The document outlines the core commitments of the School of Physical Sciences which include supporting student transitions, connecting research and practice, promoting inclusion, encouraging collaboration, and fostering lifelong learning. It also provides details on a 12-item grit scale developed by Angela Duckworth and norms for grit based on gender. Finally, it offers advice for empathizing with struggling first-year students and maintaining a positive outlook.

1. Steven Johnson
School of Physical Sciences

3. Core Commitments
•Student Transitions:
•Critical junctures in the educational pipeline
• First year of college, sophomore year, transfer
experience, degree completion, and new
graduate student experiences
www.sc.edu/fye

4. Core Commitments
•Connection Between Research and Practice:
•Good practice in higher education must rely upon
a foundation of high-quality research
www.sc.edu/fye

5. Core Commitments
•Inclusion:
•Create a supportive and professional environment
where a diversity of viewpoints are recognized and
considered
•Cut across traditional boundaries in higher education
and involve professionals from multiple sectors of
education, institutional roles, and disciplinary
perspectives as well as from a variety of personal
backgrounds, institutional environments, and
educational experiences
www.sc.edu/fye

6. Core Commitments
•Collaboration:
•Aims to create intentional and integrative
connections between colleagues, units,
organizations, systems, educational sectors,
regions, and countries in support of student
transition and success
www.sc.edu/fye

7. Core Commitments
•Lifelong Learning:
• We support a climate of intellectual curiosity
• All educators continue to be lifelong learners
www.sc.edu/fye

8. Core Commitments
•Student Transitions
•Connection Between Research and Practice
•Inclusion
•Collaboration
•Lifelong Learning
www.sc.edu/fye

9. 12 – Item Grit Scale
Angela Duckworth
Assistant Professor-Psychology
University of Pennsylvania

10. Scoring:
1. For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 12 assign the following points: 5
= Very much like me 4 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 2
= Not much like me 1 = Not like me at all
2. For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11 assign the following points: 1
= Very much like me 2 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 4
= Not much like me 5 = Not like me at all
Add up all the points and divide by 12. The maximum score on
this scale is 5 (extremely gritty), and the lowest scale on this scale
is 1 (not at all gritty).
Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D.R.
(2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-1101.

11. Percentile
Men
(N = 4,169)
Women
(N = 6,972)
10 2.50 2.50
20 2.83 2.88
30 3.06 3.13
40 3.25 3.25
50 3.38 3.50
60 3.54 3.63
70 3.75 3.79
80 3.92 4.00
90 4.21 4.25
100 5.00 5.00

12. What about current freshmen?
•American Freshman
National Norms 2014
•Higher Education Research
Institution at UCLA

13. •Average high school grade above C – 99%
• Expect B average – 66%
•Earn advanced degree – 76%
•Overwhelmed – 34%
•Depressed – 10%
•CHEM 116 below C – 33%

14. •Empathy and a whole lot of patience!
•Empathetic recall  1st semester freshman
•Lived where
•With whom
•Clothes, friends, music
•World events
•Favorite class
•Big challenges
•Personal events

15. Norway Current
Freshman Semester Ends - Since 1802
Steve Johnson’s
dad is going to be
pissed
Norway’s crown prince of achievement falters in first semester at
Northern Michigan University.
In only his first semester at NMU, Steven Johnson of Norway,
Michigan, has managed to sufficiently lower his GPA to be placed
on academic probation. The student attributes his fall from grace
largely to a lack of college preparedness, no grit and excess
alcohol experimentation. Experts are largely split in whether
Johnson will be able to rebound from his early struggles.

16. •I changed my major
•“Pre-Medicine”
•Nursing
•Education
•BS in Biochemistry 2002
•Ph.D. in Chemistry 2010
•Contact Mr/Mrs/Dr SoandSo

17. •Stanford – The
Resiliency Project
•Get connected
•Get support
•Get involved
•News & research
•Inspiration

19. •Moving forward
•Get snapshot of student body
•Chemistry versus campus wide
•Survey of effectiveness
•Maintain PMAs
•Pull those teeth – 740 to date
•Emphasize:
•Complete self  Mind, body, soul