Common Reading Program invites book suggestions for 2012-13
Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to suggest a book to be considered for all 2012-13 incoming undergraduate students to read before beginning their studies at Purdue. This book will be the fourth selected in Purdue's Common Reading Program.
To suggest a book, go to the Common Reading website at www.purdue.edu/sats/commonreading. The submission form will be available until Oct. 7.
The program's mission is to provide a common academic experience for all new students -- an experience that sets high academic expectations for students from the beginning of their undergraduate careers. It is co-sponsored by Student Access, Transition, and Success Programs (SATS) and Purdue Libraries, and is funded by the Office of the Provost.
The selected book for 2011-12 is "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot. The book was provided free of charge to all incoming first-year and transfer students over the summer. Students had the opportunity to attend a presentation by the author and ask her questions at a convocation the day before the start of classes. More than 5,500 students, faculty and staff attended.
Many faculty are using the book in their courses and programs, such as first-year seminars; learning communities across the colleges and schools; and science, ethics and writing courses. Faculty members who are sponsoring an event related to "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" are asked to submit it for inclusion on the program calendar. Both the event submission form and the calendar can be found on the Common Reading Program website listed above. Those who are teaching a course that incorporates the book are asked to submit that information to the program website to help document the impact of the book selection this year.
A Book Selection Committee made up of faculty, staff, and students will review book suggestions for 2012-13 during the fall term and will announce next year's selection in the spring. The book will be distributed to beginning and transfer students during the Summer Transition, Advising and Registration (STAR) program.
Questions should be directed to the co-chairs of the Common Reading Program: Jared Tippets, director of SATS, at jtippets@purdue.edu; or Sharon Weiner, professor and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy, at sweiner@purdue.edu. For more information about the program, visit www.purdue.edu/sats/commonreading.
