Proactive [Intrusive] Advising: A Key Component of the College Success Story

1. Proactive [Intrusive] Advising: A Key Component of the College Success Story Twelfth Annual Professional Development Conference on Academic Advising Penn State University September 2013 Presenter: MitsueWiggs Assistant Director, Meyerhoff Scholars Program University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

2. Who are Meyerhoff Scholars? http://umbc.edu/meyerhoff

3. Program Profile The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program was created at UMBC in 1988 with a grant from the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Foundation. The program supports students who plan to pursue doctoral study in the sciences or engineering and who are interested in the advancement of minorities in those fields. • School Nomination Process • Application Process • Selection Process 2013-14 Program • 290 Students enrolled • 60% URM • 3.55 Avg GPA

4. Factors that Impede URM Student Persistence • Inadequate academic advising • Low expectations • Inadequate pre-college preparation for STEM courses • Academic and cultural isolation • Motivation and performance vulnerability in the face of negative stereotypes • Peers not supportive of academic success • Lack of career models and career advising • Lack of exposure to practical applications • Inadequate performance in critical science and math courses

5. MajorProgram Components • Recruitment • Summer Bridge Program • Program Values • Mentoring (professional, peer and alumni) • Proactive Academic/Career Advising • AY Research & Summer Internships • Faculty Involvement and Commitment • Scientific Conferences • Collaborative Learning • Sense of Community • Professional Development • Financial Support

6. From the Literature: Intrusive (Proactive) Advising • Robert Glennen (1970’s): augmented developmental advising theory; programs using proactive (1975) academic advising incorporate multiple intervention strategies and require additional advising contacts • Blending counseling with advising • Strategic: provide students with information before requested • Build strong relationships with students, including interests and goals • Additional training on advising and counseling, pre-admission counseling (screening student files for potential at risk), early outreach, matriculation transition, course scheduling • Strong model for students academically at risk

7. General BestPractices Cultivate Ownership and Accountability Develop High Standards Demystify “Academy” Collaborative Learning

8. Cultivate Ownership and Accountability • “Begin with the End in Mind” • Paradigm Shift • Renewed Perspective • Long-term goal orientation • Choice Not Chance Determines Destiny • Power of Partnership

9. High Standards • We Become Our Expectations • Academic Plans • Degree Audits • Grade Sheets • Career Planning • Graduation Plans • Strategic Plans for Success in each Course

10. Demystify “Academy” • Invite Students to be part of the Academic Community • Rules of Engagement • Faculty/Staff Engagement • Campus and Departmental Resources

11. Collaborative Learning • Effective Study Groups & Supplemental Instruction • Applied Learning Experiences (including undergraduate research, internships, service learning) • Tutorial and Learning Centers • Faculty/ TA’s as resource – Professor Office Hours, faculty mentoring • Peer Mentoring • The Power of Positive Peer Influence

12. Strengthen Commitment to Goals • Goal Setting (SMART), long-term goal orientation and transfer/graduation plans • Personal Management • Time Tracker • Master Calendar • Strategic Study Approach • Grade Calculator • Review, Revise and Revamp

13. Assessment Compare performance and retention of Meyerhoff Scholars with students who declined offers: (Most students who declined accepted full scholarships at other top universities) • Graduate with similar GPAs but… • …are half as likely to graduate with SEM degrees • …are 5 times less likely to pursue SEM graduate degrees

14. What Have We Learned? • Students affiliated with learning communities are more likely to be successful and take ownership of their academic experience and success. • Summer Bridge should be more than just academic classes, workshops, and lectures. A bridge program also should help “demystify” the Academy and the Professoriate (we fear that which we do not know). • Every aspect of the program should be an integral part of the fabric of the university. No program can stand alone and have an expectation of success. • All components of the program should lend itself to the mission and purpose of the university – academic success and personal growth. • Parental involvement should not stop at K-12. Encourage it and teach parents how to be supportive at this academic level.

15. Finally – Success does not just happen! • Faculty who risk more than others think is safe • Staff who care more than others think is wise • Administrators who dare more than others think is practical • Students who dream more than others think is possible

16. Academic Advising & Other Resources Meyerhoff Scholars Program: www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff NACADA (National Academic Advising Association): www.nacada.ksu.edu TRIO Student Support Services: • US Department of Education longitudinal study of SSS: files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED416784.pdf • Low income, first-generation students: Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity inHigher Education www.pellinstitute.org -Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low Income, First Generation Students -Demography is Not Destiny: Increasing the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students at Large Public Universities -Straight from the Source—What Works for First Generation College Students First in the Family: the College Years firstinthefamily.org/collegeyears

17. Thank You MitsueWiggs Assistant Director, Meyerhoff Scholars Program University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD Wiggs@UMBC.edu