Yes We Must Coalitionwww.yeswemustcoalition.org

Presentation to College/Career Affinity GroupJanuary 15, 2013

Gary Bonvillian, PresidentThomas Universitygbonvillian@thomasu.edu

Nancy Moody, PresidentTusculum Collegenmoody@tusculum.edu

Gloria Nemerowicz, PresidentYes We Must Coalitionglorianemerowicz@yeswemustcoalition.org

Who We Are

• Established 2011 to collaborate to improve student access and success and to advocate for our students and our sector of higher education

• 32 small, private, non-profit, 2- and 4-year colleges/universities; urban and rural across the country

• Fewer than 5,000 undergrads, 50% or more Pell eligible per institution

• Average Pell enrollment 65%

• Total undergraduates 33,000

•

Who We Are (Cont.)

• Associate and Bachelor degrees

• 2 HBCUs, 5 HSIs, 6 women’s, 20 religiously affiliated

• Non-traditional-aged students majority

• Usually more than half enter as transfers

Values

• Different roots and histories. Joined by focus on underrepresented students largely in own regions

• Strong value-based missions focused on students

• Commitment to a campus-wide culture of support for success and belief in possibility of success

• All campus members take responsibility for supporting teaching and learning

• Focus on the student

Common Practices• Intrusive, relational, holistic advising/intervention

• Attention to new student transition/seminars and learning communities with success strategies and skills embedded

• “Remediation” seen as developmental; most give full or institutional credit

• Financial literacy education

• Experiential, on-line and community-connected learning options

• Creativity with structure: blocks; preset cohort classes; year round; parallel am, pm, night and weekend schedules

Common Challenges• Collecting and analyzing data to inform actions

• Staying connected to graduates

• Developing metrics that reflect the reality of our students

• Expense of retention tracking tools

• Expense of Financial Literacy tools

• Helping students finance their education w/o high debt

Empowering Students at Tusculum College

• Pre-College TRIO Programs Upward Bound Talent Search

• Preparation for College – Grades 9-12 Application Deadlines ACT/SAT Tests Major/Career Planning Financing Post-Secondary Education Deciding on a Post-Secondary Institution Questions to Ask During Campus Visits

Empowering Students: Success

• College TRIO Programs Student Support Services (1997) ARCHES (2010)

• Campus Programs Activities to support persistence and graduation• Living Learning Communities• Grant Aid• Cultural Awareness Programs• Academic Advising & Tutoring Services• Conditional Admissions• Materials Loan program• Staff Focusing Totally on Retention

Preparation for Success:Bridging Bridges

•U. S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant• Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready

Consortium (NETCO)

•Niswonger Foundation Professionalism for Leadership Grant

Empowering Students at Thomas University

• Pre-college Program

• 2 + 2 articulation agreements with community colleges

• Academic policies: grade renewal and grade forgiveness

• Early Alert process/intervention strategies

Engaging Students: Breaking Down Barriers to Success

• Proactive Integrated Advising

• TRIO Secondary and Post-secondary programs at a private university

• Developmental Studies program linked with college classes

• Performance Enhancement Center for student athletes

• Unique Academic Policies that support Stop Out students

Engaging Students (Cont.)• Distance students at TU are equally engaged in

courses, support services…

• OWL-Older Wiser Learner student organization

• Honor Societies Exclusively For Special Populations –recognize and acknowledge the academic achievement of non-traditional and student veterans

• Alpha Sigma Lambda-honor society for non-trad students

• SALUTE-honor society for Veterans

Transforming Students: Changing Lives from Admission to Graduation

• Student Transformations—ample evidence of student transformations, both qualitative and quantitative

• UniqueTU Score Card of successes with non-traditional students, stop-out and transfer students