University College

University College Draft of Recommendations UC Task Force Indiana State University October 2012

Table of Contents • UC Task Force Membership (slide 3) • UC Task Force Charge (slide 4) • Vision Statement (slide 5) • The UC’s Purpose (slide 6) • UC Direct Reports (slide 7) • Responsibilities of the UC (slides 8-11) • The Role of the UC Dean (slide 12) • The Foundational Studies Council’s Authority and Responsibilities (slides 13-14) • Who is admitted into the UC (slide 15) • UC Advisors (slides 16-18) • Estimated Budget (slide 19) • Next Steps (slide 20)

UC Task Force Membership Linda S. Maule, Dean UC, Chairperson—UC Task Force Nancy Cobb-Lippens, Chairperson, CAS John Murray, Academic Dean, CAS Christopher Olsen, Chairperson, CAS—Faculty Senate Rep. Cindy Crowder, Chairperson, COT Robert English, Associate Dean, COT Kevin Bolinger, Faculty Member, BCOE—Faculty Senate Rep. Judy Sheese, Education Student Services Coord., BCOE Don Rogers, Faculty Member, NHHS Tom Sawyer, Faculty Member, NHHS—Faculty Senate Officer Susan Johnson, Student Services Director, SCOB Art Sherwood, Faculty Member, SCOB Chris Fischer, Chairperson, Foundational Studies Council, Faculty Senate Rep. David Wright, Director, Student Academic Services Center Joshua Powers, Associate Vice President, Student Success Greg Bierly, Director, University Honors Program

UC Task Force Charge from the Provost and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (Summer 2012) • The University College will be responsible for working in partnership with our existing colleges, enrollment management, and others to improve the success of our first-year students. • ISU’s Board of Trustees has approved the establishment of the University College and agreed that a Task Force would study and make recommendations on a number of operational issues. • The Task Force is charged to study the issues and make recommendations to the Senate by no later than November 1, 2012. To allow for the Senate and campus to study the Task Force recommendations thoroughly, an earlier report would be welcomed. • The Senate is charged to present recommendations to President Bradley and Provost Maynard by no later than December 1, 2012.

Vision Statement: The University College (UC) will improve student success by providing a high-quality, responsive network of academic assistance to first-year students by integrating and collaborating with the efforts of academic entities and programs with all other campus divisions and resources, and by promoting campus dialogue and analysis of student success issues.

The UC’s Purpose The purpose of the UC is to help students to succeed by: • Instilling in first-year students a sense of personal responsibility for their academic success • Promoting professional excellence and accountability on the part of staff, faculty, and administrators • Improving the persistence of first time, first semester, freshmen from Fall #1 to Fall #2 • Providing first-year students with access to high quality and transitional academic advising • Increasing the number of first-year students maintaining academic good standing • Decreasing the number of first-year students who drop a course or courses in their first year or withdraw from the university in their first year • Partnering with the Foundational Studies Council, as well as Academic Colleges, to provide high quality instruction of first-year students, centered on student learning, developmental scaffolding, and the challenge and rigor appropriate for the first year of college • Assisting students to make well-informed choices about their majors, based on sound academic preparation that enhances commitment to and success in their field of study

UC Direct Reports: Years 1 and 2

Responsibilities of the UC: Years 1 and 2 (Fall 2013- Spring 2015) • Pre-Enrollment Programs • Academic Components of New Student Orientation • Coordinate Academic Presentations (main presentation and Academic College presentations) • Coordinate Academic Advising (both UC advisors and faculty/professional advisors assigned to the Academic Colleges) • Enrollment Preparation Programs • Summer Bridging Programs • Academic Components of Fall Welcome • Connecting students to their academic units and/or their academic advisor • Blackboard and clicker training and software training • Assessment activities for entering students • Academic Components of Residence Life • Map Works • Residence Hall-AcademicPeer Advocates (APA) • Academic Programming for “Living Learning” Communities

Responsibilities cont. • Academic Advising • The Academic Advising Center will be responsible for all first-year students: • First-year students admitted directly into amajor will be assigned both to a UC advisor and an academic advisor in that major. • UC advisors will be the advisor of record • All students will be assigned to a UC advisor who is cross-trained, but who also is an expert in a specific, albeit broad, academic area. • Sycamore Challenge (a.k.a. AOP) and Exploratory Studies students • Students who have earned fewer than 32 credits and are on academic probation

Responsibilities cont. • Post Enrollment Academic Development Programs • Fall Read • Foundational Studies (Administration) • Freshman Transition courses, including UNIV 101 • Learning Communities • Linked courses • Living learning communities (residence hall) linked to FS or major courses • Programming: Best Practices for Teaching First-Year Students • Typical • Honors • Millennial Students • International Students • Student Sub-Populations with Achievement Gaps • First generation • Pell grant recipients • Historically disadvantaged ethnic and racial minorities • Academically unprepared or underprepared

Responsibilities Cont.

The Role of the UC Dean • The UC Dean will: • Supervise the coordinators of the Bridging Programs, the Academic Advising Center, and the academic components of residence life • Administer the Foundational Studies program • Assist faculty in developing FS courses • Serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Foundational Studies Council • Facilitate the assessment of FS category learning objectives and FS program outcomes • Work in partnership with the Foundational Studies Council, as well as Academic Deans, Chairpersons, Directors, and Instructors to ensure the integrity of Foundational Studies courses • Work in cooperation with the Academic Deans, Chairpersons, Directors, as well as other key units (e.g., the Office of Registration and Records) to • Schedule Foundational Studies courses strategically • Select instructors who will teach key (100 and 200 level) Foundational Studies courses

The Foundational Studies Council’s authority and responsibilities as a result of its placement in the UC • The Foundational Studies Council will continue to: • Develop guidelines for the syllabi of all Foundational Studies courses, including those Foundational Studies courses taken primarily by first-year students (100 and 200 level courses) • Develop and enforce the policies for the Foundational Studies curriculum, including those policies which relate to Foundational Studies courses taken primarily by first-year students (100 and 200 level courses) • Evaluate whether the category learning objectives and program outcomes are being met, as well as the policies for the Foundational Studies curriculum, including those policies which relate to Foundational Studies courses taken primarily by first-year students (100 and 200 level courses) • Determine the composition of all Foundational Studies arrays, including the removal of courses from those arrays as a result of course evaluation data, category learning objective and program assessment data, and annual review of whether departments are in compliance with Foundation Studies curricular policies and syllabi guidelines, including those which relate to Foundational Studies courses taken primarily by first-year students (100 and 200 level courses)

The Foundational Studies Council’s authority and responsibilities as a result of its placement in the UC The Foundational Studies Council will: • Develop the learning objectives for a required freshman transition course selected from the Foundational Studies array (100 or 200 level courses), which will focus on first-year transition issues, as well as developing and honing reading comprehension skills • Facilitate the participation of departments offering 100-200 level FS courses, with large enrollments, in course redesign or course transformation

Who is admitted into the UC? • All first-time freshmen will be admitted into the UC. • Students who are not eligible to enter directly in their major will be admitted into the UC. • Students who are eligible to enter directly into their major will be dually admitted in the UC and their Academic College. • Students with fewerthan 32.0 credits on academic probation will remain in the UC until they are in good academic standing. • The UC Dean will decide, following established university policies, whether first-year students who have been academically dismissed may be re-instated.

UC Advisors • Allentering first-year students will be assigned to a UC advisor (approximately 1 UC advisor per 200 students) • First-year students who are directly admitted into their major will be assigned both a UC advisor and an academic advisor in their major. Academic units will continue to work closely with their majors and to develop a strong relationship with them. • The UC advisor is the advisor of record for: • Academic pin numbers • Schedule changes, and • On all forms requiring an advisor’s signature • All otherfirst-year students will be assigned to a UC advisor (e. g., underprepared students (AOP), undecided students, and students who are designated as pre-majors, such as pre-education, pre-law, pre-business, or pre-nursing).

UC Advisors cont. • In Spring 2013, the UC Dean will: • Hire a UC Advising Coordinator (who also will advise first- year students) • Hire three-to-four UC advisors • Work with the Academic Colleges to reassign three existing professional advisor positions to the University College • Re-assign six professional advisor positions, from the Student Academic Service Center, to the UC College

UC Advisors cont. • UC advisors will be: • Cross-trained, but they also will serve as experts in a specific, albeit broad, academic area • For example, at least one new advisor, though cross trained, will have significant arts background in order to be able to understand and negotiate unique curricular requirements for arts majors. • Afforded annual opportunities for professional development and to learn how to practice high quality developmental advising • Expected to work closely with major advisors to ensure first-year students a seamless transition from the University College to the Academic Colleges and departments • Assessed each semester by their students, the UC Advising Coordinator, UC Dean, and the academic units in the Academic Colleges with which they are affiliated • Replaced if they do not meet the expectations of the UC Advising Coordinator, the UC Dean, and the academic units with which they work most closely

Estimated Budget • The annual base-budget for the University College is estimated to be at approximately $250,000.oo. • Salary and benefits for a new UC Advising Coordinator and three-to-four new UC advisors • To offset this cost, the university may wish to take under consideration the assessment of an academic advising fee (See the Texas system)

Next Steps • October 1-October 8: Preliminary feedback on recommendations sought • October 10: Final recommendations of the UC Task Force sent to the Provost • October 16: Provost delivers recommendations and his response to the recommendations to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee • October 17 and beyond: The Faculty Senate Executive Committee and the UC Task Force hold open forums. The Executive Committee forwards both reports to the appropriate Faculty Senate governing bodies (e.g., CAAC)

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