SACRAO 2018 71st Annual Meeting February 11-14, 2018

Mary Beth Burlison, Assistant Registrar ** Holistic Recruiting: A Multi-Departmental Approach to Transfer Recruitment Presenters: Larry Long, Assistant Director Mary Beth Burlison, Assistant Registrar

Session Description Transfer students are a diverse population that have a wide range of needs and questions at various points in the transfer process. Without a transfer office, many schools struggle to address the needs of these students. This presentation will discuss how the University of Tennessee uses a multi-office approach that is coordinated through a campus wide transfer taskforce, to make sure that the campus community is constantly collaborating to address the needs of this student population.

UTK Transfer Student Population Overview Average Class Size Fall and Summer: 1300-1450 Spring:200-300 Average Transfer GPA 3.07 Average Number of Hours Transferred 49.3 transferable hours Larry

Transfer Population- Overview Larry Fall 2016 Transfer Survey

Transfer Population- Overview Larry Fall 2016 Transfer Survey

Transfer Population- Overview Larry Fall 2016 Transfer Survey

Transfer Population- Overview Larry Fall 2016 Transfer Survey

Background Transfer Retreat Thematic “pain points” from the student perspective: Transfer Orientation Advising Model Transfer Evaluation/Petitioning Communication Technology MB Transfer Action Plan 2015

Guiding Principles – From Transfer Retreat The Taskforce identified guiding principles to support improvement efforts: Positive student experience, targeted for student level and segment Efficient and simple processes Clear and concrete communication Enables students to plan Fair to the student MB Transfer Action Plan 2015

Guiding Principles cont.… Emphasize the importance of relationships (advising, student support, recruitment) Maintain UT standards and academic integrity Scalable to support growth Similar UT experience for transfers as other undergraduate students MB Transfer Action Plan 2015

Action Plan The Taskforce identified nine areas for focus to support the transformation: Admission / Pre-Enrollment Communication Orientation Advising, Retention, and Success Equivalency Petitioning Faculty Engagement Technology Data and Assessment Financial Aid MB Transfer Action Plan 2015

Where are we today… Area for Improvement Accomplishments and Actions in Progress 1. Admission/ Pre-Enrollment New transfer website launched (http://transfer.utk.edu/) MyUTK improvements including a direct link to the transfer credit evaluation and transfer student checklist Requested a full-time counselor for Pellissippi campus 2. Orientation Advising and orientation teams meeting to determine options for improvement Reviewing possibility of holding seats for transfer students in high-demand courses 3. Advising, Retention, and Student Success Advising team requiring individual student appointments vs. group advising during orientation sessions Pre-Orientation/Advising “homework” and websites complete. Logging programs currently available for transfer students; conversation this spring will focus on transfer student success programming Evaluating living learning programs for transfer students; strategies for recruiting transfers for student housing are also being discussed 4. Equivalency Automated equivalency tables from Banner completed Working on a program to update Banner equivalency tables when courses change; should greatly improve efficiency 5. Petitioning Faculty approved some automatic petitions General education petitioning process improvement in progress; Registrar staff coding faculty approved petitions beginning this semester MB Transfer Summit Handout 2017

Where are we today… Area for Improvement Accomplishments and Actions in Progress 6. Faculty Engagement Faculty engaged in improving petitioning process Collecting data on transfer student course success and availability of key courses transfer students need Conducted a Transfer Symposium for faculty and staff during fall semester 2016 to learn about our transfer student population 7. Technology Timeline and costs for technology plan approved and completed 8. Data and Assessment Completed three focus groups with transfer students to better understand issues related to orientation, advising, student life, residence halls, and veterans Conducted productive campus visit to Appalachian State to evaluate practices Surveyed fall 2016 transfer students about their transfer student experience 9. Financial Aid Discussing the financial aid process for transfer students and exploring scholarship possibilities Implemented a new transfer scholarship for incoming eligible students beginning fall 2017 and any entry term after that MB Transfer Summit Handout 2017

Future Improvements Possible Transfer Office Combining essential staff from existing offices to improve how we serve transfer students Leadership positions aimed at continuing the transfer conversation on our campus Positions aimed at having more of a presence on the campuses of our largest feeder community colleges. Looking at ways to continually improve onboarding and 1st semester retention Getting students involved on campus Make sure we identify at risk students earlier Larry

Questions? Contact Information Larry Long Mary Beth Burlison (865) 974-1188 (865) 974-5174 llong2@utk.edu mmitch20@utk.edu