Pathways to Student Success Vistasp Karbhari, PresidentThe University of Texas at Arlington

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and CollegesNational Conference on TrusteeshipApril 20, 2015

The New ParadigmState situated rather than state supportedRapidly changing demographicsChanging financial profile of students with changes in the economy & supportPipeline vs. PathwayDigital natives vs. analog natives and/or digital immigrants

Instinctively parallel process and multitask, prefer images over text Are attuned to, and like, receiving high-speed bursts of information Function best in a networked environment Expect education to be based on information systems that work like Google

Co-location vs. DistributedFormal Lecture vs. Studio or “Flipped” Classroom vs. “Organized” ChaosDegrees vs. Knowledge and Competency

The decrease of the “guild” model in favor of “individualized” knowledge? The transition from “degrees” through “certificates” and “badges” to “knowledge on

demand” or “knowledge in packages”

A National IssueEvery year over 1.2M students drop out of high school

Academic challenges, missteps, wrong turns

Conflicts, social constructs, “life happens” – need to support parents, siblings, children

Bored, no connection between classes and “real life”

Decreasing funnel 36% drop out in the 9th grade or just

before high school 6.6% drop out thereafter in high school 66.2% of the remaining go on to 2-year

or 4-year College

Overa

ll

Exclu

sive

ly F

T

Exclu

sive

ly P

T

Mix

ed

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

44.4

68

19.829.4

15.7

11.7

3.9

20.4

8.1

1.1

6.1

13.7

31.819.2

70.2

36.6

Not Enrolled

Still Enrolled

Completed at Dif-ferent Institution

Completed at Start-ing Institution

6 Year Outcome by Enrollment

Data from National Student Clearinghouse & US Dept of Education, NCES

A Compounding Effect

Of every 100 students coming to the 9th grade 64 continue in high school 40 go on to 2 year or 4 year college 22 will complete a college degree in 6 years 24 will complete a college degree in 8 years

Overa

ll

Exclu

sive

ly F

T

Exclu

sive

ly P

T

Mix

ed

0

20

40

60

80

100

42.166.4

17.4 27.3

13

10.8

3.6

15.7

14.7

3.2

10.4

23.7

30.319.6

68.5

33.3

Not Enrolled

Still Enrolled

Completed at Different Institution

Completed at Starting Institution

6 Year Outcome by Enrollment

Data from NSC & NCES

Overa

ll

Exclu

sively

FT

Exclu

sively

PT

Mixed

0

20

40

60

80

100

44.468

19.8 29.4

15.7

11.7

3.9

20.4

8.1

1.1

6.1

13.7

31.819.2

70.2

36.6

8 Year Outcome by Enrollment

UT ArlingtonLocated in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area

49,000+ degree seeking students in ‘’14-’15

2nd largest campus in the UT System

184 campus based and on-line degree programs

Over 31% take at least one course online

10,000 students stay on or around campus

One of the nation’s fastest growing public research universities

Some Key Features

40%

60%

First-time Freshmen, 2,710

Transfers, 4,037

New Incoming Students

38.7%

26.9%

16.0%

11.6%

3.6%2.1% 1.1%

White

Hispanic

African-American

Asian

International

Multiracial

Other

Student Ethnicity

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

4002 4180

5109

57816344 6736

1,792 1,8652,421

3,3052,975

2,500

113128 127 168 150

225

Doctoral

Master's

Bachelor'sDe

gre

es

Aw

ard

ed

Key InitiativesMiddle-High Schools

University Crossroads

High Schools Go Centers “Bound for Success” Initiative STEM Academy

Community Colleges

University Level MAVS 1000 and FIGs University College Advising and Registration Alternate paths ASSURE

University CrossroadsDallas-based outreach and community engagement initiative that helps middle and

high school students and families navigate a path to college

Mission Create an awareness about college and encourage students

and families to aim for college as early as the 6th grade Expand access to and success in higher education for first

and second generation students from low-moderate income households

Further assist those for whom English is a second language

Focus Outreach to families General financial literacy classes and financial aid workshops College awareness SAT Math preparation

A Snapshot of Impact

Year # of Sessions

Unique Participant

s

Contacts

2011 10 458 766

2012 10 780 1378

2013 13 1237 2764

2014 8 1297 2775

Feb ‘15 3 594 1120

2 3 4 50

102030405060708090

15

27

61

86

21

49

59

83

15

42

60

88

17

49

63

2011 2012 2013 2014

# of Sessions Attended

Av

era

ge

Ga

in

GO CentersGoals

Mentoring of students by “near peers” Creation of a college going culture in collaboration with teachers and high

school counselors Assistance with university applications, financial aid forms, application for

scholarships Academic tutoring in key subjects Workshops for families aimed at reducing the concern and uncertainty re

college, cultural differences and expectations and developing an understanding of the key role that parents can play

Current Structure 42 “mentors” at 16 GO Centers in 5 partner school districts with 3 additional

centers in March Mentors are often from the same high school to enable a “you can do it too”

mentality G-Force: Designated counselor, lead UTA student mentor, 2-3 UTA mentors

from different disciplines

Impact of GO Centers

‘11-’12 ‘12-’13 ‘13-’14‘14-’15 (till Jan

end)Total Students Served (unduplicated)

1,249 4,267 7,865 4,647

Total Visits 9,354 25,865 27,215 15,331

Total Number of Tasks Completed at GO Centers

11,413 24,557 31,166 19.439

Number of parents served at GO Centers

138 602 655 1,161

GO Center Mentors (2013-2014)

UT Arlington was their first choice for college 46.15%

First person in their family to go to a four-year university 39%

Transferred to UT Arlington from a community college 24%

Consider themselves bilingual 79%

Self-identify as Latina/o 61.54%

Plan to attend graduate school immediately following graduation

55.77%

Was enrolled in dual credit while in high school 50%

Wish they could work more hours at their GO Center 80%

Number of hours worked collectively by the mentors in the 2013-2014 year

18,131 hours

Believe working as a Mentor has contributed to their success as a college student

91%

Bound for SuccessEarly Admissions Initiative for Top 25% of Rising Juniors

- Monica Nagy; Star Telegram 11/25/2013

Goals Encourage a college going culture in academically

prepared groups who historically drop out after the 10th grade

Provide motivation to complete high school and continue onto college

Provide support for students and families through high school and in the applications process including FAFSA

Enable a gentle transition to college

Current Status 3 ISDs and 1 high school UTA counselor is embedded in each high school 10.6% increase in applications from qualified students

Transition to CollegeMAVS 1000 Mandatory first year experience course (no credit, no tuition) Focused on enabling skills, building networks, and introducing resources Class size restricted to 25 with an instructor and a peer leader Provides support and an efficient “early warning” and “intervention” system Follow up mechanism in subsequent semesters with a focus on advising, registration &

progression

Freshman Interest Groups (FIGS) Small cohorts enrolled in classes together with specialized peer mentoring and select

residential communities Focused on key majors

Status Fall ’14: 1,724 enrolled in MAVS 1000, 549 in FIGs Increased retention Fall to Spring 1 year retention rate for FIGs was 9.3% than the university average

Additional SupportProject CAR (central Advising Record) All records and notes for a student are available centrally at a single location and are

constantly updated All advisors have access to the most recent notes, performance, and information for a student

Student Success Collaborative (with the EAB) Platform to identify key at-risk students for early intervention and assistance for on-time

progression Assistance in selecting alternate majors based on interest and minimum number of additional

courses

Registration Focused registration of a minimum of 15 hours at orientation and thereafter (15 to Succeed) Guaranteed registration and availability of courses 1 year in advance Early alert system to ensure reach out through specially trained advisors

ASSURE

Replacement of repetitive undergraduate freshman and sophomore labs with scalable, research experiences Curricular reform to enhance enquiry and discovery Use of research as a tool for motivation and retention Incorporate doctoral students as part of their learning experience

Structure Faculty design a guided research program (stream: e.g. Drug discovery) for the

curriculum Multiple students work on it simultaneously 3 semester sequence (Research methods Guided research experience original

research experience within the project framework) Ensures team work, communications skills, link to major

Achieving Success in Science through Undergraduate Research and Engagement

Summary We are at the tipping point and elitism will not help us or the nation

Changes in demographics demand that we change our approach

The family is often as important, if not more important, than the student as related to the decision to continue with higher education

Processes (application, FAFSA, financial aid, selection of type of College) are confusing and can scare qualified applicants away

There is a need for greater integration along the PK-16 pathway

We live in an era of pathways not pipelines and hence clarity, articulation, and collaboration are the key

Our job as leaders in higher education is to be understanding of our constituency and the demands placed on them, and to be innovative and collaborative