Driving Student Success and Experiential Learning at UNC Charlotte

Janaka Bowman Lewis, Professor, Associate Dean of Curriculum and Student Success, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Janaka Bowman Lewis, Professor, Associate Dean of Curriculum and Student Success, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Janaka Lewis is serving as an ACE (American Council on Education) Fellow for the 2025–26 academic year, collaborating with two campuses: North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC) and University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg area, SC). Through a series of “connected engagement” (CNCTD) projects she is designing, including CNCT CLT at UNC Charlotte, CNCT NCCU, and CNCT Upstate, Janaka Lewis works with campus teams to enhance alignment between community-engaged curriculum, partnerships, and co-curricular initiatives. The goal is to strengthen local impact and promote community-engaged citizenship and praxis.

Shaping Academic Excellence and Student Success at UNC Charlotte

I began my academic career (as I concluded my graduate career) as a full time lecturer at Spelman College in the Department of English for a brief but impactful period. I taught Literature of the South, Argumentation and Journalism (still some of my favorite teaching experiences). Although I was knowledgeable about the curriculum, that is also when I learned that my passion is in teaching and motivating students, as well as assisting them in meeting their academic goals. As I finished my dissertation, I answered a call to apply for a tenure track position in Early African American Literature (my research specialty) at UNC Charlotte in the Department of English. I taught American Literature, women’s writing and a number of courses in my research area, published my first manuscript Freedom Narratives of African American Women (McFarland 2017), and went on to direct UNC Charlotte’s Program in Women’s and Gender Studies, then the Center for the Study of the New South (also at Charlotte) and then to an interim chairship in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies (WRDS), where I enjoyed working with and collaborating with a group of dynamic instructors and researchers.

My current role as Associate Dean of Curriculum and Student Success for our new College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS, formerly part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Charlotte), came from merging of roles in evaluating, assisting in the development of and pushing forward curriculum in the College, as well as supporting Advising teams, undergraduate curriculum directors and committees and Program Directors across the College. My philosophy is based in helping students understand their paths forward through their academic careers, address and remove any barriers and in helping faculty and staff facilitate positive student experiences that result in student success. There is not one role that can do this, but instead a number of individuals working together.

“Rather than simply monitoring usage, we are helping students think about how to create prompts, to engage with AI technologies and to create and participate in virtual and digital communities.”

Both areas (curriculum and, of course, students) are needed to support the growth but also the demand at a university. Students may enroll before fully understanding what a program or department has to offer (based on website or media materials), so it is really on the unit to represent what the student should know in order to decide whether their academic needs are in alignment. I also love supporting new initiatives and programs across the College and working with university colleagues to contribute to student success. Universities (and colleges within) should not be stagnant, but should be the site of enhancement for student experiences.

Bridging Academic Learning with Real-World Readiness

With our community engagement unit urbanCORE, UNC Charlotte’s College of Humanities &Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS) is scanning all of the courses that have content in or are based in project-based and experiential learning. We have a College-wide mission (part of our strategic plan) that every student will have a course that aligns with high impact experiences. These include study abroad, community-engaged curriculum (my area of interest and personal research connection), internships both based in and independent of courses and also working with the Career Center to make sure students have access to exciting opportunities throughout their career but definitely before they graduate.

AI Studies is an area of great interest through the country when it comes to academia, and with our focus on community engagement, writing, and a humanities-centered education, we are prepared to lead in student success in this space. Rather than simply monitoring usage, we are helping students think about how to create prompts, to engage with AI technologies and to create and participate in virtual and digital communities. Students today are highly tech-savvy, so conversations around the utilization of tools they already have access to is needed.

Advancing Equity and Innovation in Student Success

When institutional goals are based in student success (aligned with the university’s/college’s mission and vision), the unique needs of students should be evident. A student-centered mission means that each student has opportunities and access to what correlates to success within curriculum and university-wide initiatives. It also means that educators and administrators are paying attention to challenges in students having their needs met and building in plans for success.

My biggest piece of advice is to institutions looking to transform curriculum and support students is to actually look at the demands of curriculum and from students in the institutional region or area along with broader needs that align with national (and even global/international) trends. We should prepare students to stay local or to pursue globally-engaged careers according to their own interests and needs.

We cannot be afraid to change and adapt as interests and demands change, and although we are not teaching only for the workforce, we have to be aware of where students are going with (and taking) what they experience at our institutions. We should be student-centered while leading in what has demonstrated success for students as well.