Improving Student Success:Academic Advising &

The Completion Agenda Thomas J. Grites, Ph.D.

Assistant ProvostTom.Grites@stockton.edu

Sample Audience PollUsing the chat feature, please let us know who is participating from your institution today.

A. Academic Advising Administrator(s) B. Academic Advisor(s) C. Admissions/Enrollment Management Staff

D. Student Affairs Staff (Orientation, Career Development, etc.)

E. Faculty Members F. Other(s) (please specify)

The Big Picture

• Collaboration: working together… or too many fingers in the pie?

• Collision: a clash among forces … or a new “Big Bang Theory”?

The Big Drivers a.k.a. The Completion Agenda

• Obama - 2020 Goal: US will return to 1st in the world in proportion of population (ages 25 – 34) with some form of post-secondary education; assumes 90% high school graduation rate

• Lumina Foundation – 2025 - “The Big Goal” 60% of Americans will hold some kind of “high quality”

credential• Current Status (age 25+): 9.5% have Associate’s

credential and 32.9% have Bachelor’s or higherSource: US Census Bureau (2011)

What do these goals mean?• To meet the 2020 Obama goal we will need to

double our current US college enrollments (to 40 million students) by 2016

• To meet the 2025 Lumina goal we will need to produce an additional 166,000 US college graduates per year, each year- in New Jersey (now at 44.6%) we will need to graduate 765,000 additional students, an increase of c. 5,600 per year, each year, for 14 years

Sources: Lumina (2010); Chronicle, Sept 20, 2011; Duncan (2012)

Yet…• Retention Rates and (5-Year) Graduation Rates have

remained relatively constant for the past 40 years; defined in late 1980s, but still used today

• c. 75% and 52% respectively (4-year Schools)• c. 56% and 28% (3 years; 2-year schools) Source: ACT Institutional Data

AND

Best Practices institutions only yield c. 71% retention and 50% (6-year) graduation rates

Source: Primary Research Group (2013)

…and moreDegree Completion Status after 7 years

Bachelor's degree by year 4 35%Bachelor’s degree year 5 to 7 30%Associate’s degree only 4%No degree, but still enrolled 10%No degree, not enrolled 22%

Source: ACT Information Brief 2012-18

A good thing…

Transfer students and part-time students will now be counted in institutional success statistics, since both the Obama and the Lumina Completion Agenda goals are based on the number of graduates, not graduation rates.

most students are now counted as “failures” (including President Obama)

The Competing Forces

VS.

Enrollment Growth

Legislative and Legal ActionsTechnological

AdvancesSources of

Credit

Accreditation and SLOs

Career OutlookAbility to Pay

Value

Enrollment Growth• Most likely to be in the community colleges

($$$$ from the Federal government, Lumina, Gates Foundation, etc. are targeted for technical programs/careers, adult non-completers)

Will there be a return to the original CC mission?But downsizing programs (athletics, adult ed.,

remediation) Sources: AACC, 2012; White House, 2012; USA Today, 3/19/12

• More transfer students in the 4-year sector(vertical, lateral & reverse transfers, swirlers; non-

traditional credit sources; shift in course needs?)

Legislative and Legal Action - Federal

The credit hour vs. competency-based learning The state oversight rule (online students)* The gainful employment rule The “maintenance of effort” requirement (states)

(2 states have been sanctioned; 20 others cited, but complied)

Doubling the interest rate on student loans (July 1, 2013)

No (Senior) ROTC credit = no Federal $$$* (HR 2628)

*joint commission appointed to make recommendations (5/23/12)

Legislative & Legal Action - StatesYour State Statewide Transfer Agreements - ?

Floridacommon Gen Ed curriculum, common course numbering, Junior status, no more CCs, no funding for liberal arts majors

Texassome of the above; the $10,000 Bachelor’s degree (2 created); the “slacker” law; the 6-course withdrawal limit)

California(proposed): potential outsourcing to unaccredited institutions; “New University of California” – exams only, no faculty, and free

Legislative & Legal Action - StatesIndianacreate statewide core curriculum to reduce cost per degree, increase on-time completion; limit of 120 credits; common course numbering; more performance-based funding

Michiganconstitutional case re: 2-year schools awarding 4-year degrees

Colorado and TennesseeReverse transfer agreements; PLA (CO)Idaho students to complete 2 years of college by end of high school via online courses in the junior and senior years

Legislative & Legal Action Institutions

• Return of the 4-year guarantee (even though it never worked before…or always worked before)

• Reducing General Education requirements (e.g., Kansas U reduced by 50%)

• Requiring Orientation and Advising (a CC lost 20% of its enrollment, resulting in $800K loss in state funding)

• “Steering” (Columbia University) – Civil Rights violation; to/from courses or instructors

Legislative & Legal Action Institutions (Cont)

• Dartmouth – AP now for placement only • Union College – “last semester free”• Davenport University – guaranteed job in major• UC-Irvine – free chemistry curriculum online• Ohio State – tuition-free summer session• U of Iowa – summer classes free (2014)• U of Central Missouri – “15 to Finish” scholarship• U of Akron – Express to Success: test-prep tutorials

What’s Going On In Your World?

Using the chat feature, please indicate in a few

words what other kinds of actions are being considered, developed, proposed, or implemented in your state or institution that are in response to the goals of the Completion Agenda.

Advances in Technology/Applications

• The “Big Data” phenomenon (analytics for marketing, policymaking, hiring, and instructional potential – advising?)

• MOOCs and badges – no cost, no degree, just skills

Sources of Credit

• AP, IB, CLEP, DSST, ACE, etc• Dual Credit, Dual Enrollment (high schools)• Degree Completion Programs (at CCs)• Degree Granting Programs (at CCs; 465 in 2010)• Reverse Transfer• Work, Military, Life Experiences (PLA)• Competency Based Learning/Credit

versus

Accreditation and SLOs

“Middle States’ accreditation…attests…that an institution has met the following criteria:…that it is guided by well-defined and appropriate goals, including goals for student learning; {and} that it assesses both institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes, and uses the results for improvement” (p. iv).

…continued

• Lumina characterizes “high quality” degrees and certificates as those in which specific learning outcomes can be demonstrated.

• Lumina’s Degree Qualifications Profile* - framework for SLOs in 5 areas of learning at the Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s levels

* American Historical Association has begun this effort

A word about “Remediation” Costs $2 – 3 billion/year, increases the time-to-degree, decreases

the likelihood to complete, and increases student debt.

Research is showing testing is not a good means for placement.

At least 21 states either prohibit remediation or do not fund it in their 4-year institutions.

Newest action – the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central (accrediting) Association sanctioned a community college in AZ essentially for strengthening its admissions standards, which eliminated many students who would need remediation; the change did not reflect the institution’s mission of “its role in serving the public good in its community.”

Career Outlook• Demand and focus clearly seem to be in the technical areas (STEM

disciplines and job availability) – where the $$$$ are going

• Yet employers still complain about “the character, interpersonal skills and comportment of the young people they encounter” as well as “such basic skills as writing a clear memo were called into question” (i.e., the need for and value of a liberal education) (Farkas, Public Agenda, 2011)

• The good news – demand for a degree has increased to over 50% with 44% demanding a 4-year degree (MoneyWatch, March 28, 2013)

Ability to PayStudent level• average loan debt: $26,600 (CNNMoney.com)

• >50 % are in default or deferment (insidearm.com)

Question: Approximately how much average student loan debt do “baby boomers” still owe?

A. $33,000B. $23,000C. $13,000D. $ 3,000E. $ 0F. None of the above

Ability to Pay

Average Student Loan Balances:Ages 50 – 59: $23,183Ages 60 – 69: $19,225

Social Security Garnishments 2000: N = 6 2012: N > 122, 000

Ability to Pay

Federal level Federal Education Budget Project with “scorecard” – includes: costs, graduation rates, ability to repay loans, amount of debt, and earnings potential (“gainful employment”) Institutional level• reduced state funding (11% in the last 5 years)• over $300M since 2007• accelerated programs using the new sources of credit & provide more online education

The Value of It All?The ROI : financial and social

The debate about necessity:

"pro“- college credentials help people's employment prospects, and the country will need more workers with degree-certified skills in the years to come, not fewer (Anthony Carnevale in Lederman)

"con" - the rapid upturn in the number of Americans with degrees has resulted in many of them taking jobs that don't require advanced skills, inflating the requirements for those jobs and squeezing many non-degreed people out of jobs, which leads to too many Americans going to college, especially in pursuit of bachelor's degrees and higher(Richard Vedder in Lederman)

What’s the (Big) Result?We will likely have:

more studentsmore remediation (or less)more transfer studentsmore degree optionsmore means to earn degrees and certificatesmore scrutinymore legislation

less financial support

Where Are We Headed?

On a collision course… more degrees awarded, in shorter time, with

fewer credits, in more convenient modes, from new sources QUALITY OF THE DEGREE

similar retention and graduation rates (now reported over 8 years), with accreditors and employers requiring more and better demonstrable skills, more student debt

What Do We Do?

Our jobs, as academic advisors and administrators

Recognize and anticipate the competing forces

Adhere to the NACADA Concept Statement, Core Values, and the CAS Standards

Use the “Advising as Teaching” philosophy and strategies Help create an experience through which each student obtains a

“high quality” degree

In Fact…

Academic advisors just might be the only ones who will have the ongoing

opportunities to develop and preserve the quality of education that we espouse in our mission statements, our Bulletins

and Program guides, our recruitment efforts, our rankings, and even our

accreditation reports.

In Fact…

The quality of higher education, as reflected in all these degrees and certificates to be awarded in the next decade, rests in our

hands.

References/Resources ACT Retention/Completion Summary Tables (2012) and 1991 – 2012 trends.http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/12retain_trends.pdf

American Association of State Colleges and Universities. (April 2010). “Maintenance of Effort” An Evolving Federal-State Policy Approach to Ensuring College Affordability. Policy Matters brief available at http://www.aascu.org/policy/publications/policymatters/2010/maintenanceofeffort.pdf

California Community Colleges Student Success Scorecard (2013) Retrieved April10 from http://scorecard.cccco.edu/scorecardrates.aspx?CollegeID=000

College Affordability and Transparency Centerhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education/college-score-card

References/ Resources (cont)Duncan, A. (2012, July 12). New state-by-state college attainment numbers

show progress toward 2020 goal. USDOE.http://

www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-state-state-college-attainment-numbers-show-progresstoward-2020-goal

Lederman, D. (January 28, 2013). The College Grad/Employment Mismatch. Inside Higher Ed. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/28/are-college-graduates-underemployed-and-if-so-why

Lumina Big Goal 2025 (contains interactive map for states and link to related article); (2010)

http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Map-States-Must/124550/

References/ Resources (cont)National Conference of State Legislatures, 2012 Higher Education Legislation

http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/higher-education-legislation-2012.aspx

Oliff, P., Palacios, V., Johnson, I., & Leachman, M. (2013, March 19). Recent deep state higher education cuts may harm students and the economy for years to come. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3927

Primary Research Group. The Survey of Best Practices in Student Retention, 2013 Edition (2013). www.PrimaryResearch.com

Shapiro, D. & Dundar, A. (2013). Signature report: State supplement: (#4) Completing college: A state-level view of student attainment rates. Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

http://www.studentclearinghouse.info/signature/4state/

THANK YOU!

Thomas J. Grites, Ph.D.Assistant ProvostRichard Stockton College of New Jersey101 Vera King Farris DriveGalloway, NJ 08205Phone: (609) 652-4871Tom.Grites@Stockton.edu