Plans for implementing Emory's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) will be discussed at a town hall on Jan. 31 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Winship Ballroom of the Dobbs University Center.

"The Nature of Evidence" was selected as the theme for Emory's QEP. The theme seeks to empower students as independent scholars capable of supporting arguments with different types of evidence.

Specifically, it will focus on the first-year student experience on Emory's main campus, providing firsthand experiences with evidence at orientation, in class and beyond.

Featured speakers are:

Bonna Wescoat, art history, will talk about the evolution of the QEP theme, including its initial iteration as "Primary Evidence."

Pamela Scully, women's, gender and sexuality studies and African studies and chair of the QEP development committee, will discuss the QEP proposal, "The Nature of Evidence."

Christine Ristaino, Italian, and Michelle Ledder, Emory student in the graduate division of religion, will discuss the pilot Evidence in Action event of the University Senate diversity committee.

Casidy Campbell, Emory student and QEP campus life committee, will discuss QEP outreach and the involvement of students.

A mandatory requirement for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), the QEP is dedicated to improving an aspect of student learning or the environment for student success.

It is also a key component that the SACS-COC team will evaluate during their visit to Emory in March as part of the reaffirmation of accreditation review.

The town hall, which is free and open to the public, will encourage dialogue about the plan and introduce a vision for how the QEP will be implemented across campus over the next six years. Coffee and cookies will be provided.