At the last forum of the semester Southern Virginia University administrators will open a new dialogue with students, in part, by sharing results from the student satisfaction survey administered to more than half the student body in October.

“This forum will be a catalyst for opening additional opportunities for students to ask questions and give feedback,” said Southern Virginia President Rodney K. Smith. “We are anxious to share with them the results of the survey and to discuss some of the measures we are taking in response to their feedback; we also will discuss plans to hold town hall meetings on a regular basis next semester, to solicit input and answer questions about university policies and procedures.”

The survey measures student satisfaction in 12 areas ranging from concern for the individual and service excellence to academic advising and registration effectiveness. In addition to helping the university’s trustees and administration understand student satisfaction with various services on campus, the survey also provides comparative data from colleges and universities nationally.

“The results of this survey are critical to helping us understand how we are doing and how we compare with other institutions,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Paul Edwards. “We are on a course of continual improvement and these types of surveys and the new town hall meetings will help us identify our priorities as they relate to providing better service to our students.”

Following brief remarks from Paul Edwards, Chief Operations and Systems Officer Scott Doxey and Southern Virginia Student Association President Matt Hadfield will join him on the stage for a panel discussion about the steps the university is taking to be more transparent and responsive to student feedback.

Friday’s forum will be held at 11 a.m. in the Stoddard Activities Center.