Making Better Connections:

Building a College Themed Community for Business Freshmen at Cal Poly

Pomona

Pamela Adams, Academic Advisor CBA Student Success Center

Larisa Preiser-Houy, Ph.D., Associate Dean College of Business Administration

Keiry Ewing, Program Assistant University Housing Services

Presenters

5500 Total Undergraduate Students

60% Upper-Division Transfer

Centralized Advising◦ 4 Professional Advisors◦ Faculty focus on career-based advising

The College of Business Administration

Lack of Connection to First-Year Students

◦ Most CBA Work is Upper-Division

◦ First-Year Work is Supportive: Math, Economics, English

Not Taught by CBA Faculty Math Remediation 27.3% English Remediation 30.1%

◦ No Business-Themed FYE Course

The Problem

Focus on Residential Freshmen to Create a College-Themed Learning Community

The Solution

The fundamental structural move in learning communities is to...release the powers of human association. Learning communities put people together and give them time and space—real time and space—to learn from each other.

--Patrick Hill, The Rationale for Learning Communities (1985)

Learning Communities

A Strategically-Defined Cohort of Students

Robust, Collaborative Partnerships Between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs

Explicitly Designed Opportunities to Practice Integrative and Interdisciplinary Learning

*The National Resource Center for Learning Communities

The Learning Community Model*

2,400 Students

1,500 First Year Students

College Themed Communities (CTC) - Designed to Connect the Academic Experience with Residence Life

Living Learning Community Model (High Impact Practice) ◦ Increases Rates of Retention and Student Engagement

Students Participating in CTC Earn Higher GPAs

University Housing

University Housing Services Invites Students to Live in a College-Themed Community

Residential Advisors (RA’s) are from the College

Professional Advisors and Faculty Create College-Specific Programming

How It Works

Spring 2015 GPA

2014-2015 Academic Year0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

3.18

2.87

2.43

CTC Students Other Residential Non-Residential

2014-2015 Average GPAs

0.0 - 1.99 2.0 - 2.99 3.0 - 3.49 3.5 - 3.990%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

4%

25%

38%

33%

10%

42%

30%

17%

24%

52%

19%

5%

CTC Students Other Residential Non-Residential

Average Student GPAs

Fall 2014 Winter 2015 Spring 20150

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.53.19

3.10 3.112.94

2.85 2.762.62

2.452.3

CTC Students Other Residential Non-Residential

40 students in CBA Themed Community Average of 5 Events per Quarter

Results 2014-2015

Fall 2014 Winter 2015 Spring 20160

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

CBA Themed Community Other Residential Non-Residential

Fall Welcome Event

Ask An Advisor

Etiquette Dinner

Business Club Social

Faculty Lectures◦ How to Succeed in College and Start Your Career◦ Starting Your Own Business◦ Cybersecurity- Don’t Get Phished!◦ Innovation and Creativity

Events

Extend Invitations to all Residential CBA Students (approximately 200)

Continue Quarterly Events

Create Dress for Success Event (partnered with Career Center) in Fall Quarter

Develop Faculty/Student Reading Group in Winter Quarter

Business Strategy Game in Winter Quarter

Company Visit in Winter

Etiquette Dinner in Spring

2015-2016 Plans

Questions?

Thank You!