Charles Tucker III, the newly installed vice provost for undergraduate education and innovation, is well aware of the challenges of producing a high-quality undergraduate experience.
As the associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Engineering for the past four years, Tucker worked on a host of initiatives to improve undergraduate education, most aimed at increasing support for underrepresented students, enhancing recruiting practices, encouraging curricular innovation and upping scholarship offerings.
His familiarity with those themes has made him eager to take on the newly created position.
“I’ve been working to improve undergraduate education for the last 10 years,” he said. “I’ve always loved being in the classroom and more recently I’ve enjoyed contributing to college- and campus-level projects. I’ve gotten to a place in my career where I want to help on a larger scale. Now, instead of working ‘retail’ I’m in ‘wholesale’ – it’s undergraduate education broadly.”
The call for improving the undergraduate experience has come from the highest levels of the university.
Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise has placed accessibility and diversity at the top of her administrative agenda, and University President Bob Easter, in his state of the university address, urged campus leaders to develop nonclassroom offerings to make the campus experience even more enriching.
“There’s a desire being expressed to take a thorough look at the undergraduate experience on campus,” Tucker said. “Ilesanmi Adesida (provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs) has put a high priority on undergraduate education because being great at it is critical to our students and our society; it’s important that we have people who are thinking about undergraduate education every day. We owe it to our students to deliver value.”
Tucker said one of the most interesting challenges facing the university is the rapidly changing picture of online and electronic learning – and understanding how those tools can best be used for on-campus teaching.
“MOOCs (massive open online courses) are exciting because they can greatly extend the reach of the U. of I.,” he said, “but they have also put teaching and learning at the center of the conversation.
“There are many questions our campus will have to grapple with, such as, ‘What are the best ways to use the e-learning tools that we have now?’ ‘What new developments should we support?’ ‘What aspects of on-campus, in-person education are irreplaceable?’ ”
He said he also is committed to the ideals of accessibility and affordability in higher education.
“The vision for a land grant institution is that it’s an opportunity for everyone,” he said. “Anyone with talent and commitment – we want that person to have a chance to come here and to succeed.”
Adesida said Tucker’s appointment is a sign of the university’s commitment to high-quality undergraduate education.
“Having a vice provost dedicated to this area is key,” he said. “It means we will have a leader in our office who can work with the colleges to ensure that students at Illinois have the best possible experience, especially during the freshman and sophomore years. Chuck’s record of accomplishments and his ability to work effectively with others is well recognized.”
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