1. University of Pennsylvania
Creating and Sustaining Wharton’s Successful Transition & Empowerment Program (STEP) at the University of Pennsylvania
Ufuoma C. Abiola, Ed.D., Associate Director & Lecturer Teran R. Tadal, M.S.Ed., Associate Director
University of Pennsylvania
Monday, March 5, Marriott Downtown, Salon I

2. The cause for institutional change
Overview of the University of Pennsylvania
Four undergraduate schools
Wharton Undergraduate Division
Cause for institutional change

3. The cause for institutional change
Wharton Successful Transition & Empowerment Program (STEP)
STEP promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion; and is designed to introduce underrepresented Wharton freshmen to important Wharton/Penn resources and help build skills to effectively navigate college academically and socially
Four-day pre-orientation and first-year experience readiness program – including ongoing monthly community-building programming
Upperclassmen and prior STEP participants serve as Peer Mentors
40 freshmen and 7 Peer Mentors attended in 2016
51 freshmen and 10 Peer Mentors attended in 2017

4. The cause for institutional change
Wharton Successful Transition & Empowerment Program (STEP)
Timeline
Key stakeholders
Curriculum development

5. The cause for institutional change
Wharton STEP August 20-23, 2017 Schedule
August 20: Move-In, STEP Ground Rules, & Social
August 21: An Introduction to Wharton
August 22: Welcoming & Fostering an Openness to Change: Academically, Personally, & Professionally
August 23: Knowing the Locations of Penn’s Resources

6. The cause for institutional change
Wharton Successful Transition & Empowerment Program (STEP)
Ongoing monthly community-building programming for underrepresented students
Increased cross-collaboration with Penn campus partners

7. The cause for institutional change
Wharton Successful Transition & Empowerment Program (STEP)
Successes
Challenges
Next steps

8. The cause for institutional change
Wharton STEP 2018 Awards & Recognition
STEP nationally recognized as the winner of the 2018 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Outstanding Four-Year Institution Program/Initiative Award
For STEP, Ufuoma C. Abiola and Teran R. Tadal won the 2018 ACPA Commission for Administrative Leadership Award for Excellence in Institutional Change

9. The cause for institutional change
Activity
Think about an institutional change initiative on your own campus to create
Discuss best practices and strategies to develop a program/ initiative on your own campus
What challenges do you foresee and how can you proactively problem-solve?

10. The cause for institutional change
Questions & Answers
The cause for institutional change

11. Thank you for joining us today!
Please remember to complete your online evaluation following the conference.
See you in Los Angeles in 2019!