Charlene A. Stinard Director Transfer and Transition Services

1. Transfer Success with Peer Mentors Charlene A. Stinard Director Transfer and Transition Services Student Development & Enrollment Services University of Central Florida 20th National Conference on Students in Transition October 2013

2. Overview • Purpose • UCF model • Establishing purpose, aligning with division and university goals • Common goals • Assist transfer students • Insure smooth transition and progress to graduation • Improve retention

3. Overview (continued) • Costs and funding • Budget • Paid or unpaid, academic credit • Partnerships: creative funding • Planning • Long-/short-range purposes • 3-year strategic plan • Intentional, focused outcomes • Annual department/program assessments

4. Large Public University • 2nd largest US university • 2013-14 enrollment = 60,000+ • Transfer enrollment 2012-13 • 11,014 new transfer students enrolled (annual) • 6,700 new freshmen enrolled (annual) • Partnership institutions – 4 primary feeder schools

5. UCF Model Transfer and • Transition Services • Vision

6. UCF Model Transfer and Transition Services 3 Functional Areas • Preparation • Advise students before they transfer • Transition • Work with transfers during their first semester • Progression • Provide a solid foundation for retention and graduation

7. Serving Transfer Students • 2012-13 academic year: UCF enrollment 59,800+ • TTS assisted more than 40,000 constituents in person, by phone, by e-mail • TTS staff and Peer Mentors: 24,000+ student advising contacts • Award winning website http://transfer.sdes.ucf.edu • 180,000+ website hits annually • Student web developer • Participated in 20 transfer orientations

8. Program Goals • Create new roles for students in student learning (division strategic goal) • Expand opportunities for experience-based learning (division strategic goal) • Provide quality services for increasing numbers of students (university goal) • Assist transfer students in connecting to the campus community • Inculcate the values of the institution

9. TTS Org Chart

10. Resources • University commitment of critical resources: space, funding • To pay or not to pay • Partnering • Organizational structure • Assessment and improvement

11. Transfer Shock Survivors … a temporary dip in GPA during the first or second semester at the new institution… John Hills, University of Georgia, 1965

12. TTS Peer Mentor Program • A successful model for • Preparing students academically for transfer • Assuring a smooth transfer transition • Connecting to the campus community • Providing support for progress to graduation • Supports student leadership development • Provides important professional development • Helps to manage heavy advising loads • Promotes retention

13. Ingredients for Peer Program Success • Recruitment and selection • Training • Supervision • Committed students • University support

14. Recruiting Peers • Recommendations from community college advisors • E-mails to currently enrolled transfers • Announcements at orientations • Consider your institution’s transfer student demographics • Annual process

15. Variety is the spice… • Reflect your student body • International students, students with disabilities • Different majors • Transfers from public, private, 2-year and 4-year • Transfers from your feeder schools

16. Interviews • Selecting a search committee • Individual interviews: presenting yourself well • Group interviews: elements of team work • Interview with current Peer Mentors • Valuing student perceptions

17. Training Philosophy • Articulating institutional values • Inculcating the CREED • A commitment to shared values Peer Mentors: UCF Creed • Advocating tolerance • Diversity initiatives • Encouraging engagement • Building a sense of community, responsibility “… provide a more positive ethical framework for college student conduct … and encourage …active student affirmation and commitment to campus moral norms.”

18. Training Basics • Aligned with SDES Strategic Goals • Creating responsible employees, citizens of the campus community • Providing learning-based experience • Relating students’ choices and exploration of their values to who they are, who they want to be • Exploring what they stand for, what they value • Learning from each other

19. Training • Initial 6 week training program • Online learning modules, weekly professional development meetings • Office practices, procedures; university policies • Academic information • Campus resources

20. Benefits of Training • Confident, resourceful Peers • Accurate information • Antidote to • “My friend says…”

21. Peer Mentor Roles Preparation • Pre-admission academic advising • Appointments, e-mails, phone calls • General education program, common program prerequisites • Outreach programs: workshops, panels, surveys, focus groups • Students helping students

22. Orientation Transition • 20 transfer orientations, 550 to 750 transfers attend each session • Transfer Success Program – describing The UCF Experience • What to expect, what is expected • Introducing the CREED and campus resources • Welcome events: promote engagement

23. Retention Progress to graduation • Are You on the Knight Track? transfer seminar – Peer Mentor panel discuss their experiences • Transfer Success Workshop series – planned and executed by Peer Mentors • Campus clubs and organizations – introducing transfer to the campus community

24. Engagement: Transfer Knights

25. Scholarship • Tau Sigma National Honor Society • 3.5 GPA in first full-time semester

26. Peers as Advocates • Peers Mentors • Knowledgeable, confident, resourceful, professional • Connected to the campus • Students listen to students • Importance of the transfer student “voice” on campus

27. Assessment • Meeting division goals • Measuring Student Learning Outcomes • Measuring what the Peers learn • Advising rubric • Videos • Performance evaluations • Evaluating the program

28. Program Assessment • Annual Institutional Effective Plans • Alignment with division and university goals • Measuring the effectiveness of Peer presentations, programs, workshops • Measuring student learning • Pre-/post-tests • Survey responses • Focus groups

29. Planning Guide • Needs assessment: What do you want/need in a peer mentor program? • Considerations: institutional context, level of support, resources • Likely partners • Peer mentors’ roles • Assessing your program and performance

30. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

31. Contact Information Charlene A. Stinard, Director Transfer and Transition Services Charlene.Stinard@ucf.edu 407.823.2231 Student Development and Enrollment Services University of Central Florida