Texas A&M University-Kingsville

1. Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundations of Excellence Winter Meeting February 22, 2013

2. Associate Vice President of Student SuccessNancy KingSandersResponsibilitiesProfessional Academic AdvisingAVID Higher EducationDual EnrollmentFoundations of ExcellenceLearning Assistance CenterPeer MentoringUniversity Success Class

3. Participation in Foundations of Excellence Refresh Summer 2011 – Self Study Fall 2011 – Submitted Report 2012-2013 – Action Plan Implementation

4. Strong Support from upper Administration to improve retention and student success • Dr. Steven Tallant, President • Dr. Rex Gandy, Provost • Dr. Terisa Riley, Senior VP for Fiscal and Student Affairs • Kirsten Compary, Dean of Students

5. Participation in Foundations of Excellence has helped to increase retention • Fall 2011-Spring 2012 – 3% • Fall 2011 – Fall 2012 – 6.5%

6. Integrating the9 Foundational Dimensions into the First Year Seminar Class

7. Philosophy… • All First Time in College Students are required to enroll in UNIV 1101 in the fall semester and UNIV 1102 in the spring semester • FIGS (Freshmen Interest Groups) • 2 Pilot Groups • Chemical EngineeringUNIV 1101, 1102; ENGL 1301, 1302; HIST 1301, 1302 • Kinesiology UNIV 1101, 1102; ENGL 1301, 1302; HIST 1301, 1302

8. Organization… • Students are grouped by major into 54 sections of UNIV 1101 or UNIV 1102 • Collaboration with Student Affairs for Student Career Resource Center • Faculty and Staff collaborate to require all students to participate in a service learning project • AVID training for Faculty

9. Learning….. • AVID Higher Education • UNIV 1101, 1102 is infused with AVID stratgies • Advancement Via Individual Determination Student Takes Responsibility for their own learning Collaborative Learning Environment Cornell Note-Taking • Active Reading • All UNIV Instructors, Advisors, Tutors, Mentors SI Leaders are AVID trained

10. Faculty….. • Four Sources for UNIV Instructors • Tenure Track Faculty that are passionate about teaching freshmen • College of Education and Human Performance Graduate Counseling and Guidance Majors • Advertised for Adjunct Faculty • Professional Academic Advisors • Faculty Learning Community Monthly Meetings, AVID training before each semester

11. Transitions….. • Intrusive Advising • Educating Students about Tuition Rebate, Excessive Hours, 6 Drop Rule, etc. • SARS Tracking by all advisors • Ability to drop students from incorrect registrations • Tracking Enforced Withdrawal • Advising Syllabus with measurable outcomes • Communicate with parents as long as FERPA release has been signed

12. All Students….. • Peer Mentoring • All freshmen are assigned a peer mentor • Mentors are paired with freshmen according to their major • Mentors meet weekly for 30 minutes with mentees • Attendance at mentoring is tied to UNIV course grade

13. Diversity….. • Freshmen Common Read • Chosen by Common Read Committee to help students understand and appreciate their differences • Freshmen Common Read is promoted throughout university community and city of Kingsville • Many multi-cultural events at university – students in UNIV classes are encouraged to attend

14. Roles and Purposes. • EpsilenePortfolio • Students create ePortfolio with the help of their Peer Mentor • ePortfolio includes personal statement • Capstone assignments are stored • Groups can be formed with professors • ePortfolio can be used for future job applications • Strong Collaboration with Career Services

15. Improvement….. • Administer CLA to freshmen • AVID Higher Education administers LASSI • Short assessment at end of each advising session • Short assessment at end of each mentoring session • Hosting a Student Success Conference for emerging HSIs

16. Questions