Access to Success Conference 2011Learning Through the Undergraduate Experience

February 11, 2011

Opening Remarks

Provost Johannes Britz

Agenda for Day

Ericca Rolland

Commission on Student Life & Learning

Diane Reddy

Purpose

• Recommend a six-year course of action to: – enrich undergraduate education,– improve the student experience, – continue to improve student success.

• Estimate the costs and identify potential funding streams to meet the costs.

Membership

• 3 Academic Staff– Triena Bodart– Michael Hero– Kristin Roosevelt

• 3 Faculty– Liliana Mina– Nancy File– Rebecca Holderness

• 6 Students

Leadership

• Faculty Chair: Diane Reddy

• Student Chair: Angela Lang, Vice President, Student Association• Administrative Support:

Academic Affairs - Phyllis King, Gesele Durham & Ericca RollandStudent Affairs - Michael Laliberte & Jim Hill

Working Groups• Recruitment and Retention of High Achieving Students

– Chuck Schuster, Honors; – Jan Ford, Department of Recruitment and Outreach

• Advising and Helping Students Find and Stay on Pathways to Success – Seth Zlotocha, Department of Enrollment Services; – Kristin Roosevelt, Lubar School of Business

• Helping Students Finance College/Student Employment – Jane Hojan-Clark, Financial Aid– Rebecca Neumann, Lubar School of Business

• Campus and Neighborhood Security – Keri Duce, NHO (former) – Jim Hill, Student Life

• Growing a Supportive Campus Climate – Cheryl Ajirotuto, Academic Affairs– Linda Huang, Diversity and Climate

• Creating Course-based Learning Communities for Entering First Year Students– Tony Ciccone, CIPD– Ericca Rolland, First Year Center

Recruitment and Retention of High Achieving Students

Primary Statement:

“High-achieving students" are strong scorers on the ACT/SAT (25/26 Composite ACT or equivalent SAT of 1150/1170 or above), National Merit semi-finalists/finalists, Who’s Who students, National Honor Roll students, Academic Excellence awardees, AP students, Youth Options participants, Illinois Scholars, Chancellors Awardees, New Directions Awardees and others locally, regionally or nationally recognized for strong academic high school performance. Beyond this broader campus vision, it is recognized that each UWM school/college may apply other criteria specific to a particular area of study as an indication of high-achievement, (i.e., music major may show exceptional talent with a particular instrument).

Recruitment and Retention of High Achieving Students

Top Priorities:• It is crucial to our overarching goal and subsequent assessment process

that each school/college produces a measurable definition of what a high-achieving student means for them.

• UWM needs to change the message sent to the larger community to one of being a competitive institution that will appeal to high achievers AND as an institution that provides access to populations that might not normally consider college a reasonable expectation. Addressing perceptual issues about UWM by high-achievers is crucial to our success.

• Campus and budgetary resources are needed to address recruitment and retention of high-achieving students including recruitment staff and events, scholarship dollars, advising review, and the creation of a comprehensive summary of currently available academic experiences/options specifically designed for the high-achieving student.

Advising and Helping Students Find Pathways to Success

Primary Statement:

To build upon the strengths derived from the decentralized advising model that exists on campus, adequate centralized structures need to be developed or created to support the advancement of new advising initiatives and technologies aimed at improving retention and graduation rates.

Advising and Helping Students Find Pathways to Success

Top Priorities:

• Develop curriculum focused on topics and issues related to the first year student transition to college life and learning with the goal of integration into required coursework.

• Develop or acquire an online tutorial for students on probation and others in need of assistance or direction on academic, financial, social, etc., issues.

• Develop an easily accessible and engaging electronic student handbook that clearly and concisely provides key academic information to students.

Helping Students Finance College/Student Employment

Primary Statement:

Increase access to and completion of an educational experience at UWM by eliminating financial barriers and lack of resources and through expanded educational experiences.

Helping Students Finance College/Student Employment

Top Priorities:

• Expand and make students more aware of existing free or low cost resources, services, programs and activities e.g. research related library resources – both hard copy and online; electronic text books; and social, cultural, recreational and health services. Also improve existing services e.g. registration, managing PAWs accounts and D2L.

• Establish University wide support for a centralized student employment online system like the existing “Pantherjobs” and expand and market student employment opportunities on campus to recruit and retain students.

• Address student financial illiteracy concerns by expanding and continuing long term support for The Economics of Personal Finance (Econ 110). The course needs to reach students earlier in their UWM experience, needs to provide greater availability and have more mechanisms to track student progress.

• Reduce financial barriers and expand access to UWM by establishing an Institutional Need Based Grant Program. Also increase student support and meet service expectations by supporting more staff, space and technological infrastructure for financial aid administration.

Campus and Neighborhood Security

Primary Statement:

In recent years internal student assessments, while demonstrating increased overall student satisfaction also note student concerns in the area of campus and neighborhood security. In response, UWM launched a SAFE Campaign with a campus goal to create a culture of safety awareness among students, faculty, staff and parents.

Campus and Neighborhood Security

Top Priorities:

• Safety efforts need to be better coordinated or centralized.

• A consistent educational safety message is necessary.• Expansion of current safety programs should

continue to be discussed, and assessed.• Campus safety must continue to be part of a larger

campus discussion.

Growing a Supportive Campus Climate

Primary Statement:

The purpose of the Campus Climate Working Group is to identify issues that are barriers to a welcoming and supportive campus environment, and propose strategies that are conducive to enhancing student learning and success.

Growing a Supportive Campus Climate

Top Priorities:

• Increase the inclusion of diversity across the curriculum, and diversity awareness and training for students, faculty, and staff;

• Enhance students’ access to administration/faculty (co-curricular activities) and their awareness of academic support resources, as well as UWM’s physical environment; and

• Improve collaboration and communication among student organizations and with the university departments to collectively impact students’ sociocultural and academic life.

Course-based Learning Communities for First Year Students

Primary Statement:

Due to the data-supported benefits, engage all entering first year students (and entering students transferring 30 or fewer credits) in a course-based learning community. Characteristics of a First-year Course-based Learning Community:– Enrolls only first year students.– Peer mentors assigned to assist with both curricular and

co-curricular aspects related to the course.– Other high-impact practices employed.– Incorporates a limited shared set of learning outcomes

appropriate to the first year.– Can be a primary section of a course or a discussion

section.

Course-based Learning Communities for First Year Students

Top Priorities:

• Incorporate Course-based Learning Communities into the revamped general education requirements, ensuring that the common set of ELOs (curricular and co-curricular) are identified and included in each course offered under this category.

• Build on transition courses (Living Learning Communities, First Year Seminars, Intro to Profession, Study Skills, Personal Finance, First Year Impact Sections, Paired Courses) already offered to include additional opportunities for all entering first year (and possibly transfer students) to participate – and to require participation.

• Best avenue for growth may be in the First Year Impact sections (first year student only lab or discussion sections of Gateway courses)

Next Steps

• Meetings begin on Friday, February 18, 2011

• Report submitted by May 1, 2011

• Additional feedback can be submitted to any of the members or administrative staff.