Making Connections:

A Retention Plan

for

Second-Year Students

Sophomore ““““Slump” Slump” Slump” Slump” to

Sophomore “Jump!”“Jump!”“Jump!”“Jump!”

Statistics:*

� Nationally, only 70% of freshmen return to start

their second year of college.

� Of that group, 83% move forward to their junior

year, while 17% drop out only to enter a bleak

job market.

* Sanborne, L. (2011, Mar 16). Raising completion and graduation rates: 2 clues for action beyond the first year.

Retrieved from http://blog.noellevitz.com

Why do students leave?

� Financial Difficulties

� Lack of focus (undecided major/minor)

� Boredom/apathy

� Lack of Social Integration and Involvement

� Poor Academic Performance despite remedial

coursework in their Freshman Year

� Personal/health issues

� Feelings of inadequacy

- students may feel “invisible” on campus

- fewer programs than during the Freshman Year

- lack of connections with faculty

What positively affects student success?

✏✏✏✏ ENGAGEMENT:1. Interaction with faculty

2. Use of student services

● advising: deciding on a major (setting goals)

-help students find their “purpose”

-help students feel that they CAN succeed!

- Nealy found that “advisement is the most important variable for second-year retention.”**

● assistance with internships/co-op/study abroad

● programming for second-year students

3. Participation in “intentional institutional interventions”

** Nealy, M. (2005). Key to student retention—strong advising (as cited in Hunter, M. S., Tobolowsky, B. F, & Gardner, J. N., and Associates (2010). Helping Sophomores Succeed – Understanding the Second-Year Experience, p. 40.

SVSU Second-Year Retention Plan:

Series of initiatives put in place to aid in retention:

● Schedule Review:

-Reviewed F’12 schedules: 2.0-2.49 cum. GPA

RESULTS: 55/205 needed a schedule adjustment (27%)

-Reviewed W’13 schedules:

RESULTS: 121/333 needed a schedule adjustment (36%)

-2.0-2.49 cum. GPA: 79/205 = 39% (23.7% of total)

-2.5-2.75 cum. GPA: 42/128 = 33% (12.6% of total)

Question: Why are so many students having scheduling difficulties?? What “aren’t we doing

right?” What could we be doing differently? Are WE (as an institution) in a “slump?”

● Email Outreach/Student Success Handouts

● “Congratulations on Surviving Your Freshman Year,” time to choose a major, etc.

● SAP notifications (+ notations in DATATEL –STAL notes for advisors)

● MAP-Works survey follow-up emails (Financial, Socio-emotional)

● Periodic emails informing of Reg. dates/Withdrawal dates, etc.

- Checklist of “How to Access the SVSU catalog” and the

components of a degree at SVSU

- “Your Second Year of College: Time to Explore. Time to Set

Goals!”

-Timeline for Success

● Cross-monitoring by Various Campus Constituents

● Second-Year Retention, Student Worker (MAPS, emails, data analysis)

● KCP Program Coordinator

● Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Services

● Resident Director of Second-Year Suites

� Establish Relationship� One-on-One meetings (establish

trust and communication)

� Daily communication through Facebook/V-Space/Twitter (updates on anything they need to know)

� Communication through phone/text/email

� Availability and priority to students for mentoring, counseling, advocacy, and support. ( Conduct board/Safe Space etc.)

� Use of student peer mentors

� Steps to Success

Communication and collaboration with Student Service Offices on campus

Referrals to offices and follow-through

Individual advising/help with registering/financial aid, etc.

Working closely with OMS/Academic Advising in giving complete services.

Individual Student Success Plans

� Study Goals (Mandatory Study Hours)

� Academic Goals

� Goals pertaining to personal barriers to success

● Coordination of efforts with:

- Office of Multicultural Student Services

- Center for Academic Achievement

- College of Education

- Health and Human Services workshops

to offer a yearly schedule of workshops

-allow time to market/advertise

-allow students time to plan

Additional Tools:

� FOCUS

Career Interest Inventory

- self-assessment

(values, personality, skills, etc.)

� MAP-Works:

Making Achievement Possible

- self-reporting survey four times per year

● Focus Survey Anecdotes:

- “Alyssa:” - Student was ready to transfer because we

don’t offer a major in Journalism ✏ became a Prof. Tech. writing major!

- “Stacey:” - Student wanted to be a stewardess (great

math/chemistry student - 3.66 cum. GPA!) ✏ OT, Management

- “Michelle:” Senior who had lost direction. Had tried Nursing, Education,

✏ Social Work

● MAPS Referrals & and other anecdotes:

“The Machine!”

– checked students’ W’13 schedules at least 4 times! (various registration

and payment deadlines) Emails, phone calls, etc.

- Eric: Found that he only had 9 credits for W’13: (Effie, me,

RD, RA, Roommate, to Eric’s cell phone!)

- Anthony: Referred by RA for “not attending class and

turning in work.” Invited him in to talk. Grandmother/ He’s

the oldest/pressure, etc.

- Parents: Mrs. M. (she checks his SVSU emails!) She came

in with him for an advising appointment to discuss his progress

and “next steps.”

Future Initiatives: ● Review of internal structure/procedures

● Second-Year Resource page on website

-academic information

-Information for parents

● Require all students to declare a major by end of freshman

year or by end of 3rd semester

-can predict when I look at a student’s transcript!

● Survey to non-returners asking “why” they left SVSU

● Second-Year Facebook page

New Motto: “One Student At a Time!”

Retention Data to Date:� 1235 Total Second-Year students enrolled F’12

-1131 Returning for W’13 (91.6%)

- 104 Not Returning for W’13 (8.5%)

� SAP Status (1127 of Total Second-Year Students enrolled F’12)

� 990 Students “OK” (88.6% of total second-year students)-34 “OK” students are not returning for W’13 (3.4%)

-956 “OK” students are returning for W’13 (96.6%)

� 42 Students on warning (3.8% of total second-year students)-12 students with SAP warning are not returning for W’13 (28.6%)

-30 students with SAP warning are returning for W’13 (71.4%)

� 31 Students on probation (2.8% of total second-year students)-All 31 SAP probation students are returning for W’13 (100%)

� 64 Students on SAP (lost Financial Aid) (5.7% of total second-year

students)-49 SAP students not returning for W’13 (76.6%)

-15 SAP students are returning for W’13 (23.4%)

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� 104 Students Not Returning for W’13 Semester:SVSU CUM. GPA

� GPA 0.0 – 1.99 = 61 Students

58.7% of non-returning students

4.9% of total second-year students

� GPA 2.0 – 2.49 = 16 Students

15.4% of non-returning students

1.3% of total second-year students (Note: Kim’s specific target group!)

� GPA 2.5 – 4.00 = 27 Students

26.0% of non-returning students

2.2% of total second-year students

� Cohort

� KCP = 20 Students (19.2% of non-returning students)

• SVSU GPA Below 2.0 = 18 KCP Students

• 33.3% Other Ethnicity

• 66.6% Multicultural

• SVSU GPA Above 2.0 = 2 KCP Students

• 100% Other Ethnicity

� ACT Composition Scores

� Scores 16-18: 45 Students (43.3% of non-returning students)

• Multicultural = 53.3%

• Other Ethnicity = 46.7%

� Scores 19-21: 26 Students (25.0% of non-returning students)

• Multicultural = 61.5%

• Other Ethnicity = 38.5%

� Scores 22-24: 20 Students (19.2% of non-returning students)

• Multicultural = 10.0%

• Other Ethnicity = 90.0%

� Scores 25+: 10 Students (9.6% of non-returning students)

• Multicultural = 40%

• Other Ethnicity = 60%

� Unreported Scores: 3 Students (International) (2.9% of non-returning

students)

� Commuter vs. Resident

� 60 Resident as of F’12 (57.7% of non-returning students)

• SVSU GPA Below 2.0 = 38 Students (63.3%)

• Multicultural = 65.8%

• Other Ethnicity = 34.2%

• SVSU GPA Above 2.0 = 22 Students (36.7%)

• Multicultural = 37.5%

• Other Ethnicity = 72.7%

� 44 Commuters as of F’12 (42.3% of non-returning students)

• SVSU GPA Below 2.0 = 23 Students (52.3%)

• Multicultural = 47.8%

• Other Ethnicity = 52.2%

• SVSU GPA Above 2.0 = 21 Students (47.7%)

• Multicultural = 14.3%

• Other Ethnicity = 85.7%

� Major: Largest Groups:

15 PNURS (14.4 % of non-returning students)

7 PRESW (6.7% of non-returning students)

� Breakdown by Academic College:

� Arts and Behavioral Sciences: 19 Students (18.3% of non-returning students)

• 5 PSYC, 1 ENG, 5 COMM, 5 CJ, 1 PSYC/ CJ, 1 THEA, 1 CRWRT

� College of Business and Mgt.: 15 Students (14.4% of non-returning students)

• 5 MGT, 4 MKT, 1 ACCT, 1 FIN, 1 INTBU/MKT, 1 PBUS, 1 GBUS, 1 PENGR

� Science, Engineering, Tech.: 18 Students (17.3% of non-returning students)

• 5 BIOL, 3 CIS, 1 PCHEM, 1 BIOL/CHEM, 3 ME, 2 PBIOL, 2 EE, 1 CIS/CJ

� Health and Human Services: 37 Students (35.5% of non-returning students)

• 5 ATHTR, 4 PREOT, 3 PREMED, 1 PBIOL/PRMED, 1 ES, 1 HSC, 15 Pre-

Nursing, 7 Pre-Social Work

� College of Education: 13 Students (12.5% of non-returning students)

• 4 HISTE, 3 PELED, 2 SPCED, 1 MATHE, 1 SPCED/ MATHE, 1 PEDUC, 1 INSCI

� 2 UNDEC (1.9% of non-returning students)

�TheTheTheThe ENDENDENDEND

K Or Just the Beginning???