Student Supports and Advising for Retention and Success

1. Student Supports and Advising for Retention and Success Lincoln Land Community College Prairie State College Illinois College Advising Corps

2. Lincoln Land Community College: Collaborating across Departments for Student Success “Student success is a vital part of our strategic plan. These new programs stem from the Foundations of Excellence self-study and First Year Experience team.” Dr. Charlotte Warren, LLCC President

3. Foundations of Excellence • John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education • Externally guided self-study • Aspirational model for the beginning college experience • Campus-wide participation (task force) • Current Practices Inventory and Evaluation • Action Plan for improvement

4. AQIP – Action Project: First Year Experience • Phase I – Initial Connections • College Prep Summit • Phase II – Transition • New Student Orientation, • Parent Orientation and Family Connections • Phase III – Integration • Early Alert • First Year Seminar

5. Position Created • Director, Retention & Student Success • Bring focus and establish an owner for student success initiatives • Coordinate existing resources and services into a more intentional and comprehensive approach to student success and retention.

6. Mandatory New Student Orientation • Mandatory = hold on registration • For all first-time, degree or certificate seeking students • Piloted Spring 2013 with 500 students • Main campus, 4 education service areas (other campuses)

7. Program Overview • Outcomes • Engagement • Expectations • Support Services • Technology • Main Campus • Welcome: Student Orientation Leaders • Info Sessions & Tour: Various departments • Tech Workshop and Registration: Enrollment Services, Admissions and Advising • ESAs • Seminar with activities • Tech Workshop and Registration • Optional Tour

8. Key Steps at the Point of Admission • Identification • Restriction • Admissions • Placement • Advising • Orientation • Registration

9. How Advising is Integrated • Meet with advisor prior to orientation • Interpret placement scores • Identify goal and major • Recommend classes and create student education plan • Register student for next New Student Orientation • Instruct how to activate LLCC account

10. Student Feedback • “It was very useful connecting with the leaders, because they can help you with anything you need.” • “The most beneficial part of the orientation would have to be, knowing how to get involved, because I like to be involved with activities at the school.” • “Orientation helped most in dealing with everything online and how to schedule my classes.” • “I will use what I learned at orientation because I now know where more places on campus are and what is offered and I will be able to use it to my advantage.”

11. Bringing Advising to Students of Developmental English Prairie State College Have Advising, Will Travel: Loretta M. Kucharczyk, Ph.D. Coordinator of Intentional Advising Prairie State College

12. Pre-College Writing(ENG099) 6 cr. pre-college writing & reading 3 cr. pre-college writing 3 cr. pre-college writing &gen ed class 3-4 cr. All include Intentional Advising(IA) (AKA Intrusive Advising)

13. Intrusive Advising Intentional Advising (IA) Appreciative Advising

15. IA Pieces(part 1) 1.pre-semester review (early information) 2. communication (faculty and students) 3. week 1: introductory visit (in-class) 4. quick visits (in-class)

16. IA Pieces (part 2) 5.early assistance (calls to students) 6. IA topic visits (in-class) 7.appointments with students (office) 8.bulletin board (office area) 9. post-semester work (data and calls)

17. IA: Money Talks Financial Aid SUPER Basics • FAFSA (website, no cost to file) • academic year, dates, deadlines • satisfactory academic progress information • selected rules and regulations Loan and Scholarship SUPER Basics

18. IA: Who, What, When, and Where • modified academic calendar • focus on dates; realize “now and the next” • campus information, services, and locations • organized, compact, sturdy • selected college vocabulary and information • college catalog

19. IA: What’s the Plan? • degree and certificate information • “Your Presidential Cabinet” Bloom: Appreciative Advising • general education communication; humanities and fine arts; math; science, and; social/behavioral science

20. Mahalo • PowerPoint copy • some samples • IA effort at PSC

21. Please Consider Adding To Your Professional Library

22. Illinois College Advising Corps: A Retention Approach A program of the University of Illinois system and in partnership with the National College Advising Corps. Mission: To assist, educate, lead, and inspire first generation, low-income, underrepresented youth in the enrollment and completion of post-secondary education.

23. Illinois College Advising Corps: Timeline Waukegan Springfield Southeast Rantoul Township Walter H. Dyett Gage Park Round Lake Lanphier Thomas Kelly East Aurora Richard T. Crane Manual Wells Comm Academy Michelle Clark George Henry Corliss Frederick Douglass Rich East Rich South Rich Central Crete-Monee Maine East Benito Juarez George Washington Roberto Clemente Waukegan Springfield Southeast Rantoul Township Walter H. Dyett Gage Park Round Lake Lanphier Thomas Kelly East Aurora Richard T. Crane Manual Wells Comm Academy Michelle Clark George Henry Corliss Frederick Douglass Rich East Rich South Rich Central Crete-Monee Maine East Benito Juarez Roberto Clemente Waukegan Springfield Southeast Rantoul Township Walter H. Dyett Gage Park Round Lake Lanphier Thomas Kelly East Aurora Richard T. Crane Manual Roberto Clemente Waukegan Springfield Southeast Rantoul Township Walter H. Dyett Gage Park Round Lake Lanphier Roberto Clemente Waukegan Springfield Southeast Rantoul Township National College Advising Corps 2010 2009 2008 2005 2011 2012 Retention

24. Illinois College Advising Corps: In 2013 23 High Schools 6500 seniors directly impacted 30 Colleges 83% pilot cohort retention

25. Illinois College Advising Corps: Near-Peer Mentoring The near peer model has been remarkably successful because high school students are more likely to engage with young adults who look, think, and act as they do.* • Recent college graduates • Share similar challenges that their students are experiencing • Maximum two year commitment • Focused on fostering a college-going culture (Adviser) and promoting year one college success (Coach) *Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2010

26. Illinois College Advising Corps: Model • College Adviser • Meet one-on-one with students to find “best fit” • Complete college and scholarship applications • Submit the FAFSA and any Fin Aid documents • Organize campus visits and after-school events • Conduct parent and community outreach • Retention Coach • Develop colleges success content • Coordinate workshops on college transition in high schools • Assist students with renewing FAFSA and finding scholarships • Organize community activities on college campuses • Create a support system to prevent “summer melt” Adviser Coach summer senioryear freshmanyear

27. Illinois College Advising Corps: Institutional Relationships College persistence relies heavily on students’ perception that they are academically and socially integrated into campus life.* • Building alliances with on-campus and community organizations is vital to building a comprehensive support system for students. • It is not our intention to replace existing on-campus services, but rather highlight those resources and help students get connected. *Hurtado & Carter, 1997

28. Illinois College Advising Corps: Blogs Purpose: To provide tips that will make students successful in college (e.g. seeking on-campus support, finding employment, renewing the FAFSA) Goals: • Educate and encourage students to be their own advocate • Provide consistent online advising (through social media & email) • Generate traffic to the Facebook Page Time: Weekly (every Monday) Results: • Topic popularity informs advising • Library of content is saved on Page for students to browse at anytime.

29. Illinois College Advising Corps: #freshmansolutions Purpose: To frame information positively through solutions, not problems Goals: • Capture student attention • Encourage informed decision making Time: Weekly (every Wednesday or Thursday) Results: • On average, 53 users organically view the posts, while 2X+ as many users virtually view the posts.

30. Illinois College Advising Corps: Live Chats Purpose: To communicate in real time with students Goals: • Chat with at least 1 student during each session • Develop the near-peer relationship • Answer questions Time: Weekly (1 night by Coaches) Results: • More students are available on live chats in the evenings. • Live chats are an immediate assistance.

31. Presenters Contact Information Prairie State CollegeLoretta Kucharczyk, PhD. Coordinator of Intentional Advisinglkucharczyk@prairiestate.edu Illinois College Advising Corps Catalina Hernandez, MEd., Retention Coordinator chern2@uillinois.edu Khadija Tejan, Retention Coach tejan2@illinois.edu Lincoln Land Community College Tyra Taylor, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services Tyra.Taylor@llcc.edu Chris Barry, Director of Retention and Student Success Christopher.Barry@llcc.edu Mary Warren, Director of Advising and Counseling Mary.Warren@llcc.edu