Betsy Barefoot, EdD Maryland Higher Education Retention Conference October 31, 2005 Defining & Measuring First-Year Excellence

How would you define excellence? Retention? Innovative curriculum? Satisfied students? Evidence of learning? Continuous improvement? What else?

The Project: Institutions of Excellence in the First College Year Open in 2002 to all accredited 2- & 4-year institutions 130 nominations received 54 semi-finalists 13 finalists Selections made by national panel of experts Each portfolio read & rated by 4 reviewers Not a ranking system!

Criteria for Excellence Intentional & Comprehensive Efforts Assessment of Initiatives Broad Impact on Critical Mass of Students Strong Administrative Support & Institutionalization Involvement of Faculty, Student Life, & Others

Comm College of Denver LaGuardia Comm C Kalamazoo College Eckerd College Drury University US Military Academy Elon University Lehman College- CUNY Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Appalachian State U Ball State University IUPUI University of South Carolina Institutions of Excellence

University of South Carolina First-year seminar: full credit, one semester; 75% of students take it. Leadership, formal and informal Assessment is central and transparent Academic-student affairs partnership Housing concepts based in academics Academically centered orientation The “Carolinian Creed”

Ball State University Freshman Learning Council University College: Advising, core curriculum, national involvement Making Achievement Possible (MAP) Survey Residential learning communities Grants and special fees to support 1 st - year programs

Eckerd College Autumn Term – a three-week academic orientation experience Includes three-week courses taught by faculty who is academic advisor Significant involvement of librarians Academic advisors (mentors) who function as “first line of defense” for first-year students Welcoming candlelight ceremony, “Ceremony of Lights” Use of “writing portfolio” instead of English composition Major focus on interdisciplinarity

LaGuardia Community College Many learning community adaptations Electronic portfolios Common reading experience Honors programs Study abroad programs High level of respect for students

Kalamazoo College The K-Plan: Designed to cultivate five dimensions of intellectual & personal growth Lifelong learning, career readiness, intercultural understanding, social responsibility, leadership The electronic portfolio Begun as a first-year student, continues throughout, final evaluation by committee Campuswide first-year assessment committee Wilderness orientation

U. S. Military Academy High level of intentionality; mission driven curriculum Continuous assessment Responsibility given to upper-level students Strong academic and personal support

Appalachian State University Strong and clear identity – “the Appalachian Way” Intensive orientation with strong student involvement – wilderness option Watauga College Summer reading Culture of “councils and committees”

Texas A & M - Corpus Christi Using the learning communities model Reaching 100% of student students through “triads” and “tetrads” Mediating the negative effects of large classes Linking the curriculum with the first- year seminar

The importance of Valuing the first year and being accountable Leadership on multiple levels Cultures that encourage ideas and innovation Achieving a critical mass of student participation Direct involvement of faculty Attention to pedagogy in first-year courses Clarity of mission; respect for students Improving continuously through assessment Creative acquisition & judicious use of resources Willingness to learn from and share with others Valuing partnerships What We Learned

For more information: See... Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College (Barefoot, Gardner, Cutright, Morris, Schroeder, Schwartz, Siegel, & Swing) Jossey-Bass, 2005

Contact Information Betsy O. Barefoot Policy Center on the First Year of College Brevard, NC