Transfer-a-Bulls: Transforming Our Transfer Students

Ashlea Coulter, Graduate Assistant Jessy Rosenberg, Associate Director New Student Connections, University of South Florida

USF’s Transfer Population USF is a large, public institution serving over 38,000 students o 60% of new students are transfer students Tampa campus: 30,289 o New Student Connections

USF Regional Campuses USF Regional Campuses Sarasota-Manatee: 1,554 Polytechnic: 1, 076 St. Petersburg: 3, 439

On-Campus Housing Approximately 5,360 students live on campus Tampa campus has a mandatory live-on requirement for all first-year students

Living and Learning Community Council Set Up 8 Living and Learning Communities designed around academic programs or special interests o Advertising o Business o Engineering o Honors o INTO (International Students) o Sustainability o Transfer o Wellness

Why An LLC for Transfers? “Research indicates that living learning community students are more successful academically, feel more connected to the university and are retained at higher rates” – Ana Hernandez, Dean of Housing and Residential Education Most important aspects of a transfer student’s transition are social and academic

Transfer Living and Learning Community Committee Oversees the Transfer-a-Bulls LLC Comprised of Housing professionals and resident assistants; professional, graduate and student staff from New Student Connections Meets monthly to discuss new developments, develop programming ideas and assess initiatives

Transfer-a-Bulls LLC Main goal is to make large university feel like a small community Students are housed in an apartment style residence hall with individual bedrooms Transfer students of all classifications are invited to live o ‘ New to USF but not new to college ’

Learning Objectives Academic o Residents will develop a strong awareness of USF academic resources that can contribute to their academic success during their first year at USF. Social o Residents will be encouraged to pursue their interests by taking advantage of the engagement opportunities outside of the classroom in order to have a holistic USF student experience. Community o Residents will actively participate in their living environment and will find resources within the university community. Residents will be encouraged to utilize the life experiences and knowledge of their fellow transfer students to enhance their first year experience at USF. Personal Responsibility o Residents will recognize the impact one's choices and actions may have on one's self and the community.

Programming Meet and Greet Socials Scavenger Hunt Campus/Academic Resources Workshops Potlucks Game Night

Tie-Ins Transfer Workshop Series- New Student Connections Transfer Student Organization- university student organization Faculty Fellows House Calls Welcome Packets

Assessment Focus Groups Rubric Surveys Solicited feedback from Housing & Residential Education

What Our Residents Are Saying “I transferred from a small school and figured this would help me get used to the large campus” “They do not have to treat us like freshman, we have been to college before, you know” “I would not have met my roommate who is my best friend” “I would like to see more bonding among my neighbors”

Successes Transfer LLC has helped in their transition High percentage of satisfied residents Location of residence hall adds to convenience Neighbors are ‘built-in friends’

Challenges A sense of community was not well established Need more intentional programming Residents need to be more aware of the expectations of residing in a living and learning community

Challenges Building a partnership between departments Changes in staff Communication within a large department

Future Trends Assign an upper level Transfer student as the Resident Assistant of residence hall In-house advising Peer Mentor Program Transfer University Experience class

Additional Transfer LLCs University of Minnesota University of Colorado-Boulder Central Michigan University Western Illinois University University of Seattle

Q &A Any questions? Ashlea Coulter: Jessy Rosenberg: