Student Initiatives in Collaboration with Academic Affairs

Developed by: Todd Long, M.Ed.

Student Affairs in conjunction with Academic Affairs are evaluating our first year experience program

• First-to-second-year retention is generally most critical of academic affairs and student affairs

• Variety of issues impact retention rates including selectivity, admissions standards, student characteristics, institutional characteristics, and more

• Focus for students, faculty, and staff should be on intentionality by first year experience institution initiatives

Concerns of First Year Experience

• The first year experience consist of 300 students.

• Only 45 % of the first year student body returned as second year students.

• The first year experience included students in the following degree programs: Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Fashion Merchandising, and Interior Design.

• 135 students matriculated to second year.

• 165 students did not return for the following reasons:

• Poor academic performance (CGPA below 2.0), Financial problems, student conduct.

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously

• Students are more likely to persist and graduate in settings that hold high and clear expectations

• Challenging but explicit classroom expectations

• Academic advising that provides the roadmap to degree completion

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously • Provide academic and social support

– Students may not be prepared for the rigors of university coursework so institutions should provide an array of support structures

– Students need “safe havens” as they learn to navigate campuses

• Counseling • Mentoring • Connections to peers

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously

• Feedback is a condition for student success – Early alert/intervention programs – Assessments to accurately gauge

student learning [not just exams] – Faculty willingness to adjust based

on feedback – Timely feedback about performance – Connecting support structures to

feedback

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously • Involvement is a condition for student retention

• Academic and social integration opportunities with faculty, peers, and staff members

• The more students learn, the more they find value in their learning, the more they persist and graduate

• Build educational communities of learning

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously • Comprehensive national survey that looked not only at

retention, progression and graduation rates (public v. private, etc.) but also provided benchmarks for institutions – Program coordination – Research and assessment – Orientation programs – Early warning systems – Faculty/student interactions – Advising practices

Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously

• Participants – when compared to academically and demographically matched control groups – earn better grades – progress more rapidly in academic

standing – are retained at higher levels