University
of North Carolina at Charlotte
Oftentimes,
retention initiatives focus on a student’s first few years
within a college or university. At the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, the 49er Finish Program recaptures seniors who stopped
out for over one academic year. Our initial research study defines
some of the typical barriers to graduation found at a four-year
public institution and relates those findings back into program
design and implementation. As a result of our outreach efforts,
231 of these former students have completed their degrees since
the program’s inception in Fall 2005 (Institutional Research).
Advising
Week
Oakland
University
Directed
by: Professional Advising Council – Carmen
Etienne, Chair
Nominated by: Donna Malaski
and Paul Battle
Oakland University (OU) has instituted
a successful advising awareness program to improve the quality
of academic advisement for students at OU. Since its inception
in November 2004, Advising Week takes place during each Fall semester.
The purpose of this program is to increase student’s awareness
of academic advisors and their services on campus. This purpose
came out of a need noted by institutional research of some students
not knowing who their advisor was or where to seek help. Advising
Week provides opportunities for networking and improved communication
between students and professional advisors. Additionally, the
program increased the presence of OU’s academic advisors
on campus. Utilizing creative existing resources and minimal funding,
Advising Week has provided contacts to over four hundred students
each year. Evaluations of the program and its services have been
very positive.
North
Carolina State University, Division of Undergraduate
Academic Programs
The
First Year College (FYC) at North
Carolina State University
was established in 1995 to address problems in retention and
to provide "undecided" students a year of assistance and
support in selecting a major. A national benchmark program
of its kind at a Research I Public Institution, FYC faced challenges
at its inception, but has flourished as a necessary and vital
part of the Institution.
Based
upon an intensive developmental advising model, FYC helps students
through the first year using a multi-faceted approach. Individual
advising is complemented by instruction in an orientation course
taught by the advisor. This class focuses on transition,
academic success, self-exploration, and major/career development.
A residential living-learning community is employed to
connect students to each other, to faculty, and to the larger
university community. Partnerships have been established with
many campus units and have proven to be invaluable to the services
that students receive. A strong assessment plan is used
to drive all programming decisions and has been instrumental in
raising awareness of the quality of work being done. Results
derived from the assessment efforts have proven that FYC is,
indeed, meeting the expectations of the visionaries who created
it.
Institutional
commitment was needed to establish FYC and, today, this commitment
is stronger than ever. Resources to establish such a program
at a large institution would be necessary. However, many
aspects of the FYC model are easily adaptable to institutions
of any size that are concerned with the development of undecided
first-year students.
The
On Course Advantage
CUNY-Brooklyn College
Nominated
by: Christoph Kimmich
Brooklyn
College 's On Course Advantage (TOCA), now in its fifth year,
is a ground-breaking advisement program designed to help
students move knowledgeably and intentionally toward graduation
in four years. TOCA responds to a national dilemma: low student
four year graduation rates at all types of institutions.
Brooklyn College students, often the first in their family
to go to college, enter undergraduate study with little knowledge
of degree requirements and academic regulations.
The
goal of the TOCA student-advisor interaction is to create an environment
that is hospitable, respectful and results oriented. Employing
multiple strategies, TOCA offers students individual advising,
workshops on career and pre-professional planning, early registration,
and internship opportunities, all designed to help them overcome
obstacles that might interfere with their progress. Freshmen who
have successfully completed 12 credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
and entering transfer students who have completed 45 credits are
invited to participate in the program.
Over
51% of the initial Fall 2004 TOCA cohort of full time freshmen
graduated within four years; the five-year graduation rate for
the TOCA group is projected at 84%. Evaluation and assessment
confirm that TOCA is having a major effect on persistence, credit
accumulation, and student satisfaction. TOCA has also become a
model for other institutions. Most recently, New York State Governor
Pataki announced a plan to establish similar programs at all CUNY
and SUNY campuses.
Academic
Advising and the First Semester: Collaborations for Student Success
Indiana University Purdue University
Indianapolis
Directed and Nominated by: Cathy
Buyarski
Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is an urban
commuter institution serving approximately 28,00 students who
enroll at IUPUI, 60% are first-generation college students.
In addition, most balance family and work obligations along
with academic responsibilities to a greater degree than on
most urban campuses. The IUPUI students body exhibits many
of the characteristics associated with high rates of attrition;
this is confirmed by studies that show retention rates at IUPUI
are lower than those of other institutions in the state of
Indiana.
University College,
in collaboration with other university departments, has created "Academic Advising and the First Semester: Collaborations
for Student Success" in an attempt to increase retention and
student satisfaction. The involvement of academic advisors throughout
a student's first term of enrollment has evolved as part of the
institution's efforts to promote retention and model the best
practices in urban education.
"Academic Advising and the First Semester: Collaborations for
Student Success" has been evaluated by on-going assessment, and
indicates high effectiveness at IUPUI. Because the program is
based on meeting the individual needs of students, it is highly
applicable to any institution. In fact, many institutions have
implemented portions of this intrusive first-semester advising
system. The uniqueness, and ultimately the success, of the program
lies in the collaborative approach to the first semester experience.
Adaptation of the total program will be enhanced by efforts to
build relationships with academic and administrative units serving
first-year students.
Best Practices
for a Successful Developmental Advising Program and Delivery System:
University Advising Center
University of Texas-Arlington
Nominated by Mary Ridgeway
Contact: Karen
Schlabach Stucky
Competent advisors
are more than academic navigators leading students through
a maze of class choices. Advisors are teachers,
counselors, and student advocates. Academic advisement's
success is a direct reflection of advisors' success in these
roles.
In 1996, senior
administrators made the decision to invest in academic advising. One reason for this decision was the
continuous decrease in student retention. The goals for
the new organization were to develop an efficient program, make
it transportable, and impact student retention. Five Initiatives
in the following areas served to strengthen advising at the University:
1) Advisor Training; Developmental advising is a learned
activity. Advisor training is essential to assure that advisors
are equipped with the tools of their profession. 2) Developing
an Advising Strategy; The advising process requires planning
and goal setting for each advising session. The use of an
advising protocol is helpful to advisors in maintaining focus.
3) Student Records Database; An accurate student database
is the nerve center around which advising activities are planned,
executed, and assessed. 4) Maverick Scholar Association;
Students are grouped together in common classes, allowing them
to make on-campus connections. 5) Continuous Program Assessment;
All components of a process may appear to be working as planned
and well liked by all participants, but do the advising components
result in planned and expected outcomes?
