Barriers to Success for Underrepresented Transfer Students Barbara Miller, Kent State University, and Maia Randle, Ph.D. Columbus State Community College

National Statistics for Community College Transfer 25% of students transfer to a 4-yr institution within 5 years (Jenkins and Fink, 2015). 19% of African-American students and 17% of Latino students transfer after 7 years (McGlynn and Provitera, 2013).

Essential Transfer Student Practices Regional Meeting (April 12, 2017) Ohio is below average in transfer degree completion. There is a 5 point achievement gap by income.

Barriers to Transfer Lack of Early Momentum Transfer Paths are Unclear Transfer Credit Loss

Essential Practices Outreach Credit Transfer & Application Pathways/Partnerships Web and social media FYE & Orientation Advising Environment Partner Collaboration Financial Assistance Data Sharing

Potential Solutions What can be done to increase the transfer rate for URM (underrepresented minorities) students? Two pathways Student Centered Solutions Institutional Based Solutions

Student Centered Use community college outreach to motivate and guide URMs in high schools - Involve URM community college students (ambassadors) in the outreach to high schools Establish learning communities to help commuter URMs meet other students with similar academic and career goals Establish peer tutoring and other academic supports for URMs Create a “sense of belonging” by hosting various cultural events

Institutional Based Institutional Approaches for Community Colleges Establish Transfer Centers to provide transfer advising and attract URM students to 4-yr institutions Provide academic and financial counseling Support services (such as child care) Develop different models of developmental education to reduce the time spent in developmental courses so students have a quicker path to taking courses for college credit (Ex) MATH 1099 Bridge to College Math (Columbus State) http://www.cscc.edu/academics/courses16-17/math.shtml Facilitate 4-yr campus visits to local universities

Institutional Based Institutional Approaches for 4-yr Institutions Build strong partnerships between community colleges and universities by utilizing Financial Aid Specifically Designed for URM Transfer Students (could be department/college specific) Transfer Student Orientations URM peer mentors in similar disciplines Faculty/staff who are sensitive to the needs and problems of the transfer population

Discussion Questions What types of programming exists or could exist for URMs at your institution? Who can you partner with at your current institution to address URM transfer students? What kind of pipelines and collaborations with partner institutions can be built or strengthened to address URM transfer students? Do you have any data about transfer students in general or URM transfer students in particular?

Sources Eaton, Judith S.(1991). Encouraging Transfer: Its Impact on Community Colleges. Education Digest, Vol. 57, Issue 1, page 62. 4p. McGlynn & Provitera, A. (2013). Creating Better Pathways for Minority Student Transfer. Education Digest, Vol. 78, Issue 7, p 60-64. 5p. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/what-we-know-about- transfer.pdf 4.http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Publications/Briefs/Documents/04052006facesbrief .pdf 5. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0013124589021003006 http://mysite.du.edu/~cdlovell/05-InstResptoBarriers.pdf https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/low-income-minority- completion.pdf https://www.durhamtech.edu/reap/atd/Wassmer%20et%20al.pdf 9.https://www.ohiohighered.org/sites/ohiohighered.org/files/uploads/transfer/r esearch/Ohio%202-Year%20to%204- Year%20Transfers_Completion%20Rates%20%26%20Regional%20Differences_for%20u ploading.pdf