NORTON – Wheaton College was awarded a three-year, $200,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation to help the college strengthen its implementation of the Compass curriculum.
The Compass curriculum, which was introduced this past fall, Wheaton said, combines a liberal arts education with preparing students for life after college. The curriculum also offers students flexibility and guidance to find their future educational path. Key features of Compass include professional mentoring and comprehensive, coordinated advising over four years, Wheaton said.
“I am really excited, over the moon, if I’m being really honest,” Wheaton Provost Renee T. White said in a statement. “The award is a clear endorsement of the hard work of faculty, staff and students – work that culminated in Compass. Any reimagining of curricula that involves substantial change while remaining attentive to the core mission and vision is a risk. It’s a leap of faith that what we are doing will make sense to our students, that it will work for our students and that it will be seen as an exciting, forward-thinking program to others not connected to Wheaton.”
Wheaton said the grant will support multiple components of the curriculum, including programs for Mentored Academic Pathway Day and other related events.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
