Transcript Best Practices for Fostering Student Learning and Success

Focusing on Student Success:
A Conversation about Quality
August 21, 2012
Southern Utah University
Charles Schroeder
Consultant
Presentation overview
• Why quality service… Why now? Changes and
challenges facing Southern Utah University (SUU).
•
Responding to our imperative: Creating a culture of quality
and service excellence throughout the University
•
Exploring and defining service excellence.
•
Next steps
Some observations on quality service
in higher education
• Colleges and universities have traditionally not been
very “student-centered”.
•
Colleges and universities tend to be inflexible and
bureaucratic with a “silo” service system mentality.
•
Staff are the “backbone” of the institution and they
often have more interaction with students than any
one else on campus; hence, staff make a tremendous
difference in the quality of interactions with students.
Challenges facing Southern Utah U.
•
Shifting economic agendas…scarce resources
•
Affordability and loan indebtedness
•
Need to reduce costs, increase net revenues, root out
waste and become more efficient and effective
•
Unacceptable retention, time to degree and grad rates
•
Accountability: “ Utah`s Mission Based Funding”
•
Specialization, fragmentation, compartmentalization
•
Higher expectations for comprehensive quality service
…pay more, expect more.
Exploring Quality Service: The good,
the bad and the ugly…
•
•
•
Delta airlines
Residence Life “Guarantee”
The “ultimate burger”
How did these “service providers” behave? If
you were their customer, how would you feel?
Service Excellence: Nurturing &
sustaining a supportive environment
Service excellence can best be described as a
measure of how consistently a service is
delivered when matched with students` and
other stakeholder's expectations. It is
“student-centered” and continually
communicates that “You matter to us”.
Our Aim: Student –Centered Systems
“High
friendliness” systems never subordinate
student convenience and needs in favor of the
convenience and needs of the people who work
within the system or the institution itself.
High Friendliness ?
“What part of NO don't you understand?”
Sign posted in a college's
financial aid office.
High Friendliness?
Financial Aid Office
Closed to Students
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Nurturing ? Sign in College Library
“To err is human, to forgive is not library
policy”
Student-Centered?
All faculty and staff may move directly to
the front of the line.
Sign at a college cafeteria
Where's the mercy???
Sign on the wall of a Baltimore Church:
“Trespassers
will be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law.”
Signed, The Sisters of Mercy
Magic Touch Service Legends
•
Miss Rita… Wofford College
•
Sandy …Admin. Asst. University of Missouri
•
T Lady…Mercer University
•
Vickie…American Airlines
The Magic Touch (What Really
Counts With Students)
•
Personalized attention –being treated like an individual with
very personal needs and a unique situation.
•
Positive behavior –respect, consideration, concern,
appreciation …in general, some “TLC”.
•
Being understood –their feelings, their point of view, and
the facts in the situation.
•
Helpfulness –results!
Service excellence is first and
foremost about …. VALUES !!!
• Caring
• Stewardship
• Learning
• Continuous improvement
• Responsibility and accountability
• And…shifting the paradigm
You gotta believe
The Student-Centered Philosophy.
Do you believe…..
• Because SUU students have a need, we have a job.
• Because SUU students have a choice, we must be the best
option.
• Because SUU students care, we must be considerate.
• Because we value SUU student's time, we must be quick.
• Because SUU students are unique, we must be flexible.
• Because SUU students have high expectations, we must excel.
• Because SUU students have influence, we have the hope of
more students.
• Because of SUU students, we exist.
Critical components of service
excellence
•
Student-centered service excellence philosophy
ALIGNED with a
•
Student-centered service excellence pledge
Question: What`s it like to get a drivers` license?
A Sample Service Strategy
Service to our students and other
customers will be fast, friendly, simple ,
effective and flexible.
If SUU adopted this strategy, how would it affect
the way you and other units would interact with
students, faculty and other customers?
Benefits of a “service pledge”
•
The pledge serves as a clear aim that focuses our efforts on
what matters in every transaction … fast, friendly, etc.
•
The pledge demonstrates our commitment to one another and
our customers.
•
The pledge provides common ground for teamwork and
“collective effort”.
•
The pledge provides the platform for continuous improvement
based upon clear and measurable service standards.
The Power of One … Quality Service
Starts with You!
• Quality service is a “front of the bus “ activity !
• If not you, who?
Appendix : Helpful resources
•
Key assumptions, perspectives and opportunities for
enhancing service excellence at Southern Utah University.
Do you believe that the student is...
… the most important person on the campus. Without students, there
would be no need for the University.
… not a cold enrollment statistic but a flesh and blood human being
with feelings and emotions like our own.
… not someone to be tolerated so that we can do our thing. Students
are our thing.
… not dependent on us. Rather, we are dependent on them.
… not an interruption of our work, but the purpose of it.
We are not doing them a favor by serving them. They are doing us a
favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.
You Can Be A Service Champion by:
•
Being student-centered all of the time
•
Being positive and enthusiastic
•
Giving students your undivided attention
•
Explaining policies and procedures
•
Suggesting ways to make the system more student-friendly
•
Solving problems quickly and fairly
•
Adopting a “whatever it takes” attitude
•
Showing you care
•
The “Golden Rule of Service”---Treating everyone as you
would like to be treated!
How do you and your unit…..
•
View SUU students, as well as other internal and external
customers, and their needs?
•
Feel empowered to make changes that will improve the
quality of SUU students` experience? If not, why not?
•
Characterized by respect for one another, teamwork and
shared responsibility for student success?
•
Know if you are making a difference and enough of a
difference?
•
Exhibit an unwavering commitment to continuous
improvement?
Targets of opportunity: Typical
dysfunctional system practices
• Holds on accounts
• Registration issues
• Course availability
• Parking problems
• Campus runaround
• Security and safety
• Residence hall maintenance
• Too much standing in line
• Quality of the food
• Financial aid disbursements
• Telephone system
(i.e. Bookstore; Registrar)
• Variability in advising
• Poor communication and
ineffective handoffs
Elements of Quality Service
•
Knowing what students (and other customers) want.
•
Exceeding students` expectations.
•
Ensuring student satisfaction wherever / whenever
possible.
•
Attention to detail.
•
Absence of frustration.
•
Getting it right the first time.
•
Service-oriented attitude on the part of the person
providing the service.
Key indicators of a service culture
In a service culture, members share the philosophy that
serving both external and internal customers is of prime
importance. A campus with a service culture strives for
outstanding service and uses that outstanding service
as a method of achieving success.
Most importantly, quality service is a shared, collective
responsibility!
Key indicators of service excellence:
• People take responsibility
• There are few barriers to communication and action
• People are responsive to the needs of internal and
external customers
• Front-line staff frequently ask if they can be of service
• People smile and look like they enjoy their work
• People continuously look for ways to improve
• Staff feel empowered to act
Key indicators of service excellence:
• People receive positive feedback from colleagues
• Customers are pleased after their interaction with staff
• Administrators help staff work to improve service
• Everyone works to identify and prevent problems
• People work to develop customer-oriented systems,
policies, and procedures
•
Staff anticipate the needs of their internal and external
customers.
You Can Be A Service Champion by:
•
Being student-centered all of the time
•
Being positive and enthusiastic
•
Giving students your undivided attention
•
Explaining policies and procedures
•
Suggesting ways to make the system more student-friendly
•
Solving problems quickly and fairly
•
Adopting a “whatever it takes” attitude
•
Showing you care
•
The “Golden Rule of Service”---Treating everyone as you
would like to be treated!
Presenter's contact information
Charles C. Schroeder
706-216-7457
[email protected]