Foundations of Excellence in the First Year of College
http://www.fyfoundations.org/

Foundations of Excellence, the signature work of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, is a comprehensive, externally guided self-study and improvement process for the first year of college. A set of principles, termed Foundational Dimensions, guide measurement of participating institutions’ efforts and provide an aspirational model for the beginning college experience, including initial contact with students through admissions, orientation, and all curricular and co-curricular experiences. Guided by a campus-based task force, the work begins with a campus audit of the first year for new and transfer students, continues with a nine-to-twelve-month process of evaluation using the Foundational Dimensions and related performance indicators, and culminates in the development of a strategic action plan for campus improvement.