Bridges Annual Report

2010—2011

“F oundation Hall serves as an excellent community for our senior class. We are all at

the same place in our college career, where

we have to find permanent job opportunities, our own

apartments, and put our plans into action. We are all in the same boat, and living together is a reassuring

reminder that we are not alone in starting the next part

of our lives.”

-Foundation Resident, 2010-2011

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T he Bridges program was created in 2008 in preparation for the opening of Foundation Hall, Wagner’s newest residence hall built to house its senior students.

A collaborative program that brings together the Office of Residential Education,

the Center for Career Development, the Alumni Association, and the Student Government

Association, the Bridges program serves as a living-learning community that addresses the final academic and residential components of students’ senior years.

The Resident Director of Foundation Hall coordinates the Bridges program. The

main component of the program is a series of workshops and events throughout the year

that take place in Foundation. Staff from the career center host workshops and events that help students develop job searching skills a post-graduation plan. The Student

Government Association and Office of Residential Education sponsor speakers on various

life skills like finance and cooking. The Alumni Association hosts events and talks with

alumna from Wagner who provide support as students develop a professional network. Resident Assistants in Foundation serve as liaisons to these offices. They also

create programming that facilitates the learning outcomes of the program and hold

meetings that provide ongoing support to residents as they navigate their senior year. With attention to the developmental needs of students in this critical transition

from college to the professional world, the Bridges program provides a community of

support as well as access to resources and people that help them successfully begin their

adult lives.

Bridges History and Mission

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Bridges Learning Outcomes

S tudents Participating in Bridges will,

• Understand the job search and graduate

admissions processes, specifically the development of a resume, interviewing

skills, networking skills, professional

etiquette, and negotiation skills

• Develop a post-graduation plan regarding a job, job alternative, or graduate school

• Gain life skills such as managing personal

finances, cooking, and securing an

apartment • Balance the senior year workload and

experiential learning or thesis while

planning for the future • Establish and maintain relationships with

members of the Wagner College alumni

network

• Reflect on past experiences at Wagner as the final component of the Wagner Plan

“T he transition from higher

education into employment

warrants particular attention

because it represents a critical

threshold between adolescence and

adulthood.”

Hurst, J. L. and L. Good (2009)

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T he staff involved in Bridges during the 2010-2011 academic year

were,

• Tulin Aldas, Assistant Director, Center for Career Development

• Victoria Crispo, Assistant Director,

Center for Career Development

• Chris Diggs, Resident Director of Foundation Hall, Office of Residential

Education

• Natalie Johnson, Director, Center for

Career Development • Kenneth Lam, Director of Alumni

Relations

• Stephanie Schweitzer, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

Bridges Staff

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2010-2011 Changes and Additions

B ased on survey data from the 2009-2011 year and staff members’

recommendations, some changes to

the program were made. Most notably, the

program name was changed from its original, the Senior Year Residential Experience

(SYRE), to Bridges. The Office of Residential

Education wanted all students to feel that they

could take advantage of the program. Subsequently, the logo and tagline, “Your

Connection to Life After Wagner” were

developed. This change reflects the larger

student population the Bridges program serves, namely the junior and senior residents

of Foundation Hall.

Small changes were made to program offerings based on program attendance and

schedules set by the sponsoring offices. All of

the content areas remained the same and the

subjects covered by the program in the past were all addressed.

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2010-2011 Assessment:

Survey Design and Demographic Information

E ach year, Wagner students are surveyed using the online survey tool Survey Monkey

to gather information about the Bridges program. Questions are adjusted slightly

from year to year to reflect program changes, however consistency is maintained as

much as possible in order to compare data from one year to the next.

In the 2010-2011 survey, 487 students were invited through email to participate. 106 students responded, yielding a 21% response rate. This number is down from last

year’s 32% response rate, however, a greater number of students were invited to complete

the survey this year, including commuter students and a greater number of residential

students who may have been less likely to respond to the survey. The survey collects various demographic information, including race and gender.

In the 2010-2011 survey, respondents were represented at parallel levels to the college’s

overall population. Approximately 75% of the respondents were residential students with

25% being commuter students. Of the residential population, 53% lived in Foundation, the rest residing in Wagner’s three other residence halls.

Questions addressing the campus climate are asked of all survey respondents.

Students are asked to indicate their level of agreement on a likert-type scale with statements such as, “Wagner provides an environment for the free and open expression of

ideas, opinions, and beliefs.” Responses to these questions closely matched the data from

the 2009-2010 survey with a majority of students (50-80%) responding they agree or

strongly agree with statements such as, “Wagner promotes respect for diversity.”

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2010-2011 Assessment:

Post-Graduation Plans

R espondents shared information regarding their plans after graduation. This data reflects their plans as of May 2010.

33%

42%

23%

2%

Full Time Graduate

School

Secured Full Time

Employment

Still Seeking

Other

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T he survey asks students to indicate their preparation for life after Wagner in several ways. It begins by asking general questions, examples of which are provided below.

The 2010-2011 survey shows a significant increase in students’ feelings of

preparedness and perception of resources available to them.

2010-2011 Assessment:

Life After Wagner

Survey Statement ‘09-’10 Agree or

Strongly Agree

‘10-’11 Agree or

Strongly Agree

Percent Change

Wagner prepared me for

life after college

39% 53% +14%

The resources provided by

Wagner met my needs

31% 43% +12%

Survey Statement ‘09-’10 Average or

Above Average

‘10-’11 Average or

Above Average

Percent Change

Please rate your experience

at Wagner with the

following: Assistance in making post-graduation

plans

55% 78% +23%

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2010-2011 Assessment:

Life After Wagner

R espondents are then asked more specific questions about the various aspects of the Bridges program, including the events themselves as well as the skills and

experiences the program seeks to provide assistance with. The first specific

question asks, “Compared with the beginning of your senior year, how would you describe

your level of knowledge or experience for each of the following?” The list contains items such as job searching, interviewing, cooking, professional etiquette, and civic engagement.

Students select answers for each from a likert-type scale.

In looking at the data from this question in 2010-2011, over 50% of students

report their knowledge or experience as somewhat stronger or much stronger for almost all of the 15 items on the list. Compared with the 2009-2010 data, there is a significant

increase in students’ knowledge.

Survey Statement ‘09-’10 Somewhat

Stronger or Much

Stronger

‘10-’11 Somewhat

Stronger or Much

Stronger

Percent Change

Job Searching 54% 74% +20%

Interviewing 53% 73% +20%

Budgeting 38% 52% +14%

Negotiation Skills 39% 59% +20%

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Q uestions in the survey then ask students to rate their level of comfort with the tasks and skills associated with developing and solidifying post-graduation plans. The

question is asked, “In the following situations, please rate your level of comfort.”

Situations include interviewing for a job, searching for an apartment, and paying taxes.

Students select answers from a likert-type scale. Examples of the responses are below.

2010-2011 Assessment:

Life After Wagner

Survey Statement ‘09-’10 Comfortable or

Very Comfortable

‘09-’10 Comfortable

or Very Comfortable

Percent Change

Creating a resume 80% 79% -1%

Interviewing for a job 85% 77% -8%

Negotiating a job offer 47% 44% -3%

Searching for an apartment 58% 57% -1%

A cross mostly all of the items on this list, levels of comfort are down from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011. In light of the increased levels of knowledge and experience

with similar items reported in the previous question, one explanation could be that

because students have increased awareness of the elements necessary for a successful

transition out of college, their levels of comfort are down as their anxiety about the process increases. This would reflect similar phenomena outlined by relevant research.

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2010-2011 Assessment:

The Benefits of Living in Foundation

I n reviewing the responses of students who lived in Foundation during 2010-2011 and

students who lived in other residence halls on

campus, a clear trend emerges. Residents of

Foundation Hall, where the Bridges program is housed and most heavily promoted, report an

average of 5% higher scores in somewhat

stronger or much stronger knowledge or

experience of tasks such as job searching, interviewing, budgeting, and negotiating a job

offer compared with their peers in other residence

halls. Quite strikingly, they report an average of

10% higher scores in comfortable or very comfortable with those tasks as compared to their

peers in other residence halls. This is even more

evident when recognizing the overall decline in comfort levels when evaluating the whole sample.

Based on this survey data, students living in

Foundation hall are clearly more prepared for life

after graduation than their peers as a result of the Bridges program.

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T he final questions of the survey ask students to reflect on their overall experience in their

senior year as well as their post-graduation

plans. While the data from earlier questions suggests

that students knowledge and experience are improving as the Bridges program continues to grow,

there is still work to be done in providing ample

support for students in this process. When asked

whether their post-graduation plans were facilitated in one way or another by Wagner, only 23% of

students responded yes. Furthermore, only 40% of

respondents stated that Wagner provided the “ample

resources and services to assist them in making ideal plans for after graduation.” It is clear that the

Bridges program is helping prepare students for

their final transition out of college, but more needs to be done to address the needs of a greater number of

students.

2010-2011 Assessment:

Experiences with Bridges

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2011-2012 Recommendations

B ased on the survey data, the Bridges program has started to make an impact on students’ experiences and

preparation for life after college. Students are more aware

of the resources available to them and have greater access to the

services provided. The program gives attention to the many facets of this transition, not only meeting the career and academic needs

of students, but also fulfilling the social and extra-curricular

elements of being a senior.

Recommendations for the 2011-2012 year include continuing to work on the marketing and student participation in Bridges events. With the addition of Senior Week

to the responsibilities of the Foundation Hall Resident Director, there is an opportunity to

integrate the curricular and social elements of both Bridges and Senior Week and increase

student participation in both. Another opportunity for development that will strengthen student awareness and

involvement is more closely tying the Resident Assistants to the offices that sponsor the

Bridges program. In 2011-2012, each RA will serve as a liaison to one of the four sponsoring campus offices, assisting with marketing and promotion as well as event

management. Additionally, the Resident Director of Foundation Hall will develop a

curriculum for RAs to facilitate over the course of the year with

their residents. This will provide more one on one contact for residents and will help utilize floor meetings as well as informal

and passive programming to more fully integrate the Bridges

program in to students’ living experience.

Annual Report and survey created and compiled by

Chris Diggs, Resident Director of Foundation Hall

Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

July 2011