Filling the Gaps: An Early Alert Team at a Liberal Arts College:

1. Filling the Gaps: An Early Alert Team at a Liberal Arts College: Stephen Dine Young, July 10, 2007

2. Hanover College—Background • Liberal Arts with Presbyterian affiliation. • Enrollment around 1,000. • Residential (including many faculty) • Small-town location. • Academically challenging.

3. Recent Retention History • Focus on Retention (Grant Money): 1996-1999 • Loss of Focus (End of Grant) & Drop in Retention: 2000-2003 • Implementation of new academic vision (many college-wide changes): 2004-5 • Early Alert Team Started in the Fall of 2005

4. Goals of the Early Alert Team • Help students • Retain students • Inform advising • Inform Admissions • Gather and interpret accurate retention information

5. Early Alert Team Personnel • Registrar • Assoc. Dean of Students • Faculty Liaison • Special Assistant to the President • Learning Center Director • Dean of Admission & Financial Assistance

6. What we do: • Work behind the scenes to connect students with support • Receive reports about individual students • Meet weekly and stay in contact frequently throughout the week • Gather additional information about the reported students • Suggest possible approaches appropriate persons might use to help students • Maintain spread sheet • Share information with relevant groups

7. EAT Spreadsheet

9. Early Alert Team Activity Year Students First-Year Percent

10. Early Alert Team ‘Hit’ Rate The % of students who left who were on EAT list: • Fall 2005—11 of 17 (65%). • Winter 2006—11 of 23 (48%). • Fall 2007-23 of 28 (82%). • Winter 2007- 19 of 25 (76%).*

11. ‘Types’ of Students Referred • Academically Struggling: • Lack of Motivation • Lack of Skills (Writing, Reading, Mathematical, etc.) • Learning Disability • Socially Struggling: • Lack of peer group/Isolated • Lack of direction • Emotional problems

12. ‘Types’ continued • Medically Struggling • Financially Struggling • Family Issues • “Thinking about Transferring”/Needs not Being Met

13. “Alicia” • Almost 1400 SAT. • Self-styled “Rebel.” • Several minor judicial violations. • “Bad attitude” in class. • “Asking” to be dismissed.

14. “Alicia” Results • Connected with the theater department. • Connected with new advisor. • Retained; making friends; cum GPA rose from 2.0 in fall to 2.5 in winter.

15. “Nettie” • Sheltered; only child. • Trauma history (couldn’t sleep in room). • Medical problems (missed some classes).

16. “Nettie” Results • Connected with Counseling Services. • Professors informed; worked with her individually on catching up. • Retained; currently working way off probation, but becoming more secure.

17. “Henry” • Not strong academically (but well within Hanover’s range). • From out of state; close to mother. • Football player. • Struggled to make friends outside of football.

18. “Henry” Results • Got a tutor; made appointments with faculty for help. • Dropped class. • Met regularly with advisor; worked with coach. • Retained; cum GPA rose from 1.11 to 1.81.

19. “Scarlet” • First-year student; solid academic abilities. • “Overwhelmed” by second day of class; not sleeping because of reading load. • Problems with roommate. • Going home every weekend.

20. “Scarlet” Results • Advisor contacted; communicated with course professors. • Tutor helped with study skills and reading tips. • RA and Peer Advisor contacted; offered encouragement and advice. • Began seeing Counselor, stayed on campus, peer group.

21. What We’ve Learned?:Interdepartmental Collaboration • Student’s Faculty • Great Works Faculty • Faculty Advisor • Student Life Staff • Athletic Staff • Chaplain’s Office • Financial Aid and Business Office • Peers • Learning Center

22. Learned?—Student Privacy • Broad Terminology • Eating disorder- “Sarah is struggling with some difficult issues in her personal life.. . ” • Academic- “John has had some challenges making the transition to Hanover’s academic expectations. . .” • Unmotivated- “Jill has missed several of her classes this past week. . .” • Use Phone or Personal Visits for Confidential Information • EAT Invisible Network of Support

23. Learned?—Individualized Treatment • Discuss each student and the Players Specifically • Level of Alert Determines Nature of Response • Each student initially entered as “1” • Remains at “1” –target connections specifically • Moves to “2”- revisit on bi-weekly basis for updates • Moves to “3”- revisit at key times- mid-terms, advising and finals

24. Learned?—Key Intervention Times • Mid-term Grades Two or more Ds or Fs • Course Scheduling Advising Appointment • Deposits for Next Year • First Few Weeks of the Year First-year students first six weeks Faculty/Staff reminders

25. Getting Started • Identify an Organizer/Initiator Enrollment Management, Advising Center, First-Year Programs • Assemble a Team Who’s affected by student retention? Who has direct contact with students? Who provides support services?

26. Getting Started continued • Garner Support Logistical Conversations Statistics/Information Create Urgency Cultural Why it Matters? Address Concerns “Big Brother” Hand-Holding Too Complicated Too Much Time Privacy Issues

27. Getting Started continued • Infrastructure Staff/Faculty Time Budget Jurisdiction/Purview • Organizational Contact Procedure Sharing Info w/Team Meeting Time

28. Contact Information • Stephen Dine Young, Faculty Liaison to the First Year Experience youngst@hanover.edu, 812-866-7319 • Kay Stokes, Director of Learning Center stokes@hanover.edu, 812-866-7215 • Katy Lowe Schneider, Director of First Year Experience lowe@hanover.edu, 812-866-6840