Creating a Statewide Culture of Student Success

1. Creating a Statewide Culture of Student Success 2013 ACCT Leadership Congress

2. Presenters • Paul Gabriel, Executive Director, Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association • MornaFoy, President, Wisconsin Technical College System • Dr. Lori Weyers, President, Northcentral Technical College • Dr. Keith Cornille, Vice President of Student Development, Madison College • Dr. Laurie Borowicz, Vice President of Student Services, NorthcentralTechncial College,

3. Wisconsin Technical College System

4. History: Wisconsin’s Student Success Initiative • 2010 Summit on Completion – ACCT Toronto • 2011 Symposium on Student Success: generating a Policy Action Agenda – ACCT Dallas • 2012 Shaping the Policy Action Agenda – Wisconsin Trustee Student Success Workshop with ACCT Staff (January, 2012) • State association collaborative efforts with college presidents, instructional leaders, student services leaders (2012 to present) • Adoption of the ACCT Board Policy Action Agenda (all 16 Wisconsin college boards) (2012-13) • Statewide “Celebration of Student Success” – Statewide trustee association event with state leaders, presidents and college student success leaders (April, 2013) • State trustee association 2014 strategic initiatives (August, 2013, Board Retreat)

5. Student Success Initiative Collaboration – How did we get started?

6. Presidents’ Association student success strategic plan • Collaborate with the WTC District Boards Association Interagency Committee to advance a common understanding of student success for WTCS students. • Assess the work of ACCT’s national Student Success initiative and share Wisconsin’s best practice when appropriate. • Track and report WTCS student success through appropriate measures.

7. Student Success framework - Student Services Administrators • Identify current WTCS college best practices in student success • Develop a framework of student success • Provide a common definition of student success • Create a glossary of terms • Determine indicators and measures of student success

8. Student Success framework development • Leadership request of Student Services Administrators (SSA) • Examine national models and existing research on student success, including CCA, AACC, ACCT • Assessment of WTCS best practices in student success (presented July 2012) • Student Services Administrators bi-weekly conference calls • Collaboration / discussion with instructional services administrators, presidents, WTCS office staff, other WTCS leadership groups.

9. WTCS Best Practices in Student Success Effective student success and retention programs are: • Coordinated • Highly structured • Integrated • Intentional, and • Create welcoming and supportive environments

10. WTCS Best Practices in Student Success Common driving themes of student success: • Academic environment • Student support programs and services • Institutional commitment

11. Outcome I: Common definition of student success In the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), a student is defined as being successful when they achieve their educational goal. Indicators of student success including the WTCS measures of course completion, retention, program completion, transfer and/or job placement.

12. Outcome II: Glossary of common terms Developed to ensure common understanding for stakeholder groups Example of terms defined: • Customized & continuing education training • Pre-college courses • Retention • Persistence Successful course completion

13. Outcome III: Indicators of student success 1. Course completion Number/percent of successful course completers 2. Retention/Persistence Number / percent of students retained from fall to spring semester Number / percent of students retained from fall to following fall semester The number / percent of students transitioning from ABE/ELL and GED courses to post-secondary courses

14. Outcome III: Indicators of student success (cont.) 3. Program Completion/Graduation Number/percent of program students graduating in 3 years, 5 years Number/percent of certificate graduates 4. Transition Number percent of students transferring to another WTCS college, other 2 or 4 year public or private university prior to program completion 5. Job Placement Number/percent of program students that attain employment in their field of study 6 months and 5 years after graduating Average wages of program graduates 6 months and 5 years after graduating.

15. Next steps Establish metrics for indicators of student success • Subcommittee representing WTCS office, Presidents, Instruction, Student Services, and Institutional Research Leaders. • Crosswalk indicators with other key initiatives (WTCS strategic directions, performance measures) • Examine existing data measures, identify gaps • Set goals and benchmarks

16. Making it happen • Clear expectations for leadership • Commitment of time • Communicate with stakeholder groups • Collaborate with other groups to solicit feedback and secure buy-in

17. Implementing Development/Interest ME WA ND MT VT NH MN OR NY MA ID WI RI SD CT MI WY PA NJ Current Status of Performance Funding in States IA NE OH DE NV IN IL WV UT MD CA VA CO KY KS MO NC TN OK AZ SC NM AR GA AL MS LA TX FL AK HI *as of 7/26/2013, source: NCSL & HCM Strategists

18. Student Success and State Performance-Based Funding • Proactive approach with governor and state policymakers. • Proposed performance based funding in budget request to Governor. • Governor included our recommendations in budget bill; adopted by legislature with additional criteria and improvements. • Proactive approach to defining performance based on what is important and what we can measure and already measure. • Ongoing collaborative process to implement the new law. • Complementary with over-arching focus on student success.

19. Trustee Takeaways • Student success drives community and technical colleges • Accountability is here to stay; embrace it • Be proactive with policymakers and the public • Be collaborative • One size of success does not fit all (the problem with “completion”)

20. Thank you for attending For additional information contact Morna Foy: morna.foy@wtcsystem.edu Paul Gabriel: pgabriel@districtboards.org Lori Weyers: weyers@ntc.edu Keith Cornille: kCornille@madisoncollege.edu Laurie Borowicz: borowiczl@ntc.edu