Introduction Clayton State University 2010

2. IntroductionClayton State University 2010 • "The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself." Daniel Patrick Moynahan • “The role of the president in promoting student success at any college or university cannot be overstated. ‘The president should be the daily face of student success, shouldbe cheerleading institutional efforts, “walking the talk” with respect to visiblyhelping students in difficulty, and rewarding staff who make real contributions inthis area.” (AASCU, 2005)

3. Outline of Discussion • Institutional Characteristics • Roots of the Problem • Evidence of Current Activities—successes and “unsuccesses” • Metrics—and reasoning for choice of metrics • Three Year Plan—and links of plan to identified Challenges • Graduation as Campus Priority

4. Institutional Characteristics • NOT a statement that we are unusual/special and thus cannot make significant improvements • IS a statement that progress must account for those characteristics we can identify through data about our potential and actual students and graduates

5. Average Age

6. Full-Time Status

7. Non-traditional Undergraduate Students

8. Work for pay off campus (First-Year Students)

9. Provide Care for Dependents

10. Inferences from Characteristics of current students • Activities must account for students who are older, non-traditional, likely to have families and work obligations, and are 15% less likely to be full time than students at other peer institutions • Remain optimistic as degree programs better adapt to current demands, and support programs have expanded to better support our students

11. Current First Time Full Time Retention

12. Current Graduation Rates

13. Dimensions of current challenges • Inconsistencies in current student preparation • College is an unfamiliar environment for many of our students • 1/3 to 2/3 of students come from families without college graduates • 40% Fall 2009 undergraduates non-traditional

14. Dimensions of Challenge, Continued • Students need support for choosing a major—matching abilities, available time, and potential career choices/opportunities (highest reported need by 2009 cohort was career advice, followed by time management; financial advice was in top 5) • Some recent improvements for students for available time for school (23% Fall 2009 work more than 30 hours (vs. 6% of peers); 33% in 2008 • Greatest predictor (CSU Fall 2008 data) of year one retention was number of hours worked

15. Dimensions of Challenge, Continued • Students choose difficult majors, and are not retained in majors • Pre-Nursing– 693 • Pre-Business—678 • Biology– 412 • Evidence supports needs to improve career advising/course advising • Also supports need for intensive support in difficult entry courses

16. Preparation and first time success

17. Challenges to Student Learning Habits and Skills • Nine of top ten feeder schools from Clayton County (tenth in Henry County did not make AYP) • 32% of schools in Clayton County unable to make AYP (2009)—18% state wide • Many students come to us without significant expectations for institutional success

18. Challenges to Student Success • Even with improvements for Fall, 2009, 11% in poor academic standing • 2007 institutional data indicates 75% students with 2.0 GPA retained to second year

19. Retention by GPA

20. Challenges in institutional readiness • Better need to improve advising and course selection activities to match student needs • Better need to develop clearer career advising and career connections • Greater need to systematically increase faculty/student interactions—especially for upper classmen-even with perceived support currently

21. NSSE Data 2009

22. Challenges, continued • Historic lack of integration among strong efforts/historic lack of collaboration across divisions • Room for improvement in creation of new campus wide culture of collaboration—challenge is not commitment of community, but shared strategies to fulfill the commitment

23. Challenges, continued • Need to improve access to science lab facilities • Fall, 2008, 125 student waiting list for biology labs—some relief with 3 additional labs available Spring 2011 • Without new science building, limits to growth of key programs in nursing, science secondary education limited

24. Successes and Barriers to Success • Progress in graduation rates/retention rates—as noted earlier, the institution has recently made improvements (see slide) • Progress has roots in many initiatives aimed at improving student success • Learning communities • First year experience program requirements • Center for academic success (serves 40% of undergraduates currently

26. Success and Barriers to Success • Mandatory Advising after mid term grades/mandatory reporting of mid term grades • Additional baccalaureate academic programs significantly support improved graduation rates—examples of psychology and biology—examples follow

29. Less than successful program attempts • Summer bridge program—aimed at less prepared students, and provides summer head starts—to date unsuccessful because of habits of late decisions by students to seek admission. • Faculty Mentor program—successful insofar as many faculty expressed interest in participating—few students academically challenged expressed interest

30. Program in process • Child care potentially affects many students • Business plans for campus child care historically challenging—interest; uneven demand; child care as variable costs to individuals and not fixed costs; high costs for low income students • Current actions—education of local options; initial discussions with potential off campus partners

31. Metrics for three year goals • 70% first to second year retention rates • 40% (50% system) six year graduation rates (aspiration at 50% and 60%)(Montclair State example) • 10% (minimum) improvements in success rates in current high D-W-F courses • Improvements in perceived performances in first year experience program • Time management skills • Financial management • Study and learning strategies • Information seeking skills

32. Retention Trends 1983-2009 Freshman-Sophomore Year 32

33. Completion Trends 1983-2009Four-year Colleges – Graduation in 5 years or less 33

34. Metrics for success • Greater assessment of individual engagement activities (ex: campus organizations and activities; ex: disaggregated learning communities • Development of, and publication of, clearly reported “dashboard indicators.” ex: retention by major; ex: common definitions of advisement and charting of frequencies

35. Necessity for Plans • If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else. Yogi Berra

36. Three Year Plan • Must Address Previously considered elements • Leadership • Shared Campus Responsibility • Coordination of Campus Efforts • Clearer Dashboard Indicators to assess effectiveness • Negotiating Financial support for Students

37. Plan Year One • Retention and graduation improvements to be integrated in current planning efforts • Strategic planning • Facilities master planning • Strategic enrollment management (recruitment, public school student development through graduation from Clayton State) • Messaging and communication

38. Plan Year One • Newly developed Executive Level Enrollment management committee, jointly directed by Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs • Currently recruiting Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success • Creation of pre-made schedules for first year students, to increase chances of success • Refine current graduation review processes for incremental improvements in graduation rates (90+ hours assessed, and graduation plan advised)—preview for possible year two and three development of “graduation coaches.” • Commit the institution to successful improvement of graduation and retention rates with public presidential leadership and leadership actions—ex, teaching first year students and promising need for success

39. Plan Year Two • Associate Vice President charged with oversight of coordinated and collaborative strategies for retention, progression and graduation rates • Review must include review of success rates for native (from first time full time cohorts) and transfer students, reviewing means to increase graduation success for both groups • Review and integrate current and evolving FYE operations

40. Plan Year Two • Coordinate multi-faceted activities outlined in text • Must include Completion of dashboard indicators, link of advising to career skills and career connections • Must include connections with emerging residential experiences • Must include increasingly institutionalized partnerships with K-12 partners, especially Clayton, Henry and Fayette County schools • Develop plans and programs to expand financial support for students • Target available faculty and staff hiring guided by goal of maximizing student successes • Identify “ombuds” to assist students in avoiding “roadblocks” to success—examples of printer in residence hall and referral to counseling services

41. Plan Year Three • Three major elements • Actions based on assessment data from first and second year activities • Assess relationships between improvements and resources • Modify activities aimed at first and second year students to achieve improvements for third and fourth year students • Further assess ability to assist students financially

42. Graduation as a Campus Priority • Selling this to the campus is not a hard sell!! • Selling collaboration and shared responsibility will be focus of cultural changes—some evidence of progress already beginning • Presidential and leadership engagement is already a given—clarity of targets will be next steps