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Unconquered Scholars
An Initiative of the Center for
Academic Retention and
Enhancement at Florida State
University
David Kenton, JD
Grace Gowdy, MSW
Outline of Presentation
Program Introduction
History
Demographics
Program Structure
Student Involvement in Program
Program Evaluation
Program Introduction
CARE: Center for Academic Retention
and Enhancement
Retention Office for first-generation Pell-eligible
college students
Unconquered Scholars: facilitated
through CARE
Initiative targeting the retention of CARE students
who were formerly in foster care, relative care, or a
ward of the State
Program Introduction
Summer 2012
• CARE
started
informal
research on
what
students
needed
• College of
Social Work
gathered
research on
what other
schools are
doing
• Met with
DCF and
HANDY
Fall 2012
• Hired
Program
Coordinator
• Welcomed
first class of
Unconquere
d Scholars
• Students
wrote
Mission
statement
• Met with
Guardian
Scholars
Program at
UC Fullerton
Fall 2013
• Welcomed
second class
of
Unconquere
d Scholars
• Presented at
DCF Child
Welfare
Summit
• Expansion:
Student
Advisory
Board
• Expansion:
Biweekly
Groups for
each cohort
Present
• Average
GPA of 3.05
• Maintaining
a retention
rate of 100%
• 28 students
engaged on
campus
through
RSO
Executive
Boards, oncampus
employment
and honor
society
membership
Program Introduction
Cohort I
Cohort II
Total
19
9
28
Female
84%
67%
79%
Male
16%
33%
21%
Black (non-Hispanic)
74%
89%
79%
White (non-Hispanic)
16%
11%
14%
Hispanic
10%
0%
7%
Formal Relative Care
21%
33%
25%
Foster Care / Ward of State
21%
33%
26%
Informal Relative Care
58%
33%
49%
Scholars
Program Structure Highlights
Academic
Readiness
• Tutoring Lab
(through CARE)
• Midterm
Semester
Report
(through CARE)
• Group
Curriculum:
On-campus
Resource
Education
Social Support
• Group
Curriculum:
Team Building,
Group Cohesion
• Volunteer
Events
• Student Board
• Success Coach
(through CARE)
• Mentorship
program
(Fall 2014)
Financial
Literacy
• Group
Curriculum:
finance
education
• Budgeting
Exercise with
Coordinator
• Financial
Advisor
(through CARE)
Crisis
Management
• Advocacy as
organized
group
• Pre-emptive
crisis
management
with
Coordinator
• Resource
network across
campus
Student Involvement in Program
To help articulate the program further, here is a list of the
student’s involvement in the program.
Required Time Commitments
• Group Meetings with Cohort
• Meetings with Coordinator
• Freshmen: Weekly Tutorial Lab
Hours
• Freshmen: Midterm Semester
Reports
• Freshmen and Sophomores:
Meetings with Success Coach
As Needed & Voluntary
• Access to Campus Resource
Network
• Volunteer Events
(Example: FYLA Kickoff)
• Special Events
(Example: Awareness Dinner)
• Student Advisory Board
• Mentorship Program
• Meeting with CARE Academic
and Financial Advisors
Program Evaluation
 Surveys given at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester
covering three of the four program pillars: academic readiness, social
support, and financial literacy.
 The crisis management pillar is measured by the number of referrals
the Coordinator makes to the on-campus resource network.
 For the 2013 – 2014 school year, our evaluation is as follows:
Academic
Readiness
Social Support
Financial
Literacy
Crisis
Management
• Combined
number of
referrals went
down by 14%
• Cohort I
improved by
0.08 points
• Cohort I
improved by
0.02 points
• Cohort I
improved by
0.14 points
• Cohort II
decreased by
0.18 points
• Cohort II
improved by
0.09 points
• Cohort II
improved by
0.43 points
• Cohort I had
12 less
referrals
overall than
Cohort II
Questions?
David Kenton: [email protected]
Grace Gowdy: [email protected]
CARE Office: [email protected]