benefit students as they begin their journey in
post-secondary education.

Methods
I will begin my research by examining what elements create a global citizen,
according to the Department of Residence Life. Global citizens are characterized by
demonstrating the ability to function in an unstructured and evolving environment
which includes themselves and other beyond their immediate community while
components of civility are present (Jergenson 2015). Those living in the
communities take responsibility for their problems and find ways to address them,
including utilizing resources available. Residents will become active citizens in a
global world, (Jergenson 2015).
Elements of being a global citizen include: serving as a mentor to others, actively
serving others, being invested in the lives of others, actively promoting a
willingness to learn about, respect, and be open-minded toward neighbors beliefs,
backgrounds, and values (Jergenson 2015). These elements are supposed to be
built throughout the year through program planning between Hall Directors,
Resident Assistant, and faculty mentors. I will be doing some personal interviews to
see how professionals are various levels in the hierarchy execute this idea of global
citizenship. I have already interviewed the Department of Residence Lifes
curriculum director. I will also be interviewing Megan Paradis, the Thompson Hall
Director, and Dr. Linda Fricker, the faculty advisor for the AHSS Living-Learning
program. While each will have questions unique to their position, I will have a few
questions in common, such as:
1. What is the definition of a global citizen?
2. How do you create programming that involves global citizenship?
3. Why is it important for residence life and academic affairs to work
together?
These answers will be assess and check for information gaps and the thought
process behind the answers to these questions. These answers could also be
analyzed to describe the relationship between these three people and how they
work together to create a positive experience for first-year students.

Timeline
Ideally, I would like to meet with Dr. Mara once a week in order to keep my due
dates on track and show weekly progress. I would like to turn in rough drafts of my
sections of my paper to Dr. Mara as I finish them, rather than sending in one
complete rough draft. The following dates are somewhat elastic, but I would like to
stay with this timeline as closely as possible in order to minimize stress and have a
polished finished project.

October 28th:
November 1st:
November 4th:
November 7th:
November 10th: Draft of Annotated Bibliography due to Dr. Rupiper Taggart
November 17th: Rough draft of introduction due to Dr. Mara
November 19th: Annotated Bibliography due to Dr. Rupiper Taggart & Research
memo due to Dr. Rupiper Taggart and Dr. Mara.
November 20th: Rough Draft of Methods and Procedures due to Dr. Mara
November 23rd: Rough Draft of Results due to Dr. Mara
November 25th: Personal due to date for Reflection/Conclusion section (Dr. Mara
will be unavailable)
December 1st: Capstone Presentation Due
December 4th: Hard copy of project due to Dr. Mara

Tentative Reading List

Davenport, Amy M., and Penny A. Pasque. Adding Breadth and Depth to College ad University
Residential Communities: A Phenomenological Study of Faculty-in-Residence.. Journal of
College & University Student Housing. 41.1 (2014): 46-65. Web.
Ellet, Tom and Schmidt, Anna. Faculty Perspectives on Creating Community in Residence
Halls. Journal of College & University Student Housing. 38.1 (2001): 26-39. Web.
Frazier, William, and Myron Eighmy. Themed Residential Learning Communities: The
Importance of Purposeful Faculty and Staff Involvement and Student Engagement.
Journal of College & University Student Housing. 38/39.2/1 (2012): 10-31. Web.
Fricker, Linda. Personal Interview. 13 November 2015.
Fried, Jane. Intentional Democratic Communities: Residential Education for Civic
Engagement. Journal of College & University Student Housing. 36.2 (2009): 56-67.
Web.

Hershberger, Andrew, Maria Spence, Paul Cesarini, Andrew Mara, Kathleen Topolka Jorissen,
David Albrecht, Jeffrey J. Gordon, and Canchu Lin. The Ripple Effect: Lessons from a
Research and Teaching Faculty Learning Community. The Journal on Excellence in
College Teaching. 20.3 (2009):145-173.Web.
Hoffman, Elin Myers. Faculty and Student Relationships: Context Matters. College
Teaching. 62.1 (2014): 13-19. Web.
Jergenson, Carol. Personal interview. 05 November 2015.
Living-Learning Program. North Dakota State University. North Dakota State University, n.d.
Web. 15 November 2015.
Longerbeam, Susan D., Karen Kurotuschi Inkelas, and Aarom M. Brower. Secondhand Benefits:
Student Outcomes in Residence Halls with Living-Learning Programs. Journal of College
& University Student Housing. 34.2 (2007): 20-30. Web.
Owen, Julie E. Using Student Development Theories as Conceptual Frameworks in Leadership
Education. New Directions for Student Services. 140 (2012): p.17-35. Web.
Paradis, Megan. Personal Interview. 13 November 2015.
Seppala, Emma, Rossomando, Timothy, and Doty, James. Social Connection and
Compassion: Important Predictors of Health and Well-Being. Social Research. 80.2
(2013): 411-430. Web.
Thomas, Nancy. Reframing and Reclaiming Democracy: Higher Educations Challenge.
Peer Review. 10.2 (2008): 9-12. Web.
Wang, Yongi, Ana Arboleda, Mack C. Shelley II, and Donald F. Whalen. The Influence of
Residence Hall Community on Academic Success on Male and Female Undergraduate
Students. Journal of College & University Student Housing. 33.1 (2004): 16-22. Web.