Indiana University
Collins Living Learning Center
Address: 541 N. Woodlawn Ave
City: Bloomington
State: IN
Zip or Postal Code: 47406
Country: USA
Program Director (or best person to contact): Carl Ziegler
Email: ziegler@indiana.edu
Phone: (812) 855-9815
Fax: (812) 855-5158
Web Address: http://www.indiana.edu/~llc/
Brief Program Summary
Collins LLC combines the advantages of a small college experience and the resources of a major research university. It provides an academically and culturally rich environment with a focus on community living, service to the community and learning opportunities for undergraduate students in all majors. Democratically structured, students are decision makers and their participation and leadership results in a wide array of programs and activities. Among other things, students select the courses each semester that are offered for Collins residents, serve as peer instructors for the 1-credit Residential Learning Workshop course for entering students, coordinate activities through the Arts Council (including the ceramics, video editing, radio station, publications, photography, and computer graphics studios) and student government.
Sources of funding
College of Arts and Sciences (salaries for Director, Academic Coordinator, secretarial staff)
Student fee (students elected to charge each resident $100/semester for programming)
Alumni support
Program Reports To:
Are students charged an additional fee:
The number of persons in each of the following categories are teaching academic credit bearing courses
Fulltime Tenured Faculty: 0
Fulltime Probationary Faculty: 0
Fulltime Instructors: 0
Fulltime Retired Faculty: 0
Fulltime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Fulltime Graduate Students: 0
Fulltime Residence Hall Staff: 0
Parttime Tenured Faculty: 0
Parttime Probationary Faculty: 0
Parttime Instructors: 0
Parttime Retired Faculty: 0
Parttime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Parttime Graduate Students: 15
Parttime Residence Hall Staff: 0
Academic staff involved in the program that weren't included as faculty above
(Academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing academic services to students such as advising.)
Fulltime Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Academic Staff: 0
Non-academic staff involved in the program
(Non-academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing services that do not directly involve academics such as residence hall staff or staff who organize social activities that are not tied to academics.)
Fulltime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Number of faculty offices in the residence hall: 0
The approximate percentage of students in each grade level
First Year: 30
Second Year: 30
Third Year: 15
Fourth Year and above: 15
Graduate Students: 0
Total Number of Students: 500
Year the Program Began:1973
Academic Courses Offered In The Community
Residential Learning Workshop 1 cr (required of entering students
11 new courses per year 3 cr (1/yr required of freshmen and sophomores)
4 new service learning courses per year 2 cr
New initiatives for 1999-2000:
2 cr service learning course and/or academic course involving Spring break participation.
Other Academic Offerings
Workshops in the various arts studios (ceramics, photography, video editing, computer graphics, etc).
Visiting scholars/artists program
Mini-courses, non-credit (offered by visiting scholars/artists or Collins residents)
Fireside programs (featuring guests)
Training course (8weeks) for peer instructors
Classrooms in hall
Summary of Facilities and Facilities Budget Studios: for ceramics, photograpy, radio station, publications, video editing, etc
Clubhouse: meeting rooms, recreation room, sewing room, kitchen, 3-person apartment for student managers.
Coffeehouse: with sound and light systems for performances
Computer lab
Dining Hall
Large lounges that serve as meeting rooms as well.
Friendly quad.
5 residence halls and an apartment complex for selected residents.
Conference room.
Budget: $95,000 from student fees; teaching stipends from College of Arts and Sciences.
Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Computer laboratory (PCs and Macs)
Computer Graphics workstation
Email computers in foyer
Dedicated computers for radio station, video editing, publications.
The Role of Community Partnerships
Service agencies in Bloomington are partners in the Service Learning courses and volunteer service activities. They are active in all phases of the program from design through implementation.
Alumni are partners in programming, support of special intitiatives, and reunions.
The Role of Leadership Development
Leadership skills are developed on the job, beginning with the design and implementation of a project of the student's choosing in the Residential Learning Workshop course. Here the peer instructors guide entering students into becoming participating members of the community.
Mentoring by experienced student leaders is the most significant leadership development program. This occurs particularly in the various committees (Board of Educational Planning, Arts Council, Community Council).
The Role of Research
Some research has been done on the meaning making strategies of students in an effort to bring course offerings in line with student needs.
Collins also has been involved in a number of research studies on Living-learning communities.
Summary of Assessment Activities
Written evaluations are encouraged in all aspects of programming where students are invited to reflect on their areas of responsibility and their own effetiveness.
Informal discussions supplement assessments throughout the year.
Summary of Extracurricular Activities Formally Associated with the Program
Arts studios
Scholar/artists in residence.
Collins Fest (featuring the best of Collins in the year past)
Publications: Dancing Star (poetry), Collins Columns (weekly newspaper)
Movie series
Excursions and field trips to museums, concerts, galleries, parks, and other points of interest
E-Force: an environmental activism and education group
Coffee house presentations (drama, poetry, music)
The Role of Interdisciplinary Studies
In the course offerings, interdisciplinary courses are especially sought. Courses also are selected for the curriculum that represent a wide array of disciplines,especially those not always available in students chosen major and minor fields of study.
How Diversity Issues are Addressed in the Program and in Courses
Diversity issues are one of the prominent themes in the Residential Learning Workshops.
A Community Educator is appointed each year whose responsibility it is to conduct educational programs addressing diversity issues.
Active recruitment of minorities is conducted.
Alliances with cultural centers (Tibetan Cultural Center, Asian Cultural Center, La Casa, African American culture center, among others) is actively encouraged for programming, shared resources and mutual exchanges.
How Diversity Issues are Addressed Among Faculty and Students
The Residential Learning Workshop is one educational venue.
Ongoing programming, bulletin boards, field trips, courses, music events, and discussions continue to keep the issues in the foreground.
Active recruitment of diverse guests and visitors is ongoing.
Student Demographics
Faculty Rewards for Participation in the Program
Release Time:
Salary Supplement: yes
Travel Funds:
Other: yes
Description of Other Rewards
Generous budgets for programming
Disciplines Represented by the Faculty
Germanic studies and Comparative Literature;
Philosophy of Education, Religious Studies, and Music
Willing to Serve as a Consultant:
Greatest Challenges for this Learning Community:
Suggested Bibliography