A Holistic Program for Student Planning MnScu Student Affairs and Diversity Conference February 5, 2009 Presented by: Katie Svoboda, Director of Orientation and Student Engagement Michele Jersak, Counselor Randy LaFoy, GPS LifePlan Media Coordinator

Now, think back to when you were in college… What made your college experience successful? Was it a person? A resource? A club? How accessible was this person/resource? Was it 24-hours a day? Only between 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday-Friday?

Century College Community and technical college in White Bear Lake Students enrolled in credit courses – 9,276 Females: 56% Males: 44% Full-time students: 47% Average age: 25 Students of color: 26% First generation students: new – 34% returning – 60% Of the new students entering Century, 78% intend on earning their associate’s degree

Goals + Plans = Success Planning tool that assists students in developing and achieving their goals and plans while attending Century. There are 5 sub-plans that were created to meet the needs of students in all areas of academic, personal and career development. CareerPlan – EducationPlan – FinancePlan – LeadershipPlan - PersonalPlan

Topic Areas Self-Assessment - Interests - Skills - Work Values - Personality Career Research Links to Education Integration Decision-Making

Topic Areas Degree/Program Course Planning Links to Education Study Skills Learning Styles Grade Issues Transfer Planning College Readiness

Topic Areas Budget Debt Management Saving for the Future Financing Education - Financial Aid - Scholarships - Tax Related Benefits Budget Debt Management Saving for the Future Credit Management

Topic Areas Leadership Skills Resources for Leading Civic Engagement Service Learning Global Competence

Topic Areas Life Transitions Stress Management Relationships Fitness and Physical Health Child Care Housing Transportation Mental Health

eFolio Features Provides a virtual three-ring binder Allows more ownership for the student Can password protect areas and provide feedback Can be shaped and polished for use beyond college experience Michele

Michele

Other student samples

Timeline President’s vision and support Best practice visit to Valencia Community College President’s vision and support Counselor sabbatical created CareerPlan Steering Committee Workshop restructuring Launched at New Student Orientation April 2006 External program evaluation Program Redesign

New Hires Two Student Experience Directors, 2006 GPS LifePlan Outreach Coordinator, 2008 GPS LifePlan Media Coordinator, 2008

How is it Used on Campus? New Student Orientation Student Planner Registration Guide Workshops during Fall and Spring Student Success Day eFolio Support Website Teaching Circles, Awards of Excellence, curriculum integration Daily interactions between students, faculty and staff

Curriculum Integration Examples Developmental Reading Multiple Intelligences, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Critical Thinking (EducationPlan) The Differences Between High School and College; Resiliency Activity and Mental Health Issue (Personal Plan) Public Speaking Leadership Philosophy, Articulating a Vision (LeadershipPlan) Interests, values, skills, possible careers, major of study (CareerPlan), Persuasive speech on finance related topic (FinancePlan)

How Faculty Use The Program

Faculty Support the Program and View it as Worthwhile

Evaluation Highlights High awareness: Faculty 86% Students 92% Retention rates up 9%

Student Rating of Program to Help with Career and Education Plans

Reading 80 AQIP Project Re-enrollment Fall to Spring Rate

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CSSEE) Benchmarks Century 2005 Century 2007 Change Active and Collaborative Learning 48.2 50.1 1.9 Student Effort 51.1 52.4 1.3 Academic Challenge 50.8 51.4 0.6 Student-Faculty Interaction 44.1 48.9 4.8 Support for Learners 45.7 49.4 3.7 Pakou: The GPS Lifeplan ties into a larger initiative on student engagement, which is measured by the CCSSE. Century College has completed two CCSSEE administrations (will do the 3rd this spring).

Beyond Century College Collaboration with the Office of the Chancellor and MnScu. Other colleges interested in bringing GPS LifePlan to their campuses. MnOnline and Veterans version

Contact Information Katie Svoboda, Director of Orientation and Student Engagement katie.svoboda@century.edu Michele Jersak, Counselor michele.jersak@century.edu Randy Lafoy, GPS LifePlan Media Coordinator randy.lafoy@century.edu