Luzelma G. Canales Executive Director, Resource Development & Administration

1. Comprehensive Student Advising: An Integrated College-Wide Approach To Facilitating Student Success Luzelma G. Canales Executive Director, Resource Development & Administration Lone Star College System

2. Presenter Background Over 25 years in Higher Education 10 Years at University 15 Year at South Texas College (STC) Joined Lone Star College System January 2012 STC Achieving the Dream Lead since 2004 STC Completion by Design Lead Talent Dividend Liaison for South Texas Region Achieving the Dream Data Coach Since 2009 Student Success by the Numbers Consultant Since 2011 (Canales, 2012)

3. What do we know about student success?

4. Remediation: Too many students need it, and too few succeed when they get it. 75% 25% Source: Complete College America

5. Remedial students are much less likely to graduate. Source: Complete College America

6. Students are wasting time on excess credits … 75% 25% Source: Complete College America

7. … and taking too much time to earn a degree. Source: Complete College America

8. Nontraditional students are the new majority. 75% 25% 75% of students are college commuters, often juggling families, jobs, and school. 25% of students attend full-time at residential colleges. Source: Complete College America

9. Of Every 100 Kindergartners… Source: US Department of Commerce

10. College Graduates by Age 24 75% From High Income Families 9% From Low Income Families Source: Postsecondary Educational Opportunity

11. Role of Community Colleges • Access • Equity • Opportunity 1990s

12. National Initiatives (2004) (2011) (2009)

13. Role of Community Colleges 1990s • Access • Equity • Opportunity • Success • Completion 2000s 2010

14. Historical Challenges • Many initiatives do not produce the results and gains anticipated • Institutional performance benchmarks remain flat • Public image of academic quality is disappointing • Lack of responsibility and accountability for student success

15. Student Success The “best practices” have disappointing results “Tough love” is equally disappointing

16. Culture of Evidence • Collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes • Institutional level • Program level • Faculty/staff level • Strong evaluation component

17. Culture of Evidence • Historical Student Outcome Data • Student, Faculty & Staff Surveys • Student & Community Focus Groups • Consultant Reports • Policy & Practice Inventory • Community Conversations • Other

18. Achieving the Dream: Five Step Process for Increasing Student Success through Institutional Improvement

19. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

20. Leading Change ... • Presidential Leadership & Commitment • Build Culture of Evidence • Listen to the “Voices” • Identify Barriers to Student Success • Broad Based Engagement • Eliminating Silos

21. Demise of the Silos Information and TechnologyServices Finance and Administrative Services StudentServices Instruction

22. Silo Busting for Student Success

23. Data Driven … Student Focused

24. Asset Models Vs Deficit Models X

25. The Role of Quantitative Data Identifying Gaps in Student Success Indicators of Student Student Success • Term-to-term persistence • Year-to-year persistence • Completion of gatekeeper courses • Completion of developmental education • Degree/certificates completion • Transfer

26. The Role of Qualitative Data Understanding the Underlying Factors of Gaps in Student Success Why are particular students not succeeding at the same rate of other students? What are the barriers and challenges that such student experience?

27. A Theory and a Method of Conducting Focus GroupsUnderstanding Knowledge, Actions, Attitudes in Overcoming Barriers to Student Success Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

28. Three Assumptions of Framework:1) Campus is a Black Box2) Barriers are contextually dependent 3) Students viewed as experts Developing Local Models of Minority Student Success Degree, Certificate Completion, Transfer Students No Degree Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

29. The Role of Knowledge Source: Student Success Model as adapted from Padilla, Gonzalez, & Treviño, 1996

31. Fall 2005 Barrier Study • 25 focus groups • 387 student essays • Spring 2007 Follow-up Barrier Study • 22 focus groups • 322 student essays

33. Student Voices… • “I can afford to start but not to finish. Problems happen later in the semester.” • “Financial aid is not enough for my family, and I get pressured to work.” • “Work piles up too quickly! I can't find time to do homework or study. Tests and papers are always due together…for all my classes.” • “I don’t know what to expect, like what to do to get into college, and how the college works.”

34. Faculty & Staff Voices … 22 representative groups of faculty, staff, and students met with two consultants

35. Communication/Information Engage parents/families early in the process Communicate process of enrolling in college and expectations Partnerships Create more partnerships with businesses Join efforts with K-12 and existing organizations Community Conversations … • Access to Existing Programs • Create programs like Gear-up for all students • Offer dual enrollment to all students • Schedule college tours for all students (elementary, middle, high school)

36. Inventory of Policies/Practices

37. Staff Advisory Council • Develop strategies and initiatives to reduce “silos” between departments at all campuses • Expand professional development for staff and encourage greater participation • Provide leadership training for staff and first level supervisors

38. Rethinking Advising ... Task Force for Comprehensive Student Advising The mission of the Task Force is to develop over the next four years a comprehensive student advising program, which promotes a personalized, student-centered environment that provides an integrated system of quality educational information and planning services for addressing students’ needs from initial contact through graduation, transfer and/or job placement.

39. Taskforce Charge • Spring 2005 (January 21, 2005) • Develop Recommendations for a New (FTIC) Student Academic Advising Model and the Comprehensive Plan for Implementation • Preliminary Report: March 4, 2005 • Final Report April 4, 2005

40. Taskforce Membership • Dean Counseling & Advising (Co-Chair) • Chair of the Faculty Senate (Co-Chair) • VP for Finance & Administrative Services (Ex-Officio) • Counselor (1) • Advisor (1) • Director of Financial Aid • Workforce Development (2) • Dean of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences • Faculty (6) • Director of Distance Education • Developmental Ed. Retention Specialist • IT & Research (2) • Accountability (1)

41. Promoting Student Success Student-centered vision Culture of evidence and accountability Equity and excellence

42. The Comprehensive Student Advising Task Force Internal Data Provide data on the college’s FTIC make-up Provide data on NAH’s current advising model External Data Valencia Community College El Paso Community College UT-Pan American Del Mar Community College San Antonio Community College

43. Questions Addressed by Taskforce How are students assigned to advisors? How often does a student see their advisor? Are there written guidelines? Is there training for faculty members regarding advising Is there an evaluation of advising by students? Faculty? Are you satisfied with your advising system now? What would you like to change?

44. Reports Provided by Taskforce Members

45. Responding to Student & Faculty Voices • Better knowledge of the student • Utilization of services • Make advising more individualized • Reduce time it takes to graduate • Make students accountable • Provides consistent information • Improve student maturity • Improve attendance • Improve student persistence — “push effect” • Improve student success

46. Recommendations • Case Management • Mandatory Student Orientation • Student Welcome Center • Faculty/Staff Advisement Training • Recognition for Service in Advisement Immediate Implementation: Oversight Provided by VP-Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Program Development by Dean of Student Support Institutional Research – Consensus Building Sessions/Focus Groups

47. Fall 2005 Semester; 936 students 1. Case Management

48. Case Management Approach to Academic Advising Should begin the moment a student completes the Mandatory Orientation Program. When do they see their assigned advisor? • Prior to registration • 6 weeks into the semester • Priority registration

50. 2. Mandatory Orientation • Fall Orientation Program had an increase of 40% student participation • On-line Orientation Program • College Success Course integrated the On-line Orientation Program (5% overall grade).