Building a Culture of Completion Tracy D. Hall, Ed.D Vice President for Academic Affairs St. Louis Community College-Forest Park Joanie D. Chavis, MLIS Dean for Learning Resources Baton Rouge Community College

Completion Agenda The Obama administration issued a call for 5 Million Additional Community College Graduates by Increased attention in the news = Increased responsibility and accountability to key stakeholders.

AACC Call to Action In April, 2010, AACC, the League for Innovation and other organizations joined forces to: Express a shared commitment to student completion and to producing 50% more students with degrees and certificates by 2020.

Challenges External I. Underprepared students II. Dwindling funding from the state. III. Competition from proprietary schools. Internal IV. Limited conversations about what needs to change. V. Lack of institutional will to change to meet the needs of students VI. Silo-mentality/territorial thinking

Building a Culture of Completion: St. Louis Community College-Forest Park Moving from Silo Nation To a United Front

Silo Nation Student Success Center-location, computer labs, tutoring, academic workshops Individual Tutoring labs located in different places on campus with different hours of operation African American Male Initiative (location) different areas offering academic workshops, tutoring Trio Student Success programs (location) different location, tutoring, academic workshops Each program has own method of tracking that focuses on level of student participation

United Front Co-location of all programs to Academic Support Center Shared space, less travel for students Same hours of operation Shared clerical support Regular Team meetings to ensure consistency in student expectations No duplication of academic programming Coordination of tutoring scheduling Standardization of tutor credentials and pay Conversations around consistent methods of assessment Collaboration with Center for Teaching and learning to offer joint programming

Building a Culture of Completion:St. Louis Community-Forest Park “We have some difficult days ahead,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are a work in progress. Change is uncomfortable. However, we can achieve our goals and Heed the National Call to increase completion by: Maximizing our resources Collaborating--across divisions; student affairs; tearing down the silos Being truly student-centered: Completion must be embedded into the fabric of the institution.

Building a Culture of Completion: Baton Rouge Community College Breaking down “I know you can do it, but I can do it better.” into “Let’s work together to achieve a common goal and mission.”

Learning Resources: Merging Cultures to Build the Center for Academic Success Library ALC QEP/First Class – Freshman Orientation Dual Enrollment Online/Hybrid Learning Weekend & Evening Learning Location, Location, Location!

Academic Learning Center/Center for Academic Success Integrate students into academic and social activities that will enhance their college experience; Equip students with the skills to become self-reliant in the use of college and student support resources; and Increase the retention and graduation rates of program participants at Baton Rouge Community College.

STARS Gate Title III Program Course Linkages (Began Fall 2008) Student Ambassadors (Began Fall 2009) Peer Tutors (Began Fall 2009) Student Mentor Partners (Began Fall 2009) Early Warning System (Began Fall 2009) Early Warning Support System (EWSS), Starfish Retention Solution (Spring 2011) College Student Inventory, Noel Levitz (Began Fall 2009) Student/Faculty/Staff Success Series Workshops (Began Spring 2010) Center for Academic Success (Began Spring 2010) Enrichment Camps (Began Summer 2010)

Teaching and Learning Center Creating the Vision Faculty Focused and Faculty Driven Hiring a Director to see it through “Place instead of Space”

Student Services – One Stop Shop Public Safety Title III Financial Aid Disability Services Advising and Counseling Student Programs & Resources Accounting and Finance Small Business Training Center Enrollment Services Service Learning Dual Enrollment Academic Learning Center

Enrollment and Retention to Enrollment Management– It Takes a Village! Everyone is invited Everyone is involved

Collaboration Between Academic Support Units Lessons Learned Good to Great!

Dr. Tracy D. Hall Vice President for Academic Affairs St. Louis Community College- Forest Park Joanie Chavis, MLIS Dean, Learning Resources, Center for Academic Success Baton Rouge Community College Questions and Answers

Sources Dembicki, M. (2011, April 13). 21 st century commission to set vision, direction. Community College Times. Retrieved from Issues/21st-Century-Commission-to-set-vision,-direction.aspx McIntire, S. (Ed.) (2001). Book of great American speeches for young people. San Francisco; Jossey-Bass. McPhail, C.J. (2011) The completion agenda: A call to action. American Association of Community Colleges meeting report, November 10-11, 2011.