Retention and Graduation Council
May 7, 2012
MEETING MINUTES
Present: L. Tordenti, S. Hazan, R. Rodriguez, A. Reasco, B. Fangiullo, E. Chasse, P. Tucker, D.
Gonzalez-Sanders, M. Garcia-Bowen, L. Glaser, H. Abadiano, R. Waterman, L. George, K.
Poppe, L. Hall, M.P. Bigley, M. McLaughlin, N. Hoffman, Y. Kirby, J. Paige, G. Bermudez, J.
Mulrooney, D. Sianez, C. Pudlinski, M. Horan, C. Lovitt
C. Lovitt welcomed members to the last meeting of the academic year, and he introduced two new members to the Council: Patrick Tucker (Registrar) and German Bermudez (OIRA). C. Lovitt stated that G. Bermudez, formerly the Associate Executive Officer for Academic Affairs at the Connecticut State University System, will work closely with Y. Kirby and the Council over the next year regarding retention and graduation initiatives.
C. Lovitt then stated that today’s meeting will focus on two main agenda items: 1) brainstorming ideas in response to the Student Satisfaction Inventory; and 2) discussing J.Mulrooney’s report on the recent forum: Blockade to Graduation: What’s wrong withCCSU. C. Lovitt noted that the SSI and J. Mulrooney’s report both have significant implications for action, and he asked the Council to begin thinking about ways to implement change for the fall.
Approve March 13, 2012 minutes
The March 13, 2012 minutes were approved.
Response to Student Satisfaction Inventory
Council members had a brief discussion regarding the results of the Student Satisfaction Inventory.
C. Lovitt directed the Council’s attention to Items 46-55 of the SSI, and he asked members to share their thoughts on the decline in student satisfaction for quality of experience. Y. Kirby noted that freshman seem to be more enthusiastic and positive, and juniors and seniors are significantly less satisfied. C. Lovitt stated that this is because we have focused most of our intervention practices on freshmen with the hopes that they would continue to succeed. However, it is clear that we need to begin looking at the specific needs of the sophomore, junior and senior classes as well.
M. Horan stated that we can improve student satisfaction by requiring students with a certain number of credits to submit an early application for graduation. With an early application as well as an audit, we can catch those students who are missing major requirements before it is too late. M. Horan stated that students who find out they are missing credits two weeks before graduation end up having very negative feelings about an experience that should be very positive for them. J. Paige agreed, and he added that parents often call his office regarding this issue. These parents blame the advisors when their children do not graduate on time, and most of the time the students didn’t even apply for graduation. C. Lovitt agreed that making early application for graduation a requirement is a good suggestion, and he asked J. Paige and the Associate/Assistant Deans to work on this initiative.
L. Tordenti then asked S. Hazan to discuss the drop in satisfaction regarding intramurals and recreational activities. S. Hazan stated that this year 200-300 people were denied participation in recreational activities or intramurals due to space restrictions. In addition, due to budget issues various gyms and other facilities were not open as often. S. Hazan added that although there was a drop, satisfaction in this area is still significantly higher than many of the other areas indicated on the survey.
Discussion ofJ. Mulrooney’s Report
J. Mulrooney provided the Council with a brief summary of his report on the recent student forum, Blockade to Graduation: What’s wrong withCCSU, which was hosted by the SGA on April 2nd. Approximately 100 students attended the forum, and 61 of these students completed the related survey (see report).
J. Mulrooney highlighted some of the most prevalent student issues expressed at the forum, and Council members made the following comments/suggestions:
· Lack of communication/disconnection between CCSU and its students:
J. Mulrooney stated that there seems to be some sort of disconnection regarding communication, as students seem to be unaware of how to obtain information on campus. He then suggested making CCSU email a mandatory means of communication on campus.
· Student workers are misinformed, rude, disrespectful & unhelpful:
Several students at the forum reported that they were given inaccurate information by students working in offices across campus. Students feel there is a lack of staff presence in several campus offices, leaving student workers to answer questions and handle issues of which they are not very well informed.
H. Abadiano asked if student workers are providing academically related information to other students. J. Mulrooney replied that, according to students at the forum, student workers are providing everything from advising to financial information. For example, one student reported that she was told by a student worker that one of her courses would transfer as a required course, when, in fact, the course was actually transferred as an unrestricted elective. Another student was given inaccurate information by a student worker regarding the 2.5% service fee.
J. Mulrooney also reported that forum attendees unanimously agreed that student workers in specific departments (Registrar, Bursar and CACE were named) are rude, disrespectful and unhelpful. Students expect courtesy and customer service when they walk into one of our offices, and they do not feel they receive the level of respect that they deserve. Several students also reported feeling disrespected by staff members who seemed unwilling to communicate with them directly. C. Lovitt stated that he recently attended a student advisory board meeting at the School of Engineering and Technology, and students were making the same complaints about the Registrar’s Office. P. Tucker stated that the Registrar’s Office is currently looking at specific ways in which to address the service issues within the department.
A discussion occurred. Several Council members agreed that a campus-wide formal training program should be implemented for student workers in order to provide customer service training. L. Tordenti stated that although staffing is an issue in some departments, student workers cannot be the only points of contact for their peers. Staff members are more knowledgeable, and therefore they need to be out there answering questions and helping to solve student issues. R. Rodriguez agreed and stated that staff members need to pay attention to student interaction within their departments and recognize when there is an issue for which they should intervene. L. Hall also agreed that it is not just students who are responsible for the inaccuracy. University policy changes so quickly here that no one can keep up, and many staff members don’t have accurate information either. L. Hall then stated that it should be the department supervisor’s responsibility to train staff and student workers and make them aware of department-specific procedures and policy changes. R. Waterman then suggested that we work to implement a two-tier training program that includes collective customer service training as well as local, department-specific training.
· Inadequate advising:
J. Mulrooney reported that students feel advisors are unhelpful and advising hours are inconvenient and inflexible. Several students reported that their advisors had either misinformed them or neglected to provide them with the necessary information to ensure timely degree completion. Students also felt that many professors are inaccessible outside of their regularly scheduled office hours. They asked for more flexible office/advising hours that include evening hours.
Council members briefly discussed the issue of advising hours and faculty availability. L. Glaser stated that she makes herself available to her advisees during office hours as well as for privately scheduled appointments, and she sends emails to remind them to come see her for an advising session. She stated that despite her attempts to reach out to her students, only about half of them actually show up for an advising session. J. Mulrooney stated that we need to recognize that the students we have today are those who would rather receive instant information than make appointments with advisors. They want faculty to be readily available when they have questions or need assistance. H. Abadiano stated that some faculty use Skype to advise students who cannot make their office hours.
H. Abadiano also stated that we cannot assume that all faculty love to advise. Some do not have the level of commitment to advising that we imagine they should have. C. Lovitt agreed that there doesn’t seem to be a universal commitment to advising. He then suggested providing a course release to those faculty members who would be interested in taking on more of an advising responsibility. C. Lovitt also suggested hiring adjuncts to assist with advising duties. Adjuncts can be hired in specific departments, as well as in the school-based advising centers, in order to fulfill specific needs.
Another brief discussion then occurred regarding students receiving misinformation from faculty advisors. Council members agreed that many faculty and staff members are not aware of the latest academic policy changes, which can easily lead to providing inaccurate information to students. M. Horan stated that faculty and staff should take the time to look up the information online to ensure they are giving students accurate information. M. Bigley suggested sending notices of big policy changes via email. J. Mulrooney agreed, and he suggested that the Faculty Senate generate a list of major policy changes for the fall semester. The list can then be sent out via email as well as posted online. C. Lovitt asked M. McLaughlin if he could create a webpage that can house information regarding University policies and policy changes. M. McLaughlin stated that he can create a website as well as a link that can be used on Pipeline and sent out in campus-wide emails. R. Waterman asked if there was a policy directory online. C. Lovitt stated that currently there is no online policy directory, and we need to put together a group that can take charge of implementing this large and very important action item.
C. Lovitt stated that faculty training is also an important factor, and we should give some
thought to the ways in which to build good advising practices for professional development.
C. Lovitt encouraged the faculty members of the Council to act as liaisons and raise awareness within their respective departments regarding the issues discussed in J. Mulrooney’s report.
Subcommittee Updates
The following subcommittees provided brief updates:
· Attendance Policy Subcommittee:
N. Hoffman reported that the Attendance Policy Subcommittee plans to send an email to faculty, asking them to share their attendance policies and practices. The Subcommittee plans to heavily market “attendance awareness” by sharing sample policies with faculty in August, encouraging them to take attendance and identify chronically absent students through early reporting.
· Early Retention Subcommittee:
Y. Kirby reported that the Early Retention Subcommittee is currently working on several ways to engage students and involve parents and alumni in early retention practices. S. Hazan is working on a social media blitz and a scavenger hunt as a way to connect students to orientation leaders before they come to campus. The Subcommittee has also been given space in the Reporter for weekly public service announcements, including important student deadlines and tips for timely graduation. M. McLaughlin suggested posting these tips on Pipeline and the CCSU website. M. Garcia-Bowen asked if the group would still be highlighting a student of the month. Y. Kirby stated that the Subcommittee has not made any headway on this, and she asked Council members for feedback regarding ways to implement this initiative.
Announcements
· J. Paige announced that the TRIO program is presenting a conference for Latino parents of students in grades 7-12. Many parents in our community have a very limited knowledge of what it takes to prepare students for college and remain an involved parent. We are welcoming parents to campus to listen to a presentation (in Spanish), ask questions, and become more familiar with the university experience.
Work in Progress:
· C. Lovitt stated that we have focused most of our intervention practices on freshmen with the hopes that they would continue to succeed. However, it is clear that we need to begin looking at the specific needs of the sophomore, junior and senior classes as well.
· C. Lovitt agreed that making early application for graduation a requirement is a good suggestion, and he asked J. Paige and the Associate/Assistant Deans to work on this initiative.
· R. Waterman suggested that we work to implement a two-tier training program that includes collective customer service training as well as local, department-specific training.
· J. Mulrooney suggested that the Faculty Senate generate a list of major policy changes for the fall semester. The list can then be sent out via email as well as posted online.
· C. Lovitt asked M. McLaughlin if he could create a webpage that can house information regarding policy changes.
· C. Lovitt stated that currently there is no online policy directory, and we need to put together a group that can take charge of implementing this large and very important action item.