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Keith D. Renshaw, department chair and professor of psychology, was recently appointed as associate provost of undergraduate education of George Mason University. He replaces Bethany Usher who was named provost of Radford University. While he does not begin his new position until Aug. 10, Renshaw is already laying the groundwork for his vision to ensure Mason is seen as THE national leader in inclusive excellence in higher education—starting with how the university positions its undergraduate students.
“It’s what we do here with our undergraduates – fully integrating such a broad range of students into the programs and experiences here – that makes Mason stand out from other R1 universities,” he said. “This vision requires continuing to lead in accessibility, while also ensuring that we offer strong supports for students from all types of backgrounds with a diverse range of personal goals, together with an unparalleled learning experience that provides students with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences that we believe all college graduates should have.”
In support of this vision, Renshaw will spend much of his time focusing on what he views as key elements in the undergraduate curriculum.
"Given the needs of students, our region, and broader society, we must ensure that our curriculum is preparing our graduates for careers, while simultaneously ensuring that as a university our curriculum is grounded in academic rigor," he said.
While he is pleased with the recent revisions to the Mason Core, describing them as “in direct alignment with societal needs and Mason’s values”, Renshaw knows there is much more that can be done to prepare undergraduates for the future.
“Knowing the pace of change in today’s world, revisions to the Mason Core should never be complete – we need to establish processes for a sustainable but continual evolution of these core elements of our education.”
Another part of this plan includes addressing the demand for more experiential learning opportunities, where students can learn how to apply their learned knowledge into real world contexts and solve real world problems. In order to grow this learning channel and network, Renshaw wants to devise a seamless connection of all undergraduate programs to established ventures such as Mason Impact and its Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) and Office of Community Engagement and Civil Learning (CECiL) subsidiaries. Doing so, he believes, will ensure research and community engagement opportunities are available across all Mason campuses and online.
Renshaw also believes the university needs to further develop multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary curricula. Additionally, he is interested in promoting efforts such as the digital tech certification that brought together potential employers and community and government leaders, students and alumni, as well as faculty and staff, “to identify and find the intersection between needed career preparation and relevant knowledge and expertise within and across disciplines.”
Renshaw is well-suited to tackle the challenges and opportunities in his new role. As a psychologist, he has extensive experience in listening to others and understanding their perspectives, communicating with a wide range of people with diverse goals, and working to find common ground. In addition, his terms as both Faculty Senate chair and department chair not only connected him across campus, but opened his eyes to the diverse talent and opportunities at Mason.
Renshaw believes his experience, compounded with an excitement to work with a multitude of students and faculty, will only propel his ability to connect with others, serve as a mediator, generate ideas, and grow Mason into not just a leader but an exemplar in undergraduate education.
“The prospect of devoting my every-day work to opening doors to more students, supporting those students and helping them work through whatever roadblocks stand in their way, increasing the impact of their time here, and increasing the impact that they, in turn, have on our society is one that I cannot quite capture in words,” he said.
While he dutifully prepares for the fall semester and the upcoming academic year, Renshaw knows he has the ability to change lives for the better—and that is what Mason is all about.