Laura Soldner

Professor
B.S., M.S.,University of Wisconsin-Madison
lsoldner@nmu.edu

Teaching Specialties

• Developmental reading and study skills
• Remedial and developmental composition
• Pedagogy courses in the teaching of reading
• Adult learning styles and strategies
• Freshman seminar and transition issues

Laura Soldner, the department's developmental reading and learning specialist, has been at NMU since 1987. Her post-secondary background includes graduate, undergraduate, and community college teaching as well as middle school, high school, and high school completion experience. She holds degrees in Secondary Education English and Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis in Reading and is a licensed Reading Specialist.

Across campus, Laura is also well-known for her advocacy of freshmen success. Laura was NMU's original Director for the First Year Experience (FYE) Program from its inception in 1995 until her return to the classroom in 1998. The program's impact on student retention as well as performance has been featured in national publications such as The Freshman Year Experience Newsletter and Exploring the Evidence: Reporting the Outcomes of First-Year Seminars. Laura was nominated for and was a finalist for the national award recognizing first-year student advocates in 1999.

Laura is currently collaborating on a textbook with colleagues at Indiana State University-Terre Haute on human communication and the freshmen year experience slated to be published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006. Her latest research focuses on the role of reflection in metacognition and strategies to enhance freshmen success and retention. Her most recent articles have been published in International Journal of Journal of the Humanities; The Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice; and Journal of College Literacy and Learning.