IMPROVING TRANSFER STUDENT SATISFACTION ~ Creating a Transfer Student Services Center ~

AACRAO SEM Conference Hollywood, Florida November 3, 2015

Maria Campanella, M.A., M.S. Founding Director

Transfer Student Services Center

Questions to Think About at Your Institution:

• Which services or student groups need more attention?

• Are there problems surrounding transfer students?

• Is the transfer credit evaluation process smooth? • Do you have assessments in place to determine which

services or student groups need more attention? • What would you do if your institution underwent a SIS

conversion? What processes might you have to adjust? • How would you re-group as a team after the conversion? Would you still want to work there? No, seriously would you?

Brooklyn College – Fast Facts

• A senior college within the CUNY (City University of New York) System

• Approximately 17,500 Students – 13,500 undergraduates

• Voted top 50 most diverse campuses in the United States

• One of the top 50 most affordable – Princeton Review • Ranked 4th Best College in America (2015) – Princeton Review

• Centralized admission process; transfer and freshmen admits received via monthly allocation

• Admission criteria - 2.3 transfer GPA; < 25 credits must also meet high school criteria

Who Are Our Transfer Students?

• Two-thirds of the incoming class are comprised of transfers

• Fall 2014 - 2,130 enrolled; Spring 2015 - 1,314 enrolled; Fall 2015 - 2,219 enrolled • Average GPA: 2.89

• Average number of transfer credits: 60

• Transfer yield rate = 70%

• 44% earned an Associate’s Degree • 60% from CUNY colleges

Transfer Student Trends

0500

1000150020002500300035004000

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

SpringFallTotal

Identifying Problems Within the Transfer Process

• Baccalaureate colleges within CUNY differ in which courses they will accept for transfer credit • Transfer staff housed in the Office of the Registrar

• No deadlines for completion of transfer evaluation; no clear guidance on how to follow-up on unevaluated courses

• Serious delays in having transfer credits evaluated

• Transfer credit evaluation not entered in SIS until complete

• Repeated courses due to late evaluations seen as “mis-advisement error” and resolved by making transfer course elective credit

• Faculty habitually “re-evaluated” courses without precedence

• Transfer staff prohibited from evaluating one-to-one matching, lower- level courses for faculty

• Campus culture unfriendly to transfers

Transfer Student Services Center - GOALS

• Create a centralized and separate office under EM for new and continuing transfer students to resolve issues regarding their transfer credit evaluation (decrease the “run-around”)

• Provide a seamless transition to BC by collaborating with Admission, Advisement, The Registrar, Bursar, Financial Aid, the Peer Mentoring program, and the Magner Career Center

• Streamline the credit evaluation process

• Improve communication with students, administrative departments, and faculty • Increase transfer student satisfaction

Transfer Student Services Center – The “Nuts & Bolts”

• Director was hired in January 2012; actual center was created in June 2012 • Staff were originally members of the Office of the Registrar

• Complete transfer credit evaluations for all admitted transfer students, including prior colleges, AP, IB, CLEP, college courses in high school, yeshiva/seminaries, and international credentials; complete evaluations for enrolled freshmen (approx. 6,000 per year )

• Service an average of 25 students “in person” per day (range from 2 to 150 per day)

• Receive approximately 40 calls per day (range from 2 to 84 calls per day)

• Staff: One director, two assistant directors, three full-time office assistants, and four part-timers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Jan. Feb. March April May June

Average Number of Students Visiting the TSSC (2012-2015)

Students

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Average Number of Students Visiting the TSSC (2012-2015)

Students

Reviewed Transfer Credit Policies and Improved the Efficiency of the Process

• Double monitors were added to ease the posting of credits

• Procedures were clearly written out and given to the staff

• Divided admitted students by alpha after each allocation so each staff member “owned” their group - created “teams” among the staff

• Instituted a schedule for due dates of credit evaluations after each allocation of admitted students

• Trained staff on international credit evaluations • Used “TBD” on the TCR for courses needing “departmental

review” (this process changed as a result of the SIS conversion)

Reviewed Transfer Credit Policies and Improved the Efficiency of the Process – Continued

• Instituted a Transfer Credit Deadline • Included the Transfer Credit Report (TCR) in the acceptance packet (this process changed as a result of the SIS conversion)

• Created a general cover letter for the Transfer Credit Report • Revised the Transfer Credit Report itself that was mailed to students (in our “home grown” system called BEST)

• Entered partial evaluations to a student’s record to aid in the advisement process • Created step-sheets for students and faculty explaining how to evaluate courses that needed review by an academic department

Clarified Processes with the Admission Office and Information Technology Services

• Added a next step to our online admission checklist called “Review Your Credit Evaluation”

• Created a process by which TSSC staff entered a comment in the recruitment database (R+), which generated the admission letter. The TCR cover letter and TCRs were sent to Admission to be included in the acceptance packet (this process changed as a result of the SIS conversion)

• Adjusted Direct Admission (similar to “one-stop” events): Issue : Students making registration appointments without a credit evaluation Solution: Report was created in R+ (our recruitment database) which lists students admitted by this process. A TSSC staff member completes this list once a week

• Revised the Transfer Workshop at Fall Open House to include the TSSC and Academic Advisement

• Added speakers from the TSSC, Advisement, and the Career Center at New Student Receptions – yield events

• Created information tables at New Student Receptions • Revised Transfer Evaluation Day (TED) – An event for new students to have their courses evaluated. Created a smoother event with “check-in”, “check-out”, clear signage, and specific assignments for staff members. Monitored statistics on RSVP’s, appointments, and attendees.

• Invited the Office of the Registrar, the Peer Mentoring program, the Bursar, and the Office of Financial Aid to host information tables at Transfer Evaluation Day

Added / Revised Transfer Specific Events

Collaborated with Peer Mentoring and Orientation Programs • Met with TransferNation - Peer Mentoring group for transfers – to discuss transfer specific events for continuing students based on major • Presented at TransferNation events about the new TSSC and important procedures for students

• Included a TransferNation information table at Transfer Evaluation Day

• Conducted a workshop at Transfer Orientation about the new TSSC and transfer credit polices and procedures

• Created a Transfer Services Committee (April 2012): To ensure that students have a seamless transition to Brooklyn

College from recruitment, to evaluation of transfer credits, to advisement and registration, to commencement.

To open lines of communication between departments to discuss transfer policies, procedures, admission events, issues of concern, and other matters.

All members of the committee will be aware of each other’s role

in working with transfer students and then distribute the information to the rest of their department.

• Members from: The TSSC, the Registrar, Admissions, Financial Aid, Advisement, Enrollment Operations, Peer Mentoring, the Honors Program, and the Career Center. Guest speakers also attend.

Improved Communication

• Goals were created during the first TS Committee meeting

• Each department presented to the rest of the Transfer Services Committee about their role on campus and their impact on transfer students

• Created a Bulletin Board for students with important transfer credit information – in hallway outside the TSSC

Improved Communication Continued

• Transfer Credit Information Request

• Transfer Credit Appeal

• Viewing Your Transfer Credit Report in CUNYfirst

• Evaluating Your Transfer Courses (step-by-step procedures) • Academic Department Transfer Evaluators

• Second Bachelor’s Degree – Transfer Credit Request • Transfer Credit Re-Evaluation

• Submitting Official Transcripts

• AP, IB, and CLEP Equivalencies

• Forfeiting AP Credit

Improved Communication: Created a Website with Important Forms, FAQ’s, and Articulation Agreements

www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/tssc

Getting “Buy-In” – Internal & External Community

• Recruited with the Admission Office at Community Colleges • Conducted information sessions at Community Colleges with the Admission Office

• Presented to BC’s President’s Council which included faculty from various departments on campus, including the VP’s and Provost

• Collaborated with the Peer Mentoring Program (TransferNation) and conducted workshops for new and continuing transfer students

• Hosted a Transfer Student Services Center Open House for faculty, staff, and students with snacks and refreshments. Attendees: 5 Faculty/Staff; 74 students

Getting “Buy-In” – Internal & External Community Continued

• Presented at conferences for various state/national organizations: (NYSTAA, AACRAO, and NISTS) • Presented to faculty within each school of the college regarding the

Transfer Enrollment Process and the TSSC: March 2015: School of Humanities & Social Sciences October 2015: School of Visual, Media & Performing Arts November 2015: School of Education February 2016: School of Business TBD: School of Natural & Behavioral Sciences

• Core Faculty Conference Presentation: June 2016 (2015 conference was cancelled)

Expanded Recruitment Materials and Outreach to Students

• Created a TSSC flyer (see HANDOUT)

• Collaborated to create a BC Transfer Information Flyer (see HANDOUT)

• Emailed targeted groups of students regarding the transfer credit deadline and the credit evaluation process • Emailed new students, each semester, regarding the TSSC website • Targeted poster campaign to newly admitted students at our top Community College partner institutions. Encouraged them to make their advisement/registration appointment early – “Don’t Miss Out!” • Transfer Brochure for recruitment in production (2016-2017)

THE SIS CONVERSION

Getting Ready

• SIS Conversion to CUNYfirst (PeopleSoft) for ALL of CUNY began in 2010 with “Wave 1” to convert 24 colleges; still on-going • Brooklyn College converted in March/April 2013 – “Wave 3” • Lights Out: During each “wave” conversion - no online systems for about 1 – 2 weeks • BARFIT/BARFITA: The core team for the CUNYfirst Implementation (Bursar, Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, IT, Advisement)

• “Train the Trainer” began in December 2012 Trainers: A special group chosen from departments on campus Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): For BARFIT team User Acceptance Testing (UAT): End Users to test conditions to

prepare the campus for “production”

• Brooklyn College campus training for faculty/administrators began February 2013 (TSSC was on our own!)

The Implementation

• Lots of Deep Breathing • Step-Sheets, Step-Sheets: For TSSC Staff, faculty, and students

• LISTSERVS for administrators: Created by CUNY and BC

• Student Training and Resources on the BC Portal: Just sign up!

• CRM Tickets: The CUNYfirst application used by the IT Helpdesk to log and track CUNYfirst incidents. Each department designated a CRM ticket “issuer” to create and submit the “ticket” to CUNY • Weekly BARFIT meetings • COLLABORATION with all offices of enrollment management and student services (especially academic advisement) • Implemented weekly “senior staff” meetings in the TSSC with two assistant directors

The Aftermath: Changes to the Transfer Credit Evaluation Process

• For the second time in two years the TSSC had to change processes

• No “control” over the Transfer Credit Report layout

• MUCH slower process for transfer credit evaluations • Fall 2013: Only completed evaluations for admits who committed to BC to try to maximize time – not on all admits (ONLY for F13)

• 600 evaluations had to be handwritten for students and THEN entered into CUNYfirst (this only happened for F13) • The Transfer Credit Report packet now reaches the student within 2 weeks of the receipt of the acceptance packet • All mailings were taken over by the TSSC • Used 9999 with the discipline attached to denote a transfer course needing departmental review to aid with advisement/registration (ENGL. 9999, BIOL. 9999, DEPR 9999)

The Aftermath: Changes to the Transfer Credit Evaluation Process

Continued • More activities were created in our recruitment database to generate letters each week

• Comments were entered in our recruitment database instead of our former “home-grown” evaluation system (BEST) • A “Transfer Rule” specialist was created to update equivalencies • Created a “Transfer Credit Status Notification” form • Transcript text comments for financial aid, registrar, and advisement • “Checklist” to be created by BC for all of CUNY to implement

• Even with the conversion to CUNYfirst, BC enrolled a record number of transfer students in Fall 2013 (almost 300 more students than in Fall 2012), and we continue to surpass this number each year

Working as a TEAM and Re-Grouping

• Listen to your mom “You can get through anything if you know it won’t last forever!” Give yourself TIME to adjust • Envision and Focus on the goal, the end, the final result

• Plan, Plan: Forecast as many obstacles as possible prior to the

conversion BUT expect the unexpected • Recognize that your staff are motivated by different forces (i.e.

praise, measurable goals, involvement)

• COMMUNICATE: Don’t keep your staff “in the dark” • Create “balance” ; recognize who is best at certain tasks • “Convince” your team that all will work out in the end

How is the TSSC Doing? Assessment

August 2014: Two years after the opening of the TSSC and one year after the SIS conversion. Administered the “Transfer Student Satisfaction” survey at Transfer Evaluation Day (TED) - Designed a “Submit Your Survey” table at the event

65% response rate 90% were highly satisfied or satisfied with the overall

quality of service that the TSSC staff provides 84% of students on average understood the policies and

procedures of the TSSC and were aware of the services we provide *

85% were aware of the Transfer Credit Deadline** 68% were aware of the TSSC’s website *** What Changed as a Result of the Survey? FAQ’s on website and in TSSC packet * Put TC Deadline in the Academic Calendar** Listed TSSC website on all printed material *** Initiated emails to newly enrolled students regarding the website ***

How is the TSSC Doing? More Assessment….

November 2014: “Focus Group” with the Magner Career Center

Two students attended (one international) Students said they received “a lot of help with their transfer

credits” They felt that the TSSC communicated well with them (i.e. sent

them a packet and called them to let them know their record was updated)

Had concerns about losing financial aid. Felt the college should make students more aware of how this could happen

What Changed as a Result of the Focus Group? Created a process with the TSSC and The Office of Financial

Aid to determine whether a student’s TCE could be changed after it was deemed “complete”

Added a comment on the “TC Status Notification” form regarding the effect of an incomplete TCE on TAP

Discussed making the TC deadline earlier to coincide with TAP eligibility review. Earlier TC deadline was instituted in Fall 2015

How is the TSSC Doing? YES….Even More Assessment!

August 2015: Re-administered the “Transfer Student Satisfaction” survey at Transfer Evaluation Day from August 2014

47% response rate (vs. 65% Aug. 2014) 88% were highly satisfied or satisfied with the overall

quality of service that the TSSC staff provides (vs. 90%) 74% of students on average understood the policies and

procedures of the TSSC and were aware of the services we provide (vs. 84%) *

88% were aware of the TC Deadline (vs. 85%) 70% were aware of the TSSC’s website (vs. 68%) What Changed /Will Change as a Result of the Survey? Targeted emails regarding FAQ’s on website * Online chats with TSSC staff * More student workshops * Changed the word “appointment” to “group session appointment” for Transfer Evaluation Day

What Have We Learned?

• Identify problem areas at your institution and create a committee or “task force” • Develop a proposal to present to your supervisor (VP or President); Start small but include the “big picture” • Creating a new office is challenging, yet rewarding • It may take years to gain “buy-in” but continue to push ahead; Collaborate and create a “brand” • Transfer Credit Evaluation “specialists” are essential • Getting through a SIS conversion is possible if you create the right TEAM and environment (and you may even “come out ahead”)

• Even if your institution does not have an overwhelming number of transfer students, if you are aiming to increase the quality of your freshmen class you also increase the likelihood that students will have more transfer credit (i.e. AP, college courses in H.S., etc.)

Transfer Credits Impact:

Class Standing Financial Aid

Registration / Class Requirements

Course Offerings from Departments Faculty

BUDGET

Maria Campanella, M.A., M.S. Founding Director

Transfer Student Services Center 718-951-5263

mcampanella@brooklyn.cuny.edu

QUESTIONS?