NDSU is hosting its first Shadow a Student Challenge Oct. 22-25. The event is an initiative developed to help instructors and administrators better understand everyday experiences of students.

President Dean L. Bresciani is scheduled to be among more than 35 administrators, faculty and staff who will spend a day shadowing a student as they attend classes, participate in extracurricular activities and work on-campus jobs. Bresciani is set to follow student Robert Weisz on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

According to co-organizer Becky Bahe, the purpose of the event is to gain insight to drive potential change.

“The Shadow a Student experience will provide a great opportunity for faculty, staff and administrators to connect with today’s students,” said Bahe, associate director of Residence Life. “As each generation of students comes to NDSU, we need to learn more about these students and how they function in their day-to-day lives. This will help inform the group working on the NDSU Strategic Plan about how we can be innovative with the student experience.”

Carrie Anne Platt, associate professor of communication, is the other organizer. “The shadower will be playing the role of a student, taking notes and participating in activities, rather than acting in an evaluative role,” she said. “One of the big takeaways reported by administrators who have participated in the Shadow a Student Challenge at other institutions has been a new recognition of how much effort instructors and staff put into working with students. I’m confident that our participants will be similarly impressed with the level of engagement here at NDSU.”

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