CCSU Joint Task Force on Minority Student Success Sponsored by the Faculty Senate & Academic Affairs Report to the Faculty Senate, May 4, 2015 Task Force Members: Joe Paige, Academic Affairs, Co-Chair Nancy Hoffman, Educational Leadership, Policy, and Inst. Tech., Co-Chair Marisol Aponte, Student Wellness Services Beth Merenstein, Sociology Evelyn Phillips, Anthropology Luis Recoder-Núñez, Mathematical Sciences Heather Rodriguez, Sociology Carlos Soler, Admissions

The Charge We were charged to examine the issues and recommend ways that we all might better support the success of CCSU’s minority students, specifically Black and Latino students who have consistently been retained and graduated at lower rates than our overall student population.

Changing Demographics in CT High Schools Between 2011 and 2023, the number of students enrolled in CT’s public high schools is expected to drop by more than 11%. Between 2007 and 2020 ◦ the number of White high school graduates in CT is predicted to drop 24%, ◦ the number of Black high school graduates in CT is predicted to remain stable, and ◦ the number of Hispanic high school graduates in CT is predicted to increase 43%. For the foreseeable future, Black and Latino students will constitute an increasing proportion of the decreasing pool of high school graduates in CT.

Our Changing Student Body Eighty percent of our UG students continue to be “traditional age” students but in other ways our undergraduate student population is changing. In Fall 2010, 75% of CCSU’s UG students were White, 8% were Latino, and 9% were Black. In Fall 2014, 66% of CCSU’s UG students were White, 13% were Latino, and 11% were Black. These changes in our enrollment reflect an accelerating trend of change in the population of CT high school graduates.

CCSU Student Success Data There are persistent and significant gaps between the retention and graduation rates for our White students and our Black and Latino students.

Four-Year Average FTFT Retention and Graduation Rates of White, Black and Latino Undergraduates WhiteBlackLatino % retained to Yr. 278%77%76% % retained to Yr. 367%62%67% Cum % graduated by Yr. 4 23%16%17% Cum % graduated by Yr. 6 53%39%42%

Most Recent FTFT Retention and Graduation Rates of White, Black and Latino Undergraduates WhiteBlackLatino % retained to Yr. 281%76% % retained to Yr. 368%62%66% Cum % graduated by Yr. 4 22%18% Cum % graduated by Yr. 6 55%43%48%

Our Data Sources CCSU data (OIRA data base) Published literature on supporting student success Input from other institutions that have increased minority student success Focus groups with sending agencies and schools Focus groups with administrative and teaching faculty Focus groups with Black and Latino undergraduate and graduate students

Our Recommendations There is no single magical solution. Students need stronger and more positive connections with the campus, their peers, and, perhaps most importantly, the faculty who teach them. These are our recommendations for increasing the success of Black and Latino students at CCSU.

Create a culture that values and rewards good advising Systematically implement more intrusive advising models for students who data suggest are at higher risk Proactively provide prospective and current students with online access to information like major clusters and academic maps Develop systems that ensure that all students receive high quality advising

Implement proactive programs to better acclimate students and families to CCSU These might include Financial aid literacy education Ongoing outreach to families and community agencies about admissions and aid processes, college expectations, and workload Using alumni as ambassadors to their home communities Providing a clear point of contact for families and agencies

Provide reliable, financial support to programs that are grounded in the literature and document the positive impact of their services on CCSU student retention and graduation.

Re-examine the content of our courses to ensure they speak to a diverse audience Seek meaningful ways to incorporate diverse perspectives and materials into all courses. Students who see themselves in the content of a course are more likely to feel connected. Students who feel connected to college are more likely to be retained and to succeed.

Structure our programs to ensure all students experience appropriate high-impact practices early (and often). High impact practices (HIPs) build connections to faculty and/or peers AND foster high quality learning–both are key to retention. HIPs are: First-Year Experiences Common Intellectual Experiences Learning Communities Writing-Intensive Courses Collaborative Assignments and Projects Undergraduate Research Diversity/Global Learning Service Learning, Community-Based Learning Internships Capstone Courses and Projects

Provide a robust program of faculty development for teaching and administrative faculty Differentiate diversity training for teaching faculty and administrative faculty and staff Focus teaching faculty offerings on classroom practices that support student success and create an inclusive classroom climate Offer a variety of opportunities for full-time and adjunct faculty to examine their own practice and incorporate best practices that support student success and academic rigor

Continue to develop systems that can avert and resolve financial barriers to student success There are some problems that are too big for us to solve but we should not lose a student in good standing to a few hundred dollars or the cost of a book. Students need a better understanding of the financial aid that may be available to them and its long term implications.

Create a centrally located, highly visible, staffed diversity center Help connect diverse students to affiliation groups, campus services and organizations, and academic/cultural centers Serve as a contact point for students and for sending agencies and families seeking to support students Provide a space for students to gather, meet, hold study groups, etc. Facilitate proactive connections to programs that foster minority student success (mentoring, coaching, tutoring, targeted intrusive advising, summer prep, alumni, sending agencies, etc.) Create a diverse advisory board for the center

Continue to prioritize hiring of diverse faculty and staff Our students benefit from opportunities to work with faculty and staff drawn from the diverse communities they come from

Our student body is changing and we have to change with it. Our students do not want us to lower academic standards. Our students want and need us to help them meet high standards. Doing things in the ways we have always done things or in the ways that worked for us when we were students is no longer working for an increasing proportion of our students.

References National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Digest of educational statistics. Table Public school enrollment in grades 9 through 12, by region, state, and jurisdiction: Selected years, fall 1990 through fall Retrieved from Western Interstate Consortium for Higher Education. (2013). Knocking at the college door: Projections of high school graduates. Connecticut. Retrieved from CCSU. (2015). CCSU Fact Book Retrieved from