Promoting academic excellence will be at the center of discussion during today’s annual Faculty and Student Forum.

The campus community will gather to discuss their ideas and concerns in four different discussions groups. The groups will focus on academic quality and standards, research and creative activity, internships/study abroad/student exchange and cultural opportunities.

The forum is replacing this weeks’ Faculty Senate meeting to give the campus a chance to discuss these topics.

“This topic centers around a lot of discussions that come up in Faculty Senate discussions,” said Brenda Wilson, Faculty Senate member and chair of the forum committee. “All of those things are kind of at the core of what we’ve been discussing all year.”

The topics evolve each year to focus on issues that are important to campus. Last year’s topic addressed the future of Eastern and where it was going as a university.

Wilson hopes the forum will produce some good ideas to further academics at the university.

“What we hope is to come out with some solid recommendations for the provost and president,” Wilson said.

Faculty Senate recorder John Stimac said the forum should help to explore academic goals on campus, such as Provost Blair Lord’s goal to be a first-choice university for students.

“We’re getting better and better quality students coming into Eastern,” Stimac said. The forum will explore “how to recruit, retain and graduate these top quality students.”

Moderators will lead discussions in the four different topic forums.

Faculty Senate chair Assege HaileMariam said current struggles in higher education is why today’s forum topic is important.

“Dwindling state support for public higher education, which drives student tuition higher and higher and the declining appreciation for liberal arts education both directly impact academic excellence,” HaileMariam said. “It is critical that we at Eastern engage in a series of discussions on how to maintain and enhance academic excellence in this challenging environment.”

The forum will begin with a short Faculty Senate meeting at 2 p.m. in the University Ballroom.