Enhancing the Success of Graduate Students

VISION

Leadership and Innovation in Graduate Education

MISSION

To serve as a catalyst for excellence in

graduate education

THE “PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE” LEADS TO SUCCESS

Changing student demographics and student

expectations

Reshuffling of

traditional fields / rise of

interdisciplinary research

Changing

technologies in the university &

in broader society

Adapting & diversifying

resources

Success of Graduate Students

Educational Innovation

Faculty Scholarship

& Research

Interdisciplinary

Research

Culture of Constant

Improvement

Local & Global Engagement

DOCTORAL AND MASTER’S TIME TO DEGREE

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 20010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

Doctoral

Master's

4.75

6.1

2.31 2.1

Year

s

10-YEAR DOCTORAL COMPLETION RATE

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

57.6%

64.8%

FIVE CONDITIONS FOR OPTIMAL DOCTORAL COMPLETION

1. Prospective students apply for doctoral study

2. Applicants are admitted as doctoral students 3. Students and faculty form productive working

relationships 4. Students experience social support from fellow students 5. Students have financial support throughout the doctoral

program

MENTORING: STUDENTS FORMING PRODUCTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACULTY AND PEERS

HOW DO WE ENHANCE THE SUCCESS OF OUR GRADUATE STUDENTS ?

Through Improved Mentoring

• Implementing workshops/seminars on effective mentoring

• Developing an Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award

Enhancing the Success of Graduate Students at NC State University Begins Now

A Culture of Mentoring in Graduate Education

Laura Gail Lunsford, PhD

!Sponsored by the Mentoring Resource Center

Wake Forest University

Thoughts about

• Great Starts: Research —> Practice (~20 min)

• Mentoring Culture (~ 20 min)

Big PictureResearch Streams!

• Youth mentoring (Dubois et al, 2011)

• Organizational & educational - retention focus (Kram, 1985; Crisp & Cruz, 2009)

• Talent development - Nobel Laureates, Olympians (Zuckerman, 1977)

Mentoring = a senior, more experienced (usually older) person who provides support and guidance to a junior, less experienced person.

Mentor Factors = Career Support + Psychosocial Support

Athena

1. Expectation Gap

2. Knowledge Gap

3. Need Assessment Gap

4. Relationship Development Gap

Research —> Practice

Expectations Gap

1. EDUCATE STUDENTS ON

• What a mentor is (not).

• Mentor - enduring, reciprocity, emotional investment, personal & professional growth

• Advisor, Supervisor, Dissertation Chair

Knowledge Gap

2. ON DEFINITIONS…think beyond 1-1.

• People = mentor + protégé + mentor + mentor

• Behaviors = psychosocial, career

• Processes = relationship stages, informal vs formal, micro-mentoring (episodes)

Needs Assessment Gap3. ON BEHAVIORS RELATED TO RELATIONSHIP QUALITY

• Two types of behaviors (Kram, 1985, Allen et al. 2004, Lunsford, 2012):

• psychosocial support (listening, confidence building, role modeling, counseling)

• career or instrumental support (sponsorship, challenging assignments, protection, visibility)

• and perhaps a third type…

• relationship quality (resiliency, + emotional tone, openness to new ideas) (Stephens et al 2012)

Relationship Development Gap

4. ON STAGES OF RELATIONSHIPS

• Initiation - shared values (Rapport developed). Diversity matters here.

• What do I need? Setting goals.

• Cultivation - collaborative project/goal

• Progress on goals

• Separation - endings

• Redefinition - new type of relationshipBerliner Philharmoniker

3 Suggestions

Encourage students to:

1. Conduct a needs assessment (first semester).

2. Seek the ‘right’ mentors.

3. Diversify their network - 3 to 4 individuals in and outside the department in the FIRST YEAR.

Mentoring Culture

Mentoring

Protégé

Mentor Environment

Mentoring Culture

Mentoring

Protégé

Mentor Environment

% as of Spring 2014Entered Left after

Masters (%)

PhD in 3-5 Years

PhD in 6 Years

PhD in 7-10 Yrs

Still Enrolled

04-05 17 24 18 20 5

05-06 12 23 18 19 9

06-07 14 23 18 17 13

07-08 11 25 21 12 16

08-09 12 27 23 - 30

09-10 11 23 - - 57

10-11 13 7 - - 73

Disciplinary Differences

• Mentoring is ‘built-in’ some disciplines.

• Lab sciences.

• Direct effects on doctoral student productivity. (Lunsford, 2012)

Dys FUN ctionFive Sources* (Eby et al, 2000)

• Frequent = Mismatch + Neglect

• General dysfunction & Lack of competency

• Infrequent = Manipulative “Tormentors”

*Low base rate of 15%, but 50% of mentees have reported negative experiences.

Sink or SwimAmbivalence in the Academy !Undergraduates

Uniform acceptance of its benefits. Lack of clarity about what mentoring is. !

Doctoral students Heart of doctoral education…but….those who deserve to be here

will figure it out. !

Faculty Sink or swim

Mentoring CultureMentor-like episodes are frequent and informal (hallway).

• Does your department have such a ‘hallway’?

Expectations are made explicit in the first semester/year.

• Does your department have formal activities such as 1st year seminar or brown bag activities?

Support for graduate students to mentor undergraduates.

• Does your department provide such opportunities and information to graduate students on how to mentor others?

Mentoring Culture

• Monitor and reward great mentoring.

• Checks & Balances: Monitor to reduce dysfunction.

• Bad is stronger than good (Eby et al 2004).

• Do you have checks and balances?

Thanks• Dean Grasso, Lian Lynch, Lindsay Gentile

• Vicki Baker, Albion College & Council on Graduate Education

• United States Department of Education

• Support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SBE-0548130. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

• Mentoring Collaboratory: Cindy Chavarria, Amanda Fosmire, Estrella Ochoa, Guadalupe Tapia, J.D. Thomas

Questions

ReferencesAllen, T. D., Eby, L. T., Poteet, M. L., Lentz, E., and Lima, L. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for proteges: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology , 89:127-136.!!Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivastva, S. (1987). Appreciative inquiry in organizational life. Research in organizational change and development, 1(1), 129-169.!!Crisp, G. and Cruz, I. (2009). Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in Higher Education , 50(5):525-545.!!Dubois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., and Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? a systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the !Public Interest , 12(2):57-91.!!Eby, L. T., Butts, M. M., Durley, J., & Ragins, B. R. (2010). Are bad experiences stronger than good ones in mentoring relationships? Evidence from the protégé and mentor perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(1), 81-92.!!Eby, L. T., McManus, S. E., Simon, S. A., & Russell, J. E. (2000). The protege's perspective regarding negative mentoring experiences: The development of a taxonomy. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57(1), 1-21.!!Lunsford, L. (2012). Doctoral advising or mentoring: Effects on student outcomes. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning , 20(2):251-270.!!Stephens, J. P., H.-E. and Dutton, J. E. (2012). The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship , chapter High-quality connections, pages 385-299. New York: Oxford Press.!!Subotnik, R. & Olszewski-Kubilus, P. (1997). Restructuring special programs to reflect the distinctions between children's and adults' experiences with giftedness.!!Zuckerman, H. (1977). Scientic elite: Nobel Laureates in the United States. New York: The Free Press.

Positive PsychologyWays mentors & protégés can have constructive conversations.

• Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, 1987)

• Envision ideal self at graduation.

• Mindset (Carol Dweck Mindset)

• Reframing thinking in face of difficulty (Martin Seligman Learned Optimism) or ‘Thought Catching’

Records Update

Lian Lynch

Important Dates October 21st • Enrollment for Spring 2015 begins

November 5th • Apply to Graduate Deadline • ETD Review Deadline

November 19th • Final Error Free ETD Deadline

December 3rd • ETD Committee Approval Deadline

December 18th • Grades Due by 5pm • Fall Graduation Exercise

Singularity OnBase

Admin Reports

Reminders

• Academic Load Waivers & Residency Reclassification Applications – Census Deadline

• Enrollment

Questions?

Lian_Lynch@ncsu.edu

NextGen Admissions Update

Lindsay Gentile

Lots of Improvements!

• Additional Search Options

Other Additions

• New option for weekly notification • More customization on program setup • Share your saved search filters • Additional mass actions • Live NCSU transcripts • Email history is more prominent • Confirmation of TOEFL exemption requirements • Many more…….

Go-live = Oct. 28, 2014

Training

Register online at http://ncsu.edu/grad/about-grad/training.html

Questions?

Lindsay_Gentile@ncsu.edu

Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP)

Caroline Ortiz-Deaton

GSSP in MyPack Portal

GSSP in MyPack Portal

Graduate Support

Eligibility In order to be eligible for the GSSP, a graduate student must:

1) be registered full-time, at all times,

2) have an active, qualifying appointment • at least, $8,000 annualized • must begin on or before census day • must extend, at least, 30 days beyond the first day of classes

3) be within their allowed semesters for GSSP tuition benefits • master’s degree - 4 semesters • doctoral degree with previous related master’s degree - 8 semesters • doctoral degree without previous related master’s degree - 10 semesters

4) within an qualifying degree sub-plan • students enrolled in distance education sub-plans are not eligible for GSSP

benefits

1 Full-time, at all times

1 Not full-time

2 Active, qualifying appointment

2 No active, qualifying appointment

3 Within allowed semesters

3 Beyond allowed semesters (BAS)

4 Within a qualifying degree sub-plan

4 Distance Ed sub-plan

GSSP Funding Calculator

go.ncsu.edu/gssp_funding

Third Party Contracts

Questions?

ncstategssp@ncsu.edu

Graduate Assistantships & Fellowships

Siarra Dickey & Meghan Wilson

Affordable Care Act Hourly Restrictions

• Effective August 20th, the University has restricted all graduate students who are employed with the University to an aggregate total of 29 hours per week – Reminder: International students are still

restricted to 20 hours per week during the academic year

• Refer to 3-D Memo, June 24th, 2014

Affordable Care Act Hourly (FTE) Restrictions

• What does the 29 hours/week threshold entail? • Any student that is employed across campus in one or more jobs that

exceed an aggregate total of 0.725 FTE (29 hours/week) for +3 months will be eligible to opt for the ACA Healthcare Plan

• When calculating ACA hours, HR Benefits will determine eligibility based on FTE as well as the number of hours the student actually works (i.e., what the department enters as the FTE (number of hours the student is expected to work) vs. the student reported hours)

• What is FTE? How do you calculate FTE? • FTE = Full-Time Equivalent; this figure is entered by the department in

the HR System as the number of hours expected of the employee • To calculate FTE, take the number of hours the student is expected to

work and divide it by 40 • Ex: 20 hours/week ÷40 hours/week = 0.50 FTE

Affordable Care Act GSSP vs. ACA Healthcare Plan

• What is the difference between ACA Plan and GSSP? Note: The following table is a healthcare comparison for a student who does not enroll in spousal coverage and/or coverage for dependents.

ITEM FOR COMPARISON ACA GSSP

Cost to Department

$117.62/month State-Funded: $0 Non-State Funded: $161.47/month

Cost to Individual $92.38/month $0

Deductible $5000 deductible $0/100% Coverage with Student Health $275 for In-Network $550 for Out-of-Network

Coverage After Deductible Met

50% for In-Network 40% for Out-of-Network

80% for In-Network 50% for Out-of-Network

Out of Pocket Maximum

$6,450 for both In-Network and “Non-Network”

$2,000 for In-Network $4,000 for Out-of-Network

Metallic Level Bronze Between gold and platinum

• How do I know if a student has existing jobs on campus and view the FTE for the existing jobs? Is it ok for students to have multiple jobs on campus? • See your Department’s HR Representative. They are able to view a student’s

current jobs on campus through “Employee View” in the HR System. • Yes, it is perfectly fine for a student to have multiple jobs on campus.

• What is the department’s role if a student already has a job on campus and your new assistantship will put them over the ACA threshold? • Ask the student if he/she is still employed in their current job. If they are and

want to continue working in their current position, inform the student that they must work with their current department to lower the number of hours they are currently working so that their aggregate number of hours is less than or equal to 29 (or 20 for foreign nationals).

• What if the student says they are no longer employed in the position listed in the HR System? • Work with the department the were employed with to ensure the department

enters a separation action for the student that reflects the student’s last day worked (not effective the day the department is notified) in that department.

Affordable Care Act Determining Eligibility

• What if the student gets another job on campus and that job puts him/her eligible for ACA? • Even if your department does everything in it’s power to ensure the student

does not qualify for ACA, the student may still receive additional employment elsewhere on campus that qualifies him/her for ACA.

• The Dean or Vice Chancellor of the appointment that makes the student newly eligible for ACA will be the one who requests the exception and sends the form to HR Benefits stating agree to cover healthcare if the student opts for ACA. The proper procedure for requesting an exception is on the next slide.

• If the student qualifies for ACA and opts for ACA, your department will be notified. Healthcare costs will be split across all appointments per the FTE.

Affordable Care Act Students Who Qualify for ACA

Affordable Care Act Requesting an Exception

• Ensure students know the difference between GSSP and ACA coverage!!! Communication is critical, especially for foreign nationals

• New University Exceptions Policy 1. Department works with College Dean or Associate Vice

Chancellor to request exception 2. If Dean/AVC grants exception, Dean/AVC’s office completes

Exception Form with Dean’s signature 3. Form is sent to HR Benefits for filing 4. Copy sent to Graduate School for official student file

Affordable Care Act

Questions?

More ACA Info on NCSU HR Website http://www.ncsu.edu/human_resources/benefits/ACA/

NextGen Graduate Appointments Update

• Focus Group Meeting – October 2014 – 10/10/2014: Met w/First Focus Group – 10/27/2014: Meeting w/Second Focus Group

• Pilot Groups – April 2015

• Go Live – June 2015