1. Catherine Glennon, Ed.D. November 8, 2012

3. 4- Year Campuses UW Colleges 2-Year Campuses UWSP WISCONSIN UW Colleges 2-Year Campuses UW 4-Year Universities

4. AASCU, 2009; Lumina Foundation, 2010; Lee & Rawls, 2010; NACAC, 2010;National Center, 2006, 2008; NGA, 2009

5. Primary Research Question:  What experiences do students who have transferred from a two-year college to a four-year university face as they transition to their new institution?

6. Ancillary Research Questions: 1. What services, programs, and support can the two-year colleges and four-year university provide to transfer students to improve the transition process? 2. What actions can transfer students take to better prepare for, better cope with, and successfully complete the transition process?

7. Transfer Student Literature Transfer Student Experience Satisfaction and Integration Transfer Student Adjustment Millennial Student Transition Theory Tenets of Transition Theory Schlossberg

8. Strengthen Resources Define Transition Event APPROACHING TAKING STOCK OF TAKING Goodman et al., 2006 Examine Coping Resources  Self  Situation  Support  Strategies

9. Methodology  Qualitative study  Fall 2011 transfer students at UWSP  Traditional age  2+ terms at UW Colleges  Excluded 4-year experience  Randomly selected 12/181 students Population/Sample Data Sources  2 interviews  Student records

10. SUMMARY OF STUDENT PARTICIPANTS StudentsGenderAge Semesters at UWC GPA at UWC DaisyFemale1923.50 StevenMale1922.82 VioletFemale2143.94 CodyMale2023.83 IsaacMale2022.68 KandaceFemale2043.08 JohnMale2043.31 AlexisFemale2042.47 FrankMale2143.40 ElizabethFemale2043.76 KrissyFemale2042.91 AliceFemale2253.21 12 Students7 F / 5 M19 - 222 - 52.47 - 3.94

11. FINDINGS

12. CHANGES IN LIFE ROLES Students Residence at UWCResidence at UWSP DaisyHomeResidence Hall StevenHomeResidence Hall VioletHomeOff-campus CodyHomeResidence Hall IsaacHomeResidence Hall KandaceHome - 1 st year Apartment – 2 nd year Off-campus JohnHomeResidence Hall AlexisHomeCommutes FrankHomeOff-Campus ElizabethHomeResidence Hall KrissyHomeCommutes AliceHomeOff-Campus 11 Home / 1 Apt6 On/4 Off/2 Commute

13. “I’m working every day, and I’m going to school every day and I’m living. I have to make all of my own meals and, you know, it’s quite a different story when you’re living completely on your own and go grocery shopping. Oh my goodness, grocery shopping! I have to go grocery shopping and I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

14. Themes: 1. Academic Transition 2. Social Transition 3. Support System 4. Time Management 5. Orientation to UWSP Campus

15. Theme #1 Students from the two-year UW Colleges experience a smooth academic transition to UW-Stevens Point. Finding Academic Transition

16. Theme #1 Academic Transition Students Major Cum GPA at UWC Fall 2011 GPA at UWSP DaisyFCS3.503.71 StevenCommunication2.822.89 VioletEnglish3.944.00 CodyWildlife Ecology3.833.94 IsaacHistory2.683.53 KandacePsychology3.083.50 JohnPubic Adm & Pol3.313.60 AlexisHistory2.473.57 FrankMusic Educ3.403.33 ElizabethCommunication3.763.79 KrissySocial Work2.912.67 AliceArt3.213.25

17. Theme #2 Social transition produced more anxiety & was more difficult than the academic transition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Participants who lived in the residence halls reported more involvement in activities that supported their social transition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The social transition improved over time as participants developed additional sources of support. Finding Social Transition

18. Theme #3 Participants’ transition was affected by their support system. Finding Support System Prior to transfer  Parents  Advisers After transfer  Peers/Friends

19. Theme #4 Transfer students from the UW Colleges may benefit from enhanced time-management skills after transferring to the four-year university. Finding Time Management

20. Theme #5 Participants reported feeling lost and uninformed about services and programs at UW-Stevens Point. Finding Orientation to Campus

21. Recommendations for UW Colleges and UWSP  Meet annually  Provide transfer education programs Recommendations for UW Colleges  Advise students to visit UWSP campus  Provide instruction on TIS

22. Recommendations for UW-Stevens Point  Provide transfer student living options  Transfer Communities  Comprehensive orientation program  Include optional overnight stay in residence halls  Extend into first term  Transfer student seminar courses  Assess programming & services

23. Recommendations for Future Transfer Students  Attend transfer student programming  Visit 4-year university  Become familiar with university website  Live in residence halls  Become involved

24.  Longitudinal study  Examine perspectives of advisers  Assess recommended programs & services  Employ different methodology  Examine specific transfer student populations

25.  Recognition of transfer students’ needs  Residential communities  Campus-based  Private apartment complexes  Transfer Student Services centers  Enhanced orientation programming  Student-led initiatives  Student organizations, Facebook, proposals

26. Significance of Topic Challenges Needs of Growing Student Population Impact on Recruitment Ethical Responsibility Effects on Future Alumni Donations

27. Transfer Student initiatives and programs on your campuses