A Private Institution Panel Discussion of Best Practices that Foster Transfer Student Success

Dr. Eric Gumm

Director of the First-Year Program and Academic Development

15 years in Higher Education11 years in the First-Year Program

Located in Abilene, Texas 3,806 total undergraduates (fall 2011) 530 total undergraduate transfers (fall 2011) 864 freshmen (fall 2011) 149 transfers (fall 2011) 73.6% freshman retention rate 72.1% transfer retention rate

Brandon Miller

Assistant Vice President and Interim Director, Career Services

Paul L. Foster Success Center

735-acre campus in Waco, Texas, with an area population greater than 229,000

Enrollment:Undergraduate: 12, 575Freshmen: 3,033Transfer: 449

First Time Freshmen Fall to Fall – 84%Transfer Fall to Fall – 77.5%

Nancy Skochdopole

Director of Transfer and Transition Services

• Located in Dallas, Texas• 6,221 total undergraduates (fall 2011)• 943 total undergraduate transfers (fall

2011)• 1382 first years (fall 2011)• 265 transfers (fall 2011)• 88.6% first-year retention rate• 88.1% transfer retention rate

Denise Giesbers

Director - Office of Transfer Student Services, Information, Communication and Division

Visibility

13 years in Student Affairs12 years in Transfer Student specific role

Pacific University

•Location: Forest Grove, Oregon•Fees:•Tuition and Fees: $33,670•Room and Board: $10,165

•Undergraduate Enrollment: 1603•First Year Student Enrollment 2011- 374•Transfer Student Enrollment 2011 – 74•3 year Retention Average for Freshman – 77.3%•3 year Retention Average for Transfers – 72.4%(this # is skewed due to how our reporting structure was set-up. Before 2009 our international exchange students were included in this number.

Counselors attend ~ 40 college fairs each season at top feeder schools and across region, including Phi Theta Kappa events

University partners with top feeder schools through articulation, pre-admission and reverse transfer agreements

Admissions sponsors Mustang Express Decisions – 15 MEDs offered this spring

Prospective students invited to on-campus events – Transfer Tuesdays, Quick Connect Workshops, Transfer Stampede and Mustang Evening

Transfer Open Advising Day offered as yield event

Admission and Registrar Offices partner to make sure admission decision delivered to applicants within 14 days

Recruiting tools developed including brochure and Quick Connects

Counselors hand out informational sheets called Quick Connects at fairs and interviews

Quick Connects for specific majors, general education curriculum and unique populations

Merit scholarships automatic to students with 50 or more transferable hours and…… 3.5 – 3.69 GPA - $3,000 3.7 or higher GPA – Half Tuition

10 full tuition scholarships awarded each fall to transfers from North Texas community colleges (application and interview required)

20 Phi Theta Kappa scholarships awarded to active members with 3.5 or higher GPA – $2,000 (application required)

Dedicated CounselorHere are the basic transfer requirements for

admission to Pacific University…Minimum of a 2.7 Cumulative GPA at the college

levelAll Official College Transcripts mailed from each

college you have attended(If you have completed 30 semester credits (45 quarter credits), then you do NOT have to include your official high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores.)

Completed transfer application (online via Common Application)

500-800 word essayOne letter of recommendation (can be from a

professor, counselor or work supervisor who can speak to your academic motivation and focus)

Other recommendations: Evidence of ability to successfully take a full semester/quarter of SOLID college classes above the 100 level. We typically accept college courses above the 100 level with grades of C- or higher.

Preferred application deadline for spring ’12 is January 1, 2012

Preferred application deadline for fall ’12 is June 15, 2012

3 Weeks!- Once your application file is complete and we have admitted you to Pacific University, it usually takes up to three weeks to receive your official transcript evaluation from us in the mail. Your financial aid award letter will be e-mailed out to you starting the third week in March.

$$ Increased Merit Scholarships for Transfers (effective Fall 2012)…• We offer our transfer students automatic and renewable

merit scholarships based on your cumulative college GPA:• 2.9 – 3.29 ($10,500)• 3.3 – 3.49 ($11,500)• 3.5-3.69 ($15,000)• 3.7 - 3.8 ($19,000)• 3.81 and higher ($22,000)

 OREGON SCHOLARSHIPS (Apply by March 1) Oregon Student Assistance Commission:

www.GetCollegeFunds.org  Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships…

• If you are a member of this national transfer honor society at your community college, you can apply for additional scholarships worth up to $2,500 a year! Please be sure to apply early (January – March) as we only have 15 to award.

Welcome WeekendOur orientation for new spring studentsPrimary population is transfer studentsFocus on getting them “up to speed”

Passport – our New Student Orientation2 sessions each summerCombined event for freshmen and transfer

students

Welcome WeekFive days of transition experiencesSpecific groups for transfer studentsThose groups are lead by a Transfer Peer

LeaderTransfer Peer Leaders remain in contact with

their students for a full academic yearContact includes weekly emails highlighting

activities on and off campus to encourage student involvement and engagement

Mustang Transfers – offers fellowship and philanthropy for all transfer students

Tau Sigma National Honor Society – offers opportunity for fellowship and service as peer mentors

Baylor Transfer Council (BTC) Dedicated to serving transfer students by

promoting activities that enhance the spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual well-being of their lives. Seeks to provide its members with leadership and service opportunities and promote transfer student involvement and is committed to recruiting new transfer students and to assisting current transfer students in their transition to Baylor University.

BTC hosts Welcome Weekend social activities in the Spring for new transfer students

Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society is an academic honor society designed specifically to "recognize and promote the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students.“

Tau Sigma hosts a Transfer Mixer for all new transfers and serves as academic mentors

Tau Sigma President and Vice President serve as members of the Transfer Living-Learning Center Steering Committee

• Orientation – • 1 ½ -2 day Orientation (part of which is

integrated in with the Freshman). Additional 2 days of programming they are invited to

• Ambassadors (leaders) are also their peer mentors for the 1st semester.

• Ambassadors contact their mentee’s during the summer to answer questions and make a connection before they arrive.

• Dinner/luncheon with faculty

• Student Organization– Pacific Connections – organization all transfers

belong to by virtue of being a transfer. – Can be as active or inactive as the student chooses.– Primary responsibility: social programming for

transfers. – Works with OTSS on 90% of all other programming

for this population. – Provides support for Admissions (tours, panels, etc…)– Transfer Student Senator – Must be a current

executive member.

Institutional Grant – Focused on Retention, Recruitment, & Research Become pro-active vs. re-active in planning

Lunch Box Series – “Transfer”mation Lunch Series (permission to use the name given at 9th NISTS conference)

Provide students with topics for both in and outside of the classroom Most popular – How to Get Into Grad School

Internal and external marketing (see samples)Solidify evaluation methods and system on our

Transfer Student Services and evaluate Transfer Orientation

New Academic Advising Center – Each Transfer Student will meet with the

Director to assist with this transition.

Specific course for transfer studentsCORE 115 – Critical Thinking and IdentityA course only for new transfer studentsSatisfies a core requirementAlso brings new transfer students together

The same data you have for your first-time freshmen, you should also have for your new transfers

Quantitative and Qualitative in NatureData Warehouse

Enrollment FunnelAdmissions Data – Top five transfer institutions and

GPAFall to Fall RetentionFall to Spring RetentionAcademic Referrals and Mid – Term DeficienciesAcademic Support ProgramsNon-registered for the next semesterPredictive Models for semester retentionEvaluation of the Transfer Year Experience CourseAdmission Focus GroupsProfile of transfer students below a 2.0 GPA

To provide more opportunity to discuss together, we will now break out into smaller groups.

We have a sheet that we invite you to use in your group to discuss and share ideas in these four areas.

After some time for discussion, we will bring everyone back together and ask each group to share 1-2 ideas.

Thank you for attending this session, and for your participation in the discussion.

Please complete your evaluation of the session.

We invite you to continue to conversation as the conference continues as well as beyond the conference.

Denise Giesbers – dgiesbers@pacific.edu

Eric Gumm – gummj@acu.edu

Nancy Skochdopole - nskoch@smu.edu