TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past & Building the Future TN Reconnect Panel James Snider, TSAC Dick Smelser, Pellissippi State Robin Townson, Roane State

Honoring the Past and Building the Future TN Reconnect Update Independent student, as determined by FAFSA Not have previously earned an associate or baccalaureate degree TN resident, at least 1 year prior to application deadlines, same as TELS Not be ineligible under § 49-4-904 File the FAFSA, following TELS deadlines Enroll and attend at least part-time in an eligible program of study Participate in a college success program TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future TN Reconnect Update What is § 49-4-904 Must be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen Must comply with U.S. selective service requirement, if applicable Not be in default or owe a refund on Title IV or state financial aid program Must be in compliance with federal drug-free laws May not be incarcerated TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future TN Reconnect Update Continuing eligibility File Renewal FAFSA, following TELS deadlines Maintain continuous enrollment and attendance, at least part time in an eligible program of study Maintain a minimum, cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, as determined by the institution Participate in the college success program Terminating Events Completion of an associate degree or certificate 5 years have passed since initial enrollment as TNR student TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future TN Reconnect Update Current TN Reconnect Applicant Count – 11,000 (as of April 13) Applicant Profile 43% are making $25,000 or less (77% are making less than $50K) Average age is 34.3 31% of the applicants have no college experience 86% plan to work while they are enrolled Of those applicants that previously attended, about 52% last attended less than 5 years ago Most significant challenges are finances (61%) work demands (27%) and family responsibilities (30%) TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Pellissippi State Reconnect NOW TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future PSCC Reconnect NOW Eligibility Criteria Complete FAFSA by August 1 Be independent on the FAFSA. Do not have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Be a TN resident for at least one year by August 1. Must enroll in at least 6 credit hours towards an associate’s degree. TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Reconnect NOW Maintenance Criteria Maintain a term 2.0 GPA Maintain continuous enrollment for fall and spring semesters Attend and complete at least as a part-time students (6 credit hours) Other notes: Last dollar scholarship after all federal and state aid Pays mandatory tuition/fees only Currently enrolled students are eligible Scholarship will begin Fall 2017 and will cover through summer 2018 TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Reconnect NOW Challenges Daily ARGOS report to discover registered eligible students Uploaded data to ROAUSDF for awarding eligible students Manual adjustments to awards for on-line classes that Reconnect NOW did not cover Manual adjustments when students dropped or added classes Manual adjustments for students who completed verification and now have full Pell Banner will not adjust to zero $$ TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Reconnect NOW Data Fall Eligible Students – 2,708 (Start of classes) Fall Eligible Students that received funds – 938 (35%) Fall Awarded Dollars – $1,323,160 (average award $1,410) Spring Eligible Students – 2,309 Spring Eligible students that received fund – 920 (40%) Spring Awarded Dollars - $1,269,600 (average $1,380) TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Reconnect NOW Summary About 1/3 of the Fall eligible students did not maintain eligibility after Fall semester due to low GPA, Stop attending, Withdrawal or not registering for Spring. Low technical capabilities were evident and affected many students in the classroom A number of these students took online classes because they thought they would be easier TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Roane State Reconnect Best Practices TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Reconnect Ready Events Designed to provide one-on-one assistance for completing Reconnect application, FAFSA and RSCC Admissions application. Advertised in print and radio ads, website and social media 11 scheduled events Joint effort including staff from Recruiting, Financial Aid, Academic Departments, Success Coaches, Off-campus staff Provided informational tables and refreshments Completed surveys entered students for a book scholarship TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Textbook Scholarship RSCC Foundation Office provided 2 textbook scholarships: $1000/year ($500/semester) for a full-time Reconnect student $500/year ($250/semester) for a part-time Reconnect student Students completing a survey at a Reconnect Ready event is entered into a drawing for the scholarships Drawing will be held after last event and will be on Facebook Live TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Facebook Live events 1st event highlighted Success Coaches at RSCC and common questions regarding Tennessee Reconnect 2nd and following events will highlight particular academic areas Foundation Scholarship drawing TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Targeted Outreach Prospective students identified from the Tennessee Reconnect Potential Eligible list (extracted from eGrands) and interest form submitted on the RSCC website. File from eGrands is imported into Banner. 3 Argos reports created: current students, students assigned to a Success Coach and those who have not applied to RSCC. Point of contact identified for each group and daily emails are sent to these. Contact efforts are documented in Banner and included in daily emails. Tennessee Reconnect Toolkit prepared and emailied to ALL RSCC staff and so that any employee can share the basic information regarding Tennessee Reconnect. TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Best Practices? Additional Efforts, Successes, Barriers? Questions & Discussion? TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future

Honoring the Past and Building the Future Thank you! James Snider, TSAC James.snider@tn.gov Dick Smelser, Pellissippi State rwsmelser@pstcc.edu Robin Townson, Roane State townsonr@roanestate.edu TASFAA 2018 Honoring the Past and Building the Future