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Penn State Mont Alto 2008-2013 Strategic Plan Update for Goal 2

Penn State Mont Alto's strategic plan to enhance student involvement, create a sense of belonging, develop leadership skills, and improve retention and graduation rates.

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Penn State Mont Alto 2008-2013 Strategic Plan Update for Goal 2

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  1. Penn State Mont Alto2008-2013 Strategic Plan Update for Goal 2 L. Hawkins, R. Yaure, R. Borromeo, E. Kearns, M. Doncheski

  2. Goal 2: Strengthen Mont Alto’s role as a leader in focusing on students and fostering their success.

  3. Objectives • Increase student involvement in purposeful co-curricular experiences; develop a culture of greater student responsibility; continue to build bridges between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs • Changes in New Student Orientation (NSO); Residence Life “House Calls”; Career Services workshops; Student Affairs leadership and ethics programs; Student Affairs/Academic Support Center “Commuter 101” program; engaged scholarship for students in multiple degree programs (internships, service learning)

  4. Objectives • Continue to build a cohesive Penn State Mont Alto community and a sense of belonging for all students by enhancing the first-year experience and advising; engaging students in meaningful student-centered programs and activities, and celebrating students’ achievements and contributions • Changes to NSO; JumpStart program; First Year Seminars & PAWS; Mont Alto Advising Council (2011-); active SGA & student clubs; Academic Festival; Awards Ceremony

  5. Objectives • Create opportunities for students to develop leadership skills necessary for successful careers in a global environment • Student Affairs’ Nittany Leaders reached 100 students in 3 years; new program in 2013-14; Student Life / Career Services “Career Makeover”; training for mentors in JumpStart & for peer tutors; Academic festival; Pediatric/Community Health Fair • Deploy technology to improve learning, enhance information literacy, and develop students’ overall competency in various digital environments • Annual upgrades; regular training offerings; online modules for NSO and JumpStart ; technology broadly incorporated in academic areas

  6. Objectives • Provide high-quality responsive student services that increase retention and support academic and personal success • Targeted interventions by ASC retention specialist & Early Intervention Team (2007-), simplified referral processes; extended service hours at offices during peak need; increased support for special populations (JumpStart, adult students, athletes); Career Services, psychological counselor available with limited hours • Increase the student retention rate with targeted and effective programs • Targets are population groups (adults, commuters, minorities); some clubs and study spaces provide targeted help; most programs are aimed at the general student population • Increase the six-year graduation rate to 54% by 2014 • Not accomplished for first-time, full-time BA/BS students

  7. Metrics • Number of new collaborations between student and academic affairs • ??? • Number of workshops conducted for academic advisors and number of attendees on an annual basis • One to four workshops / year; attendance not collected in all cases • Percent of academic advisors rating workshops as beneficial • Partial data collected; positive responses • The year-to-year retention rate for students who are adults; commuters; African Americans; Hispanic • Rates vary by time frame; only students admitted directly to BA/BS programs are counted • The six-year graduation rate for the Fall 2007 cohort • Rateunchanged; 48-50% of those moving to UP (similar to UP students) • Number of students assisted through the early warning system • Highnumbers are assisted annually • Number of courses using technology to augment the classroom experience • 88% • Dollars spent to support co-curricular activities on an annual basis • ???

  8. Strategies / Tactics • Develop an early warning/intervention system to identify students who are at risk, with particular focus on first-semester students • Responses to EPRs via email, mail, and personal meetings; referrals to campus resources; Early Intervention Team • Hire a Retention Specialist to develop early intervention programming • Done (aka Student Advocacy Specialist); she stays very busy! • Conduct an in-depth analysis of all students who were eligible to return but did not, to determine the reason(s) why they dropped out, with particular emphasis on commuter, adult, African American, and Hispanic students; implement programmatic changes, as practical, to address the identified needs of all students • Student Success Committee found students were dropping out due to finances, job changes, relocation

  9. Strategies / Tactics • Develop an end-of-the-year correspondence to first-year students stating we are looking forward to their return and some of the activities to expect as sophomores • some advisors do this, but not done on campus-wide basis • Develop a “welcome back” program for returning students • general Welcome Week activities, no special programs for returning students • Increase the scholarship endowment by four million dollars by 2013 • substantial increases, also new Student Hardship Fund • Enhance the campus climate that focuses on the individual needs of each student • ASC activities & resources

  10. Strategies / Tactics • Increase opportunities for faculty and staff collaboration to promote student success • Early Intervention Team; Student Success Center programming • Provide regular training for all academic advisors • Mont Alto Advising Council (workshops, MAFS reminders, Angel resource center, email reminders); significant improvements in advising for students with goals in nursing • Identify classes with high withdrawal and/or failure rates and develop intervention strategies to improve student learning • Increased availability of tutors, integrated Structured Learning Assistance into Math, Biol 001

  11. Strategies / Tactics • Increase the number of career counseling hours available to students • has varied with enrollment • Conduct training sessions for faculty and staff focused on “The 21st Century College Student” • MADE Day speakers • Establish a fund in the academic affairs budget to support organized co-curricular experiences • ??? • Continue to support efforts focused on enhancing the first-year experience and student success, such as the Campus Book Club • increased sharing & collaboration on FYS / PAWS

  12. What have we done well? • Key innovations / improvements: • Increased levels of collaboration and continuity of messages and care from academics and student life, starting before NSO program, continuing through graduation/change of location • Improved safety net: Student Advocacy Specialist, Early Intervention Team, access to career and psychological counseling • Great programs out of the Student Success Center: tutors, learning specialists, JumpStart • Diverse programs, valued by students, from Student Affairs, Residence Life, Student Support Center

  13. What do we need to continue? • Cross-campus collaborations are critical! One of our campus strengths is the personal attention we can provide our students; this depends on communication. • As a campus, we need to continue to update our routes of communication with our students. • Faculty and staff training must continue: applications of technology, student identity. • We should monitor subpopulations (traditional / adult; residential / commuter; ethnic groups) and work to meet special needs as possible.

  14. What do we need to do better or do differently? • Look more broadly at student success. • Retention and graduation have focused on first-time, full-time BA/BS students, but these are a minority of our students • Let’s examine outcomes for AA/AS students (terminal or continuing), transfer students • Examine how we can help students find alternative majors (admissions, advising, career services). • Are there metrics of student success beyond retention and graduation? • Ensure that metrics focus on outcomes (not on $ spent) and can be tracked. • Decide whether we need to take action on messages to students as they depart and return.

  15. Where might we need new efforts? • High numbers of students arrive underprepared for college courses. • JumpStart targets students placing into Math 004 & English 004, who are first generation college. We have expanded services to other students, but many struggle. • We may need to develop more general programming • For our incoming students • As outreach / camps for younger students in the region • Ensure messages are consistent: admissions vs. academics • Nationally, more students are arriving at college needing support services. • General: ASC, psychological counseling, health services • Special populations: veterans, athletes

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