Birmingham...the first couple of days!

The Birmingham City University (BCU)Trip has been full of amazing discussions.  In addition to showcasing our student employment program, many of our discussions have centered on mentoring, academic support, and student involvement.  With great pride, I think of all the student engagement we have at Northwest but it is hard for me to dissect how that comes about.  I think it is a combination of pride, involvement, and isolation that encourages our engagement.  However, you can never have enough engagement! Over here they have Students’ unions where this independent entity protects and works for the student population.  They seek to involve students in all aspects of the University from employment to curriculum design.  I think this could be a model to further our student engagement!    I am consolidating some ideas to take back to Northwest about mentoring and student support, but I doubt that you want to read my boring notes on that!

The people that I have come with and the people that we have been working with are absolutely fantastic!  Paula is amazingly organized and very talented at what she does!  Mary is like a queen!  She is truly impressive!  Rick is also amazing and probably the most intelligent person I have ever met!   Paul, Luke, and Stuart have really bent over backwards for us!  They keep things lively, interesting, and fun!  They all have excellent insights and I can hardly do them justice in writing!

I have also got to experience my first Indian food and I must say it was amazing.  We went to Pushkars and got a sampler of just about everything.  Most of it was really delicious but there was a mango dip that was one of my favorites and the red sauce dish.  One the students from BCU that came to Northwest this summer, Luke, was also at dinner and it was really good talking to him again! 

The next night we went to a real English pub called the Wellington.  It was really musky but a fun atmosphere!  Conversation at the Wellington turned to  the mentoring and different things they could do  in the future.  It looks like an exciting future!  After the Wellington we went to the  Old Joint Stock which was another pub but it had some traditional English food.  I had a shepherd’s pie and it was absolutely amazing!! 

Well, I know that is a short post.  I have taken notes on each day so I will be able to write about them as I find the time.  Cheers!