Foundations of Excellence: A New Form of Assessment and Action Planning to Improve the Beginning College Experience Catherine Andersen, Gallaudet University Maureen G. Reustle, Ocean County College Betsy O. Barefoot & John N. Gardner Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Annual Meeting December 10, 2009

Foundations of Excellence® Self-study and action planning process focused on the first year – Administered by the Gardner Institute (formerly Policy Center on the First Year of College) 167 institutional participants to date – 24 participants from the Middle States region

Process Components Nine Foundational Dimensions® (i.e., principles of first-year excellence) – Focus on the entire first year – not a “bits and pieces” approach Surveys of new students and faculty/staff An electronic platform – FoEtec® that contains – Current Practices Inventory (CPI) – Performance Indicators for each Dimension – Space for report writing and sharing – Template for prioritizing suggested “action items”— recommendations for change

Why Might You Consider Foundations of Excellence® for Your Campus? Concerns about the quality of the first year— instruction, learning, satisfaction, etc. Concerns about improving overall campus communication about first-year issues Concerns about retention and faculty aversion to “retention conversation” Concerns about efficiency – cost savings

Let’s hear from the participants. Catherine Andersen, Gallaudet University Maureen Reustle, Ocean County College

Gallaudet University Student Profile: 23 years average age (undergraduate) 1055 undergraduate 408 graduate 26% from ethnically diverse backgrounds 7% international 85% receive financial assistance 52% from schools for the deaf 48% from mainstream programs

Gallaudet out of compliance with 8 of the 14 standards –Spring 2007 Standard 1 (mission) Standard 2 (planning) Standard 4 (governance) Standard 6 (climate) Standard 8 (admissions and retention) Standard 11 (academic rigor) Standards 7 and 14 (assessment)

Time was of the essence -make use of existing knowledge and data Work with the National Resource Center for The First-Year and Students in Transition, and the Policy Center on the First-Year of College (Gardner Institute) had already resulted in change. First - year retention rates had improved 10% in 10 years, but did not result in increased graduation rates. In 2006, Gallaudet began its participation in the Foundations of Excellence Project.

9 Foundations of Excellence resulted in a number of themes that supported MSCHE accreditation challenges Review admissions and support programs Be explicit and intentional in first year Train, support, and reward most engaging faculty Become data driven Improve student retention, learning, and graduation

GOAL -Improve Student Retention, Learning &Graduation MSCHE Recommendations Improve student retention Improve student learning Improve academic rigor Support students who marginally meet criteria Actions Increase admission & explored path to graduation (DFWD) Develop SLO’s and assess Embed and assess rigor Develop Bridge, PLUS, early intervention, campus ownership for all students

October 2007 MSCHE Report “The team finds that Gallaudet University now meets this standard (Eight), which state that “The institution seeks to admit students whose interested, goals and abilities are congruent with its mission and seeks to retain them through the pursuit of the students’ educational goals.” the team commends Gallaudet for establishing new and more rigorous admissions standards based on evidence of student success... … The team also notes that the enrollment management work group were able to cite an impressive array of evidence for recent decisions on strategies to recruit qualified students and to improve student retention” We could not have achieved this had we not participated in Foundations in the months prior. All 14 standards were met in June 2008.

FOE & Beyond the beginning of excellence FOE 2006 MSCHE 2007 Long Range Strategic Plan 2008

The Good News – Fall 2009 Highest first-year retention in 10 years Increase in ACT scores 33 % increase in number of entering students More than doubled first-year retention for TUGS Significantly increased pass rates for DFWD courses Demonstrated student learning using direct and indirect evidence connected to SLO’s Increased graduation rate

Ocean County College Enrollment: Full-Time: 5,907; Part-Time: 4,508 Total: 10,415 First-Year Students: 2,917 NJ Stars: 318 Transfer rate: 38.1% Retention rate in the 1 st Year: 73.6% Kean Enrollment (URGD and GRAD): 1,834

FY Course - Launching Pad for FoE process at OCC Student Success course piloted in Fall 2005 High risk students strongly recommended or required to take course Demand quickly increases (from faculty & staff) to require FY course for all students FoE/FYE campus involvement/ownership

Commitment to Excellence = Fuel for Process Highest enrollment in history of college Highest retention rate of NJ community colleges Highest number of NJ Stars students First community college to have 4-year university on site (Kean at Ocean partnership) Challenge – how do we maintain and exceed expectations for excellence?

FoE Opportunities at OCC Campus wide involvement and professional development (1200 survey respondents; 80+ member task force) Increased collaboration and communication between departments (committees involved faculty, staff and students) Leadership activity for faculty and staff (faculty and administrator co chaired 9 committees) Integration of FY assessment as part of our culture Mechanism to build ownership of First-Year Experience

FoE Challenges at OCC Academic Affairs reorganization initiated right after commitment to FoE self study FoE leadership and participation was voluntary and an “add on” responsibility Enrollment increases coupled with limited resources intensified work load for most participants Maintaining momentum while juggling competing demands

Outcomes to Date Campus wide awareness of importance of first year experience (i.e. FoE question on job search committees) Leadership support of FoE recommendations and implementation – President’s address Increased participation of faculty and staff in FY activities: course, Welcome Week activities, recruitment endeavors Integration of FoE recommendations in Planning and Budgeting Process

Foundations of Excellence at Ocean County College

Questions for the Presenters?

Presenter Contact Information John Gardner & Betsy Barefoot, President & Vice President Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education ; Catherine Andersen, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management & General Studies Gallaudet University ; Maureen G. Reustle, Dean of Academic Services Ocean County College (732) x2253;