History & Background

Truman’s University Mission Statement, the desired outcomes of a liberal arts education, transferable skills sought by employers and graduate schools, and theories of young adult development have many commonalities.  These commonalities paint a consistent picture of the characteristics of a successful college graduate.  In an attempt to focus the efforts of the Student Affair Division and to provide direction to students in making strategic choices regarding their out-of-class experiences, Student Affairs developed the Out-of-Class Experience Planning Map.  The Planning Map encourages students to set goals in each of four different quadrants that represent the identified “themes.”  The quadrants are described below:

Quadrant 1—Cultural Exploration and Community Engagement

Quadrant 2—Intellectual Competence and Reflective Judgment

Quadrant 3—Healthy Habits and Balanced Living

Quadrant 4—Effective Leadership and Responsible Citizenship

The Planning Map has been used by Student Affairs for a variety of purposes including strategic planning, assessment, professional development activities and student advising.

In consultation and collaboration with many departments on campus including Academic Deans, Department Chairs, New Student Programs, Registrar’s Office, Center for Teaching and Learning and Information Technology, the Cocurricular Records were developed in order to further encourage students to make intentional and strategic choices about their out-of-class experiences, to assess the impact of out-of-class experiences through assessment, and to reward and recognize student achievements outside of the classroom.