Transcript From Recruitment to Retention - National Institute for the Study of

A Private Institution Panel Discussion of Best Practices that
Foster Transfer Student Success
Dr. Eric Gumm
Director of the First-Year Program
and Academic Development
15 years in Higher Education
11 years in the First-Year Program
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Located in Abilene, Texas
3,806 total undergraduates (fall 2011)
530 total undergraduate transfers (fall 2011)
864 freshmen (fall 2011)
149 transfers (fall 2011)
73.6% freshman retention rate
72.1% transfer retention rate
Brandon Miller
Assistant Vice President and Interim Director, Career
Services
Paul L. Foster Success Center
 735-acre campus in Waco, Texas, with an area
population greater than 229,000
 Enrollment:
 Undergraduate: 12, 575
 Freshmen: 3,033
 Transfer: 449
 First Time Freshmen Fall to Fall – 84%
 Transfer Fall to Fall – 77.5%
Nancy Skochdopole
Director of Transfer and Transition Services
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Located in Dallas, Texas
6,221 total undergraduates (fall 2011)
943 total undergraduate transfers (fall 2011)
1382 first years (fall 2011)
265 transfers (fall 2011)
88.6% first-year retention rate
88.1% transfer retention rate
Denise Giesbers
Director - Office of Transfer Student Services,
Information, Communication and Division Visibility
13 years in Student Affairs
12 years in Transfer Student specific role
Pacific University
•Location: Forest Grove, Oregon
•Fees:
•Tuition and Fees: $33,670
•Room and Board: $10,165
•Undergraduate Enrollment: 1603
•First Year Student Enrollment 2011- 374
•Transfer Student Enrollment 2011 – 74
•3 year Retention Average for Freshman – 77.3%
•3 year Retention Average for Transfers – 72.4%
(this # is skewed due to how our reporting structure was set-up. Before 2009 our international exchange
students were included in this number.
 Counselors attend ~ 40 college fairs each season at
top feeder schools and across region, including Phi
Theta Kappa events
 University partners with top feeder schools
through articulation, pre-admission and reverse
transfer agreements
 Admissions sponsors Mustang Express Decisions –
15 MEDs offered this spring
 Prospective students invited to on-campus events
– Transfer Tuesdays, Quick Connect Workshops,
Transfer Stampede and Mustang Evening
 Transfer Open Advising Day offered as yield event
 Admission and Registrar Offices partner to make sure
admission decision delivered to applicants within 14
days
 Recruiting tools developed including brochure and
Quick Connects
 Counselors hand out
informational sheets
called Quick Connects at
fairs and interviews
 Quick Connects for
specific majors, general
education curriculum
and unique populations
 Merit scholarships automatic to students with 50 or more
transferable hours and……
 3.5 – 3.69 GPA - $3,000
 3.7 or higher GPA – Half Tuition
 10 full tuition scholarships awarded each fall to transfers
from North Texas community colleges (application and
interview required)
 20 Phi Theta Kappa scholarships awarded to active
members with 3.5 or higher GPA – $2,000 (application
required)
 Dedicated Counselor
 Here are the basic transfer requirements for
admission to Pacific University…
 Minimum of a 2.7 Cumulative GPA at the college level
 All Official College Transcripts mailed from each
college you have attended
(If you have completed 30 semester credits (45 quarter
credits), then you do NOT have to include your official high
school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores.)
 Completed transfer application (online via Common
Application)
 500-800 word essay
 One letter of recommendation (can be from a
professor, counselor or work supervisor who can
speak to your academic motivation and focus)
 Other recommendations: Evidence of ability to
successfully take a full semester/quarter of SOLID college
classes above the 100 level. We typically accept college
courses above the 100 level with grades of C- or higher.
 Preferred application deadline for spring ’12 is
January 1, 2012
 Preferred application deadline for fall ’12 is June 15,
2012
3 Weeks!- Once your application file is complete
and we have admitted you to Pacific University, it usually
takes up to three weeks to receive your official transcript
evaluation from us in the mail. Your financial aid award
letter will be e-mailed out to you starting the third week in
March.
 $$ Increased Merit Scholarships for Transfers (effective Fall 2012)…
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We offer our transfer students automatic and renewable merit
scholarships based on your cumulative college GPA:
2.9 – 3.29 ($10,500)
3.3 – 3.49 ($11,500)
3.5-3.69 ($15,000)
3.7 - 3.8 ($19,000)
3.81 and higher ($22,000)
OREGON SCHOLARSHIPS (Apply by March 1)
 Oregon Student Assistance Commission: www.GetCollegeFunds.org
 Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships…
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If you are a member of this national transfer honor society at your
community college, you can apply for additional scholarships worth up
to $2,500 a year! Please be sure to apply early (January – March) as we
only have 15 to award.
 Welcome Weekend
 Our orientation for new spring students
 Primary population is transfer students
 Focus on getting them “up to speed”
 Passport – our New Student Orientation
 2 sessions each summer
 Combined event for freshmen and transfer students
 Welcome Week
 Five days of transition experiences
 Specific groups for transfer students
 Those groups are lead by a Transfer Peer Leader
 Transfer Peer Leaders remain in contact with their
students for a full academic year
 Contact includes weekly emails highlighting activities
on and off campus to encourage student involvement
and engagement
 Mustang Transfers – offers fellowship and
philanthropy for all transfer students
 Tau Sigma National Honor Society – offers
opportunity for fellowship and service as peer mentors
 Baylor Transfer Council (BTC)
 Dedicated to serving transfer students by promoting
activities that enhance the spiritual, social, physical,
and intellectual well-being of their lives. Seeks to
provide its members with leadership and service
opportunities and promote transfer student
involvement and is committed to recruiting new
transfer students and to assisting current transfer
students in their transition to Baylor University.
 BTC hosts Welcome Weekend social activities in the
Spring for new transfer students
 Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society is an academic
honor society designed specifically to "recognize and
promote the academic excellence and involvement of
transfer students.“
 Tau Sigma hosts a Transfer Mixer for all new transfers
and serves as academic mentors
 Tau Sigma President and Vice President serve as
members of the Transfer Living-Learning Center
Steering Committee
• Orientation –
• 1 ½ -2 day Orientation (part of which is integrated in
with the Freshman). Additional 2 days of programming
they are invited to
• Ambassadors (leaders) are also their peer mentors for
the 1st semester.
• Ambassadors contact their mentee’s during the
summer to answer questions and make a connection
before they arrive.
• Dinner/luncheon with faculty
• Student Organization
– Pacific Connections – organization all transfers belong to by
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virtue of being a transfer.
Can be as active or inactive as the student chooses.
Primary responsibility: social programming for transfers.
Works with OTSS on 90% of all other programming for this
population.
Provides support for Admissions (tours, panels, etc…)
Transfer Student Senator – Must be a current executive
member.
 Institutional Grant – Focused on Retention,
Recruitment, & Research
 Become pro-active vs. re-active in planning
 Lunch Box Series – “Transfer”mation Lunch Series (permission to use the name given at 9th
NISTS conference)
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Provide students with topics for both in and outside of the classroom
Most popular – How to Get Into Grad School
 Internal and external marketing (see samples)
 Solidify evaluation methods and system on our Transfer
Student Services and evaluate Transfer Orientation
 New Academic Advising Center –
 Each Transfer Student will meet with the Director to
assist with this transition.
 Specific course for transfer students
 CORE 115 – Critical Thinking and Identity
 A course only for new transfer students
 Satisfies a core requirement
 Also brings new transfer students together
 The same data you have for your first-time freshmen,
you should also have for your new transfers
 Quantitative and Qualitative in Nature
 Data Warehouse
 Enrollment Funnel
 Admissions Data – Top five transfer institutions and GPA
 Fall to Fall Retention
 Fall to Spring Retention
 Academic Referrals and Mid – Term Deficiencies
 Academic Support Programs
 Non-registered for the next semester
 Predictive Models for semester retention
 Evaluation of the Transfer Year Experience Course
 Admission Focus Groups
 Profile of transfer students below a 2.0 GPA
 To provide more opportunity to discuss together, we
will now break out into smaller groups.
 We have a sheet that we invite you to use in your group
to discuss and share ideas in these four areas.
 After some time for discussion, we will bring everyone
back together and ask each group to share 1-2 ideas.
 Thank you for attending this session, and for your
participation in the discussion.
 Please complete your evaluation of the session.
 We invite you to continue to conversation as the
conference continues as well as beyond the conference.
 Denise Giesbers – [email protected]
 Eric Gumm – [email protected]
 Nancy Skochdopole - [email protected]