News

Recruiting and Admitting First-Generation Students

A 2011 Chronicle of Higher Education review of federal data found that less than 15 percent of undergraduates at the 50 colleges and universities — both public and private — with the largest endowments received Pell Grants in 2008-09; the findings gathered considerable attention in the media because of the conclusion that America’s most selective schools are finding only slow improvement in bringing in more lower-income students. It’s important to note, though, that many four-year institutions of varying size and selectivity struggle with how to effectively recruit and retain lower-income and first-generation students. In an interview with Academic Impressions this week, Mary Ontiveros, Colorado State University’s vice president for diversity, suggested four key steps to boosting the enrollment of lower-income, first-generation students in ways that not only admit them to your institution but also help set them up for success after they arrive: Educate your staff about the challenges first-gen students face Form a first-gen faculty outreach group Engage in proactive outreach to local high schools Provide resources for parents of first-generation students Educate Your Staff about Challenges First-Gen Students Face “Too many institutions don’t recognize the extent to which first-gen students are really at a disadvantage. We’ve completed research […]

Greening Your Dining Services: Key Opportunities

A quick scan of the nation’s media will show a plethora of stories about institutions adopting practices such as trayless dining and — in some cases — composting or purchasing of local and organic food. Dining services professionals continue to face pressure from student groups and administrators to “green” their operations, work with local farmers, and reduce waste emissions; yet few institutions have taken a comprehensive approach to sustainable dining, moving beyond going trayless to making a substantive impact on the campus’ carbon footprint. To identify some low-cost opportunities and learn more about how dining services professionals can think comprehensively about greening dining services, we turned to one of the forerunners in this area — Nell Fry, the sustainability coordinator for Georgia Tech’s dining services. Here is Fry’s advice. Understand Your Footprint “Where to start: think about your carbon footprint as a dining services operation on campus. With all the equipment and water we’re using, often a dining services operation can have five times the footprint of anywhere else on campus.” Nell Fry, Georgia Tech “Trayless and composting are very good and easy first steps,” Fry suggests, “but there are lots of easy, simple, and inexpensive next steps you can take. Look at […]

A Strategic Road Map for Campus Sustainability Efforts

Recent stats from The Princeton Review indicate that 69 percent of college applicants now cite as a factor in their college choice an institution’s level of commitment to environmental sustainability. Higher education institutions in the US and globally are recognizing the importance of sustainability, but many struggle with knowing where to begin or how to develop the grassroots initiatives already in play. The media is filled with stories of institutions adopting various one-off programs, from trayless dining to student-directed recycling programs to “green” capital projects and energy efficiency measures. However, few institutions have established an institution-wide strategy for directing investments in sustainability in ways that have positive and measurable impact on key measures of institutional health (such as cost savings, student recruitment and retention, and alumni/donor engagement) and that differentiate the institution from competing schools. “The campus sustainability movement has been gaining momentum for more than a decade, and yet it still adds up to little more than an itemized list of ad hoc actions taken in the areas of curriculum, research, facilities, campus operations, and community outreach. These actions are many times implemented without an overarching strategic model that guides and informs appropriate sequencing or rationale. It’s time for […]

Supporting International Student Success

A recent preliminary survey conducted by three researchers — Peter Mather, an Ohio University assistant professor of higher education and student affairs; Bethany Schweitzer, a recent Ohio University doctoral graduate; and Gunter Morson, head of higher education and careers at England’s CATS College — revealed that while most international students feel welcomed and at home on their college campuses, many have a low sense of belonging in the US generally and face challenges in making the transition to American culture. These same students voice concern over the lack of support from the institution in making that transition. One student remarked about the international student services available, “The office helped in all administrative matters, but nothing more. Please, do not get me wrong: they were very helpful, but they did not help in my transition from Mexican to American culture.” Other students cited feelings of isolation and culture shock, as well as difficulties adjusting to the social expectations of the American classroom. The survey results, though taken from a small sample, raise interesting questions. As more colleges and universities feeling the pressure of budget cuts make significant investments in recruiting and admitting international students, what steps can they take to ensure that […]

Safety and Risk Management Training for Faculty Leading Study Abroad: Part 2

Recent international crises have prompted evacuations of American and Canadian students studying abroad, and have lent some urgency to reviewing risk management for study abroad programs. One area needing particular attention is the role of faculty who are on the ground leading study abroad programs overseas. Trained in scholarship and pedagogy, these program leaders may be unaware of what additional safety and risk management training they may need in order to lead students overseas — and many institutions offer little clarity of faculty members’ roles while abroad. This week, we turned to Margaret Wiedenhoeft, associate director of the Center for International Programs at Kalamazoo College (who manages study abroad programs in China, France, India, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Thailand), to ask for a checklist of questions faculty leading study abroad need to have answers to, informed by lessons learned from recent overseas crises. Checklist of Safety Questions Wiedenhoeft advises that faculty leaders of study abroad programs need to be equipped with ready answers to a series of safety and risk management questions: What is the faculty member’s role while overseas, and what specific responsibilities do they have beyond delivery of the academic content of the program? “Make expectations explicit,” Wiedenhoeft […]

Recruiting Students: Five Tips for Making the Most of Facebook

April 14, 2011. In our January – February 2011 edition of Higher Ed Impact: Monthly Diagnostic, which identified opportunities for using social media to move the needle on key objectives in student recruitment, student engagement, and fundraising, we highlighted the ethnographic research of danah boyd (sic), a social media researcher with Microsoft Research New England and a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Among other findings, boyd noted that young adults use Facebook not to build or expand their personal or professional network (as, for example, adults in their 20s and 30s use LinkedIn), but to connect with their pre-existing network of friends and social contacts. This has implications for how institutions leverage Facebook for recruiting. A lot of institutions have invested in posting large amounts of content to Facebook pages that are designed to interest prospective students in the campus community, invite them to subscribe, and build networks of prospects and applicants. More efficient and effective uses of Facebook, however, use smaller amounts of very targeted content to get prospects conversing with their current network about the institution, sharing information, or completing specific tasks. To learn more about how institutions can make the most out of Facebook for recruiting students, […]

Helping Veteran Students Succeed

April 14, 2011. Veteran students represent a growing demographic of college students, and that demographic is likely to grow further as more military members return to the states from the overseas wars in the Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking college degrees and transitions into the civilian workforce. Yet veterans (and military students in general) face unique challenges in the transition from combat to the classroom, and colleges and universities face continuing challenges in supporting veteran students and integrating them effectively into the campus community. Two challenges in particular stand out: Many veterans continue to feel isolated on college campuses Many veterans face confusion over their GI Bill benefits Both of these challenges impact the likelihood of retention and degree completion. The first is an obstacle to securing peer support that would improve academic performance, and the second is a barrier to the financial viability of degree completion. An article in USA Today this week highlighted some of the measures colleges are taking to make their campuses “military-friendly” — measures such as peer mentoring programs, special orientation sessions, and establishing veterans centers on campus. To learn more about where colleges can see the greatest impact on academic performance and retention for veteran students, we […]

Identifying and Intervening with At-Risk Students

  In this issue: Where Current Retention Efforts Fall Short Starting with Fit: Defining and Delivering the Unique Student Experience Designing the Student Experience: Building Bridges across Student and Academic Affairs Delivering on the Promise: Removing Barriers to Student Success Identifying and Intervening with At-Risk Students Even with a clearly defined student experience; close alignment of people, practice, and policy; and a concentrated effort to remove barriers to a student’s momentum in pursuing educational goals, some students will remain unlikely to persist. With a well-coordinated early warning system, an institution can intervene and provide or refer the necessary support to ensure more students stay enrolled and ultimately graduate. Identifying At-Risk Students: What Data Are You Looking At? The earlier an academically at-risk student is identified, the better the prognosis for their success in college. Early alert systems, implemented within the first four to eight weeks of a term, can be instrumental in beginning an intervention that can help facilitate students’ success and increase retention. However, faced with frequent studies offering multitudinous data on factors influencing student attrition, it can be challenging to sort through the information available to determine what indicators deserve most attention, both to proactively identify students who may […]

Delivering on the Promise: Removing Barriers to Student Success

  In this issue: Where Current Retention Efforts Fall Short Starting with Fit: Defining and Delivering the Unique Student Experience Designing the Student Experience: Building Bridges across Student and Academic Affairs Delivering on the Promise: Removing Barriers to Student Success Identifying and Intervening with At-Risk Students In a recent interview with Academic Impressions, Dennis Pruitt, vice president for student affairs at the University of South Carolina, suggested that one of the most critical factors in ensuring student success is ensuring momentum toward the degree: “Historically, many have assumed that if students get over their homesickness, if they have a good affinity group, if they feel good on campus, they’ll persist. But the two factors that truly help students persist are academic progress toward a degree (having a goal and gaining momentum toward it) and maintaining maximum eligibility for the maximum amount of financial aid (to ensure non-interruption in their courses).” Dennis Pruitt, U of South Carolina This suggests that more than anything else, supporting student success is about empowering students to build momentum toward their goals, and removing barriers to their momentum. To learn more, we turned to Kevin Pollock, the president of St. Clair County Community College, and Don […]

Tackling the Retention Challenge: Defining and Delivering a Unique Student Experience

by Amit Mrig

In this report: April 2011. Large organizations in any industry often suffer from a misalignment of people, policies, and practice. Colleges and universities are no different. And the issue of student retention is a prime example of when good intentions, money, and technology aren’t enough to overcome policies, structures, and incentives that work at odds with one another. Amid the increased public pressure on completion rates, many colleges are pursuing one-off programs whose impact is sometimes difficult to measure. Less focus has been paid to the need for a broader conversation of organizational alignment as a means of tackling the root causes which contribute to student attrition, increased costs, and external demands for accountability. The first step in promoting student success is to define the specific educational experience and value an institution offers to students — and then align recruitment strategy, organizational structures, student support initiatives, academic policies, and incentives to support that experience and ensure that the institution delivers on its promise. That’s why we’ve convened a cadre of experts in higher education policy, research, and practice to present an integrated, strategic view of the challenges and opportunities for addressing student success. We hope their insights and advice will be […]