Big Fish, Little Pond: Investigating transition for the rural community college student

1. Big Fish, Little Pond: Investigating transition for the rural community college student Tyler Billman, Southeastern Illinois College Chad Flannery, Southeastern Illinois College

2. Objectives • To understand the challenges of rural, low socioeconomic (SES) status students • Provide a brief literature review on the rural community college and their students. • Provide advisement and student development practices that will help rural, low SES students transfer to a four-year institution

3. Context • Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) • 2,000 Students • Traditional Undergraduates, Dual Credit, Industry Training • District Population • 55,000 • Largest Town • Harrisburg—9,100 • Service Area • Parts of 7 Counties—1,700 square miles

4. Challenges for Low SES Students • Affordability • Access • Prospects

5. Affordability • Maximum Pell Grant Award for 2013-2014 • $5,646.00 • Average Cost of 4-Year Institution • $14,951.00 • Average Cost of SIC • $2,760.00

6. Affordability • Poverty Rate • 18.5% • Median Household Income—Family of 4 • $35,626.00 • Median Home Value • $69,400.00

7. Access • Distance to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale—Carbondale, IL • 39 miles—51 minutes • Distance to University of Southern Indiana—Evansville, IN • 56 miles—1 hour, 8 minutes • Distance to Murray State University—Murray, KY • 101 miles—1 hour, 51 minutes

8. Access • Choice for Students • Rent vs. Gas • Online Courses • Very little access to high speed internet • Dial-up internet access still prevalent

9. Prospects • Coal Industry • Mining and affiliated industries (trucking, welding, etc.) • Hospitals/Healthcare • Harrisburg Medical Center—200 • Community Colleges/Public School Systems • SIC—100 • Department of Corrections • Wal-Mart

10. Brief Literature Review • Praise for the rural community college • Unique issues for rural students • Issues with transferring

11. Praise for the rural CC • Improves and helps the identity of rural America. • Contributes to economic and workforce development. • Helps rural youth/adults access postsecondary opportunities.

12. Praise for the rural CC • Multiple missions and the presence of local kinship networks. • Right-sized, not rural • Responsive relationships • Institutional flexibility

13. Unique Issues for the rural student • The relationship between geographic and social mobility. • Negative pressure for those that must leave for goals • Expecting to leave, but reluctant • Not attracted to urban areas • Family

14. Unique Issues for the rural student • Ties that bind • Pull of family • Pull of community • Leaving one rural community for another • Psychological elements • Intergenerational network

15. Unique Issues for the rural student • Lowering and/or changing goals to remain home. • Conflict of integrating into a new and/or different community setting.

16. Issues with Transferring • Lack of information • CC aren’t helping in knowing what info to provide students on universities • Logistics • Transferring of credits • Scheduling • Campus Living

17. Issues with Transferring • Family responsibilities • Academic shifts between CC and university • Social dilemmas • More difficult to make friends • Involvement shift • Forming a new identity

18. Issues with Transferring • Orientating to University Life • Still need the same orientation care as a university freshman, but not receiving it.

19. Application • Student Development Practices • Advisement Practices

20. Student Development Practices • Mimicking the 4-Year Institution Set-Up • How do our practices aid in the transition process? • New Student Orientation • Focus on academics during orientation • Introduction of group/peer advising

21. Student Development Practices • University Partnerships • SIUC Transfer Representative housed on SIC campus • Provides student with 1-on-1 contact similar to what most community colleges provide • Transfer Representative helps students navigate issues with admissions, advising, financial aid, etc.

22. Student Development Practices • Transfer Seminar • Led by Transfer Academic Advisor • Tailored to include university-specific information • Topics include: • Application and Admissions processes and requirements • How SIC courses transfer to a university • Cost of Attendance/Financial Aid/Scholarships

23. Student Development Practices • Self-Help Kiosk • Emphasis on building accountability and self-responsibility • Familiarizing students with the tools already available to them • Allows students to find answers when 1-on-1 help may be unavailable

24. Advisement Practices • Gaining more information and knowledge on area universities. • Attend campus visits • Gain social awareness of campus and its opportunities • Meet with area university transfer specialists • Learn more about credit evaluation on the university campus • Scholarships

25. Advisement Practices • Implement an advisement syllabus • Teach students how to think about their academic trajectory • Redirect academic responsibility • Train for university life • Set goals with students on becoming self sufficient

26. Advisement Practices • Follow up with your outgoing transfers • How do you improve if you don’t know? • Survey • Consider the source

27. Advisement Practices • Read more on this topic • on academic factors • on social/family factors • Conduct research • Lack of literature/aging literature • Lack of solutions

28. References Berger, J. B., & Malaney, G. D. (2003). Assessing the transition of transfer students from community colleges to a university. NASPA Journal, 40(4), 1-23. Carlan, P. E., & Byxbe, F. R. (2000). Community colleges under the microscope: An analysis of performance predictors for native and transfer students. Community College Review, 28(2), 27-42. Davies, T. G., & Caey, K. L. (1998). Student perceptions of the transfer process: Strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 5(2), 101-110. Hektner, J. (1995). When moving up implies moving out: Rural adolescents conflict in the transition to adulthood. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 11(1), 3-14. Howley, C., Chavis, B., & Kester, J. (2013). “Like human beings”: Responsive relationships and institutional flexibility at a rural community college. Journal of Rural Education, 28(8), 1 – 14. Retrieved from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/28-8.pdf.

29. References King, S. B. (2012). Increasing college-going rate, parent involvement, and community participation in rural communities. Rural Educator, 20-26. McCarron, G. P., & Inkelas, K. K. (2006). The gap between educational aspirations and attainment for first-generation college students and the role of parental involvement. Journal of College Student Development, 47(5), 534-549, doi: 10.1353/csd.2006.0059 Scanlon, L., Rowling, L., & Weber, Z. (2007). “You don’t have like an identity…you are just lost in a crowd”: Forming a student identity in the first-year transition to university. Journal of Youth Studies, 10(2), 223-241. doi: 10.1080/136762660098.3864 Townsand, B. K., & Wilson, K. (2006). “A hand hold for a little bit”: Factors facilitating the success of community college transfer students to a large research university. Journal of College Student Development, 47(4), 439-456.