University System of Georgia campus completion plans

Complete College Georgia
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA CAMPUS COMPLETION PLANS
September 2012
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Introduction
VALUE TO GEORGIA
In December 2011, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia jointly submitted "Georgia's Higher Education Completion Plan" to Governor Nathan Deal. Complete College Georgia provides a challenging goal and the impetus to reexamine three vital roles higher education plays in the success of the state: economic, academic, and civic.
Economic: Keeping Georgia competitive in an age where other states and countries are producing a more educated workforce
Academic: Ensuring the quality and standards to which USG graduates and institutions are held
Civic: Providing the opportunity to pursue higher education and supporting student success through effective use of resources
Recent analysis by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce reinforces the link between college completion and Georgia's future. Estimates show that during the recession, from 2007 to 2010, 7.1 million jobs were lost nationwide. Of those jobs lost, 5.6 million primarily required workers with only a high school diploma. During the recovery period from 2010 to present day, the number of jobs available to those with only a high school diploma continued to decrease. However, for those with some college or above, the pool of available jobs increased by 3.6 million.
ADVANCING COMPLETION
In addition to the state-level partnership work among both systems and K-12, as well as the University System of Georgia's work to implement effective policies and practices, the statewide plan called for institutions to devise plans to address completion at the campus level.
Campuses have been focused on retention and graduation for first-time full-time freshmen since the Regents targeted these metrics in 2009. This ongoing work is integrated into their plans. Campuses have also already performed significant foundation work to improve access for adults and working students. These `plans,' then, constitute a newly aligned strategic direction, a status report on recent successes, the continuation and expansion of promising work, and the packaging of newly formed efforts.
Complete College Georgia
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OVERVIEW OF CAMPUS PLANS
The University System of Georgia and its campuses, with 4 research universities, 15 state and regional universities, and 16 state colleges and access-oriented institutions, maintain unique purposes and serve a variety of populations. While the enclosed campus plans represent that diversity, the improvement of access and graduation for all students holds certain commonalities, including fulfilling these economic, academic, and civic roles. Important issues such as affordability cannot be tackled by any one program, but rather through several means including both reducing actual costs and the opportunity cost of learning through efforts that shorten time to degree or efforts that make working and attending college at the same time possible. To that end, each plan addresses in its own way the following components:
Collaborative engagement with campus and community stakeholders Collection and analysis of data to facilitate an introspective process to identify strengths,
areas for improvement, and the needs of regions and populations served Alignment and partnerships with K-12 for college readiness
Including, Common Core, dual enrollment, Early College, STEM partnerships, educator preparation
Improved access and graduation for all students Building on first-time full-time freshmen, and expanding efforts, to make higher education more accessible, affordable, and effective for part-time and working students, adults, the military, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of racial and ethnic diversity
Shortened time to degree Including, prior learning assessment, curriculum redesign, transfer and articulation agreements, and the use of advisers or intelligent advising systems
Restructured instruction and learning Including, effective teaching and learning practices, a focus on gateway courses, online and hybrid learning, new business models, learning analytics, and stackable credentials
Transformation of remediation Primarily for access-oriented institutions, including, co-requisite, modular models, and just-in-time learning support
CONSTRUCTING THE CAMPUS PLANS
In February 2012, each campus president from the University System and the Technical College System, as well as representatives from K-12 and the business community attended a launch hosted by the Governor to receive the charge. In March, teams from the 60 campuses of both systems participated in a two-day intensive working Summit to build a common base of knowledge and to begin to develop ideas. The four pairs of campuses involved in the consolidation process worked as cohesive teams, creating a single vision and plan for each new institution.
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Over the next several months, campuses participated in a series of webinars, collaborated on GACompletionLab.org, and worked with system staff to develop draft completion plans. Further emphasis was placed on the importance of these plans by developing new USG Metrics focused on access and graduation, highlighting the in-process Governor's Funding Commission, and encouraging the tracking of policies that may be barriers or enablers to completion. Finally, each campus then participated in a rigorous peer-review process to learn from each other and refine ideas.
MAINTAINING MOMENTUM
These plans are designed, as is the statewide plan, as living documents. The work of college completion is a long-term learning process to transform higher education in Georgia and must be adaptable over time. The peer-review process will continue into the fall. Campuses will be held accountable for and regularly report on progress. While the increase in access and graduation, no matter the scenario, is significant for all, a collaborative target setting process will take place later this year to determine statewide economic needs and to determine how USG, TCSG, and independent institutions will work together to address those needs. Continued assistance will be provided from year-to-year including the annual Summit with the Technical College System.
COMPLETION, QUALITY, AND GEORGIA'S FUTURE
The assurance of quality to students, faculty, employers, the public, and other institutions of higher education, comes not from a single measure, but a web of individuals and organizations providing checks and balances. These include accreditors from both a regional jurisdiction and a professional program jurisdiction; system oversight and faculty oversight through statewide committees; curriculum review and approval at the department, institution, and systemwide levels; common learning outcomes for core courses and academic programs; standards and processes for hiring, evaluating, and promoting faculty; student surveys; and, employer surveys for various programs. Given the import, the University System of Georgia will expand its efforts to monitor and report on quality of teaching and learning through its institutions.
College completion is not about the number of degrees, but rather an educated society. To that end the economic, academic, and civic roles of public higher education stand together, and an emphasis on quality is imperative.
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Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College USG Campus Completion Plan Revised, August 2012
Institutional Mission and Strategic Positioning
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is a residential institution offering baccalaureate degrees in targeted fields, transfer associate degrees, non-transfer associate degrees, and a limited number of certificate programs. With a state-wide mission in agriculture and natural resources and strong programs in the liberal arts, nursing, business, the natural and physical sciences, the social sciences, and physical education, the College serves students with diverse educational and career goals. ABAC's overall goal is to be a strategic partner within the University System of Georgia in helping become a more educated Georgia.
A small team was originally sent to the Complete College Summit in Athens that included 1)the VPAA, 2) the Registrar and Chief Data Officer, 3) the Lead Academic Support Counselor, and 4) a member of the Math faculty. Upon return, the Team and President attended all telephone conferences and worked together to have more broadbased and inclusive meetings with constituents that have included:
1) the President, 2) the Team noted above, 3) faculty members representing all six schools, 4) Student Affairs personnel including the Dean of students, Admissions and Recruiting personnel, Housing officials, and Athletics, 5) Deans and Department Heads, 6) Alumni representation, 7) External Affairs personnel, 8) Business office personnel, 9) Student representatives, and 10) members of the community.
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis
Describe your goals, or goal setting process, for access, retention, and graduation, with the overall goal of increased degree completion, i.e. graduation.
ABAC has traditionally had an institutional retention rate and graduation rate that was higher than all the then two-year colleges and state colleges within the University System of Georgia (see figures 1, 2, 3, and 4). Nonetheless, with the ultimate goal of
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Complete College Georgia to contribute to the larger state-wide efforts of increasing access and graduation, ABAC's goal setting process involved various College constituencies that were noted in the section above and included brainstorming for ideas, discussions about institutional history and future, and utilizing best practices both within the system and nationally. The goals, described in more detail below, illustrate the current practice and benchmark by using institutional data pulled from Banner and with assistance from others directly involved. The ABAC campus plan is expected to position the College for greater overall success over time in fulfilling its status as a state college, offering niche and targeted bachelor degree programs as well as a wide array of transfer associate programs and a limited number of associate of applied science programs.
ABAC's overall goals include increasing access for targeted student audiences, improving progression, retention, and graduation, and making operational improvements, all with the overall goal of increasing degree completion.
Student Access
Goal 1: Increase Joint enrollment ACCEL. ABAC currently offers classes at 4 locations: Tifton campus, Moultrie site (ABAC on the Square), Colquitt County High School, and Fitzgerald High School. Current ACCEL enrollment totals 68 students (based on fall 2011). Data indicates non-Learning Support students persist to graduation at a higher rate than do Learning Support students. Recruiting ACCEL students and expanding locations will offer more access to students in P-16, create more partnerships with P-16, and should over time increase committed and prepared students who persist to graduation.
Goal 2: Increase Targeted admissions. ABAC's recruiting process seeks to increase admissions in targeted areas by targeted means in at least 10 specialized areas. Most recruiting practices at traditional two-year colleges include Probe fairs and lunch visits at area high schools. Previously, ABAC has functioned in this way; however, because ABAC is a residential and historical institution that offers unique bachelor (in addition to associate) programs, it is imperative that Recruiters focus on targeted groups that would be a match with ABAC's unique programs. While some work has been done in this area already, ABAC will continue to identify and recruit from new markets of potential students. ABAC has students that come from most Georgia counties and several states, but our goal is to increase enrollment from counties where we have lost enrollment and from counties that have a qualified student base to offer access.
Goal 3: Increase On-line/Non-traditional. ABAC has attempted to avoid duplication of services in the area of on-line education, and rather than developing its own online courses/programs, ABAC
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recently became an eCore affiliate institution. 84 students from ABAC were enrolled in eCore during spring 2012. Recruiting and marketing of this program with eCore partners, ABAC can identify additional student markets, creating access for students previously not considered. Our goal is to increase our nontraditional student population via eCore. Goal 4: Participate in USG Reach Scholarship program. ABAC has previously had a strong scholarship program through the ABAC Foundation. To that end, ABAC will continue to work closely with External Affairs to increase private giving in the ABAC Foundation. However, the Governor recently announced the REACH Scholarship (Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen), which contracts with selected students in middle schools who maintain a certain GPA, remain crime, drug, and behavior issue free, and meet with a volunteer mentor until they graduate from high school. Gov. Deal encouraged USG campuses to participate, and ABAC agreed and has committed to participate in the USG Reach Scholarship program. Through its foundation, ABAC will provide matching funds in the amount of $2,500 per academic year per student for up to 10 students who qualify for REACH and attend ABAC. The first class of "Reach Scholarships" will not graduate and enter the higher education system until fall, 2016. Goal 5: Increase Pathways for students from TCSG. ABAC has had a strong relationship with technical colleges in the immediate geographical area to include a co-op program with Moultrie Technical College and East Central Technical College (now a campus of Wiregrass Technical College). In these co-op programs, as described in USG policies, students are able to graduate from the technical college, transfer their certificate en-masse to ABAC, take USG Core classes at ABAC, and then graduate from ABAC. In addition, ABAC has traditionally offered a nursing bridge program where students at technical colleges who have an EMT license, LPN license, etc. can transfer these credits into the A.A.S. Nursing (R.N.) program and complete the degree program. This particular program has been extremely successful over time. ABAC believes it can continue to partner with Technical Colleges, increasing access for students, particularly in the area of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Goal 6: Increase military friendliness. Currently, ABAC offers no initiatives that would recruit military students (former or current), but with Moody AFB and U.S. Marine Core and Logistics Base nearby, we believe there is a population that we can offer access to, and ABAC will increase these recruiting/marketing initiatives by 2 for the 2012 academic year.
Progression/Retention
Goal 7: Learning Support--ABAC's goal is to continue to decrease Learning Support
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offerings. This has been the trend with the adoption of revised USG Learning Support policies. A pilot program in fall 2011 combined a Learning Support Writing with an English 1101. Results indicated many of those students passed Learning Support requirements and will also get English 1101 credit (approximately 83%). Math, on the other hand, continues to be a problem statewide and even nationally. ABAC practice of using higher placement/cut scores on the COMPASS more accurately places students where they need to be, but no significant results of success have been gleaned from the pilot study related to placement scores. In addition, 2 pilot Math Learning Support courses have been offered. In these courses, Math 97 and 99 were combined, using new technology as an enhancement tool. Data suggested some marginal success. ABAC's intention is to continue with the pilots and continue to seek alternate ways of providing Learning Support that prove successful for students (See Figure 5 for LS Data). At the CCG meeting in Athens, USG presented various ideas and strategies for Learning Support Math, and ABAC hopes the USG will continue to lead these efforts for the Colleges. Goal 8: Fully implement Standards of Academic Progress (SAP). ABAC has recently adopted new Academic Standards of Progress, which align with Financial Aid Standards of Progress, and will allow for students who are placed on probation to enter into an intervention program lead by the Academic Support Counselors. Nationally, data suggests that the earlier College personnel can intervene and assist students, the more likely those students are to succeed. Goal 9: Reduce/eliminate restrictive holds. Holds are frequently placed on student accounts to prevent registration, which creates a customer service issue and a detriment to progression (parking hold, library hold, etc.). ABAC will work to identify all types of Holds placed on student accounts in Banner and find alternate ways of dealing with those issues. Goal 10: Increase Prescriptive scheduling. Beginning in summer 2011, ABAC Academic Support Counselors (ASCs) implemented prescriptive scheduling, registering approximately 180 new students who were in any Learning Support course (1, 2, or 3 LS courses). ASCs will now begin to include any new freshmen who have CPC deficiencies in this prescriptive scheduling process. Academic Schools and ASCs have discussed expanding the prescriptive scheduling process to additional incoming freshmen to avoid any registration issues for students who enroll in classes they do not need. Goal 11: Work toward "Curriculum condensation." ABAC schools will work toward streamlining core offerings in an effort to reduce credit hour losses when students change majors. Some of these efforts have recently been realized with the implementation of the "new core," but some issues remain.
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Increasing Graduation: additional strategies

Goal 12: Identify students who have earned an Associate's degree from ABAC to recruit and re-enroll in our Bachelor degree programs.
Goal 13: Identify and re-enroll students who stopped-out due to unsuccessful attempts of the Regents Exam, which was previously a requirement for graduation.
Goal 14: Identify students who transferred from ABAC to other institutions, but are eligible to graduate from ABAC.
Part II and III: Strategies and Objectives and Planning and Implementation

Student Access

Goal 1: Joint enrollment ACCEL. ABAC has seen a steady growth in its ACCEL program. In 2009, ABAC had 26 students, in 2010 we had 53 students, and in 2011 we had 68 students. We plan to expand this program in Tift County in 2012. ABAC offered courses at both Colquitt County High School and Fitzgerald High School in 2011. In addition, students took classes on the main campus in Tifton and at ABAC on the Square in Moultrie. Meetings have been held with school personnel in the following schools: Colquitt County, Tift County, Tift-Area academy, and Fitzgerald High School. Expanding courses to Tift-Area Academy and to Tift County High School will assist ABAC with expanding access and increasing partnerships. Action Item: Expand locations by 25% and enrollment by 10% in 2012-13

Year 2011 2012

# of locations 4 5

# of students 68

Responsibility ACCEL Coord.

Goal 2: Target admissions Several initiatives have recently been implemented to increase admissions in targeted areas or using targeted means; NSF STEM recruiting initiative; Recruiting from Home-school programs; Recruiting from Phi Theta Kappa transfer students; Advance Placement recruiting through College Board; IB recruiting through Ga. Dept of Ed.; HEP recruitment that targets candidates for high school completion; CAMP recruiting that assists documented college students who are sons/daughters of migrant farm workers; FFA and FCCLA recruiting that targets students interested in some of our larger programs of study, and AAMI that recruits African-American Males and offers them assistance to increase success. Action Item: Expand recruiting/admissions in targeted areas, using current efforts as a baseline metric by 10%.

Year

# of targets Sample

Responsibility

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2011

10

2012

11

targets See above

Admissions/Recruiting

Goal 3: On-line course/program offerings We have recently become an e-Core affiliate institution and we will expand enrollment efforts in this area, which should prove helpful to our non-traditional population. Action Item: Expand e-Core enrollment by 5% during 2012-13 using baseline metric data of 2011-12 enrollment as comparison to expand access.

Year 2011 2012

e-Core enrollment Responsibility

84

Academic Support

Goal 4: Need-based scholarships Action Item: We will participate in the USG REACH Scholarship Program. The first class from P-16 should graduate and be accepted by 2016. ABAC will continue to work closely with the ABAC Foundation to increase private giving.

Year 2011
2016

# of scholarships 0
10

Responsibility Academic Affairs and Admissions/Recruitment

Goal 5: Pathway for students from TCSG Action Item: Investigate an expanded articulation in the Natural Resources area with selected TCSG institutions. ABAC will increase expanded articulation by 25% (or 1 additional agreement) in 2012-3.

Year 2011
2012

# of pathways and types 3 (Nursing Bridge; 2 co-op degrees with TCSG) 4

Responsibility Academic Affairs and Dean of AgNR

Goal 6: Military friendly Action Item: We will identify partners within the military to obtain referrals for prospective students. ABAC will increase these initiatives by 2 for the 2012-3 academic year.

Year 2011

# of initiatives 0

Responsibility Admissions and Recruitment

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2012

2

Progression/Retention

Goal 7: Learning Support Action Item: Exit rates on first attempts will be compared between regular LS and pilot Math courses.

Year 2012-13

Exit COMPASS Rates LS

Exit Compass Rates Pilot

Responsibility
LS Director and Math Dept.head

Goal 8: Standards of Academic Progress (SAP)/Intervention Action Item: ABAC will compare number of students on Probation in spring 2013 with number who were suspended with previous number of students suspended in spring 2012.

Year 2012-13

Probation Spring 2013

Suspensions in Spring 2012 146

Responsibility Registrar and CDO

Action Item: ABAC will implement an intervention program to be in place by Spring 2013 for students on Probation.

Year 2012-13

# of students in intervention

Responsibility
Lead Academic Support Counselor

Goal 9: Reduce/eliminate restrictive holds Action Item: A hold policy will be implemented by fall 2012 to decrease holds and improve customer service.

2012-13

Hold Policy to be developed and implemented

Registrar and CDO

Goal 10: Prescriptive schedules Action Item: Increase prescriptive scheduling by adding all CPC deficient students in 2012-13. Explore option of additional prescriptive scheduling to be completed by ASC's and Schools.

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Year 2011

Previous # of prescriptive Schedules 180

Responsibility
Academic Support Counselors

Goal 11: Curriculum condensation ABAC will streamline core offerings, resulting in fewer credit hour losses when students change majors. To date, ABAC has implemented a single Biology track and deleted the computer competency requirement. Action Item: ABAC will investigate additional changes that can be implemented to improve curriculum issues for students.

# of additional curricular changes identified

Responsibility Academic Affairs and Deans/Dept. Heads

Goal 12: Action Item: Identify students who have earned an Associate's degree from ABAC to recruit and re-enroll in Bachelor degree programs.

# identified and contacted

Responsibility Registrar/CDO and Admissions/Recruitment

Goal 13: Action Item: Identify and re-enroll students who stopped-out due to unsuccessful attempts of Regents Exam.

# identified and contacted

Responsibility
Registrar/CDO and Admissions/Recruitment

Goal 14: Action Item: Identify students who transfer from ABAC to other institutions and are eligible to graduate.

# identified and contacted

Responsibility Registrar/CDO and Admissions Recruitment

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Appendix 1
Operational Improvements
The following strategic goals are ones the CCG team feels will aid in access, retention/progression, and graduation, though they may not be directly measurable, except in terms of completion, and are therefore included as an addendum to the goals set forth in the plan, though certainly of no less importance.
1. Adoption of Degree Works with deployment Summer 2013 2. Campus EAI Portal implementation for Fall 2012 3. Implementation of ARGOS to improve access to metrics for data analysis
and improved decision-making by Spring 2013 4. Improve process and customer service in Student Financial Services

Appendix 2

Retention Rates (BOR ADM Calculation) Figure 1

First Time Freshmen Fall 2010 Cohort Fall 2009 Cohort First Time Full Time Freshmen Fall 2010 Cohort Fall 2009 Cohort

ABAC 54.39 52.82

State Colleges 54.13 54.05

System 68.08 68.33

ABAC w/in System
62.16 59.62

55.66 53.77

56.29 70.33 56.73 71.01

63.46 60.84

Graduation Rates (BOR ADM Calculation) Figure 2

First Time Freshmen Fall 2008 Cohort (2011 Grad) Fall 2007 Cohort (2010 Grad) First Time Full Time Freshmen Fall 2008 Cohort (2011 Grad) Fall 2007 Cohort (2010 Grad)

ABAC State Colleges System % of State Rate

13.31

8.23 8.17

161.73

12.2

8.71 8.65

140.07

14.08 13.37

9.53 9.45 10.16 10.12

147.74 131.59

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Figure 3 Figure 4

USG

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Appendix 3

General Term Learning Support Enrollment: Figure 5

Academic Term FALL 200908 201008 201108 SPRING 200902 201002 201102

ENGL 0099
259 219 130
161 114 102

MATH MATH 0097 0099

603

161

577

134

390

215

391

220

319

322

318

253

READ 0099
258 235 95
160 124 96

Total Seats
1281 1165 830
932 879 769

New Freshmen Learning Support Enrollment

Academic Term FALL 200908 201008 201108 SPRING 200902 201002 201102

ENGL 0099
231 203 104
64 39 30

MATH MATH 0097 0099

485

1

479

2

296

53

115

1

98

0

71

0

READ 0099
234 218 88
65 45 26

Total Seats
951 902 541
245 182 127

LS Course Distribution - All Students

Academic Term FALL 200908 201008 201108 SPRING 200902 201002 201102

3 LS Courses 2 LS Courses 1 LS Course

106

181

601

89

164

570

46

79

534

62

126

511

34

99

579

33

81

508

Total Students
888 823 659
699 712 622

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Albany State University Complete College Georgia Plan Dr. Everette J. Freeman, President
August 22, 2012
Albany State University's completion plan is based on the goals and strategies identified in the Graduation and Retention Improvement Plan submitted to the University System of Georgia (USG) in December 2011. The primary academic goal expressed in the plan was to reduce midterm and final grade academic deficiencies in the core curriculum by 10% each academic year through 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, respectively. Specific courses targeted for improvement are core curriculum English and mathematics courses.
Academic Goals:
1. Reduce midterm and final grade academic deficiencies 2% per year over the next 5 years.
2. Increase Albany State University's retention rate to 70% by 2017. 3. Increase Albany State University's graduation rate to 45% by 2017.
Following the report from the BOR review team, ASU decided to revise the time periods in the goals (see above) to coincide with dates established in the ASU Strategic Plan for 2012-2017 (Appendix A).
I. Retention
ASU will reduce midterm and final grade academic deficiencies by improving the use of academic and student support services through the following: a) faculty in each course will track and monitor attendance of undergraduate students and refer those who are not attending one or more classes to the Advising and Retention Center for support; b) faculty will, from the beginning of each semester, provide an adequate amount of course materials to students in order to provide a reliable midterm grade; c) e-reports will be generated for each student's advisor, department chair, designated instructors and the VPAA one quarter of the way through each semester (to begin Spring Semester 2013); and d) the University will expand the number of oncampus engagement opportunities available to students that leverage sound principles of service learning (e.g. peer educator programs or federal work study, etc.) to improve student retention (Appendix C, Tables 1 & 5).
II. Graduation
ASU will use several methods to increase our graduation rate: a) faculty advisors will assist students in developing a program of study in DegreeWorks and will monitor the program of study with the students to measure progression toward graduation; b) faculty will monitor midterm and final grades with students to support student performance and to update DegreeWorks; and c) if possible, same faculty advisor will remain with students throughout the student's time at ASU (Appendix C, Tables 2, 3, & 4).
The remainder of ASU's response outlines how the plan will be implemented, who will be responsible for leading the plan, and time periods for assessment and completion of the plan.
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A. Alignment and Partnership with K-12 Schools
Implementation leader: Dean of the College of Education ASU's revised goals are to increase retention to 70% by 2017 and to increase the graduation rate to 45% by 2017. Implementation will require establishment of a coordinating structure, allocation and monitoring of necessary fiscal resources, recruitment of high school students for dual enrollment, and the convening of an advisory committee and the launching of the Summer Bridge Program and the Saturday Academy of Excellence. We project that college preparedness, dual enrollment, and credits earned by students enrolled concurrently in high school and college courses will increase by 2% per year through 2017. The proposed programs will serve a minimum of 200 students from at least two surrounding school districts during the projected period.
Several benchmarks of success have been identified. The number of College of Education faculty members with a portfolio including coordination of K-12 partnerships will increase 5% per year. Collaborative agreements with local high schools are projected to increase the number of high school students jointly enrolled at Albany State by 6% per year annually. The Summer Bridge Program will increase preparedness of local students by serving a minimum of 200 local high school students per year.
The COE will transfer the goals and strategies which are in place (Summer bridge Program, etc.) as well as work with area P-12 teachers in their classrooms and as part of their Professional Development Programs to incorporate best practice into their teaching.
ASU will develop baseline data and update the data each summer to reflect P-12 involvement over the past year and identify where efforts are succeeding and where they are not and implement strategies to improve in areas of less success.
B. Improving College Access and Completion
Implementation Leader: Associate Provost for Enrollment Management The goal is to increase access, retention, and completion for traditionally underserved students in postsecondary education at ASU. Implementation will entail communication of information about the importance of a college education and available financial aid resources through traditional recruitment methods, and also to reach places of work where this information is expressly needed. Working relations between ASU and southwest Georgia employers will be enhanced to help ensure that qualified employees may enroll in degree or certification programs.
ASU will identify and list all outreach programs, summer institutes and financial aid communication frameworks by program names, objectives/foci, and contact names and numbers. The data will be disseminated to all faculty/staff for use in the advisement of students.

Albany State University

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Each department chair/program director will develop and implement plans for recruitment as well as support of all students (full-time, part-time, students with disabilities, adult learners, first generation and military).
ASU will identify campus resources by names and contact numbers for all programs, including military liaison and ROTC and place on ASU's homepage by December 15, 2012.
Student Affairs will increase visibility of study tables, supplemental instruction and tutoring by placing information on ASU's homepage. Recently purchased multimedia boards will be placed in each academic building by October 15, 2012 and the same information will be placed on the multimedia boards beginning no later than October 20, 2012.
During Fall Semester 2012 the Office for Academic Affairs will work with SGA Officers to recruit and interview students who have completed (with grades of C or higher) both online and face-to-face courses to identify positive and negative aspects of both delivery methods.
Working through the Faculty Senate, ASU will develop faculty initiatives to incorporate identified positive course methods into both online and face-to-face courses, beginning with courses in Summer Semester 2013.
Each department will develop relationships with employers in the region in order to supply information on their degree and/or certification programs. Additionally, chambers of commerce in each community will receive information on degree and certificate programs as will the area high schools, technical colleges, and community organizations as part of ASU's student recruitment efforts.
Each department will provide a report to the Provost/VPAA each semester on sites visited and students recruited through these efforts.
Financial Aid assigns a financial aid counselor for each student, regardless of instructional delivery method. Contact information for the counselor is provided to each student. Financial aid has posted information on financial aid and financial resources on the ASU's Financial Aid website.
C. Strategies to Shorten the Time to Degree
Implementation Leader: Provost The goal of this strategy is to provide students all the necessary resources with respect to course availability and multiple instructional delivery methods to assist full-time students to graduate in three to no more than six years. The goal is to decrease the average number of years to completion from 4.84 to 4.2 years by 2017, and to decrease time to degree for adult students who enter as full time enrollees from 7.29 to 6 years by 2017.
ASU will inform its students of the existence and availability of eCore, eMajor and GOML courses and encourage student use of same through working with the SGA officers who will hold

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town hall meetings with the ASU student body, with the first town hall meeting to be in Fall Semester 2012.
The Office of Academic Services & Registrar will publish separate online listing as part of semester course schedule, beginning with Spring Semester 2013 schedule. ASU will advertise eCore courses to all ASU students, beginning with Spring Semester 2013 and will identify the process for enrolling in eCore courses.
The Academic Advisement and Retention Center provides year-round advisement (began in 2011), utilizing the current programs of study provided by each academic program. Each department is charged to update the programs of study for their majors as changes occur in the majors.
Academic department chairs will coordinate a calling campaign plan with department faculty to identify students who have stopped out of college after one or two years, identify why they left and encourage them to return to ASU. Department Chairs will submit a report on their recruiting activities to the Provost/VPAA each semester.
The concerns of online students with disabilities will be addressed by having faculty use colors for their online courses that are appropriate. A PDF or webpage is available through ITS for online course resources. Both Moodle and Blackboard Vista 8 are able to be read by screen readers.
Implement additional Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) activities by recruiting faculty (in subject areas to assess portfolios by November 1, 2012). Train recruited faculty in portfolio assessment by December 15, 2012. Add newly approved course PLA 2000 to Spring Semester 2013 schedule for students who wish to have a portfolio assessed for content.
Dual enrollment programs for high school students at the ASU Early College and at DeerfieldWindsor Academy were initiated in August 2012, with the intention of adding one new dual enrollment program per year for the next four academic years.
ASU will collect baseline data of Technical College System of Georgia (TSCG) graduates who attended ASU in 2011-2012 and compare to that information to TCSG graduates who enroll in Fall Semester 2012. ASU will seek to expand the contract with TCSG in selected programs such as Fire Services, when appropriate.
The ROTC Program at ASU is a branch of the program at FVSU. While few students avail themselves of the ROTC benefits, the military science instructor will be included in recruitment plans at the University, beginning Fall Semester 2012.
In the summer of 2012, the office of Admissions initiated a calling program to students who were not fully enrolled for Fall Semester 2012. Results were that the calling list needed to be purged of students who had graduated and that calling might better be handled at the departmental level.

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D. Restructuring Instruction to Support Student Learning
Implementation Leader: Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Goals identified for restructuring instructional delivery are to increase opportunities for enrolling in online courses by expansion of online offerings and to enhance the quality of instruction and integrity of online course offerings.
ASU will identify the number of online courses in each subject area and will support faculty in the development of at least one additional course in each subject area each year, beginning with 2012-2013.
The online staff members will support the development of additional courses and programs in each subject area with a goal of adding two online certificates or degree programs each year for the next four years.

The Office for Academic Affairs will employ two people for online learning one person will focus on student support including any needs from admission to the University to study support, including eCore course access. The second person will work with faculty to increase the quality of online learning, from review of current courses to faculty development of courses reflecting best practices for the content area. The Learning Management System (LMS) support firms currently used by ASU will hire an on-site enrollment counselor to assist students in the enrollment process each semester.
All ASU online courses scheduled beginning Fall Semester 2013 will be rated at Level 3 or higher, according to the rating format. To enhance the quality of instructional delivery, pedagogy training will be provided for faculty on a continuing basis. Beginning in Spring Semester 2013, faculty training workshops will be held during the faculty-staff conferences and will focus on topics such as student engagement strategies in the classroom (online and face-to-face). The outcomes will be that each faculty member will integrate at least one new strategy in each online and face-to-face course during the semester. Effectiveness will be evaluated through increased student engagement as indicated by attendance, assignment completion, successful test performance and a 5% increase (each year) in successful course completion. Benchmarks for this initiative will be obtained at the end of the Fall Semester 2012. University-wide, a decrease in the rate of "D", "F" and "W" in courses should be noted as a positive outcome. In addition, while few online faculty members in 2012 have voice lectures, faculty will be encouraged to develop scripts and present voice lectures. The Online Director will assist online faculty seeking to add voice lectures to their courses, adding voice to at least 1 course per area each semester, beginning Spring Semester 2013.
E. Transforming Remediation.
Implementation Leader: Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities The University is changing the definition of Learning Support from remediation to academic support available to all students. Success of the goals is defined as increasing the course completion ratio from 81% for full-time students, 84% for part-time students, and

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84% for transfer students to 90% overall by 2017. Goals to achieve this are: (1) restructure Learning Support (LS) so that it becomes an integral part of faculty instruction and evolves into Academic Support, which represents a new paradigm for retention at Albany State University; and (2) engage faculty in enhancing the delivery of instruction.
ASU's LS students will participate in either an on-campus Summer Bridge Program or enroll in an approved distance education course(s), which should be in English, Math or Science beginning Fall Semester 2012. ASU will review baseline numbers for each category (Learning Support, full-time, part-time and transfer students) for completion times.
LS students will begin the academic year immediately enrolled in credit bearing courses taught by instructors certified in enhancing the delivery of instruction and will be required to sign an agreement to enroll in a non-credit Lab attached to their courses and taught by Peer Instructors. (Peer instructors are identified as those who work with students in a Lab and with faculty so that they can help to enhance students' understanding of content.)
LS students will be placed in a structured learning community designed to instill the types of skills that are necessary to succeed in and complete college.
The COE will develop a seminar designed to enhance faculty's ability to differentiate instruction while maintaining high standards for student performance. Differentiated instruction involves providing students with different avenues to acquiring content; to processing, constructing, or making sense of ideas; and to developing teaching materials so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability. By the end of 2017, 30% of the faculty would have undergone this process and will be certified to offer differentiate instruction. All faculty who successfully complete certification will receive an incentive for their work developing Peer Instructors.
Beginning with the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) in 2011, writing intensive courses were identified in each program. ASU delivers writing intensive courses in three ways: ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 for all freshmen, regardless of program, select major courses identified by each department, and through QEP. Beginning with Fall Semester 2012, student grades will be reviewed for each of the writing intensive courses each semester to track student progress.
Transforming remediation to academic support will include the following immediate actions: (1) launching of a Faculty Development Initiative for current LS faculty by Fall Semester 2013, and (2) the establishment/enhancement of programs for Academic Success i.e., Summer Bridge Program, Peer Instructor Program and the Residential Learning Community.
Strategies targeting academic support will be implemented in Fall 2012 resulting in increased course completion ratio of participating students by 5% per year through 2015. LS learning communities will be implemented with new students entering fall semester 2013, since the 2012 learning communities have already been established. Expansion of writing initiatives to encompass all LS courses will begin implementation in Fall 2012. Beginning with the Spring Semester 2013, all LS faculty members will be trained and required to include writing intensive strategies in every learning support course. Implementation of referral strategies will begin in

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Spring Semester 2013 and special efforts will be made to ensure that students who enter Albany State University are academically prepared to succeed.
IV. Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation
University leaders responsible for strategy implementation will monitor progress and communicate results of the plan to all stakeholders through 2020. Progress toward benchmarks and outcomes will be monitored continuously. The plan will be reviewed every three years and adjusted as needed based on results measured by achievement of goals using CCGP metrics and campus data.
The key metrics of the Albany State University's plan are to decrease time to degree, increase the ratio of earned credit hours to attempted credit hours, increase retention, increase graduation and increase the number of degrees conferred. Course completion ratios, student participation in academic support activities and midterm grade distributions will be tracked immediately. Long term completion outcomes for all populations will not be fully realized until 2016 at the earliest; therefore, incremental gains must be documented. Evaluation results will be disaggregated by traditionally underserved populations. Course completion ratios will be monitored each semester for students served by the plan. Time to degree, retention, graduation, and number of degrees conferred will be calculated and reviewed annually. Results will be communicated using a series of standard reports extracted and summarized by Institutional Research staff members. The reports will be disseminated via a secure web site and notification regarding available information will be sent to decision makers to inform appropriate action to revise strategies designed to increase college completion. Summaries of findings and detailed reports and with implications for action will be posted on the website for review.
A critical data dashboard will be developed and updated at the conclusion of each semester to provide information about progress of the plan. The dashboard will display:
Graduation: 3-year rolling averages of 4, 6 and 8-year completion rates of first time fall freshmen disaggregated by full time, part time, students entering on learning support programs and students entering on federal financial aid. Successful completion will be recognized if a student graduates from any USG institution.
Retention: 1-year retention rates calculated as a 3-year rolling average disaggregated by full-time students, part-time students, students entering on learning support programs and students entering on federal financial aid. Students will be counted as retained if they are retained from any USG institution.
Total credit hours at time of completion: Total credit hours earned at the time the degree is granted, tracked for both native freshmen and transfer students as a 3-year rolling average.
Course completion ratio: Ratio of hours successfully completed (A, B, C, P, S) to hours attempted (A, B, C, D, F, U, W, WF) will be tracked by a 3-year rolling average and disaggregated by student cohort, academic program, and specific courses identified by academic deans as gateway courses for full acceptance into the program.
Degrees conferred annually: The total number of Bachelor Degrees awarded annually calculated as a 3-year rolling average.

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Increased access: The number of students enrolled who are first-generation, Pell eligible, or adult learners (as defined by the USG) calculated on a 3-year rolling average.
Implementation Leaders:
Dean of the College of Education Dr. Kimberly King-Jupiter Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Dr. Mike Miller Provost Dr. Richard Green Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Linda Grimsley Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities Dr. Leroy Bynum

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Appendix A: Albany State University Strategic Plan, 2012-2017
Core Values: Learning, Intellectual Freedom, Diversity, Service, Innovation, Justice, History and Heritage, Excellence and Effectiveness
Vision Statement By 2017 Albany State University will be known for its: Diverse, academically focused campus; Discovery, learning, and teaching; Community and global prominence; Operational effectiveness and agility; and Centers of Excellence.
GOAL 1: Creating an environment that nurtures academically focused learners from diverse backgrounds
Strategies 1.1. Ease access for onsite, online and global learners. 1.2. Foster success of onsite, online and global learners. 1.3. Create a Center for Social Justice. GOAL 2: Excellence in discovery, learning, teaching and the use of technology Strategies 2.1. Create a distinctive culture of discovery with enhanced opportunities for all University stakeholders. 2.2. Transform the learning culture to one that encourages developmentally focused teachingcoaching. 2.3. Create a Center for Innovation. GOAL 3: Leadership in community and global partnerships and service Strategies 3.1. Promote University-wide participation in global programs and study abroad. 3.2. Expand the University community's appreciation for and mastery of World Languages and Cultures. 3.3. Create a Center for Community Engagement. GOAL 4: A workforce that collaboratively achieves operational efficiency, effectiveness and agility Strategies 4.1. Become an environmentally friendly, technologically agile campus. 4.2. Build a high morale campus providing exemplary internal and external customer service. 4.3. Create a Center for Process Improvement.

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Appendix B: Albany State University Complete College Georgia Plan Development Team

Devi Akella, Faculty Arna Albritten, Dean Sherrell Alexander, Success Center Leticia Alvira-Watson, Faculty Adansi Amankwaa, Department Chair Abraham Andero, Faculty Senator Kayano Bell, Information Technology Harriett Bells, Information Technology Edgar Berry, V.P. Student Affairs Rhonda Bryant, Faculty James Burrell, Director Leroy Bynum, Dean E. Chris Carrow, CIO Bonnie Chambers, Director K.C. Chan, Faculty Janet Cooks, Advisor Stephanie Cooper, QEP Coordinator J. Ferguson, ROTC Zajeria Godfrey, Student Linda Grimsley, Assistant Vice President Catherine Hall, Faculty Thomas Harris, Director Stephanie Harris-Jolly, Director Barbara. Harvey, Early College Flo Hill, Department Chair Fidelis Ikem, Dean Danielle Johnson, Sponsored Programs Joyce Johnson, Dean Sherryl Johnson, Faculty Don Kagay, Faculty Senate President Kimberly King-Jupiter, Dean Emmanuel Konde, Faculty Connie Leggett, Director, Faculty Antonio Leroy, Director Florence Lyons, Faculty Ravindra Malik, Director, Faculty Mike Miller, Associate Dean Dorene Medlin, Instructor Bruce Neubauer, Faculty Senator Peter Ngwafu, Faculty, Program Coordinator Abiodun Ojemakinde, Vice President Quadriyyah Quawiy, Director

Michael Rogers, Department Chair Judith Rosenbaum-Andre, Faculty Ruth Salter, Assistant Vice President Melvin Shelton, Director, Faculty Joseph Sweeny, Faculty Natalie Tomblin, Academic Services Nyota Tucker, Office of the President Larry Wakefield, Vice President Clarence Washington, Student Troycia Webb, Information Technology Tom Wilkerson, Office of the President Claven Williams, Sponsored Programs Richard Williams, Department Chair Mary Pat Wohlford, Interim Associate VP

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Appendix C: Supporting Data

Table 1: Albany State University ranked third in retention among its USG selected peers

University System of Georgia Selected Peer Institutions
Albany State University Austin Peay State University Cameron University Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Georgia Southwestern State University Louisiana State University-Shreveport Southeastern Oklahoma State University SUNY at Genese Texas Southern University University of Montevallo Virginia State University

Retention Rates Fall 2009
77 67 57 60 69 62 59 90 67 79 67

Rank
3 6 11 9 4 8 10 1 5 2 7

Table 2: Baccalaureate degrees conferred annually is increasing

Baccalaureate degrees conferred have increased 22% in the past five years

700 617

600 505

520

508

561

500

400

300

200

100

0 FY 2008

FY 2009

FY 2010

FY 2011

FY 2012

Sources: FY 2008 FY 2011 data were extracted from census files; FY 2012 data were extracted from both census and Banner data as Spring 2012 graduation official data are not yet available

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Table 3: The number of degrees awarded to students who are not members of a first time full time cohort has increased eight percentage points over five years to equal nearly half of all degrees conferred in FY 2012

Undergraduate Degrees Awarded

350

300

300

250 205

217

239

253

200

150

100

50

0 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012

In Cohort Not in Cohort

Table 4: Undergraduate student enrollment and degrees awarded have increased over the past decade

Undergraduate Enrollment and Degrees Awarded are Climbing

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012

#Undergrad Fall Enrollment

#Undergrad Deg Awarded

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Table 5: Transforming remediation is needed to increase retention of and credits earned by Learning Support Students

Start Term Fall 07 Fall 08 Fall 09

# New Freshmen
in LS 49
106 153

Exited LS within 1 Yr

Count 18 44 59

Percent 36.7% 41.5% 38.6%

Exited LS in 2nd Yr

Count 9 16 21

Percent 18.4% 15.1% 13.7%

Retained for 2 Yrs Avg
Earned Count Percent Hrs
28 57.1% 35.4 64 60.4% 35.6 85 55.6% 35.0

Avg Cum GPA 2.43 2.34 2.28

Those with one or more LS requirements are included in the count. If a student satisfied all LS requirements within 1 year, s/he was counted as "Exited LS within 1 Yr". Similarly, if a student satisfied some requirement(s) in one year while the rest within two years, s/he was counted as "Exited LS in 2nd Year". Those who did not satisfy all requirements within two year period are not included in the count. These data were extracted from Banner.

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong
Armstrong Atlantic State University Abercorn Street I Savannah, GA
Office of the Provost
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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 2
Overview
Armstrong's strategic plan, Charting Excellence Together, reaffirms our commitment as a teaching-first university where studentfocused and transformative education is valued, with the primary goal of fostering student success. The strategic plan serves as the lens through which faculty members, staff, administrators, and students view their roles, responsibilities, interactions and performance.
Our proposed plan for Complete College Georgia is consistent with our institutional mission of providing diverse and transformative learning experiences that support student success, with the overarching goal of assisting students from matriculation through graduation. This initiative will be overseen by the President's Cabinet in coordination with the campus Enrollment Management Council (EMC), comprised of representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Business and Finance, Advancement, and Information Technology Services. The EMC, formed in 2010, is committed to ensuring that all processes recruiting, admissions, enrollment, housing, student life, business processes, marketing, and advancement support increased access and completion. The EMC will assign accountability for specific elements of the plan to appropriate individuals. Our success will depend also on faculty and staff having requisite knowledge and skills, so ongoing professional development will be necessary to support implementation.The processes put in place to serve first-time, full-time freshmen will be expanded to serve other students at Armstrong in our Complete College Georgia-Armstrong (CCG-A) plan. Additionally, new initiatives are described in this plan to provide a comprehensive strategy for college completion. The plan will track first-time, full-time freshmen (FTFTF), full-time (F/T) transfer, and full-time (FT) non-traditional students (age 24 years and above). Informed by data, Armstrong's plan is guided by three main goals:
GOAL 1: Improve ACCESS for traditionally underserved groups.
Strategies 1.1 Improve college readiness of students who are non-traditional, military, first-generation, and/or from historically
underrepresented groups 1.2 Expand access to non-traditional students
GOAL 2: Improve student success and rates of credential COMPLETION.
Strategies 2.1 Implement and expand improvements in advising services
2.2 Improve the First Year Experience to focus on key impediments to freshman success and retention
2.3 Enhance early intervention and support for students from underserved groups 2.4 Enhance financial support to prevent withdrawals due to financial need
2.5 Develop and offer "stackable" certificates and degrees in targeted areas
GOAL 3: Increase alumni and donor engagement to support student ACCESS and SUCCESS. Strategies
3.1 Enhance recruitment by involving alumni 3.2 Enrich student learning and career preparation through engagement with alumni
3.3 Increase private financial support for scholarships and campus initiatives
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Part 1: Analysis
The statewide imperative to increase college completion for all students in Georgia provided the opportunity to broaden the campus discussions begun in 2010 through the University System of Georgia's (USG) retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) initiative. During early 2012, information from Complete College Georgia meetings and documents were shared with the Academic Affairs Council (all department heads and administrators within the Division of Academic Affairs), Deans' Council, Faculty Senate, Enrollment Management Council, and the President's Cabinet. The resulting plan is the culmination of the ideas and inputs of these groups.
In 2010 the Enrollment Management Council (EMC) was formed and given the initial task of identifying inhibitors to student success, proposing actions to overcome those inhibitors, and establishing goals for improving retention and graduation rates. EMC examined institutional data and concluded that the institution's retention challenges stemmed from the communication of academic expectations, advisement practices, and available support services. Our CCG-A plan builds upon actions already begun to address those obstacles, and additionally addresses challenges facing students in the pre-admission stage and issues of access.
Potential Students: Readiness & Access
Armstrong has a history of service to the coastal Georgia region and students who desire to enter college from a variety of pathways: traditional freshmen, transfer students, and non-traditional students who enter Armstrong to pursue new opportunities in their lives and careers. Tables 1 and 2 (see Appendix 2) show the numbers of first-time freshmen and non-traditional first-time freshmen from our 6-county area who applied, were admitted, and enrolled from Fall 2009-Fall 2011.
Slightly more than 30% of our first-time, full-time students self-identify as first-generation college students and may not have had the benefit of parents, siblings, or mentors to help them understand the college experience. More than one-third of Armstrong students are non-traditional. Recognizing that these students need guidance in preparing for college success, Armstrong has developed strategies to increase awareness of the college application process and provide assistance to potential students and their families during this portion of the college admissions process. Students also need assistance with financial aid procedures, such as completing the FAFSA, submitting and signing necessary documents, understanding the variety of financial aid available, and managing money for college and personal expenses. In Fall 2010 58% of entering first-time, full-time freshmen qualified for either a Federal Pell Grant and/or a subsidized Stafford Loan, compared to just 38% in Fall 2003.
Our goals for CCG-A focus on our 6-county region, including Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, Tattnall, and Toombs Counties. These neighboring counties traditionally have contributed over half of Armstrong's students and are the focus of our Lumina grant initiatives to increase college readiness for Hispanic/Latino students. Populations in these counties are quite diverse. Table 3 displays the percentages of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents in each of these counties, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, along with the percentages representing these groups at Armstrong in Fall 2011.
The number of potential non-traditional students in this area, including veteran and active duty military (there are 47,000 veterans and over 22,000 active duty personnel in the region) as well as other adult learners in need of initial or continuing education, has led us to expand our efforts in online and blended learning and to become more intentional in reaching out to adult learners. Armstrong joined the Adult Learning Consortium one year ago and recently received our second grant from the ALC to build our capacity to serve this important segment of our population. Armstrong's designation as a "military friendly" institution by the Department of Defense, Veteran's Affairs Office on our main campus, close proximity to Hunter Army Airfield, and partnerships at the Liberty Center in Hinesville uniquely position us to serve educational needs for our military residents.
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The College Experience: Retention & Completion
Armstrong recognizes its pledge, as stated in the Strategic Plan, to support student success through matriculation, retention, progression, and graduation. In examining the data related to this pledge, and being mindful of Complete College Georgia goals year 2020, we have identified obstacles to persistence and strategies for improvement. Retention and graduation rates at Armstrong are very similar across groups. First year retention for the Fall 2010 FTFTF cohort was 65.3%, a rate that did not vary much across traditional, non-traditional, Federal Financial Aid recipients, firstgeneration or ethnic minority groups. The same was true for 6-year graduation rates, which for the 2005 FTFTF cohort was 31.7%. Therefore, while we have adopted some strategies specific to certain groups of students, the majority are aimed at students across-the-board. Tables 4-7 summarize enrollments, credit hours, and retention and graduation rates for the last three full-time cohorts. While Armstrong strives to increase the number of students earning certificates, associate, and bachelor degrees from us, we also recognize that a significant number of students transfer to other institutions to complete their programs. Figures 1 and 2, respectively, show the cumulative 1-year retention and 6-year graduation rates for students who remain at Armstrong plus those who transfer to USG and other institutions.
Beyond Graduation: Resources for Current and Future Students
Financial need is a significant barrier for increasing numbers of students. At Armstrong 82% of students require financial aid to attend school and 50% of the Fall 2011 undergraduate population qualified for Federal Pell Grants. In FY13 Armstrong received new funding to support financial aid and admissions staff as well as 50 new on-campus student employment positions to help address student needs. As we maintain our commitment to contain tuition increases, and while appropriations and government-funded financial aid continue to decrease, it is imperative that we build private support for scholarships and other campus priorities.
The "life cycle" of the university begins and ends with the community it serves. Armstrong's Strategic Plan demonstrates this commitment through its value statements: "We value our relationship with Savannah ... We value civic engagement ... We value balance among teaching, mentoring and scholarship." In this plan, Armstrong demonstrates a commitment to potential students, assisting them to enter the university; a commitment to current students, supporting them to achieve their goals of success in diverse learning experiences; and to its graduates and community partners, by asking them to help build the environment that brings new students to the university. This phase of the plan outlines the role of Armstrong's alumni, foundation, and community partners in growing resources for potential students, mentoring current students, and contributing to a sustainable future for the university.
Part II: Goals & Objectives
This plan aligns with the priorities of Complete College Georgia to improve access and affordability, promote student success and achievement, and shorten time to degree completion. In doing so it follows the "life cycle" of higher education, from pre-college through degree completion to post-degree contribution. The matrix below outlines three major goals, then the measurable objectives and assessments, strategies, and tactics designed to serve those goals. Additionally, it shows how each of these are aligned with the five required strategy areas outlined in Complete College Georgia:
1 Alignment and partnerships with P-16 for college readiness 2 Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved 3 Shortening time to degree 4 Restructuring instructional delivery 5 Transforming remediation
These alignments are indicated by corresponding numbers in the column headed "Area."
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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 5
GOAL 1: Improve access for traditionally underserved groups.

OBJECTIVES Increase by 1% each year the number of
Armstrong applicants from the 6-county area. Increase by 1% each year the number of students from the 6-county area admitted to Armstrong.

ASSESSMENT Number of participating students submitting Armstrong applications, both
FTFTF and non-traditional students, from the 6-county area. Number of participating students enrolling at Armstrong, both FTFTF and
non-traditional students, from the 6-county area.

Strategy
1.1 Improve college readiness of students who are non-traditional, military, first-generation, and/or from historically underrepresented groups.

Tactic

Area

1, 2 1.1.1 Conduct twice-yearly workshops addressing the

application process, financial aid process, and strategies to be

successful in college and aimed at each of the following

groups: FTFTF and families, non-traditional students,

military; Conduct Domingo Universitario (University Sunday)

workshops for Hispanic/Latino students/families

1.1.2 Partner with area institutions and organizations in

1, 2

Lumina CAMINO project with the goal of doubling, by 2015,

the number of Latino students who matriculate in and

graduate with high quality degrees and credentials from

Armstrong, Savannah State University, and Savannah

Technical College; components include CAMINO counselors

in 8 high schools, support for parents of Latino students,

support for Latino students on campuses, and creation of a

seamless transfer system between Savannah Technical

College and four-year institutions aimed at non-traditional

Latino students

Implementation Begin 2012-2013
Implementation of 4-year grant began in 2012

1.1.3 Continue Armstrong Summer Challenge for

2, 5

conditionally admitted students each year; will increase from

pilot of 37 in Summer 2012 to 75 in Summer 2012.

Underway

1.1.4 Increase opportunities for dual enrollment with schools 2, 3 in our 6-county service area

Underway

1.2 Expand access to nontraditional students

1.1.5 Continue STEP mentor program targeting financially disadvantaged, historically underrepresented groups, and female rising college freshmen entering STEM disciplines
1.2.1 Expand online and blended course offerings and programs Currently 3 BS programs, 3 certificates; additional 2 BS programs and 3 certificates to be implemented 2012-13

1, 2, 4 4

Underway 2012-2013

1.2.2 Improve enrollment services for non-traditional students through "one-stop" web site with clear registration 2, 4 information

Underway

1.2.3 Develop plan to expand Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) options to facilitate and accelerate degree attainment 2, 3 of underrepresented adult learners

2012-2013

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 6

1.2.4 Expand offerings and services through the Liberty

2, 3, 4

Center, especially targeting the needs of military and military

families

GOAL 2: Improve student success and rates of credential completion

Underway

OBJECTIVES Attain a one-year retention rate of 80% for
FTFTF, transfer, and non-traditional students. Attain the following 6-year graduation rates by 2020:
o FTFTF: Increase enrollment by 1% per year and retention by 1.7% per year for each cohort, with graduation target of 32%
o Transfer students: Increase enrollment by 1% per year and retention by 1.7% per year for each cohort, with graduation target of 51%
o Non-traditional students: Increase enrollment by 1% per year and retention by 1.6% per year for each cohort, with graduation target of 38%
By 2020 double the number of associate degrees and certificates awarded annually compared to 2012.

ASSESSMENT
Retention rates of FTFTF, transfer, and non-traditional students by cohort 6-year graduation rates of FTFTF, transfer, and non-traditional students
by cohort
Number of bachelor degrees conferred per year Credit hour enrollment and retention rates for each cohort Number of certificates awarded to FTFTF, transfer, and non-traditional
students
Number of associate degrees awarded to FTFTF, transfer, and nontraditional students
Number of articulated partnerships with technical colleges and sister institutions that enhanced pathways to degree completion

Strategy
2.1 Implement and expand improvements in advising services

Tactic

Area

2, 3 2.1.1 Propose and implement early alert system including

mid-term grade reporting for freshmen

2.1.2 Develop and implement process for following up with 2, 3 students who are eligible to register for the next semester but have not taken advantage of their registration time

Implementation Proposal 20122013; Pilot Fall 2013 Underway

2.1.3 Establish professional advisors in colleges of Liberal 2, 3 Fall 2012

Arts and Science & Technology in addition to existing

advisors in Education and Health Professions.

2, 3 Underway

2.1.4 Develop targeted advising process for transfer and non-traditional students

2.2 Improve the First Year Experience to focus on key impediments to freshman success and retention

2.2.1 Pilot, receive approval for, and implement QEP for

2, 3

SACS, a required first year seminar (First Class) and

learning communities, focusing on improving information

literacy and college success strategies

2.2.2 Create a virtual Student Success Center to coordinate 2, 3 and make more accessible to students services such as

Fall 2013-Fall 2014
2012-2013

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 7

2.3 Enhance early intervention and support for students from underserved groups
2.4 Enhance financial support to prevent withdrawals due to financial need
2.5 Develop and offer "stackable" certificates and degrees in targeted areas

testing, tutoring, career exploration, and supplemental instruction
2.2.3 Expand the use of peer tutors/mentors and supplemental instruction
2.2.4 Annually assess DFW rates in all Core classes with colleges and Deans' Council and develop strategies to address obstacles
2.2.5 Provide living learning communities (LLC) for first year students with declared pre-professional majors

2, 3, 5 Underway 4, 5 Underway 2, 3, Underway 4, 5

2.3.1 Expand pilot (Spring 2012) program of residence hall 2 peer support groups for potentially at-risk FTFTF living in the freshman residence hall
2.3.2 Provide academic support and intrusive advising for 2, 3 Hispanic/Latino freshmen with support from Goizueta Foundation grant

Fall 2012 Underway

2.3.3 Implement Lumina Foundation-funded CAMINO

2, 3

project, including CAMINO Escobar, an institutionally-

based support system including social and emotional

support, financial aid counseling, referrals to tutoring

services, and mentoring

2, 3 2.3.4 Provide social, emotional and academic support and

professional mentoring through AAMI in partnership with

100 Black Men of Savannah, Inc.

Underway Underway

2.3.5 Update current agreement with Waycross College at 1, 2,

the Liberty Center with the new South Georgia State

3, 5

College, with SGSC providing College Entry Program

2, 3 2.4.1 Establish and sustain the Armstrong Commitment

Fund at $100,000 annually to provide "gap" funding for 50

or more students in need

2.4.2 Establish 50 new student campus employment

2, 3

positions, each also aimed specifically at improving success

of other students

Fall 2012 Underway
Underway

2.4.3 Provide additional support for work study and other job placement through the Student Employment Center
2.5.1 Implement the 30-credit hour undergraduate Criminal Justice certificate
2.5.2 Explore opportunities to introduce stackable associate's degrees in conjunction with four year programs, both on main campus and at the Liberty Center

2, 3 Underway 2, 3, 5 2012-2013
2, 3, 5 2012-2013

2.5.4 Explore articulations with Savannah Technical

1, 2,

College for Armstrong's Information Technology, Criminal 3, 5

Justice, and BA in Economics: Business Economics track

programs

2012-2013

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 8
GOAL 3: Increase alumni and donor engagement to support student access and success

OBJECTIVES

ASSESSMENT

Facilitate alumni interaction with 1325 prospective and current students each year

Numbers of student and potential student events held and attendance records

through 2020
Increase contributions to the university by 5% per year through 2020

Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) financial reports

Raise and distribute at least $100,000 annually through the Armstrong Commitment Fund

Strategy

Tactic

Area Implementation

3.1 Enhance recruitment by involving

3.1.1 Feature alumni speakers and representatives at

2

2012-2013

alumni

Pirate Preview receptions for prospective students

(Macon, Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah campus)

3.1.2 Develop at least two affinity groups in cities with

2

2013-2014

high densities of graduates who can assist with

recruitment in those areas

3.2 Enrich student learning and career preparation through engagement with alumni

3.1.3 Hold Armstrong Alumni Association send-off to

2

college events for students in at least two cities

3.2.1 Develop a Student Alumni Association to promote 2

interaction between students and alumni and to increase

student involvement with the university community

Fall 2013 Fall 2013

3.2.2 Partner with Career Services to provide alumnihosted professional development workshops for students 2 approaching graduation 3.3.1 Conduct two direct mail campaigns that will include 2 an alumni focus

Spring 2013 Fall 2012

3.3.2 Implement two phone-a-thon campaigns that will 2 include an alumni focus

Fall 2012

3.3.3 Conduct annual employee campaign

2

Underway

3.3.4 Develop and conduct a feasibility study for a capital/major gifts campaign.

2

2014

3.3.5 Further implement Armstrong Commitment Fund

2

campaign to assist in closing the affordability gap for

students

Underway

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 9
Part III: Evaluation of the Complete College Georgia Armstrong Plan
Armstrong will make effective use of analytics to address the effectiveness of the planned interventions for Complete College Georgia-Armstrong. The CCG-A scorecard (Appendix 1) will be used to track the critical metrics of applications, enrollment, retention, graduation, and credential completion. The scorecard will be reviewed twice a year by the Enroll Management Council, with a mid-year progress report and annual assessment. Additionally, a supplemental assessment system will be used to track the outcomes of programmatic initiatives. Data will be collected at the end of each semester, allowing adjustments to be made frequently to ensure that the goals of student success are addressed.
The supplemental assessment system will include the following elements of the plan:
Phase 1: College Readiness

Armstrong Summer Challenge
High School GPA Mean SAT Verbal Mean SAT Math Mean SAT Combined Mean ACT English Mean ACT Math Mean ACT Composite Summer Challenge GPA

Summer 2012

Summer 2013

Summer 2014

Summer 2015

Summer 2016

Summer 2017

Armstrong Summer Challenge

FY 2013

Mid-Year Final

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

FY 2014 Mid-Year Final

FY 2015 Mid-Year Final

Summer Programs
Dual Enrollment Participation STEM Participation

Summer Summer Summer Summer Summer Summer

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

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Phase 2: The College Experience
A dvi semen t
Num ber of Students Adv ised: C ollege of Education C ollege of Health Professions C ollege of Liberal Arts C ollege of Science & Technology Undeclared
Academic Help Hub Page Views

Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 10

FY 2013

FY 2014

FY 2015

Mid-Year Final Mid-Year Final Mid-Year Final

Student Success

FY 2013

Mid-Year Final

African American Male Initiative:

1-Year Retention

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

Hispanic/Latino Outreach Programs:

1-Year Retention

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

First-Time Full-Time Freshmen

1-Year Retention

1-Y r Retention -Living On-Campus

1-Y r Retention -Living Off-Campus

1-Y r Retention -Attended Orientation

FTFTF in Living Learning Communities

1-Year Retention

Cumulative GPA

FTFTF in FYE Seminar:

1-Year Retention

Cumulative GPA

FTFTF Undeclared

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

Full-Time Transfers Undeclared

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

Non-Traditional FTFTF Undeclared

Cumulative GPA

Total Credit Hours Earned

FY 2014 Mid-Year Final

FY 2015 Mid-Year Final

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 11

Curriculum

FY 2013

Mid-Year Final

Core Curriculum DFW Rates

Online Course/Program Development

Online Course/Program Enrollment:

Military Enrollment

Non-Traditional Enrollment

FY 2014 Mid-Year Final

FY 2015 Mid-Year Final

Phase 3: Beyond Graduation

Beyond Graduation
Events Held Attendance:
C urrent Students Prospective Students

FY 2013

FY 2014

FY 2015

Mid-Y ear Final Mid-Y ear Final Mid-Y ear Final

The Enrollment Management Council (EMC) will oversee the implementation and assessment of the plan. Mid-year and annual reports will be generated for the President's Cabinet for review, including recommendations for modifications and improvement. Following the approval of the President's Cabinet, the results will be shared with all campus constituencies so that all stakeholders continue to share responsibility for the success of the plan.
Armstrong is committed to the goals of this plan, which will enhance access, matriculation, and college completion. Strategic services instituted during the past RPG initiatives have demonstrated a positive impact on student success, particularly in advisement, orientation, and the First Year Experience. Through the addition of academic, co-curricular, and financial resources for FTFTF, transfer, and non-traditional students, Armstrong supports the pledge, as stated in the Complete College Georgia preamble, to "envision anew the performance of completion-related aspects of higher education."

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Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 12
Appendix 1 Armstrong Atlantic State University Complete College Georgia Scorecard
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Appendix 2 Tables and Figures
Table 1 First-Time Full-Time Freshmen 6-County Area

Applied Total Non-Traditional Minority
Admitted Total Non-Traditional Minority
Enrolled Total Non-Traditional Minority

Fall 2009 1190 193 --842 139 --511 57 147

Fall 2010 1320 162 499 859 114 265 508 38 171

Fall 2011 1312 146 624 854 121 322 506 49 175

Table 2 Non-Traditional First-Time Full-Time Freshmen 6-County Area

Applied Total Minority
Admitted Minority
Enrolled Full-Time Minority

Fall 2009 193 --139 --57 22

Fall 2010 162 59 114 45 38 13

Fall 2011 146 77 112 62 49 18

Table 3 Black and Hispanic/Latino Populations in 6-County Region* and at Armstrong

Bryan

Chatham Effingham Liberty

Black

15.2%

40.2%

14.0%

41.5%

Hispanic/Latino

5.2%

5.7%

3.1%

10.4%

* U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Estimates Program (PEP)

Tattnall
29.9% 10.3%

Toombs
25.7% 11.3%

Armstrong Fall 2011
23.22% 5.81%

Table 4 Enrollments by Full-Time Cohort

FTFTF Non-Traditional FTFTF Full-Time Transfers

Fall 2009 963 70 356

Fall 2010 1088 46 406

Fall 2011 1067 53 434

Table 5 Mean First Term Credit Hours Enrolled by Full-Time Cohort

FTFTF Non-Traditional FTFTF Full-Time Transfers

Fall 2009 13.4 13.1 13.5

Fall 2010 13.3 12.4 13.3

Fall 2011 13.8 12.7 13.4

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Table 6 1-Year Retention Rates by Full-Time Cohort

FTFTF Non-Traditional FTFTF Full-Time Transfers

Fall 2008 70.5% 68.3% 73.2%

Fall 2009 69.8% 67.1% 69.4%

Fall 2010 65.3% 69.6% 66.7%

Table 7 6-Year Graduation Rates by Full-Time Cohort

FTFTF Non-Traditional FTFTF Full-Time Transfers

Fall 2003 29.9% 17.2% 41.2%

Figure 1 FTFTF 1-Year Retention

Fall 2004 28.3% 35.0% 47.5%

Fall 2005 31.7% 27.9% 47.5%

Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 16

Figure 2 FTFTF 6-Year Graduation

*University System of Georgia and National Student Clearinghouse data

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Appendix 3 Additional Supporting Data

Complete College Georgia-Armstrong | 17

Undergraduate Degrees Conferred by Entering Student Type

Associate Degrees Conferred

Total Entered as Freshmen % Entered as Freshmen Entered as Transfer % Entered as Transfer

FY 2008 78 32
41.0% 38
48.7%

FY 2009 86 37
43.0% 41
47.7%

FY 2010 72 33
45.8% 34
47.2%

FY 2011 62 28
45.2% 31
50.0%

FY 2012 55 30
54.5% 23
41.8%

Baccalaureate Degrees Conferred

FY 2008

Total

835

Entered as Freshmen

279

% Entered as Freshmen

33.4%

Entered as Transfer

443

% Entered as Transfer

53.1%

FY 2009 901 304
33.7% 449
49.8%

FY 2010 865 287
33.2% 453
52.4%

FY 2011 905 329
36.4% 453
50.1%

FY 2012 881 356
40.4% 414
47.0%

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Complete College Georgia Plan
Submitted by: Atlanta Metropolitan State College
Dr Gary A. McGaha, President
Summary
Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) has arguably experienced higher growth over the past five years than during any period of its 38 year existence. The net enrollment growth increased to a high of 89% over the past four years. The College implemented two new online programs; opened an instructional site; expanded program offerings to include its first 4-year program, biological science; renewed community engagement with a continuing education program; established a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning; created the Offices of Institutional Advancement and Institutional Effectiveness; expanded its services to keep pace with program growth; and increased its economic impact to $92 Million. AMSC will continue its branding efforts to fully inform the metro area of the full cadre of new and expanded programs and services which distinguish AMSC as the primary access institution for Fulton and Clayton counties, as well as the metro Atlanta urban core. Over the same growth period, except for the fall 2011 semester, AMSC has managed to grow retention and graduation rates with 3-year associate degree graduation rates reaching a record high of 12.5% for the College. The Complete College Georgia (CCG) planning process afforded AMSC the opportunity to reflect on its growth, perform a concerted analysis of the data, and develop strategies for sustaining continued growth that will position the institution to meet the growing demands of the metro Atlanta region.
The overall Complete College Georgia (CCG) goal for Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) is to increase its 3-year associate's degree graduation rate, for first-time full-time freshman, from the 10.2% average over the past three years, to the current national average of twenty four percent (24%) by 2020. The AMSC Complete College Georgia plan targets four key priorities: (1) increase access for traditionally underserved students by continuing to graduate high numbers of African-American students, while increasing the Hispanic and veteran student population to 10% overall for the next five years. Expanding K-12 and workforce partnerships is a critical CCG access strategy for reaching a large underserved population. The CCG strategy to transform remediation courses will play a major role in improving student persistence, as existing learning support courses is the major "bottleneck" that prolongs underprepared students from graduating, (2) reduce student drop-outs, stabilize and grow retention rates, achievable by institutionalizing a campus-wide effort through the newly formed "College Completion Committee (C3)," and employing proactive and intervention strategies to ensure high-risk student persistence to graduation, (3) decrease credits hours at time of completion, achieved through converting mandatory physical education courses to electives and improving advisement graduation decisions of students by integrating "smart" advisement technology, DegreeWorks, and (4) employ more rigid quality benchmarks for monitoring and ensuring continuous course and program quality.
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Part I: Goals, Key Findings, and Data Analysis
Goal Setting Process - The CCG goals were determined based on a combination of (1) data analysis, (2) availability of resources, (3) integration of goals from the current strategic plan of the College, and (4) capacity of AMSC to achieve objectives within the timeframe of the plan. The goal setting process involved broad-based participation. Three of the five CCG Committee members serve on the President's Cabinet, representing student affairs, academic affairs, and institutional effectiveness, and led campus-wide discussions in developing the CCG goals. The remaining two CCG members are faculty and staff who brought their perspectives to the CCG goal setting process. The high level emphasis of CCG, from the College President outward, provided strong communication channels and CCG buy-in across campus. All CCG content was announced and posted on the College's Intranet and in the Office of the Student Affairs, so that the entire campus, including students, had full access as the CCG Committee guided the campus through the goal setting process. Draft versions of the CCG goals and report were developed and presented to the campus by the units who play lead roles and have primary responsibilities to implement the respective goals. The AMSC CCG Committee held a "Complete College Georgia Town Hall" meeting to provide administrators, faculty, students, and staff the opportunity to discuss and provide feedback to the first draft of the CCG goals, process, and report. The final draft version of the CCG Report was also posted on the College's Intranet for campus-wide review and feedback before submission to the BOR.
How Data Informed the Campus Plan - All of the goals and objectives were based on a combination of aggregated and disaggregated data analysis. Data were used to (1) identify institutional areas of greatest need, (2) determine baselines in setting CCG targets, (2) assess resource capabilities for implementing the plan, and (3) assess impact of the CCG plan. The aggregated data provided a global macroscopic perspective and served primarily for benchmarking how AMSC compares to other University System of Georgia (USG) State Colleges and national standards. The disaggregated data served to identify shortfalls, areas for improvements, and, most importantly, opportunities that the College should pursue for developing CCG goals and objectives for improving student completion.
CCG Goals Access - Goal #1 Increase Access to Traditionally Underserved Groups, Goal #2 Improve Access by increasing Learning Support Exemption rates; Goal #3 Transform Remediation to increase the completion rates in Learning Support (LS) and Gateway Courses; Retention & Persistence - Goal #4 Decrease student drop-out rates; Goal #5 Implement annual training /development for new faculty on teaching/learning of non-traditional and adult Learners; Goal #6 Monitor and provide individualized academic support and advising for high at-risk students; Graduation - Goal #7 decrease credit hours at time of degree; Quality - Goal #8 Implement benchmarks to better assess course and program quality.
Aggregated Enrollment Data and Key Findings - At Atlanta Metropolitan State College, the net enrollment change, from fall 2006 to spring 2012, increased by 52.6%. The net full-time equivalent (FTE) change over the same period of time increased by 60%. The decrease in enrollment starting spring 2011 was attributed, in part, to an increase in academic standards. The total net change of 52.6% enrollment over the past six (6) years is attributed primarily to aggressive advertising (e.g., billboards, MARTA buses, signage, radio spots) over a three (3) county area. While advertising has increased the public's awareness of the College, it is more limited and less efficient and effective than other targeted recruiting strategies such as direct high school partnerships and dual enrollment programs. Thus, the College will significantly expand its partnerships with secondary educational institutions and workforce entities within its CCG plan to complement its advertisement efforts.
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Disaggregated Enrollment Data - Over the past five (5) years, the full-time student population has grown at a rate of 30%, and the part-time student population has decreased 19%. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the College's full-time students transfer, with the largest change in transfer rates occurring with female students. Full-time male student enrollment has increased eight percent (8%) over that of the female student population. An increased number of female students have elected part-time status as compared to their male counterparts over the past five (5) years. Ninety three percent (93%) of students who receive the Pell grant enroll at the full-time status. More students needing remedial courses are changing to full-time status, and decreases have occurred within this cohort having part-time status. Full-time students 25 years and older are transferring at a rate faster than those students in the 17-19 age range who enter the College directly from high school. This group has a transfer rate increase over a five year period of 193%, the highest change in transfer rates among the student population. This high rate of transfer is a key finding that validates a major outcome of the College's effort is student transfer, therefore the proposed CCG idea of giving the home institution graduation credit would beneficial and appropriate for institutions such as AMSC.
Degree Production - The College has made a seventy percent (70%) net increase in degree production from 2006 to 2011, and the total number of graduates in FY2011 is two hundred and sixty five percent (265%) higher than in FY2006. From 2006-2011, AMSC's degree production rate has outpaced its enrollment growth rate by 15%. This key finding demonstrates that AMSC has the capacity to increase enrollment and concurrently increase the number of traditionally underserved graduates, a central component of the Complete College Georgia initiative. This data further demonstrate that AMSC has the capability to effectively expand its outreach and access mission and sustain graduation rate growth, despite its reasonably high population of underprepared students. Understanding the historical factors and strategies that have resulted in concurrent enrollment growth and an increase in the number of graduates are key findings that provide the rationale that AMSC has the capability and capacity to successfully scaleup its programs and services to a larger student population under its CCG plan.
Graduation Rates - Atlanta Metropolitan State College has made significant gains in graduation rate growth, as the College's most recent graduation rate, 12.54%, representing a forty four percent (44%) increase over that of the previous year, compared to the USG System average of 9.45%. The College attributes this success to its comprehensive and integrated approach to addressing and reducing barriers to student completion rates. When disaggregating graduation rate data by race and ethnicity and making comparisons to the USG state colleges' average for the fall 2011 semester, (1) AMSC's graduation rates for African-American students are at least 203% higher for African-American males, (2) 231% higher for African-American females, and (3) 220% higher for the total African-American student population. The data demonstrate that Atlanta Metropolitan State College provides a strategic option for the USG in contributing to achieving a central goal of Complete College Georgia: to provide access and to graduate underrepresented and underserved populations. A large percentage of the target growth identified in the Complete College Georgia's goal of 250,000 graduates is focused on underserved populations such as those located in the metro Atlanta urban core, which is the primary service area of AMSC.
Retention Rates - Student retention is the greatest challenge of the College, and a top priority and focus for the AMSC Complete College Georgia plan. Until the fall 2010 cohort, retention rates have been at or slightly below USG averages. The College experienced a reduction in its 2010 FTFT retention rate, which decreased by 19%. While any reduction in retention rates is undesirable, the College attributes this reduction to academic standard policies, involving increasing the financial aid Student Academic Progress (SAP) GPA and course completion requirements to 2.0 and 67%, respectively.
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Campus strengths, Areas for Improvement, or Key Gaps

Institutional Strengths

Institutional Challenges and Areas for Improvement or Key Gaps

Academic Programs Academic support systems that target the needs of non-traditional and underrepresented/underserved students Readily accessible and highly qualified faculty who take great pride in the scholarship of teaching and assisting students Programs and serivices that target high achieving students
Physical Resources New Sciences Building New Renovation and Expansion of the Student Center
Management Robust and agile Academic Affairs Committees and Teams with the ability to quickly adapt and respond to student needs Strong faculty-driven management/leadership of academic programs/support
General Institutional Accomplishing significant student outcomes with limited resources Institutional mission that provides access to students who are inadmissible to senior/research institutions due to SAT and ACT standards Low student/teacher ratio and small class size
Fiscal Resources Increased fundraising capacity and capability due to the creation of a
new Office of Institutional Advancement Active Foundation Board

Academic Programs Low overall progression for learning support students Low course success rates in developmental and gateway courses Low exemption rates for the admissions placement test - COMPASS Insufficient number and types of academic programs to meet growing market demands Insufficient number of faculty to keep pace with program and enrollment growth Insufficient number of support staff (e.g., instructional technologist, webmaster)
Physical Resources Lack of buildings to support growing programs and support services Aging facilities
Management Limited number of personnel for managing non-academic and academic support programs Limited number of personnel for monitoring and providing intervention for high-risk students
General Institutional Limited secondary partnerships and pipelines for new freshman students Data Quality and Security

Unstable State Funding Revenue Limited Funding Streams Low Profile Marketing Brand

Fiscal Resources

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Part II: Strategies, Objectives, Resources, and Contingencies
Strategy 1: Target Recruitment Resources/Efforts to Underserved Students
Veterans, Hispanics, and Adult Learners
The Hispanic and diversity recruitment efforts will entail a three-fold approach: (1) reaching out to local Hispanic and military organizations, (2) targeting direct advertising and recruiting efforts in Hispanic and veteran communities, and (3) support communities that address special needs for veteran personnel.
In addition, the College will create a new English as a Second Language (ESL) laboratory, equipped with 30 computer stations. The ESL laboratory will be utilized to support courses offered through the AMSC Continuing Education program supporting pre-College Hispanic students with language barriers that limit their access to a post-secondary education.
AMSC will provide an on-line version of its Pre-Matriculation program (Pre-MAT) to review and prepare veteran students for the math, reading, and English areas of the COMPASS exam, targeting those who are not currently college-ready. The College's Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Program will also be a high priority opportunity available to veterans.
Resources: The College has received funds from the USG to add an English as a Second Language (ESL) computer lab, an Hispanic Student Recruiter, and a Veteran's Services Coordinator to expand its recruiting and support efforts of underserved target groups, especially Hispanic and veteran populations. Advertising costs will be reallocated from the College's existing marketing/advertising funds. No additional advertising costs will apply.
Contingency: Alternatively, the College will provide a hybrid Pre-MAT delivery method, if the on-line PreMAT strategy is ineffective for non-traditional students.
Expand and Develop New K-12 Partnerships
Atlanta Metropolitan State College will create new Dual Enrollment partnerships and expand its Early College program with Maynard Jackson High School. New Dual Enrollments will include the Atlanta Public School System, Clayton County Public Schools, DeKalb Public County Schools, and Fulton County Public Schools. There is enormous opportunity for the College to increase its pipeline of students enrolling in college credit high school programs, essential for solidifying the high school student pipeline. To achieve this goal, AMSC will increase administrative oversight and develop new organizational strategies to increase effectiveness and sustain stronger secondary program partnerships.
Strengthening Administrative Oversight and Organization of Secondary Education Partners
The College will create a new Director of External Programs position for the primary purpose of institutionalizing new and future partnerships with high schools. This administrative position will ensure coordination, integration, and broad-based participation in all aspects of the College's high school partnerships, including recruitment, financial aid, program funding and sustenance, student success, and effective planning/assessment. The overall goal for institutionalizing the administrative oversight of high school partnerships is to integrate the collective efforts and maximize resources at the College.
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Targeting Adult Learners
Plus25 (+25) - This program will address the adult learners 25-49 years of age. Activitie will provide academic and non-academic support. The +25 program addresses many of the challenges of adult learners and provides support to ensure that these non-traditional students have the tools to successfully complete college in a timely manner. Features of this program include (1) financial aid and admissions coaches, (2) special technology and computer classes equipping adult learners with the skills to successfully complete online classes, (3) refresher classes on effective study skills and time-management, (4) scholarships to support +25 students who wish to enroll in the College's Pre/Post MAT workshop programs, and (5) Learning Communities in Learning Support and freshman gateway courses (i.e., College Algebra and English Composition).
Resources: The College will reassign Reading and English 0097 Learning Support faculty teaching loads, which will be made possible due to the USG new learning support policy to eliminate LS Reading and English 0097 courses, to teach the increased number of dual enrollment students and to collaborate with K12 partners for curriculum development and intervention strategies. Contingency: National and State grant funding sources will be pursued to defray program expenses, such as transportation and instructional costs.
Strategy 2: Expand and Develop New Partnerships
The College will create a new workforce partnership with Grady Hospital and expand its current workforce partnerships with (1) Atlanta Job Workforce, (2) Job Corps, and (3) Prevention Plus.
AMSC/Grady Hospital Workforce Partnership and Academic Programs
Atlanta Metropolitan State College will implement a new partnership with Grady Hospital to offer students the Radiologic Technology program. Students who complete this program will spend one (1) year at AMSC completing core courses and then an additional two (2) years at Grady Hospital completing the clinical portion of the program. The unique aspect of this program is that graduates will receive, within three (3) years, an associate's degree and certification in radiologic technology, with the ability to go directly into the workforce in a high demand job.
Create and Expand Workforce and Economic Development Partnerships
The College will increase the number of students involved in its Atlanta Workforce Development Agency and Atlanta Job Corps partnerships. These programs focus primarily on preparing students for college admission. Another partnership, Prevention Plus, will be expanded to provide the COMPASS diagnostic exam/Intervention strategies and teacher support in curriculum development. The College will establish a new relationship with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, which will strengthen AMSC's community involvement and allow it to better understand the educational needs and demands of local businesses and economics.
Resources: AMSC will provide the general education core courses for the Radiologic Technology program. The expansion of partnership programs for the Atlanta Workforce, Job Corps, and Prevention Plus will be absorbed within the current scope of program offerings and support. Contingency: The College will identify alternative community partners, which focus on underserved populations, inner city student populations, should the listed partners cease to exist and/or participate.
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Strategy 3: Modify Courses to Enhance Access for Adult Learners
Forty percent (40%) of AMSC's students are non-traditional adult learners, but only twenty percent (20%) of this non-traditional population take classes online. When asked, seventy percent (70%) of non-traditional students indicated they are reluctant to take online courses because they do not feel comfortable with technology. To address the needs of this student population, the College will revise its Freshman Orientation Class, Seminar in Academic and Personal Development, ORNT 1100, to (1) make it mandatory that students take the first semester and (2) include a two-week training module on the utilization of the various tools used in online courses. This course revision will assist in removing the fear of technology for many students, especially non-traditional adult learners, giving them more confidence to take online courses and enhancing their access options to take online courses.
Strategy 4: Implement Multiple Start Time and Weekend/Evening College A major barrier for part-time students, working students, and adult learners completing a degree in a timely manner is their inability to consistently find classes compatible with their work schedules. AMSC will implement a "multiple start time strategy" that offers classes in various compressed time formats (e.g., 12 weeks, 10 weeks, 8 weeks, and 5 weeks), providing at least five start times within the semester. The AMSC Weekend/Evening College will expand courses and services to provide additional opportunities for adult learners who cannot take classes at other times during the week.
Strategy 5: Implement Alternative Delivery Models: Expansion of the Pre/Post-MAT Program The Pre-Matriculation program (Pre-MAT), a 4-week computer instructional-based, workshop that provides academic reviews in math, writing, and reading, and Post-MAT, a parallel program that targets learning support students at risk of exhausting attempts for existing LS requirements will be expanded to a larger population of students. The Pre/Post-MAT workshops have resulted in an average 55% success rate in LS exemption and 65% success rate in admissibility, when compared to the USG COMPASS admission criteria for fall 2012. The impact of Pre-MAT students exempting learning support has a dramatically positive effect on their retention and graduation rates, as learning support students' graduation rates are on average two percent (2%) and less. Thus, a priority Complete College Georgia strategy is to utilize the PreMAT and Post-MAT programs for addressing student deficiencies in math, reading, and writing to improve student success rates in learning support and gateway courses.
Resources: Students will pay an $89 fee to cover Pre/Post-MAT workshop expenses. Contingency: The College has submitted a Department of Education Title III grant proposal to support an additional 300 students annually who otherwise cannot afford to pay for Pre/Post-MAT workshops.
Strategy 6: Transforming Remediation: Restructuring Instructional Delivery and Preparing Students for Gateway Courses
Restructuring Math 0097, Math 0099, Reading 0099 Learning support courses have the lowest pass rates of all college courses, and serve as the primary barrier for students who require remediation at admission to the College. The graduation rates of LS students are typically 85 percent (85%) lower than that of other AMSC students. This strategy will assist in addressing LS student needs. To implement this strategy, LS courses, Math 0097, Math 0099, and Reading 0099, will be modified to decrease time to completion and improve student course success rates. The College will utilize a modified version of the "Emporium Model," a nationally known computer-assisted instructional modular approach, which will allow a seamless self-pace transition by students between LS Math 0097 and 0099 courses. This approach will provide various delivery methods for students to better
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match their individual learning styles. These modified courses will not require the COMPASS exit exam. Student attainment of the COMPASS competencies will be measured by the courses' Pre/Post assessment instruments to ensure quality and student preparation for gateway courses.
Restructuring English 0099 and English 1101 A pilot study, adapted from the Coastal College of Georgia's Learning Support Model, will be conducted to integrate LS English 0099 with English 1101. An additional one (1) credit hour, taken at a time outside of normal class hours, will be required of LS English 0099 students in the class to address learning needs. In addition, a COMPASS score minimum of 50 will be required for LS students to be illegible to enroll in the pilot English 1101 class.
Resources: The College will redirect human, physical, and fiscal resources from previously existing Reading and English 0097 courses, made available by the new USG Learning Support Policy, expected to result in a 50-60% reduction in LS courses. These resources will be used to restructure the College's Learning Support course delivery infrastructure. Contingency: Learning Support initiatives will be prioritized based on students' greatest needs, with LS Math having the highest priority.
Strategy 7: Consolidating Efforts to Remove Barriers to Improve Student Persistence To date, efforts to improve retention rates at AMSC have been disjointed and decentralized, with minimum inter-departmental planning and implementation of strategies. The College will combine and organize the collective efforts of the various departments and institutionalize retention efforts with the newly formed "College Completion Committee (C3)." This Committee has membership from each of the five departments: Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Institutional Effectiveness, Fiscal Affairs, and Institutional Advancement. The C3 consists of four sub-groups, targeting four areas that impede student persistence: (1) Identifying Internal Barriers to Student Success, (2) Clarifying Student Expectations of Success, (3) Instilling Academic Creed and Code of Conduct, and (4) Coordinating Campus-wide Retention Strategies. C3 will focus on better understanding the factors and corresponding strategies that influence retention and graduation rates.
Strategy 8: Training to Address Needs of Adult Learners and Non-traditional Students Intense training, led by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, will better equip faculty and staff to address the needs of adult learners and non-traditional students. Topics include (1) Providing Students with Training in the Academic and Professional Use of Technology, (2) Aligning Teaching Strategies and Learning Styles of Adult Learners, and (3) Connecting Adult Learners to Multiple Delivery Methods.
Strategy 9: Proactive and Intrusive Programs Targeting At-Risk Students Students on academic probation and academic warning, with all F grades, as well as those on warning for violating Standard Academic Performance requirements, run the risk of losing financial aid, are high risk students and are most likely to drop-out of school. The College has developed proactive and intrusive intervention strategies, namely Advisement Plus, targeted Outreach/Engagement projects and the Early Alert program.
Early Alert is an intervention strategy, where faculty proactively alert the Center for Academic Advising when students are not performing well academically. The Center for Academic Advising will intervene before a student fails or withdraws from the class. This "alert" ideally will occur before mid-term, giving sufficient time for intervention strategies. The Advisement Office will contact students and provide the
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appropriate academic and/or non-academic interventaion and assistance. Advisement Plus (A+) is AMSC's enhanced academic advising program that provides proactive outreach and engagement programming which targets new freshmen students. This intrusive program affords students academic mentoring through structured and required office conferences throughout the semester. Further, advisors make recommendations and referrals for academic and support services when threats to a student's retention and academic progression are identified. A+ is grounded in best practice standards which suggest that students are retained and graduate in a timely manner when they form a meaningful and consistent relationship with a caring and concerned representative of the institution. Strategy 10: Enhance Advisement with New Technology Often when students are misinformed on course selections, it leads to taking unnecessary courses and delays time to graduation. Moreover, the sequence or order that students plan to take courses should align with annual course offerings, or a student may be delayed in registering for a required course. The College will implement DegreeWorks, starting fall 2012, to empower students to enhance and better understand the advising and degree planning processes. This strategy will reduce, for example, course selection errors that increase credit hours at time of completion. Resources: The USG has provided funding to support the hiring of an Academic Advising Director and an Advising Counselor. The DegreeWorks subscription was budgeted by the College for the FY2012 year and will remain a priority budget item. Contingency: If necessary, the College will redirect funds from less essential student activities/services to ensure and sustain DegreeWorks for Academic Advising as a core student need and priority. Strategy 11: Convert Mandatory Physical Education Courses to Electives Currently, all AMSC transfer courses require five credits of institutionally required Physical Education (PE) courses. The College will reduce the PE course requirements for transfer programs. Strategy 12: Explore and Implement Course Quality Benchmark Instruments The College will refine and more widely employ benchmarks to ensure course and program quality (e.g., the American Chemical Society National Exam for chemistry courses). This quality control strategy will be expanded to online and on-campus courses.
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Part III: Planning and Implementation

Goal Access
Goal #1 Increase Access to the Population of Traditionally Underserved Groups
Goal #2 Improve Access by Increasing Learning Support Exemption Passrates Goal #3 Transform Remediation to Increase the Completion Rates in Learning Support and Gateway Courses

Strategy

Metric

Target(s)

Lead Unit

Schedule

Strategy 1: Target Recruitment Efforts to Underserved Students by Establishing New and Expanded K-12 Partnerships and Outreach efforts to the Hispanic and Veteran population
Strategy 2: Expand and Develop New Workforce and Economic Development Partnerships Monitor and Provide Additional Support for Atlanta Workforce & Job Corp Students
Strategy 3: Modify Course Content (ORNT 1100) to Enhance Online Course Access for Adult Learners Strategy Strategy 4: Course Scheduling Strategies: Multiple Start Times and Weekend/Evening College
Strategy 5: Implement Alternative Delivery Models: Expansion of the Pre-MAT Program
Strategy 6: Transforming Remediation: Restructuring LS MATH 0097, MATH 0099, ENGL 0099, READ 0099
Strategy 5: Expand the College's PostMAT Workshops to LS Students

Increased Access: Number of Underserved Students Enrolled

Increase Hispanic students (46 to 500, to 10% overall population) and veteran students (200 to 600, to 12% overall population)

Increase adult learners enrollment by 2% annually (Baseline: 1200)

Increased Access: Number of Underserved Students Enrolled

Increase the number of workforce partners from 2 to 5
Increase LS and Gateway course completion rates of workforce students by 10% Annually (Baseline: 60% Avg. Completion Rate)

Increase adult learner's registration for online courses by 20% annually (Baseline: 30%)

Increased Access: Number of Underserved Students Enrolled
Increased Access: Number of Underserved Students

Increase full-time course loads of nontraditional adult learners across multiple start times and Weekend/Evening by 4% Annually (Baseline: 15%)
Increase the number of students who take Pre-MAT and exempt learning support by 20% annually (Baseline: 15%)

Increased Efficiency: Course Completion Ratio

Increase course pass rates for Math 0097 and 0099 by 5% annually (Baseline - 45% pass rate) and that of READ 0009 and ENGL 0099 by 10% annually (Baseline 50% and 55%, pass rates, respectively).
Increase LS students' pass rates in gateway courses by 5% annually (Baselines - English 1101 (48% pass rate) and Math 1111 (47% pass rate)

Increase Post-MAT students' exiting

10

LS by 20% annually (Baseline 60% Reading and English, 55% Math)

Office of Student Affairs (SA) Office of Academic Affairs (AA) Office of Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Office of IE
Office of AA Office of AA
Office of IE
Offices of AA and IE
Offices of AA and IE

Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2017
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2015 Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2015
Start Date: Spring 2013 End Date: Spring 2016
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2015
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2017 (This time span covers the duration of the SACS QEP Program Requirement)
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2015

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Goal
Retention & Persistence Goal #4 Develop and implement institutional- wide strategies that reduce student dropout rates
Goal #5 Implement annual training /development for new faculty on teaching/learning of Non-traditional and Adult Learners
Goal #6 Monitor and provide individualized academic support and advising for academic high-risk students Graduation Goal #7 Decrease credit hours at time of degree
Quality Goal #8 Explore and Implement new benchmarks to assess course and program quality
Overall Goal: Increase the College's graduation rate to the current national average

Strategy
Strategy 7: Consolidating Efforts, "The College Completion Committee," to Remove Barriers to Improve Student Persistence and Graduation Rates Strategy 8: Extend the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Offerings to include teaching strategies for adult learners Strategic 9: Proactive and Intrusive Programs that target \At-Risk Students
Strategy 10: Enhance Advisement with New Technology
Strategy 11: Reduce the Number of Mandatory PE Courses
Strategy 12: Employ National Benchmark Instruments to Assess Source and Program Quality
Strategies 1-12

Metric
Increased Efficiencies: Graduation and Retention Rates;

Target(s)
Decrease student drop-out rates by 10% annually (Baseline 45%)

Increased Efficiencies: Improvement in Student Course Evaluations

90% Positive Student Survey Responses (Baseline 80%)

Increased Efficiencies: Graduation and Retention Rates

Reduce the number of at-risk students by 10% annually (Baseline 130 Students)

Increased Efficiencies: Reduce Credit hours at Degree

3% Increase Annually (Baseline - 76% student satisfaction rating at Excellent/Good); 10% earned/attempted course completion ratio increase at the time of degree
Reduce credits at degree to 6064 credits (Baseline 66 Credits

Increased Efficiencies: Improve Student Transfer and Workforce Performance
Degrees Conferred Annually

Increase transfer GPA of AMC students by 10% (Baseline average 0.3 decrease). 90%positive rating on employer surveys (Baseline 82%)
Increase A.A. degree graduation rates by an average 2% annually to 24% (Baseline 10%)

Lead Unit
Offices of AA, SA, Fiscal Affairs, IE, and Advancement
Office of AA
Office of AA
Office of AA
Office of AA
Office of AA
"The College Completion Committee"

Schedule
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Spring 2013 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Fall 2017 for Advisement Satisfaction; End Date: Fall 2017 for course completion ratio Start Date: Fall 2013 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2012 End Date: Ongoing
Start Date: Fall 2013 End Date: Fall 2020

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Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
CCG Oversight and Feedback Loop
The oversight of the CCG plan is the responsibility of the College's Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Committee, an institution-wide Committee with the primary responsibility of monitoring and approving all non-academic policies and initiatives of the College, such as (1) Mission Statement Review, (2) Strategic Plan Development and Implementation, (3) Annual Planning, and (4) Reaccreditation. This Committee consists of Vice Presidents, Deans, Director of Enrollment Services, Director of Plant Operations and Facilities Planning, Director of Financial Aid, Director of Student Activities, Director of Human Resources, faculty and student representatives. CCG data and analysis will flow from the respective unit or Committees (composed of faculty and staff) to the Dean (or Unit Head), who will provide feedback to the unit or Committee. When consensus and agreement is reached at the Division and Unit levels, a CCG assessment report will be submitted to the respective Vice President, who will provide feedback to the Dean, and report out the final results to the President's Cabinet. The IE Committee will be responsible for compiling and distributing the CCG results, developing and posting an annual institutional report of CCG progress, as well as Unit/Committee support for how and the extent to which CCG assessment results are used in subsequent years for overall institutional improvement. This Committee will ensure that the CCG plan remains an institutional priority and an active component of the College's strategic planning process.
Broad-based Annual Participation
To ensure broad-based participation, the Complete College Georgia plan will be incorporated into the Atlanta Metropolitan State College's annual and strategic planning processes, along with components of the College's ongoing IE processes. Annually, each unit will be required to contribute to CCG efforts by implementing at least one CCG goal and objective. A collaborative and integrative process for annual assessment and utilization of the results in the subsequent year's planning process will ensure continuity and maximum improvement of AMSC programs and services towards reaching its strategic CCG goals.
CCG Evaluation, Data Collection, Analysis and Distribution of Results
The measure of success for the College's CCG goals will be based on the extent that targets are achieved, relative to baseline values indicated in the Planning and Implementation section of this document. The USG CCG metrics are aligned with the College's targets to ensure local and System consistency. The data collected will be necessary for the analysis of the metrics identified in Part III of this document. The College will enhance its data analysis capacity and capabilities to incorporate disaggregated data utilized in the graduation and retention rates CCG metrics. Technical support will be requested of USG OIIT to build stronger data analysis processes and data security at the College. The College's Office of Institutional Research (IR) will provide the data storage, collection, security, and analysis for institutional level aggregated and disaggregated data, such as graduation/retention rates, and provide data extraction and analysis support at the unit and committee level. The Office of IR will also conduct more detailed data analysis, such as data mining, to identify institutional benefits that may not be immediately identifiable by units and Committees. All CCG data and data analysis will be posted on the College's Planning and Assessment Software Management System, "Compliance Assist." As such, faculty and staff will access the CCG data and results through their password accessible accounts. Moreover, each year, an update of CCG progress will be presented at the College's Faculty/Staff Institute, a bi-annual joint meeting of faculty and staff of the College.
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ASU/GHSU Consolidated Complete College Georgia Plan
Our Path Forward

Revised - August 22, 2012

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Executive Summary
Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University are engaged in the active transformation of two distinct institutions into a new, comprehensive research university. As a consolidated university, our new mission states that we will "provide leadership and excellence in teaching, discovery, clinical care and service as a student-centered comprehensive research university and academic health center, with a wide range of programs from learning assistance through postdoctoral studies." We have enthusiastically embraced this new mission.
Our new university has an unprecedented opportunity to review our structures, our policies, and our procedures in a more discrete manner than higher education institutions typically have occasion to do. We have begun the process of reengineering these components, with our mission as our beacon, to ensure that no structure, policy, or procedure inhibits a qualified student from matriculating, progressing, and graduating from the new university. To support these endeavors, we have begun large-scale data analysis to look at the various populations we serve.
While this endeavor has been a challenge, we continue to leverage both institutions' insights into their individual histories and performance to chart a new path forward. Collectively, we have taken the time to engage in each other's institutional knowledge to truly integrate our strategic aims and set performance metrics to meet those aims. Recognizing the unique opportunities available to us by this process, we are emphasizing college completion and the needs of all students throughout the development of our new unified strategic plan.
In addition to our strategic priorities, we have established four goals we see as key to our Complete College Georgia initiatives. Each goal has specific tactics, assessment methods, and measureable expected outcomes to ensure we continually focus on and track our progress toward success (See Appendix).
Goal One: Maintain and improve access and improve completion Tactic 1.1: Expand partnerships with K-12 by targeting high school students capable of success to
increase the number of dual and joint enrolled students. Tactic 1.2: Create a community college program within the regular university corpus for identified
freshmen who do not qualify for regular admission. Tactic 1.3: Initiate planning with East Georgia State College to provide Augusta based enrollment
opportunities for students who do not qualify to be admitted as regular freshman to the New U. or the New U. community college program. Tactic 1.4: Expand Transfer Articulation Guarantees for students who show adequate academic progression with our partners. Tactic 1.5: Increase access for active duty military, veterans, and their families by creating a support services unit that will specifically focus on streamlining and gaining efficiencies in the admissions and enrollment process. Tactic 1.6: Increase new and pledged dollars for need-based scholarships to attract and retain qualified underrepresented student populations, in addition to our commitment to matching the state's needbased scholarship, REACH (Realizing Education Achievement Can Happen).
Goal Two: Transform remediation Tactic 2.1: Create and implement "flipped" and "stretched" models of mathematics instruction.
Goal Three: Restructure instructional delivery Tactic 3.1: Leverage the College of Education and the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty
in developing new instructional methods, including differentiated instruction.
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Tactic 3.2: Provide grants to faculty for development opportunities to focus on new instructional methods, including differentiated instruction.
Goal Four: Improve time to degree completion Tactic 4.1: Update policies that are barriers to college completion. Tactic 4.2: Increase student usage of academic student support services (i.e., Writing Center, Math
Assistance Center (MAC), Foreign Language Lab, advising, and supplemental instruction opportunities). Tactic 4.3: Expand on First Year Experience (FYE) opportunities. Tactic 4.4: Increase advanced instruction opportunities (e.g., study abroad, undergraduate research and
honors program). Tactic 4.5: Aggressively market a finish-in-four tuition model to incent undergraduate students to
enroll in a greater number of credit hours per semester. Tactic 4.6: Incrementally increase Freshman Index for regular freshman admissions each year to
achieve R1 standards by fall 2018.
Our objectives have been articulated as multiple tactics for each goal with identified key personnel responsible, including defined and measurable expected outcomes. These are described in detail in the narrative which follows, but are also articulated in our standardized Institutional Effectiveness planning and assessment grid in the Appendix.
Implementation assistance has been rallied from the resources of both institutions and teams are ready to apply structured effort through disciplined approaches to this endeavor.
The consolidation of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University into a single, comprehensive research university presents an unparalleled opportunity to rethink student success. We will do this through planning, incorporating the use of project management expertise and change management assistance to implement strategies, the adoption of transparent performance monitoring & assessment through structured data analysis, and the incorporation of the assessment results into the process of refining our tactics.
Our two universities have charted an ambitious course. Individually, we have accepted the challenge to be bold and to think big. We will not stop here, however. As a new, comprehensive research university, we will be bolder and we will think bigger. Succeeding with our goals to improve student success and college completion is not something we will take lightly. We will create positive changes for students in Georgia.
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Our Mission, Our Approach
Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University are transforming into a new, comprehensive research university with an integrated health system. A hallmark of this transformation is the approval of a new mission, which states that "Our Mission is to provide leadership and excellence in teaching, discovery, clinical care and service as a student-centered comprehensive research university and academic health center with a wide range of programs from learning assistance through postdoctoral studies." After consolidation, the new institution will have approximately 1,400 faculty and 4,000 staff members dedicated to this mission and the success of our nearly 10,000 students.
Consolidating Georgia's two universities based in the Augusta area will enhance service to the region by building and complementing on the strengths of each. Mutually on a path to growth, the consolidation supports and streamlines this progression. Eliminating the duplication of administrative functions and facilities will enable the University System of Georgia to focus its educational offerings in the Augusta area in ways that can yield the greatest impact. A recent study by the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth found that ASU and GHSU (inclusive of the health system) collectively contributed more than $1.5 billion in the Augusta economy in FY 2011. That impact includes the production of more than 18,000 jobs. Bringing together two of the region's economic linchpins will result in a university with greater capacity and potential to serve its community and the nation.i
Ricardo Azziz, the future president of the consolidated university, recognizes and champions this institutional transformation: "... we will have to focus on growing our new university. With regard to our consolidation, 1 plus 1 will not equal 2. 1 plus 1 must equal something much greater. We are not bolting on one university to another. This is a true consolidation, a true transformation. Staying the same is not an option." Such a transformation is a rare opportunity to be bold and to rethink success in higher education.
To ensure a mutual course forward, Augusta State University (ASU) and Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) have joined together to develop a new, integrated strategic plan that builds upon recent discussions related to strategic directions for each institution. A key concept that is woven into the strategic priorities is the recognition of a need to provide access and support to access in higher education. Thus, the Complete College Georgia plan and our new strategic plan work in tandem. While our Complete College Georgia plan focuses on academic student success, the new strategic plan actively lays out multiple other avenues to establish the tenets of student success throughout the entire enterprise.
As the consolidation develops and both institutions transform into a new, comprehensive research university, institution representatives on work teams have determined a need for specific, targeted, and measurable goals. These work teams include representatives from a multitude of groups inclusive of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members, the coordinated efforts of which will be required to ensure the increased success of our students. To ensure that the institution makes progress toward these goals, President Azziz and Provost Caughman serve as champions for access and success. Carol Rychly, who will be the new university's Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs, serves as the coordinating officer with responsibility for those who will actively support the Complete College initiative. Dr. Rychly will direct the effort relying upon both existing and new faculty committees as well as other key leaders for enrollment management, institutional effectiveness, student affairs and faculty development. The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs will ensure that students have the opportunity to participate in the development of programs aimed at improving their individual and collective success. The Office of Assessment (a unit of Institutional Effectiveness) will provide ongoing support to help unit plans and assess their goals directly related to student success and the Complete College initiative. The Office of Institutional Research (a unit of Institutional Effectiveness) will provide benchmarks and performance analysis to ensure that the university maintains constant vigilance to achieve student success.
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Goals and Strategies: Our Path Forward
The faculty, administration, and staff of the new, consolidated university are committed to the improvement of college completion rates at our institution. We have chosen four goals in an effort to begin to improve, and ultimately sustain completion rates for our student body.
1. Maintain and improve access through partnerships in K12, the creation of a community college program within the regular university corpus, collaboration with other institutions to develop articulation agreements, by enhancing military access, and by increasing availability of needs-based scholarships.
2. Transform remediation through innovative instructional delivery, including "flipped" and "stretched" courses for remedial math instruction.
3. Restructure instructional delivery by incorporating faculty development in this area via the institution's Center for Teaching and Learning and leveraging the expertise of the College of Education.
4. Improve the time to degree completion by eliminating organizational barriers to student success, providing support to students through increased academic support services, expanding advanced instructional opportunities, incenting full-time enrollment through appropriate tuition models, and incrementally adjusting upward the Freshman Index for regular freshman admissions each year to achieve R1 standards by fall 2018.
Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University are part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which has a population of approximately 557,000 people according to the 2010 U.S. Census. With the MSA's median income of approximately $36,933, the area in which our two universities reside is one of the lowest compared to the state of Georgia's median at $47,590. Developing goals for improving access and creating opportunities for the regional population, some of whom require support to complete their degree, is the mission of Complete College America. Tracking these goals and evaluating them on a regular basis will be critical to continue to improve these efforts and achieve the desired result of a larger number of graduates.

Goal One: Maintain and improve access and improve completion

Historically, Georgia Health Sciences University has not had a retention and college completion problem. Augusta State University, however, has a large enrollment of traditionally underserved students in categories specifically targeted by Complete College Georgia, and its completion rates are low (see Table 1.1), especially when compared to our future peers in the Carnegie Classification of Research Universities with High Research Activity whose graduation rate averages 56.7%. ASU's retention rates are also low (see Table 1.2) compared to that cohort who average 78.8%. As the new comprehensive university, we are committed to providing mechanisms to maintain and improve access to these students, while building support systems and instructional delivery methods that will increase their timely graduation.

Table 1.1: ASU Six-year Graduation Rates 2008-09 First-time Full-time Part-time

Full-time Pell

Full-time Remedial

Transfer

2003 Cohort

27.6%

11.7%

22.0%

19.3%

32.3%

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Table 1.2: ASU Retention Rates by Various Groups 2008-09

First-time

Part-

Full-time

Full-time

time

Pell

First year

68.1

48.4

67.2

2nd to 3rd year

46.7

34.4

42.1

Full-time Remedial
64.4 34.7

Transfer
54.9 43

Full-time Adult Learners 51.9 21.2

Tactic 1.1: Expand partnerships with K-12 by targeting high school students capable of success to increase the number of dual and joint enrolled students.

The consolidated university is committed to expanding opportunities for college-ready high school students to earn college credit while still enrolled in high school through dual enrollment and joint enrollment. ASU currently has a successful, but relatively small, dual/joint enrollment program (Table 1.3). Successful dual/joint enrolled students are well positioned to progress and succeed in college. This is not only because they earn college credit during high school but also because, by experiencing the college environment in advance, they are better able to acclimate to the collegiate academic rigor upon matriculation. This supports both Complete College Georgia and Complete College America's desire to shorten time to degree completion.

To achieve this goal, we intend to increase our number of dual and joint enrolled students by adjusting the current ASU SAT requirement (combined Verbal/Critical Reading and Mathematics sections) from 1100 to the minimum SAT score required by Board of Regents' policy, 970. Students admitted to ASU by exception, meeting the Board of Regents' requirements but not the ASU minimums, showed that they were capable of success in college-level courses based on a review of their grades. We will create promotional materials about dual/joint enrollment opportunities and work with a newly formed collaborative group of university admissions professionals and high school counselors to target high school students capable of success.

Table 1.3: Dual and Joint Enrolled Students at ASU

Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring

2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010

68

70

59

60

51

54

Fall 2010
89

Spring 2011
81

Fall 2011
60

Spring 2012
60

Average # 65

Through our changed admission requirement and increased marketing, we will increase these numbers incrementally year over year as defined in the Goals Matrix in the Appendix.

Tactic 1.2: Create a community college program within the regular university corpus for identified freshmen who do not qualify for regular admission.

For students who qualify at the minimum Freshman Index of the state university sector but do not meet the R1 sector standard, we will create a community college program within the new comprehensive university. This highly structured unit will give those students who aspire to the New U a route towards that goal by providing:
A more structured curriculum that leads to an associate degree, An array of mandated academic assistance offerings, An early alert system based on poor class participation and/or performance that will trigger
specific interventions, Required class attendance, and A streamlined admission process to the comprehensive university's programs for successful
students.

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Tactic 1.3: Initiate planning with East Georgia State College to provide Augusta-based enrollment opportunities for students who do not qualify to be admitted as regular freshman to the New U. or the New U. community college program.
East Georgia State College is our closest two-year access institution and its leadership is interested in partnering with us to develop Augusta-based offerings that support access, transfer articulation, and facilitate the students' attainment of an Associate's Degree at East Georgia. Providing opportunities for higher education through these mechanisms will ensure that we are meeting the needs of our populations as defined in our mission.
Tactic 1.4: Expand Transfer Articulation Guarantees for students who show adequate academic progression with our partners.
While there are agreements in place between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia, transfer articulation guarantees should be expanded in an effort to reduce duplication of instruction and minimize time to degree completion. Augusta Technical College, a local TCSG institution, is one such potential partner with which articulation agreements will be explored and developed.
Tactic 1.5: Increase access for active duty military, veterans and their families by creating a support services unit that will specifically focus on streamlining and gaining efficiencies in the admissions and enrollment process.
The new university is located within five miles of two Veterans Administration Hospitals and Fort Gordon, the nation's largest military communications and information training center. Fort Gordon employees over 27,000 military, civilian and contract personnel and provides training for over 20,000 active duty and 50,000 reservists annually. More than 800-1,200 service members with military backgrounds primarily in information technology or medical related fields separate from the military each year from this installation. In addition, according to the US Census Bureau, the five counties neighboring the university are home to over 53,000 veterans, representing about 15% of the total local population. Veterans in these counties are much less likely to have a bachelor's degree than their peers nationally or statewide.
Approximately 550 students (combined enrollment) receiving military or veteran benefits are currently enrolled at ASU and GHSU. This number represents a small percentage of the total active duty military and veteran segments of the local population. We will facilitate access for active duty military, veterans and their families and increase enrollment incrementally year over year as defined in the Goals Matrix in the Appendix.
Although military and veteran students are similar in many ways to other adult learners, several factors complicate their academic lifecycles from the point of admission to graduation. Veterans face obstacles to achieving their degree according to the results of research conducted by the ACE Center for Lifelong Learning. Research results indicate veterans are
unaware of their benefits; face administrative hurdles associated with university staff members' lack of knowledge about
veteran benefits; experience problems gaining credit for prior military experiences or coursework; and do not always find a supportive campus climate.
Active duty members of the military experience similar challenges as their veteran peers, and in addition they experience complexities associated with their ongoing professional commitments, reassignments, and
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deployments. We will increase access for active duty military, veterans, and their families by establishing and maintaining an on-campus Military and Veterans Service Center (MVS). The MVS staff will engage in activities over the next several years focused on increasing enrollment for active duty military, veterans and their dependents. More particularly, these activities will focus on increasing the quality of our services provided to these students thereby increasing the competitiveness of our programs and on outreach activities designed to increase enrollments.
Planned outreach activities intended to increase enrollments by enhancing awareness of our programs include the following:
develop and implement a strategic communications plan including Fort Gordon, local military recruiters, National Guard Armories, and web pages for Military & Veterans and Spouses & Dependents;
attend educational fairs at Fort Gordon to promote educational opportunities at the institution; meet with local recruiters and participate in the (ConAp) process with the US ARMY to increase
awareness of the new consolidated university among new recruits; and meet with local National Guard Armories to promote educational opportunities at the university.
Activities intended to increase the success of students with a military affiliation include the following: establish and maintain a Military and Veterans Service Center providing a centralized dedicated staff to assist in admissions, registration, financial aid, and VA benefit certification; develop and implement tailored student support services and activities including dedicated orientation sessions and social events; develop a peer mentoring program in conjunction with ROTC; collaborate with counselor education faculty to offer counseling to assist in transitioning to civilian life and appropriate referral services; develop an early warning intrusive coaching system notifying MVS staff and counselors in the event students experience attendance or academic issues; and facilitate training and development opportunities for faculty to increase awareness and understanding of related issues.
Although the planned activities of the MVS are a critical component of the new consolidated university military outreach strategy, they are only a part of the planned activities to increase the competiveness of our programs and military access. At a broader institutional level, other planned activities include the following:
review and modify university policies as appropriate including those related to transfer credit, residency and military withdrawals;
maintain Service Members Opportunity College (SOC) designation and participation in GoArmyEd; investigate the feasibility of SOCAD membership and joining the ALC; investigate the feasibility of becoming a Yellow Ribbon School; investigate potential changes in academic programs including certificates and degrees to better
align with the educational needs of the military; and investigate the feasibility of modifying the method of course delivery to facilitate degree completion
at a distance including potentially offering courses at Fort Gordon.
Tactic 1.6: Increase new and pledged dollars for need-based scholarships to attract and retain qualified underrepresented student populations, in addition to our commitment to matching the state's need-based scholarship, REACH (Realizing Education Achievement Can Happen).
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The new university will seek to increase access to a quality education for high achieving students who are not otherwise able to offset the costs of attending college. Funded by individual donors, businesses, and other foundation support, these scholarships will be renewable to ensure retention of these students as well as enhance their ability to make a commitment to their academic pursuits. As evidenced by the 2011 NSSE survey (See Table 1.4), our current student population is much more burdened with work and family obligations than the national average.

Table 1.4: NSSE 2011 Results
Working > 20 hours/week Caring for Dependents > 20 hours/week

ASU 29% 14%

National 11% 7%

Needs based scholarships for both universities have historically been low as shown in Table 1.5 below.

Table 1.5: AY12-13 Needs Based Scholarship Awards

# of

Total

Recipients Awarded

ASU

55

$ 59,265

GHSU

48

$138,000

Total

103

$197,265

The increases in total awarded dollars described in our goals for the first year range from 25% for threshold performance to 67% for high performance. The three year performance represents an intentional plan to sustain respectable growth as highlighted in Figure 1.6 below.

Table 1.6: Three Year Growth Plan for Needs Based Scholarship Awards

Needs Based Scholarships

$500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000

3 Year growth rate

+50%

$432,750

$332,885

$197,265 $246,581

$100,000

$0 AY12-13 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

These scholarships will be awarded to academically qualified students to improve access by those generally underrepresented in various programs as well as those students who would not be able to afford to continue to attend college due to work obligations.
Goal Two: Transform remediation
Nationally, more students place into remedial mathematics (22%) than remedial English (14%). The students at ASU exhibit a similar pattern, with 26% placing into remedial mathematics while 19% place into remedial English. Students' success in the remedial math course is not perpetuated to the same extent in the follow-on Gateway math course (Table 2.1). Given the greater percentages of remedial mathematics

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placements and the low success rates in follow-on math courses, we have chosen to focus our attention initially on this subject area.

Table 2.1: ASU Students in Remedial Math Fall 2007 Enrollment in Remedial Math Success in Remedial Math Course Success in follow-on Gateway Math course

Percentage of students 258
128/50% 32/12.6%

Tactic 2.1: Create and implement "flipped" and "stretched" models of mathematics instruction.

Complete College Georgia metrics measure success in the first college level math and English courses. Although 81% of our first-time fulltime students finish either college level math, English or both within two years, our Learning Support success rate in both remedial and the follow-on course need improvement. Initially our efforts will focus on math given that a greater percentage of Learning Support students have math requirements as compared to English.
In Fall 2012 we are piloting a "stretch" course combining Math 0099 and Math 1111 into a single course meeting five days per week. We are also piloting a "flipped" classroom model in three Math 0099 sections. These sections will integrate the Hawkes software, a mastery-based mathematics program, into the classroom allowing students to move at their own pace. By utilizing this instructional approach, the instructor will have more time to help students individually with those concepts they find to be more difficult.
We will assess the data obtained from the "flipped and stretched" pilots for the Math courses during Fall 2012. If the Math pilot is successful, we will create a similar pilot for English courses. Assessment data will be gathered and best practices defined to improve reading success and to learn how to modularize our current reading curriculum. Additional efforts described in Tactic 3.1: Leverage the College of Education and the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty in developing new instructional methods, including differentiated instruction also support this Goal.

Goal Three: Restructure instructional delivery
With a goal of improving student success while maintaining access, restructuring instructional delivery, especially in "gateway" courses that have historically high D/W/F rates will become paramount (see Table 3.1. for targeted courses). Faculty development focused on course design principles (e.g., linking objectives to assignments/activities to student assessment), on multiple delivery models and strategies for assessing student learning, will be necessary to achieve desired results.

Table 3.1: Targeted Courses & % of Students Receiving Low Grades (D, W, F) Fall 2011

Course

Percentage of

students receiving

D,W,F

Biology 1107

55%

Econ 2105

47%

English 1102

46%

Math 1101

64%

Math 1111

44%

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Tactic 3.1: Leverage the College of Education and the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty in developing new instructional methods, including differentiated instruction.
The College of Education will work with the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty in developing courses that use principles of differentiated instruction and that clearly link learning outcomes to student assessment. With input from department chairs, we will invite faculty who teach learning support and gateway courses with high D/W/F rates to join a special learning community aimed at (1) examining course design and instructional delivery components of gateway courses, and (2) developing course design and delivery skills to then transfer to colleagues in their departments (i.e., train the trainer community). We will begin with instructors of gateway courses in Math and English and follow with training for faculty members who teach gateway courses in other disciplines. (See Table 3.1 for target courses). The ideal outcome would be to eventually provide course design and delivery instruction throughout the faculty body. This tactic is also related to Goal 2: Transform Remediation.
Tactic 3.2: Provide grants to faculty for development opportunities to focus on new instructional methods, including differentiated instruction.
Faculty members who participate in the special course design/delivery learning communities will be eligible to apply for instructional grants that would involve engaging in activities to enhance their expertise and developing instructional methods aimed at achieving clearly articulated student learning outcomes. The grants might allow for paid summer assignments and/or reassigned time during the traditional academic year. Grant recipients will be expected to offer faculty development related to their grant project to other faculty members in their home departments, and they will be required to co-facilitate workshops organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The number of resulting faculty presentations as well as changes in student success patterns (a reduction in D, W, and F grades for gateway courses) as a result of new instructional methods will be tracked.
Goal Four: Improve time to degree completion
The six-year graduation rate for Augusta State University was 27.6% in 2008-09 and has decreased since then to 22.2% in 2010-11. We are committed to improving this rate through the following strategies.
Tactic 4.1: Update policies that are barriers to college completion.
Policies within the current institutions and the USG will be reviewed to determine if they are still relevant and appropriate. If policies are slowing student completion without enhancing student learning, they will be revised. An additional policy limiting withdrawals from courses will be developed as appropriate. A policies task force similar to that being created at the system level will be constituted to ensure the continuous planning and improvement necessary to achieve our goals. A table of policies currently identified for review is in the Appendix. Examples include policies on:
Course withdrawals for Learning Support students SAT score requirement for dual enrollment admissions Limitation on total number of withdrawals Restrictions on course load, student activities, and residential living for University College students Admission of University College Students into an Associate's degree program.
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Tactic 4.2: Increase student usage of academic student support services (i.e., Writing Center, Math Assistance Center (MAC), Foreign Language Lab, advising, and supplemental instruction opportunities).
Our data show that use of academic support services improves student success. We can tie frequent visits to the MAC to better success for example, in Fall 2011, the 44 ASU students who attended MAC tutoring at least 7 times (i.e., once every two weeks) had success rates of 71% (C or better) and 77% (D or better) in their Area A mathematics course (MATH 1111 or 1113) compared to overall success rates of 57.6% (C or better) and 67.8% (D or better) in these courses during this semester. With consolidation, an associate vice president will have primary responsibility for working with faculty to promote the use the academic support services to all students.
Supplemental instruction has been successfully implemented in a variety of courses. In Fall 2013 we will increase supplemental instruction opportunities. The supplemental instruction program uses trained students as peer tutors, who will attend class with the student, meet with the instructor, and conduct mandatory study sessions.
Tactic 4.3: Expand on First Year Experience (FYE) opportunities.
Augusta State University has been experimenting with First Year Experience activities over the last few years and our data indicate that such activities can have significant impact on student completion. FYE students also have a higher retention rate (7-17% higher) and progression rates (5-14% higher for year 2 to 3 progression).
As a result of BOR FY13 funding, the university will expand these efforts in two ways: 1. For the first time, the university will create an academically focused sophomore seminar to continue to support students as they move from their freshman to sophomore years. These efforts will help the university improve student connectedness so as to increase progression and degree completion rates. 2. The university will also expand its non-academic freshman year experience for students who live in Augusta State's student housing, University Village (UV). This program, UV Connections, offers three unique living-learning communities: a. Freshman Connections, b. Sophomore Connections, and c. University College Connections.
Effective student development models inspire each experience, and graduates who have participated have demonstrated successful academic careers. The Connections programs put students in touch with faculty, staff, and peer mentors who have a wealth of knowledge and a willingness to share, which allows students to build and maintain a strong foundation for future college success.
Tactic 4.4: Increase advanced instruction opportunities (e.g., study abroad, undergraduate research and honors program).
ASU currently has three separate advanced instruction/academic enrichment programs: study abroad, an undergraduate research program, and an honors program. Each of the three programs is vibrant, but relatively small. Lack of administrative support to market, track, and communicate with students has limited the opportunities to grow these programs. To begin to address this issue, in FY13 a full time administrative position will be assigned to support undergraduate research and the honors program. As we transition and expand the honors program to an honors college, we will create an Academic Enrichment
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Center, led by a director, in which these three programs will be co-located to leverage their complementary strengths and create an exciting and energetic environment for intellectual exchange.
Tactic 4.5: Aggressively market a finish-in-four tuition model to incent undergraduate students to enroll in a greater number of credit hours per semester.
In an effort to incent undergraduate students to enroll in a greater number of credit hours per semester, we will employ a "Finish in Four" tuition model currently in use at GIT, UGA and GCSU. These institutions apply the full-time tuition rate to anyone taking more than 6 credit hours, allowing students to take more hours without additional charges and thus finish their academic program faster. Given our student demographics, we proposed that we apply full-time tuition to any enrollment over 10 hours.
At ASU, currently approximately 27% of the students enroll in 10 or fewer hours per term. The majority of students (57%) already fall into the "almost full-time" category enrolling in 11-14 hours per term. The remainder of our students (16%) enroll in 15 or more hours per term.
We want to increase the percentage of students in the last category (15 or more credit hours) and believe we could incent the "almost full time" group to take more credit hours with this tuition model. This model would apply to any new or returning undergraduate student and apply the applicable "full-time" undergraduate rate* to students who enroll in more than 10 hours per term.
*A multi-year phase-in strategy for tuition is being developed to balance the need to preserve access for the current cohort of students with the increased value of the degree of our new R1 university.
Tactic 4.6: Incrementally increase Freshman Index for regular freshman admissions each year to achieve R1 standards by fall 2018.
The newly consolidated university takes the responsibility of providing access very seriously as an inherent part of our new mission. In that regard, an immediate increase in the minimum Freshman Index (FI) to a level above that currently required for admission to Augusta State would be detrimental to the fundamental element of access. While the current plan is to gradually increase the regular freshman admissions standards to that comparable to the other R1 universities in the USG, it is important to note that those students who currently qualify for admissions will still have a place in the new university. Students will be admitted to a highly specialized, community college-like program within the university that will incorporate the necessary elements of remediation, learning support services, interventions as appropriate, and an assigned mentor or advisor committed to supporting each student's academic success.
University College, currently charged with addressing the more underprepared population of students, will be phased out over time as we implement a partnership with East Georgia College (see Goal 1: Tactic 1.3) and continue to work through transfer articulation guarantees with TCSG units (see Goal 1: Tactic 1.4) who can better support and manage this student cohort. Reverse transfer articulation agreements will ensure that any student who makes adequate progress at those institutions will have the opportunity to pursue programs at the new university.
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Implementing the Vision
The CCG initiatives are broad and will require extensive coordination between multiple units within the organization whose reporting structure is distributed throughout the university. We do not believe we would be successful by attempting to centralize all of the resources necessary for this effort's success. However, we do know need a center of gravity and focus given that matrix reporting structures are difficult to implement and manage. The new university is fortunate to have engaged leadership and a robust support infrastructure to leverage.
Leadership: The leadership and overall coordination is clearly defined through the new university's Office of the Provost, Dr. Gretchen Caughman. The programmatic officer, Dr. Carol Rychly, the new university's Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs will lead a campus-wide project team to achieve the Complete College Georgia implementation plan. (see Appendix). These key units will be responsible for collaborating and working together to achieve the success of the endeavors described within this plan. These units report throughout the organization and thus will have multiple "masters". Professional development to assist unit leaders in understanding the complexities inherent with a matrix environment will be provided through leadership development training available through Human Resources.
Support: Specific and concentrated attention on the tasks and activities associated with this plan is also imperative given our collective past performance and the additional impact of the consolidation efforts. Therefore, we will consider it a start-up operation and treat it as an enterprise project of first priority for the university. We recognize that as such, this project will require significant facilitation and coordination as well as several business process changes to ensure that the tactics which contribute to our initial success and ongoing improvement are well established within our day-to-day operation.
Resource and time management as well as attention to the completion of critical tasks will be imperative. Therefore we will engage the enterprise wide Project Management Office (ePMO) within the Division of Institutional Effectiveness to formally support this effort. Traditional project management principles will be used to accomplish the goals and achieve the expected outcomes described in this narrative and documented in the Appendix. Additionally, the ePMO will incorporate change management principles to help heighten the organizational awareness of the need for change, inform the leadership team about the organizational readiness for change as well as the basis of any relative resistance to the changes necessary. Leaders will be provided with tools and techniques to assist them in addressing specific concerns as well as support their preparation to advocate for the change necessary in the most effective manner possible.
Performance monitoring of key performance indicators, through the Office of Institutional Research, will be incorporated into monthly monitoring reports (dashboards) and the university's senior leadership variable pay plan, currently in effect at GHSU and the first of its kind in the University System. The joint Institutional Research departments are currently working to compile consolidated student and faculty data for baseline metrics.
In addition to an outstanding team, we are also privileged to add additional resources with the FY13 BOR funding that will allow us to hire three new full-time faculty members. The placement of these new faculty positions has been carefully planned so as to reduce the institution's reliance on part-time faculty. Substantial scholarly research indicates that while part-time faculty members provide valuable educational instruction to our students, their status often prevents them from developing strong connections with
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students outside the classroom. By reducing the reliance on part-time faculty, the university will be promoting the faculty/student connections that readily translate into higher levels of retention and progression for our students.
Evaluating Our Progress
The consolidation of the two institutions complicated the incorporation of a comprehensive analysis of the assessment data. However, the joint effort to develop the plan highlighted the need for greater consistency of measures between the two institutions as well as need for more baseline data all around. The goals stated in the plan are deltas due to the nature of our development together but will be clarified as we go forward using AY12-13 as our baseline year when other baseline data are not available.
The new, comprehensive research university will have an aggressive, data-driven assessment framework to help guide department, college, and institutional strategies to achieve student success. Guided by the Offices of Assessment and Institutional Research, the framework contains three cross-functional dimensions: 1) access, 2) efficacy, and 3) performance. Each of these dimensions will be assessed at systematic and routine intervals to help guide planning and budgeting for each year.
Assessment of access includes not only the matriculation into the institution, college, and program of a student's choosing, but the availability of services and support to help that individual student succeed. Each year, students will be randomly selected to participate in tracer studies. Starting at the point of application to the university, the student will be followed through the admissions process. If the student is admitted, the tracer will continue through orientation and registration of the first semester. Beginning at the first semester, tracer students will be requested to complete periodic surveys, no less than twice a semester, that address their physical, emotional, and mental states as they relate to completing coursework toward their degree. Additional data will be collected through software that indicate the frequency and amount of time in which students access the various support labs on campus and online (e.g. Math Assistance Center). The quantitative and qualitative data collected through these mechanisms will be analyzed on a biannual cycle in an effort to facilitate short-term changes, when possible, and begin long-term planning.
Assessment of efficacy includes the success of remediation and gateway courses as well as programmatic and institutional policies. The intent of the university to offer "stretched" and "flipped" courses, presents a natural laboratory to look at the effects of different curricular and instructional models on student success. Using this experimental setting, data on the students in these courses will be compared to see if there is a quantitative difference in the performance and success of the enrolled students in similar courses with different instructional models. These comparisons will take place at the conclusion of each semester. This will allow time for instructors and program directors to reorient their courses in time for the following academic semester. Efficacy also includes analyzing policies that hinder success at the programmatic, department, college, and institutional levels. Each year, based on evidence from student surveys and focus groups, the institution will review policies that hinder student success. These policies will be reviewed and rewritten when necessary to ensure the university maintains a student-friendly environment. If the USG Board of Regents drives policies, the university will lobby for necessary changes that help promote student success.
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Performance measurement is the largest dimension of assessment for the ASU-GHSU Complete College Georgia evaluation and assessment framework. Using the concept of "big data," the institution will develop a data warehouse that compiles demographics, high school transcript information, co-curricular activities, use of student support centers, performance in general education and major courses. The ability to establish a unique student profile to collect this data will enable the university, over the long term, to perform gap-analysis across the entire institution and create more fine-tuned policy alignments. It will also create opportunities to understand the population of the institution and its needs. This performance data will also feed into key performance indicator dashboards so that senior leadership of the institution may actively engage in the Complete College Georgia initiative. The various assessments will be driven by scholarly research to ensure the highest data collection and analysis standards. Each report will be written as scholarly evidence for the research communities and as practitioner-focused best practice flyers to help inform other institutions about the findings of our university. Further, the completed studies will be submitted to national and international conferences to help continue to build the scholarship of student success. All data collection, evaluation, and future planning will feed into the strategic priorities of the university. As with other strategic priorities, the performance data will be scrutinized biennially to determine the degree to which the institution is successfully fulfilling its mission, vision, and values.
Conclusion
Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University have charted an ambitious course. Individually, we have accepted the challenge to be bold and to think big. We will not stop here, however. As a new, comprehensive research university, we will be bolder and we will think bigger. Succeeding with our goals to improve student success and college completion is not something we will take lightly. It is imperative for the future of society.
i The Economic Impact of University System of Georgian Institutions on their Regional Economies in FY2010: A Needs Assessment Study, Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, April 8, 2011.
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Appendices
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Complete College Georgia | Goals and Metrics for Success
Goal One: Maintain and improve access

Tactics

Measure

Assessment Method Reporting Frequency

1.1

Expand partnerships with K-12 by targeting high school students capable of success to increase the number of dual and joint enrolled students

# of students participating in dual enrollment

Compare # of students who apply, are admitted, and matriculate year over year.

Monthly

Year AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

1.2

# of students admitted and

Create a community college structure for identified freshmen successful in the new

who do not qualify for regular admission

university's community

college structure

Compare # of students who apply, are admitted, matriculate, and make adequate academic progress year over year.

Monthly

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

Initiate planning with East Georgia State College to provide Project Status Reports will

1.3

Augusta-based enrollment opportunities for students who do track each deliverable necessary to accomplish
not qualify to be admitted as regular freshman to the New U. admitting the first class by

Review of documentation & status

or the New. U community college

Fall '15

Monthly

Jan '13 AY13-14 Fall '15

Threshold 8% Increase over
AY12-13
+6%

Target 10% Increase over
AY12-13
+8%

High Performance 12% Increase over
AY12-13
+10%

Responsible Party Cibirka

+4%

+6%

+8%

Baseline year (Freshman Index >=1940 - 2040)

N/A

N/A

N/A

1st year (Freshman Index >=1940 - 2140)

50% Retained

55% Retained

60% Retained

& On-Track

& On-Track

& On-Track

2nd year (Freshman Index >=1940 - 2240)

55% Retained & On-Track

60% Retained & On-Track

65% Retained & On-Track

Memorandum of Agreement Completed; BOR & SACs Sub Change Submitted

Implmentation Plan Completed; Marketing Plan Initiated

First class Admitted to East Georgia

Whiting Cibirka

1.4 Expand Transfer Articulation Guarantees for students who show adequate academic progression with our partners

# of TAGs established and # of students who take advantage of each

Admissions will be the Office of Record for each Agreement and report on the # of students who leverage each.

Monthly

AY13-14 AY14-15

5% Increase over AY12-13
+5%

AY15-16

+5%

10% Increase over AY12-13
+7%

15% Increase over AY12-13
+10%

+7%

+10%

Cibirka

# of students who complete

the application process, are accepted, and enroll who have or have had an

% increase in students year over year

affiliation with the military

1.5

Increase access and success for active duty military, veterans, and their families by creating a support services unit.

Pass rate of courses taken by active duty military, veterans, and their familities

% increase in pass rate year over year

Increase new and pledged dollars for need-based

scholarships to attract and retain qualified underrepresented

1.6 student populations, in addition to our commitment to

Amount of new and pledged Amount of actual new

dollars

and pledged dollars

matching the state's need-based scholarship, REACH

(Realizing Education Achievement Can Happen)

By term By term By academic year

AY13-14 AY14-15

8% Increase over AY12-13
+6%

10% Increase over AY12-13
+8%

12% Increase over AY12-13
+10%

AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15

+4%
4% Increase over AY12-13
+4%

+6%
6% Increase over AY12-13
+6%

+8%
8% Increase over AY12-13
+8%

AY15-16 AY13-14

+4%

+6%

+8%

Total Amount Awarded in FY13 $197.265

+25% Increase over +45% Increase over +67% Increase over

AY12-13

AY12-13

AY12-13

AY14-15

+35%

+45%

+55%

AY15-16

30%

+35%

+40%

Basciano Basciano
Russ

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Goal Two: Transform remediation

Tactics

Measure
# of "flipped" and "stretched" Math 1111 courses

Assessment Method
Identification of each Math 1111 section that is considered "flipped" and "stretched"

Reporting Frequency By term

Year AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

2.1

Create and implement "flipped" and "stretched" models of mathematics instruction

Success rate of students in innovative Math 1111 courses

Performance of Math 099/1111 students to combined Math 1111

By term

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

Success rate of students in higher level math courses

Performance of Math 099/1111 students to combined Math 1111 in higher level courses

By term

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

Threshold 1 3 5
No Change No Change No Change No Change No Change No Change

Target 3 5 7

High Performance 5 7 9

Responsible Party
Terry/ Craig

Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10

Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05

Terry/ Craig

Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10

Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05

Terry/ Craig

Goal Three: Restructure instructional delivery

Tactics
Leverage the College of Education and the Center for 3.1 Teaching and Learning to assist faculty in developing new
instructional methods, including differentiated instruction

Measure
# of training opportunities provided in learning communities

Assessment Method Reporting Frequency

# of courses reprsented among faculty participating in learing communities

By term

Year AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

Threshold 1 2 3

Target 2 3 4

High Performance 3 4 5

Responsible Party
Richardson/ Chance

# of grants provided

Faculty Affairs will track awards

By term

AY13-14 3 grants/semester 4 grants/semester 5 grants/semester AY14-15 3 grants/semester 4 grants/semester 5 grants/semester AY15-16 3 grants/semester 4 grants/semester 5 grants/semester

Richardson/ Chance

3.2

Provide grants to faculty for development opportunities to

focus on new instructional methods, including differentiated

# of presentations created from grants

instruction

Faculty Affairs will track presentations by faculty receiptients

By term

Success rate of students

Performance of students

above DFW in gateway

in grant-related to non-

courses with faculty who grant related gateway

received grants and

courses who achieve

participated in presentations above DFW

By term

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

3 presentations 3 presentations 3 presentations
No Change No Change No Change

4 presentations 4 presentations 4 presentations Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10 Change @ p < .10

5 presentations 5 presentations 5 presentations Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05 Change @ p < .05

Terry/ Craig/ Richardson/ Chance

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Goal Four: Improve time to degree completion
Tactics

Measure

4.1 Update policies that are barriers to college completion

Policies updated

Assessment Method Reporting Frequency

Compare total to be addressed with # which have received approval

Monthly

Year

Threshold

Target

High Performance

Establish committees to review all applicable new university policies Sept. '12 (Appendix B)

Feb. '13 Recommend revisions and amendments to applicable policies to BOR

July '13 Have all applicable policies revised and published

Responsible Party Brigdon

Student Participation
Increase student usage of academic student support services 4.2 (i.e. Writing Center, Math Assistance Center (MAC), Foreign
Languages Lab, advising, and supplemental instruction opportunities)
Student Performance

Track student participation and increase year over year
Academic performance of students with relatively the same profile who seek academic support services versus those who do not

4.3 Expand on First Year Experience (FYE) opportunities

# of opportunities for first- % increase of programs

year students

available year over year

Student Participation

% increase in students participating in programs year over year

# of students involved in undergraduate research

% increase in qualified students participating in programs year over year

4.4

Increase advanced instruction opportunities (e.g. study abroad, undergraduate research, and honors program)

# of students involved in study abroad and study away

% increase in qualified students participating in programs

# of students involved in honors program

% increase in qualified students participating in programs

Aggressively market a "finish-in-four" tuition model to incent 4.5 undergraduate students to enroll in a greater number of credit
hours per semester

% of new undergraduate students enrolled in at least 15 credit hours

% of new undergraduate students who register for and complete at least 15 credit hours per term year over year

Monthly Term
Monthly Monthly By term By term By term By term

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14
AY14-15
AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16 AY13-14
AY14-15
AY15-16

Baseline Year +5% +5%
No Change
No Change
No Change 8% 6% 4% 8% 6% 4% 8% 6% 4% 8% 6% 4% 1% 1% 1% 20%
25%
30%

Change @ p < .10 +10% +10%
Change @ p < .10
Change @ p < .10
Change @ p < .10 10% 8% 6% 10% 8% 6% 10% 8% 6% 10% 8% 6% 3% 3% 3% 25%
30%
35%

Change @ p < .05 +15% +15%
Change @ p < .05
Change @ p < .05
Change @ p < .05 12% 10% 8% 12% 10% 8% 12% 10% 8% 12% 10% 8% 5% 5% 5% 30%
35%
40%

Rychly Rychly Howard Rychly Rychly Rychly Rychly Basciano

4.6

Incrementally increase Freshman Index for regular freshman Criterion: Freshman Index N/A admissions each year to achieve R1 standards by fall 2018

By academic year

AY13-14 AY14-15 AY15-16

2040 2140 2240

Cibirka

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Policies to Review

General

Description

USG

ASU

SAT score requirement for dual enrollment admissions Number of withdrawals Advanced Placement English Majors requiring minors English 1101 Exit Exam Non-payment policies
CPC Deficiencies
Admissions requirements Payment plans needed Portfolio reviews to complete degree

Min 970

Limiting total number of withdrawals

none

Writing sample Some majors require minors, it can slow completion of degree Exit exam pass required even if A average

none none none

Must withhold services(including registration) if student has balance that is 90 days old or older however small

BOR Policy

Student must make grade 'C' or better to satisfy, and

cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements - should BOR Policy

allow them to use it in a dual capacity

Immunization requirement

BOR Policy

BOR policy that students must be fully paid by start of term

BOR Policy GaTech piloting

Multiple majors - is this adding time to degree

none

Min 1100
unlimited required

Learning Support

Can take ONLY LS classes if earned classes > 20 hours

If student earns 20 hours of credit and still has existing Learning Support Requirements, they can only take those courses.

AA handbook 2.9 30 credit hours, Inst can limit to 20 hours

Compass required for placement

Compass required for placement in Math and English if under 500 SATV

none

Institution requirements higher than system Student takes COMPASS and there are institutional scores

requirements

that are higher than system scores

Withdrawal policy for Learning Support students

Withdraw from LS triggers complete withdrawal

AA handbook 2.9

campus policy
campus policy

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University College

University College restrictions on course load, fraternities/sororities, residential living

BOR agreement

Admitting University College Students into an Associate's degree program
Modify Associates degree prgm
Exclusionary prerequisitites for Learning Support students

Admitting University College students into Associates degree would allow more of them to complete a degree

none

Areas A-E and credits in Area F, rather than credits in a major for Area F Departments have started using Learning Support(LS) courses as prerequisites rather than allowing students to n/a take them in the same tour

BOR agreement with the schools ASU Admissions committee
ASU
academic department s

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CCG Planning and Implementation

Role Executive Sponsor Program Sponsor Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Core Team Member Project Manager

Team Member Gretchen Caughman Carol Rychly Peter Basciano Beth Brigdon Roman Cibirka Deborah Richardson Katherine Sweeney Gina Thurman Ray Whiting Adam Wyatt Pamela Witter

Title Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost Vice President for Academic Affairs Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness Vice President of Instruction and Enrollment Management Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning Registrar and Director of Admissions Assistant Dean of Students Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness Director of Assessment Enterprise Project Management Office

Univ GHSU ASU ASU GHSU GHSU ASU ASU ASU ASU GHSU GHSU

Work Teams will be formed according to deliverables established to achieve specific goals and tactics. These Work Teams will consist of a broad and diverse membership of faculty, staff, alumni, student and community members to ensure stakeholder participation towards program success.

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Complete College Georgia Plan 2012-13
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis Complete College Georgia furthers the mission1 of Bainbridge College, particularly
our emphasis upon accessible and excellent education. Even before our five-member team attended the system-wide summit in Athens in March, we were developing new retention and completion goals and strategies. The CCG Summit helped refine our vision, giving focused direction for the college-wide meetings led by our team (the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Director of Advising and Academic Services, the Director of Administrative Planning and Reporting, and a staff member representing Institutional Research). Our college-wide presentations were followed by "think tank" work sessions with faculty, administrators, and staff. Ideas from those sessions informed the one-page report that was submitted in April. Since that time, CCG team members have researched and discussed best practices for targeting our student populations that are least successful, and they have also met with other stakeholders, such as students and community members. In addition, this CCG plan has been embedded in the goals, strategies, and outcomes of our Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Student Affairs plan, our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), and our Promoting Academic Completion (PAC) Academic Affairs plan.
As we began developing our strategies for success, what became immediately obvious was a problem with data collection and analysis. We have no one full-time in Institutional Research, and we have had no one in our Office of Institutional Effectiveness for the last three months. Not only do we lack tools for data collection and analysis, but we also lack people. In order to provide the support needed for CCG, the College has just invested in Blackboard Analytics. Not only will it provide real-time monitoring and predictive analytics, but it will also allow us to back-fill gaps in our benchmark data and verify the numbers we have reported.2 In addition, our newly hired IE Director comes
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onboard later this summer, and that person will be instrumental in helping us with accuracy and consistency in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
From the data provided by the USG office, we identified several populations that need increased attention because of low performance, little or no progress, and lack of retention: part-time students (11% of our part-time AA students graduate at 150% of credit hours), students who place in Learning Support (35% exit remediation), students enrolled in STEM majors (0% in 2008-09), minority students (18% lower graduation rate than nonminority students), and adult learners (those attending part-time take 8.7 years to complete an Associate's Degree). While the average number of credits to degree has decreased (from 90 credits in 2004-05 to 77 credits in 2008-09), just 65% of credit hours attempted are completed, which is less than the federal financial aid requirement of 67%. Our one- to two-year retention rate for our entire student population is less than 39%.
Campus data reveal that the demographics of the student most likely not to be retained are black, male, non-traditional, and underprepared.

Demographics of Non-Returning Students

Black male

52%

Non-traditional

32%

Had more than one learning support requirement

61%

Failed at least one or more courses prior to the semester in which they were identified as a non-returning student

48%

Another barrier our students face is low income. The area we serve has higher

poverty (27.2% below poverty level compared to 16.6% in the state), higher

unemployment (11.6% compared to 8.9% in the state), and lower overall

educational attainment than the state at-large (11% bachelor or higher degrees,

which is less than one-half of the state-wide average of 24%). The majority of our

students come to us underprepared for college. For example, in 2009, 71% of our

students placed in Learning Support, and 70% had not completed all the college-

preparatory competencies required for admission.

In addition, Bainbridge College students themselves cite multiple factors keeping

them from graduation. Based on a survey conducted in spring 2009 of 357 non-

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returning students who were first-time, full-time students for fall 2008, 201 students responded with the following barriers that prevented them from returning to college:

Self-Reported Barriers to Returning To College

Single parents with childcare responsibilities

17%

Work--some reported 30-40 hours per week

65%

Lack of financial support

35%

Lack of transportation

21%

Completed their educational goals

26%

Needed a break from college

17%

While data reveal specific areas for improvement, Bainbridge College does have its strengths. We have ranked second in retention among the two-year institutions in the USG over the last 10 years, and in 2008, at 63.5%, we had the highest retention rate among all two-year schools for first-time, full-time students. In addition, our three-year graduation rate for the 2006 cohort of 10.1% was equal to the system graduation rate.
Another strength is our faculty. First of all, they are well-credentialed, with 61% of our full-time transfer faculty possessing earned doctorates, compared to 28% for the other USG two-year institutions, as reported in 2008. They are also engaged in teaching excellence, with more than 25% of faculty volunteering this summer for small group sessions that involve implementing active learning strategies in their classrooms.
We are also a service-centered institution and have been recognized by the Chancellor of the USG and/or the Governor of Georgia five times since 2008, including customer service awards at the highest level (gold) for faculty.
Additionally, Bainbridge College is attentive to the physical needs necessary for an excellent education: This year we invested more than $600,000 to renovate classrooms and upgrade technology, and this fall we are beginning construction to double the size of our library.
Yet another strength is our ability to serve a wide range of student needs, from GED preparation to technical workforce development programs to transfer associate degrees. As the only USG institution affiliated with the Technical College System of Georgia, we must measure our success not only through degrees but also through diplomas and technical certificates of credit.

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Part II: Strategies and Objectives Goal 1: Develop partnerships with P-12 to increase student readiness.
BC faculty, staff, administrators, and students need to increase connections with area schools as evidenced by decreased applications from high school graduates in our service area. Applications have declined over the last three years and are down 16% from last year. In addition, more than 47% of all incoming traditional students need at least one Learning Support class.
Based on data from the Georgia Department of Education collected in March, 2012, of 337 seniors at Bainbridge High School, 235 (70%) have applied to Bainbridge College at this time. Early County High School had 133 seniors in March 2012, and 65 of them (49%) have applied to Bainbridge College. These two high schools are the closest geographically to our Bainbridge main campus and Early County Center, and they have high application rates compared to most other high schools in our service area. We have noted that Cairo High School seniors are applying to Bainbridge College at a rate of 66% for this fall, which indicates that students at that school have a greater interest in our programs than do students in Early County. To fulfill our mission as the educational provider in our 12-county service area, we plan to expand our college application and preparation efforts in those high schools where students apply at a rate less than 50%. Additionally, we will continue to work on partnerships to better prepare all area high school students for college. Objective: Bainbridge College will increase the number of students enrolled and graduating with degrees, diplomas, and certificates from area school systems and reduce the percentage of students having CPC requirements. Strategy: Bainbridge College will increase campus-wide involvement in partnerships designed to improve preparedness for college.
Goal 2: Improve college access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary education
The number of first-generation students at Bainbridge College has increased slightly over the years, from 68% in 2008-09 to 71% in 2011-12. Pell-eligibility has increased at a greater rate, from 76% in 2008-09 to 88% for 2011-12. Additionally, we have a high population of adult learners (ages 25 and up) that has also increased. In 2008-09, adult

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learners comprised 51% of our students, and that number is now 60%. Furthermore, 57% of our overall student population self-reports that they work either full- or part-time. Objective: Bainbridge College will increase the number of students enrolled and the number of degrees, diplomas, and certificates conferred to those who are (a) firstgeneration (b) Pell-eligible and (c) adult learners. Strategies: Bainbridge College will 1) develop outreach programs, advising strategies, and communication strategies to facilitate access and completion; and 2) craft multiple frameworks for recruiting and supporting working students, adult learners, and military students.
Goal 3: Shorten time to degree The rate of overall course completions for 2008-09 was 69%, which can be
disaggregated to 55% for Learning Support courses and 72% for credit classes. These low course completions, coupled with frequent major changes, have generated high program completion hours and, consequently, time to degree. In 2008-09, 12% of our full-time AA students graduated at 150% of credit hours for their program, and 16.5% of our full-time AA students graduated at 200% of credit hours for their program. Objective: Bainbridge College will improve course completion ratios for students and reduce program completion credit hours. Strategy: Bainbridge College will develop clear pathways to completion.
Goal 4: Restructure Instructional Delivery In 2008-09, Bainbridge College classes had an average 20% DFW rate, which
increased to 24% for 2011-12. In addition, the 2008-09 success rate for online classes was just 41%, and it dropped to 38% in 2011-12. As we restructure instructional delivery, we plan to focus on those courses with the highest DFW rates in order to decrease time to completion and promote academic success. We will also target a population needing support: students who are adult learners and those who are part-time.
In our diploma/certificate programs, students who are part-time complete their programs at about the same rate as full-time students. At the Associate Degree level, however, the average time to completion for part-timers is 6.42 years compared to 3.22 for full-timers. For part-timers who are adult learners, the length to degree is 8.71 years.

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In addition, for those adult learners who are single parents, the chance of ever completing a degree is about five percent. Objective: Bainbridge College will increase the number of students graduating with degrees, diplomas, and certificates; decrease the number of DFW grades; increase completion of online courses; increase the number of students on the Dean's and Honor's lists; and decrease time to degree for adult and part-time students. Strategy: Bainbridge College will provide additional academic support for students, improve and expand distance delivery, and improve teaching.
Goal 5: Transform remediation Research shows that 78% of students who complete at least 20 credit hours in their
first calendar year of enrollment go on to earn a four-year degree, which is more than double the 35% who go on to earn a degree with fewer than 20 hours. Of BC students entering in any semester of the 2008-09 academic year, only 15% who placed into Learning Support completed 20 or more credit hours in their first calendar year (3 terms) of attendance. We anticipate positive change from our pilots of redesigned Learning Support classes that begin this fall. Furthermore, we will provide academic support for those taking placement tests and retests as we try to lower the number classes that students need in Learning Support. Objective: Bainbridge College will increase the number of attained credit hours in the first calendar year for those students placing in Learning Support; improve COMPASS retest scores; decrease time to degree for students placing in Learning Support; improve course completion ratios in Learning Support; and decrease the percentage of students placing in Learning Support. Strategy: Bainbridge College will redesign Learning Support courses and offer additional academic support.
Part III: Planning and Implementation Goal 1: Develop partnerships with P-12 to increase student readiness. Strategy: Bainbridge College will increase campus-wide involvement in partnerships designed to improve preparedness for college.

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Expand dual enrollment opportunities and STEM partnerships in Decatur, Seminole, and Early Counties through direct contact with all high school principals as we seek opportunities to offer courses in the school systems that better meet the students' schedules, eliminating the travel barrier to the college campus. (2012-2013)
Implement "instant admissions" at high schools with the lowest number of applications to BC, with our staff traveling to those schools.
Develop a mentoring program between college and high school students by connecting our students in the Honors Program and in honor societies with high school students in Decatur, Seminole, Grady, and Early counties. (2012-2013)
Develop and implement a Parents' Night Program for parents of students in middle school through high school. By forming strong relationships with our 12 county high schools, we will follow an annual schedule that will include presentations and an information table with information on how to prepare for college. (Fall 2012)
Connect BC faculty in core areas with high school faculty and counselors for the purpose of discussing and developing transitional curriculum and assessment. College faculty may join in teaching a high school class to demonstrate learning continuity to students. We hope to connect with key concepts and assessment methods in the high school curricula for a seamless transition. (Spring 2013)
Create an "Are you ready for this?" workshop to illustrate academic curricula and student life events on a typical college day. We will also promote an inception day for high school students to come to BC and participate in a day of coursework and activities. (2012-2013)
Offer remote COMPASS diagnostic testing at high schools in four counties and share diagnostic data with teachers in the system. The diagnostic will help high school teachers better prepare students for COMPASS placement testing. (Fall 2012)
Goal 2: Improve college access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary education Strategy: Bainbridge College will develop outreach programs, advising strategies, and communication strategies to facilitate access and completion.
Provide incentives for students to be engaged in student life organizations and also implement a tracking system to analyze engagement to retention. We will target

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instructional and motivational events to underserved populations and to students who are struggling academically. We will also provide seminars and life coaching events for various topics, including financial planning, time management, and career counseling. (2012-2013) Evaluate and create pathways to earn credit for prior learning. We will market and promote assessment of prior learning and also establish articulation agreements with transfer institutions. (2012-2013) Identify triggers for early intervention for intrusive advising and academic counseling. When faculty identify at-risk students through early alerts, advising contacts will be made through emails, phone calls, and face-to-face advising sessions. Academic interventions will include mandatory Student Success Center lab hours for tutoring. In addition, the early alert system will be expanded to a rolling alert for the entire semester so that faculty can report struggling students to the Student Success Center at any time. (Fall 2012)
Strategy: Bainbridge College will craft multiple frameworks for recruiting and supporting working students, adult learners, and military students.
Add an adult learner-military option to the FYE schedule. Our Adult Learning Specialist will offer sections of our FYE course designed to specifically meet the needs of this unique population. (Fall 2012)
Implement a Minority Advising and Leadership Program that will be anchored in the FYE course. This program will target minority working students, adult learners, and military students on their pathway to completion. (2012-13)
Implement the Yellow Ribbon Program by offering a half-waiver for out-of-state military personnel and veterans who qualify through the Department of Veteran Affairs. (2012-13)
Increase class availability for working students through additional online, evening, and weekend classes. (2012-13)
Goal 3: Shorten time to degree Strategy: Bainbridge College will develop clear pathways to completion.
Implement DegreeWorks and train all advisors in DegreeWorks and the importance of a pathway to completion. (Fall 2012)

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Require mandatory orientation for all new incoming students. (Fall 2012) Increase faculty and staff development in advising by adding additional advising
workshops for faculty throughout the year and developing an online workshop for advising. (2012-13) Redesign procedures for major change requests to include a mandatory counseling session with an advisor to help students understand their implications. (2012-13) Evaluate curricula in AAS, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs for credit hours that are not adding value to the programs. (2012-13) "Mine" for students in terms of auditing near-completers through Blackboard Analytics and DegreeWorks. We will search for students each semester at week 12 (prior to early registration) for those closing in on completion (within 15-25 hours) and notify advisors and students of courses needed for completion and actions to be completed for graduation. (2012-13) Pilot creative scheduling that includes shorter terms and weekend classes, and investigate rolling enrollment in online classes. (Spring 2012)
Goal 4: Restructure Instructional Delivery Strategy: Bainbridge College will provide additional academic support for students.
Increase FYE class from 1 to 2 credit hours. (Fall 2012) Embed peer tutors in high DFW classes as helpers in the classroom. Embedded
tutors will also gain a better understanding of curricula that will enhance their effectiveness in the Student Success Center. (2012-13) Strategy: Bainbridge College will improve and expand distance delivery. Redesign online classes (our QEP). Faculty will participate in training for best practices in online course design and work through a process of redesigning online courses that includes peer review and assistance so that courses reflect national standards for effective design. (2012-13) Require student online orientation as prerequisite to online classes. All students will complete a module addressing online student success strategies in our FYE course and will complete an online tutorial about using our Learning Management System. (Fall 2012) Strategy: Bainbridge College will improve teaching.

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Restructure faculty evaluation to reward innovative teaching. This restructuring is part of a redesign of our faculty evaluation system. (Spring 2013)
Provide additional faculty development (part- and full-time) opportunities for active learning pedagogy. (2012-13)
Implement an Honors Program to recruit and retain the college's best students. (Fall 2012)
Goal 5: Transform remediation Strategy: Bainbridge College will redesign Learning Support courses and offer additional academic support.
Hire LS Director to lead in redesign and faculty training. (Summer 2012) Offer best practice pilots for alternative LS courses. This fall those pilots include the
following: a) co-requisite scheduling of Learning Support with co-curricular classes in which students receive credit for Learning Support while completing credit-level classes, b) a modular MATH 0097 class that is self-paced and allows MATH 0099 to be completed in the same semester, c) an integrated course that combines ENGL 0097 and READ 0097 for our technical students, and d) MATH 0097 offered as part of a Learning Community with our FYE class. (2012-13) Embed peer tutors in pilots. As part of the instructional support, we will provide training for these tutors and embed them in each of these pilots. (2012-13) Offer online supplemental instruction for COMPASS retesting with MyFoundationsLab through our Adult Education program. (2012-13)
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation As we continue to promote and ask for feedback on our plan to improve access, retention, and completion, we have scheduled a fall convocation CCG activity that will include all faculty, staff, and administrators. To share our plan and our data on a regular basis, we will publish information on a regularly updated website and also email our findings on a regular basis to the campus community as CCG Updates. To evaluate our progress and allow for expanded feedback, we will add stakeholders from the student body, the community, and other campus departments to our CCG team and meet regularly. A planned schedule of assessment and feedback is included in the appendix.3

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APPENDIX
BAINRIDGE COLLEGE MISSION1
Bainbridge College, a two-year institution of the University System of Georgia, promotes an accessible, affordable, and excellent education for the diverse population of southwest Georgia and beyond through transfer degrees, technical degrees, diplomas and certificates, continuing education courses, public service opportunities, and collaboration with other educational providers, resulting in life-long learning, economic development, and graduates empowered for success in a global society.
BENCHMARK DATA2 See pp. 12-13.
EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK TIMETABLE 3 End-of-Semester Data Analysis (December, 2012, and May, 2013)--Generate data reports on DFW rates, retest scores for COMPASS, numbers of Dean's and Honor's list students, course completion ratios, credits awarded for prior learning, program completions, and other outcomes. Compare data for each category to benchmark data. Within course completion ratios, look specifically at Learning Support and Learning Support pilots. Beginning-of-Semester Enrollment Analysis (August, 2012, January, 2103, and June, 2013)--Review number of new applicants and determine changes from 2011 to 2012. CCG Team Meetings: Monthly small team meetings; tri-annual meetings (February, June, and October) for expanded team meetings that include community members, students, and representatives from SEM, QEP, and PAC.

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Bainbridge College Benchmark Data2

Goal

Objective

1. Develop partnerships with P-12 to increase student readiness

Increase the number of students enrolled and graduating with degrees, diplomas, and certificates from area high schools

1064 64 37 142

Benchmark Data
Students enrolled in 2008-09 from area hs Graduating with Degree from area hs Graduating with Diploma from area hs Graduating with Certificate from area hs

2. Improve college access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary education

Increase the number of students enrolled and number of degrees, diplomas, and certificates conferred to those who are (a) first generation (b) Pell-eligible and (c) adult learners

4452 415 282 472 DATA GAP DATA GAP 93 205 329 99 80 150

Students enrolled in 2008-09 First-Generation Graduates with Degree First-Generation Graduates with Diploma
First-Generation Graduates with Certificate
Pell-eligible Graduates Pell-eligible Graduates with Degree Pell-eligible Graduates with Diploma Pell-eligible Graduates with Certificate Adult Learner Graduates Adult Learner Graduates with Degree Adult Learner Graduates with Diploma Adult Learner Graduates with Certificate

3. Shorten time to degree

Improve course completion ratios for students and reduce completion credit hours

69% 55% 72% 72% 91.92
77.6

2008-09 Course Completion Ratio Overall Completion Ratio for LS Courses Completion Ratio for Transfer Classes Completion Ratio for Technical Classes Completion Credits for FT Diploma Students
Completion Credits for FT AA Students

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4. Restructure Instructional Delivery

Increase the number of students graduating with degrees, diplomas and certificates; decrease number of DFW grades; increase completion of online courses; decrease time to degree for adult and parttime students; increase the number of students on the Dean's and Honor's Lists

187 99 293 31% 31%
DATA GAP
6.2 years
DATA GAP
6.42 years 5.36 years
DATA GAP
5.5% 7%

Graduating with Degree Graduating with Diploma Graduating with Certificate Percentage of total DFW Grades Percentage of Online Course Completion Time to Degree for Adult Learner Time to Diploma for Adult Learner Time to Certificate for Adult Learner Time to Degree for Part-Time Learner Time to Diploma for Part-Time Learner Time to Certificate for Part-Time Learner Percentage of Students on Dean's List Percentage of Students on Honor's List

5. Transform remediation

Increase number of attained credit hours in first calendar year for those placing in Learning Support; improve COMPASS placement retest scores; decrease time to degree for students placing in Learning Support; improve course completion ratios in Learning Support

15%:20+ 9.73 pts 5.83 pts 19.5 pts 20.4 pts 5.8 pts 2.1 pts 5.33 pts 1.33 pts 3.73 yrs 6.29 yrs
DATA GAP
55%

1st Year Credit Hours Attained by LS Students Increase COMPASS Reading Retest BC Increase COMPASS Reading Retest BCEC Increase COMPASS English Retest BC Increase COMPASS English Retest BCEC Increase COMPASS Algebra Retest BC Increase COMPASS Algebra Retest BCEC Increase COMPASS Basic Math Retest BC Increase COMPASS Basic Math Retest BCEC Time to Degree for Full-Time LS Students Time to Diploma for Full-Time LS Students Time to Certificate for LS Students LS Course Completion Ratio (to be disaggregated by area and site)

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Complete College Georgia Plan
Thomas J. Hynes, Jr., President
August 22, 2012
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Clayton State: Page |2
Introduction Clayton State University (Clayton State) is located 15 miles south of downtown Atlanta in a beautiful lakeside setting, which is complemented by the resources available with its proximity to a major, vibrant metropolitan hub. Additional instructional sites provide outreach to neighboring community populations in Fayette, Henry, and Rockdale Counties.
With an enrollment of over 7,000 students, Clayton State embraces the rich cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the greater Atlanta region through its diverse faculty, multi-ethnic and multi-generational student population, and approximately 60% of the alumni working in the area. The Clayton State classroom experience is led by an outstanding faculty with academic and professional expertise in their fields. The University fosters learning and excellence through integrated academic instruction encompassing a technological classroom environment, internships, and student research.
Clayton State's mission is to cultivate an environment of engaged, experience-based learning, enriched by active community service that prepares students of diverse ages and backgrounds to succeed in their lives and careers. The University offers an appropriate array of student support programs, services, and activities through the major institutional units of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Information Technology, and Business & Operations. Additionally, through co- and extra-curricular programming, students are challenged to think critically, communicate effectively, and develop a global awareness through participation in an array of field-specific, civic and leadership experiences at the University and within the broader community.
The Clayton State University Complete College Georgia Plan was developed in consultation with University-wide representation (Appendix 1). The plan takes into consideration not only the data provided by the University System of Georgia, but also the changing demographics of our student population and how they contribute to the current and future status of the institution. The goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans that follow build and expand on existing initiatives and are grounded in research-based approaches and best practices that have been shown to enhance student success and attainment of degrees.
Because of the timing of the need to create the report, the lateness in the academic year and short amount of time between the Summit, the creation of the committee, and the due date of the report, stakeholder participation was greatly limited. As cited above, the Complete College Georgia Team does contain campus-wide participation and the Provost made two reports, one to the Faculty Senate and the other to the Administrative Council, a very large body of all campus supervisors. The plan draft was also forwarded to all faculty and staff and their feedback was requested. In addition, the plan was discussed during faculty planning week meetings.
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Clayton State: Page |3

However, we have not had sufficient participation of large groups of faculty, staff, students and community members, and that step is the next one to undergo. Once the fall semester is fully underway, the CCG Team will organize a series of meetings, some town hall style, and some more focus group, of just these constituencies (faculty, staff, students, and community). We will likely fold the CCG concerns into institutional concerns about the implementation of our Strategic Plan, a plan that emphasizes highly effective teaching and learning strategies. These two concerns in our view work together with CCG thus we can profit greatly from the advice and responses that we get from our groups.

Chart of Stakeholder Participation Activity

Activity

Date

Schedule groups meetings

Sept 1

Town Hall Faculty/Staff

Sept 30

Small Focus Groups: Students

Oct 1

Small Focus Groups: Faculty

Oct 1

Small Focus Groups: Community Oct 15

Survey to all based upon feedback Nov 15

Results communicated back to all Dec 1

Part I: Goals and Data Analysis

Person Responsible CCG Team Provost / President Mark Daddona/Elaine Manglitz Provost/Deans Provost /President CCG Team Provost Office

Clayton State Demographics The changing demography of the surrounding geographic area for Clayton State has contributed to significant changes in the student population and the potential for those students to be at risk for failure and drop out from college. In particular, over the past 15 years, the demographic changes in Clayton and surrounding counties has led to a steep decline in the White/Non-Hispanic student population from 69% in 1996 to 24% in 2011 (Appendix 2). During the same period, the population of Black/Non-Hispanic students increased from 26% to 68% (Appendix 3). The number of students who are eligible for federal financial aid has also increased in a significant way. In addition, 15% of individuals in our three largest feeder counties in the area are living below the poverty level.

A review of the data tables prepared by the System Office for 2003-2009 confirms that the number of potentially at-risk Clayton State students has steadily increased. Specifically, enrollment data show the following:
24% increase in full-time Black/Non-Hispanic first time and continuing students, 45% increase in full-time Black/Non-Hispanic transfer students, 40% increase in Hispanic first-time and continuing students, and

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Clayton State: Page |4
increases ranging from 29%-71% in students receiving Pell grants, with the largest increase in full-time transfer students.
Currently 62% of our students receive Pell, and a total of 79% of our students receive some form of need-based Federal financial aid. A review of HOPE Scholarship recipients revealed that 35% of the new freshmen enrolled for the first time in fall 2011 or spring 2012 received the HOPE Scholarship, but at the end of the 2011-12 academic year, approximately one fourth of them had lost their HOPE eligibility.
During the 2003-2009 reporting period, average SAT scores of first-time, full-time freshmen have generally declined. In fall 2006, the average combined SAT math and verbal score was 998, and in fall 2011 it was 960 (Appendix 4). All of the demographic, socio-economic, and scholastic aptitude data place a large percentage of Clayton State students potentially at-risk.
However, the USG Outcome Metric data show that Clayton State is doing a good job in several areas. Degree production has seen a 55% increase from 2004 to 2009 with dramatic increases in granting of degrees to traditionally at-risk, underserved and/or underrepresented populations. In particular,
the number of degrees awarded to Black students increased by 92%, the number of degrees awarded to Pell recipients increased by 118%, and the number of degrees awarded to students who took at least one remedial course
increased by 64%.
The increase in the number of degrees awarded is due, in part, to the increase in the number of four-year degree offerings. Specifically, in fall 2003, the institution offered 11 associate of applied science degrees, two transfer associate degrees, and 23 baccalaureate degrees. By fall 2011 several of the associate of applied science degrees were discontinued so that number reduced to three, but the number of baccalaureate degrees increased to 32. Over the same time period, the number of degrees conferred increased each year (Appendix 5). In 2009-10, Clayton State awarded 949 baccalaureate degrees as compared to the average of 432 degrees awarded by 31 IPEDS comparison institutions. Another contributing factor in the increase in the number of degrees awarded is revealed in transfer student data from the USG Context Metric #1. From 2003-2009 Clayton State experienced a 25% increase in full-time transfer students which included significant growth in key sub-populations: 45% increase in full-time Black/NonHispanic and 59% full-time Asian transfer students. The trend in transfer student growth has continued and will likely continue to positively impact degree productivity. In fall 2011 alone, the institution experienced a 24% increase in new transfer students, with transfer students accounting for 45% of the 1,576 new students.
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Outcome and Progress Metrics The Outcome and Progress Metrics from the System Office report indicate that Black/NonHispanic students performed lower than the average of all groups on the following: retention rates, graduation rates, and credit accumulation. Male students performed lower than female students on the following: retention, transfer, and graduation rates for the fall 2003 full-time and part-time cohort for each year that data could be compared. Males also performed lower than females in the six- and eight-year graduation rates of the fall 2003 full-time cohort.
In addition, students receiving Pell funds upon admission to Clayton State performed lower than all students across the following outcomes: 2003 cohort six and eight year graduation rates; credit accumulation of full-time students; 2003 full-time and transfer cohort retention, transfer, and graduation for each year. However, Pell recipients experienced greater success than all students in gateway courses (one math and one English) and higher retention, transfer, and graduation for the 2003 part-time cohort for years two and three. Data cells were insufficient to determine differences for years four, five, and six for this part-time cohort. In addition, retention rates for all full-time and part-time students in the 2003 cohort decreased from years 2 to 3.
Approximately 4% of the Clayton State students are classified as Learning Support with the majority enrolled in mathematics. Of this percentage, 2% are enrolled in MATH 0097 and 1.6% are enrolled in MATH 0099. From data collected over the past three academic years, 66% of required Learning Support students who began in MATH 0099 completed their LS Math requirement within the allowed time-frame. However, only 39% of students who began in MATH 0097 were successful at the MATH 0097/0099 sequence. In addition, 62% of these students who completed their LS Math requirements earned a "C" or better in MATH 1101 or MATH 1111.
Campus Strengths Clayton State students face a variety of academic challenges due to the academic preparation they bring to campus, either from high school or a previous institution, along with personal and financial factors influencing their academic performance. Whether students enroll full-time or part-time or enter as a traditional first-time freshman, transfer student, nontraditional student, or a dual-enrolled student, the administration, faculty, and staff are committed to supporting their success.
Through the implementation of strategic enrollment strategies, the University has experienced moderate enrollment growth over the past two years and experienced a record Fall 2011 enrollment of 6,864 students (4.0% increase over the previous fall semester), record Spring 2012 enrollment of 6,874 (1.7% increase over previous spring semester), and most recently a record Fall 2012 enrollment of approximately 7,180 (4.2% increase over previous fall).
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Over the past 5-7 years, Clayton State responded to the changing student demographics and retention and graduation rates by designing a variety of academic support interventions and programs. Some of these programs include expanded tutorial and academic success programs in the Center for Academic Success, rebuilding the learning community program, identifying key faculty members to teach core classes in which first-year students enroll, creating the Division of Enrollment Management & Academic Success, and most recently opening the First-Year Advising & Retention Center. The increase in first-time, full-time retention rate of the 2010 cohort of 65.8% compared to 61.1% of the 2009 cohort (Appendix 6) and the increase in the sixyear graduation rate of the 2005 cohort of 27.1% compared to 21.9% of the 2004 cohort (Appendix 7) reflect these efforts.
In addition, Clayton State has recently been identified as a military friendly institution by the University System of Georgia. With this designation, we will continue to improve access and support for our active military and veteran students.
Needed Information Some additional data is needed so we can better identify those students who are most likely to be at-risk to ensure strategies and objectives are designed for appropriate intervention. We have not routinely collected first-generation data on our new students, and this category has not been officially defined by the BOR. Consequently we are unable to track their academic progress. However, responses to the 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) revealed that 31% of our first-year students indicated their father completed an associate's degree or higher and 31% also indicated the same for their mother. Seniors indicated 31% and 28%, respectively, but we do not know how these two groups intersect. For now, strategies and objectives designed for many other student populations will likely be appropriate to ensure further academic success of first-generation students. The majority of our students are African American females. Because the Hispanic and Asian populations are so limited, we are unable to perform statistical comparisons of these subgroups with our African American and White populations.
Early planning has started to create a campus infrastructure (data warehouse) for collecting and disseminating data to support campus efforts to meet the Complete College Georgia strategies and objectives. This will include hiring a dedicated individual to work across campus to collect and communicate information to increase efficiencies and the likelihood of student success. In addition, development of the data warehouse will enable the campus to establish a comprehensive system to track students using the metrics included in Complete College America and the USG Metrics Working Group, as well as the National Student Clearinghouse and TCGS as soon as is feasible.
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Areas for Improvement To improve access, retention, and degree completion, our goals address the academic success of all students, in particular Black/Non-Hispanics, males, students receiving the Pell, first-time freshmen, active military and student veterans, and part-time and full-time transfer students.
Goals 1. Improve the first-time freshmen retention rate. 2. Expand retention initiatives for students after their second year. 3. Collaborate with K-12 to create awareness of and readiness for post-secondary education opportunities. 4. Reduce barriers to degree completion. 5. Develop stronger support mechanisms for transfer students from acceptance to degree completion.
The data reveal that our goals should be to strengthen the numbers, profile, and success rates of our incoming undergraduate class, particularly those of the freshman class. In other words, the System Office provided data reveal that our first-to-second-year retention rates and our graduate rates are not what they should be. We match those records with our data of changing demographics and the results point to risk factors: increasing levels of poverty and increasing percentage of students in a demographic designated as high risk, in particular African-American males.
Ongoing analyses of success rates of the incoming freshman classes revealed few conclusive data. However, over the past two years, results of phone calls to students who do not return for their second year reveal these students have financial difficulties due to losing their financial aid. We are trying more to incorporate financial literature into our orientation and our freshman activities to head off some students leaving. We have also invested numerous resources in our new First-Year Advising and Retention Center as is indicated in this plan.
Part II. Strategies and Objectives The data outlined in Part I demonstrate that students who attend Clayton State fall into demographic groups that are historically high-risk. Because of the population that Clayton State serves, we are already engaged in several efforts to improve student retention and enhance progression toward graduation. In order to achieve our goals, we have developed the following objectives and strategies.
Objective 1: First Time Full- and Part-Time Freshmen First-time freshmen often experience academic difficulty during their first and/or second semester, and some are not retained after their freshman year. By fall 2014, we will increase
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the first to second year retention rate by 2% from the previous year. Specific strategies include the following:
Strategy 1: Track students utilizing MAP-Works, a web-based retention management system designed to monitor the progress of first-year students, including two student surveys each semester, risk indicator level designations for each student, and alert and referral procedures. This program will allow the First-Year Advising & Retention Center to closely monitor and track the risk level and provide immediate support and interventions to first-year students.
Strategy 2: Develop a Peer Mentoring Program which matches trained mentors to specific first-year learning communities in order to work with students identified as atrisk via MAP-Works and instructor referrals.
Strategy 3: Match students' strengths, abilities and interests using MajorFocus, a major/career exploration program, which will help them select a major or reaffirm their choice of major thus reducing the likelihood that students will change their major and will take courses required for their major.
Strategy 4: Implement a freshman common reading assigned to students prior to the start of the fall semester, with semester-long thematic activities related to the book to increase opportunities for engagement and connection to the institution.
Strategy 5: Increase collaboration between residence life and academic support services to target the retention rate of residential students through a seamless approach toward academic success.
Objective 2: Partnerships with K-12 In order to better prepare students for college, especially first-generation students, it is important to increase partnerships with middle and high schools. Therefore, by fall 2014, we will achieve the following:
Strategy 1: Survey current partnerships and build two additional K-12 partnerships with surrounding school districts to ensure students have opportunities to develop 21st century competencies which will translate to college readiness.
Strategy 2: Increase college readiness and potential college success of low income and minority students in Clayton County by exploring the establishment of a Clayton StateClayton County Public Schools Early College Academy.
Strategy 3: Increase by 10% the number of dual enrollment students. Strategy 4: Collaborate with Clayton County Public Schools through the AmeriCorps
National Service grant to provide academic support and inventory other current tutorial partnerships to determine possible expansion.
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Objective 3: Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved The demographic data in Part I show that the majority of Clayton State students are traditionally underserved. Improving access and completion for these students, as well as some other groups, is a high priority. By 2014, we will use the following strategies:
Strategy 1: Expand efforts to identify needs and increase access to University programs and degree completion for active military and student veterans. Although Clayton State is currently designated as military friendly, additional assessment, planning, and intentional programs and services are needed.
Strategy 2: Identify and implement means to address students' financial needs. Proposed efforts will include seeking outside funds, changing policies on campus, and providing financial literacy education.
Strategy 3: Identify and address barriers that prevent traditionally underserved students from progression and completion. We will continue to assess additional support service needs of our students.
Strategy 4: Expand student engagement and involvement opportunities, and identify the most salient nonacademic factors that contribute to degree completion among various student populations.
Objective 4: Shorten Time to Degree By shortening the time it takes students to complete their degree, we will increase the number of degrees awarded by 5% from 2012 to 2014:
Strategy 1: Improve the academic advising process for all students to ensure students are taking the appropriate courses, proper course sequence, and reasonable course load each semester to reduce the likelihood that students will enroll in courses that are not needed for their degree program.
Strategy 2: Improve the process for transfer students from time of acceptance to approval of transfer credit and class registration in an effort to make it as seamless and easy to navigate as possible.
Strategy 3: Establish alternative methods for earning class credit such as prior learning assessments, including CLEP examinations and ACE credit, which will reduce the number of required courses for some students.
Strategy 4: Implement academic intervention programs to improve success for seated and online classes thus reducing the number of D, F, W grades.
Objective 5: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Since research has shown that students who are actively engaged in learning have a higher likelihood for success, we will employ several research-based high impact practices (HIPs) to restructure instructional delivery by 2015 to increase student access and success. The Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative and the Association of American Colleges and
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Universities (AAC&U) have presented evidence that these HIPs have a positive impact on the learning and personal development of students (Brownell and Swaner, 2010). The campus action plan for High Impact Practices for Student Success can be viewed under separate cover.
Strategy 1: Increase high impact practices in instruction to increase active student engagement.
Strategy 2: Redesign online and hybrid course/program delivery. Strategy 3: Redesign instruction for courses that traditionally have a high DFW rates.
Objective 6: Redesign of Learning Support A student's failure to succeed in mathematics is often a significant barrier to success in college. While there are a number of reasons why students may not be successful in mathematics, Clayton State is committed to providing pathways to success for students who are underprepared for college-level mathematics. At Clayton State, there are two student populations served by learning support mathematics courses. While nontraditional students are placed into Learning Support mathematics via the COMPASS Test (roughly 4% of total enrollment), some traditional freshmen and transfer students place into learning support mathematics via the ACCUPLACER Test. Therefore, by Fall 2013, we will implement instructional redesign of learning support mathematics courses in order to improve success by 10% over a two-year period by:
Strategy 1: Exploring the computer-based laboratory approach based upon the (Virginia Institute of Technology) Emporium model as well as other successful models of redesign of learning support.
Strategy 2: Developing co-requisite courses that provide just-in-time remediation for students who place (via ACCUPLACER) into learning support mathematics.
Part III. Planning and Implementation Objective 1: First Time Full- and Part-Time Freshmen
Strategy 1: Implementing MAP-Works Responsibility: First-Year Advising & Retention Center, Faculty of First-Year Students, Administrative Systems Office, Residence Life Staff Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year Action Steps: Purchase site license for one year. Train CSU 1022 instructors, peer mentors, resident assistants, First-Year Advising & Retention Center staff, and other instructors of first-year students. Create program parameters and links to Banner. Assign students to complete survey (week 3 and week 10) as part of CSU 1022. Monitor risk level of each student; provide appropriate referrals and interventions as needed throughout their first year.
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Determine accuracy of program after one year; compare risk levels and first-year student success and retention.
Strategy 2: Developing a Peer Mentoring Program Responsibility: Orientation & New Student Programs, First-Year Advising & Retention Center, CSU 1022 Instructors Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year Action Steps: Advertise, interview, and select 15-18 peer mentors. Conduct three-day summer training. Assign mentors to first-year learning communities CSU 1022 sections. Assist and monitor mentors throughout their work with individual students and small groups.
Strategy 3: MajorFocus - major/career exploration Responsibility: First-Year Advising & Retention Center Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, FYE/CSU 1022 Instructors Action Steps: Purchase Program in the First-Year Advising & Retention Center (FYARC). Train FYARC staff in use and interpretation of program. Email post-card to all admitted first-year students with directions to program. Interpret results with students during new student orientation in August. Continue discussing career/major options during advising sessions throughout first year.
Strategy 4: Freshman common reading Responsibility: First-Year Advising & Retention Center, CSU 1022 Instructors Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year Action Steps: Select and purchase book for all first-year students (Choosing Civility) Distribute books with reading schedule during Freshmen Premiere events. Assign assessment and conduct small group discussions of book during new student orientation. Conduct CSU 1022 class discussions and follow-up book talks during first semester.
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Strategy 5: Collaborate between residence life and academic success units Responsibility: Housing & Residence Life, First-Year Advising & Retention Center, Center for Academic Success Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year Action Steps: Develop a plan for bring academic support services such as tutoring and workshops to the residence hall/campus apartments. Schedule on site academic advising with the FYARC.
Objective 2: Partnerships with K-12 Strategy 1: Build upon partnership with Rex Mill Middle School (RMMS) in Clayton County. Responsibility: A cross-disciplinary team of Clayton State faculty and administrators (Computer Science, Honors Program, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Teacher Education) will work closely with faculty and administrators at RMMS, administrators from Clayton County Public Schools, and the RMMS community stakeholders. Timeline: A Race to the Top (RT3) Innovation Fund proposal was submitted in July 2012 (with anticipated notification in September). If the RT3 grant is funded, planning will begin immediately with faculty training/development scheduled for summer 2013 and implementation of the first 6th grade cohort of the Early College Academy in August 2013. If the RT3 grant is not funded, additional funding opportunities will be sought out. The leadership of Clayton State University and Clayton County Public Schools are supportive of establishing an Early College either as a stand-alone charter school or "school within a school" at RMMS. The Clayton State Foundation submitted a proposal for a Best Buy Community Grant in July that, if funded, will support after school Lego Robotics activities for Clayton County middle school students. If this grant is not funded, faculty and students will participate in these activities as community outreach and funding will be sought to purchase equipment. Some action steps will be completed in 2012-2013 academic year; major action items requiring identification of a funding source will be in planning and discussion phase until they can be implemented. Action Steps: Explore establishment of a STEM focused Early College Academy "school within a school" model, starting with 6th grade to provide intervention earlier than high school so students have more time to develop aspirations for college.
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Continue Science Olympiad and other tutoring and mentoring programs; begin Lego Robotics Team. Clayton State students and faculty serve as mentors for the RMMS high risk students (low-income, underrepresented minority, firstgeneration). Clayton State student mentors, many of whom are also minority and first-generation, are role models by providing examples of academic success.
Establish a series of workshops to provide parents with information regarding financial aid, recruiting and admissions, continuing education opportunities and degree completion opportunities. The informational workshops will help to build a college preparatory culture in a community in which college is unprecedented for many.
Clayton State will place more teaching interns at RMMS. Internships and other experiential learning opportunities have been identified as practices that can have a great deal of impact upon student retention (e.g. Habley and McLanahan, 2004) and thus will support college completion efforts for Clayton State students. In addition, student interns will present a "face" to the idea of college and postsecondary preparation as a career.
Clayton State will seek to expand partnership activities to include Mt. Zion High School (RMMS is a feeder school). Clayton County loses nearly 49% of student population by 9th grade (EdWeek, 2008), so expanding efforts to retain students through the high school years is critical to increasing the number of students who will eventually attain college credentials.
Clayton State will work with RMMS to establish vertical alignment to bridge the content/expectations gap in the transition years from K-5 to 6-8, 6-8 to 9-12, and 9-12 to 13-16 experiences. This is particularly important as the new Common Core Georgia Performance Standards roll out.
Strategy 2: Increase college readiness and potential for success. Responsibility: Clayton State faculty and administrators, student organization faculty advisors, Academic Outreach Timeline: A Georgia Department of Education Math and Science Partnership proposal was submitted in August 2012 (with anticipated notification in October). If funded, planning will immediately begin to plan 2013 and 2014 summer professional development activities for Clayton County teachers and academic year follow-up activities. Development of college and career academies are currently in progress. 2012-2013 academic year and ongoing.
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Action Steps: Explore other partnerships with school systems in Clayton State's feeder
counties. Provide opportunities to strengthen teacher content and pedagogy in
mathematics and science for teachers in grades 5-12. Support efforts to build College and Career Academies in Henry County
(currently in proposal stage) and Fayette County (currently in exploratory phase). College and Career academies provide programs that bridge high school and post-secondary education. The establishment of these academies also increases the potential for grant funding to support college and career readiness. Expand opportunities for Clayton State faculty and student organizations to engage with K-12 students. Faculty in the sciences have been active in the schools, providing lab activities in elementary schools to get students engaged at an earlier age in science. By expanding these opportunities to other areas, K-12 students will have experiences that will enhance their potential to aspire to college. Expand K-12 field trip opportunities which have a specific academic purpose (such as English Day) to the Clayton State campus. These types of experiences will enable K-12 students to be engaged in enriching activities with Clayton State faculty and students and to be able to envision themselves in the context of a university setting, making the notion of going to college more real. Create more opportunities for teaching internships.
Strategy 3: Increase opportunities for Dual-Enrollment Students. Responsibility: Clayton State faculty and administrators, Academic Outreach, University System of Georgia staff, collaborations with public and private schools Timeline: Some activities are already underway with others to be implemented during the academic year 2012-2013. Action Steps: In light of changes in ACCEL funding, explore ways to make dual enrollment more affordable. Because of the Georgia Performance Standards integrated math sequence (Math I, Math II, Math III, and Math IV), there is not an obvious mapping of high school math course content with Area A and Area D mathematics. We are working with Georgia Department of Education, USG staff, school systems and the Department of Mathematics to articulate which college mathematics courses will count as both high school and college graduation. Provide well-trained advisor for dual-enrolled students.
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Sponsor parent night and/or open house sessions to provide parents with information regarding dual-enrollment opportunities.
Streamline processes to make it easier for students to seamlessly transition from high school to college (academically and socially).
Strategy 4: AmeriCorps National Service Grant. Responsibility: Student Affairs and Enrollment Management & Academic Success Timeline: 2012-2015 Action Items: Second 3 year cycle renewed for AmeriCorps grant. Expand the number (currently 37) of AmeriCorps service leaders serving Morrow, Mt. Zion, Jonesboro, and Forest Park High Schools. Track high school graduates who participated in the program to study college enrollment/completion patterns. Track the number of participants who apply, get accepted and ultimately enroll at Clayton State.
Objective 3: Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved Strategy 1: Identify needs and improve completion rates for active military and student veterans. Responsibility: Veterans Resource Center, Student Affairs, Administrative Systems Office, Bursar, Enrollment Management & Academic Success, Faculty Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, Fall 2013 Action Steps: Determine the number of active military and student veterans on campus, whether or not they are currently using GI Bill funds. Assess how PLA strategies can be more flexible in awarding academic credit. Continue to use surveys and focus groups to identify students' needs. Develop and offer sensitivity training workshops for faculty and staff to better understand the military student on campus. Track the progression of active military and student veterans. Hire a full-time Coordinator for the Veterans Resource Center.
Strategy 2: Identify and implement means to address students' financial needs. Responsibility: Financial Aid, External Relations, Library, Budget & Finance, Enrollment Management & Academic Success, Student Affairs Timeline: 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years. Action Steps:
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Offer library reserve readings in designated core courses to lessen textbook costs.
Seek outside funding sources to increase the number of Presidential Scholarships and provide external funds for book grants.
Explore loaning computers or scholarship options for students who cannot afford a laptop, are unable to purchase a laptop in a timely manner, or who do not have access to a laptop during the school day.
Allow students to pay tuition/fees in installments. Incorporate procedures needed to allow the assessment of tuition and fee
charges at the time registration is allowed so students and parents are able to determine out of pocket expenses earlier in the process. Explore approaches to more closely monitor HOPE Scholarship recipients and to help them understand the reality of potential scholarship loss. Increase financial literacy efforts by expanding the financial literacy programs currently offered on campus.
Strategy 3: Identify and address barriers that prevent traditionally underserved students from progression and completion.
Responsibility: Veterans Resource Center, Disability Resource Center, Administrative Systems Office, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs Timeline: 2012-2013 (assessment initiatives); Fall, 2013 (targeted support services) Action Steps: Coordinate efforts across campus to identify additional support service needs of:
student veterans, students with disabilities, first generation students, and ESL students. Develop a survey and conduct focus groups to identify barriers faced by transfer students one semester after entry. Use information obtained by efforts described above to develop and implement specific support services or institutional policies/procedures needed to address barriers.
Strategy 4: Expand opportunities for student engagement and involvement, and identify the most salient nonacademic factors that contribute to degree completion among selected student populations.
Responsibility: Child Care Task Force, Faculty, Student Affairs, Housing, Administrative Systems Office Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, Fall 2013 Action Steps:
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Continue the current child care initiative to address barriers related to student parents.
Increase opportunities for students to work on campus within their chosen major and assess efficacy in relation to progression and completion.
Assess how involvement in extracurricular activities (e.g., student organizations, recreation and wellness activities, etc.) relates to progression and completion for first- time full-time students and transfer students. Use data to expand opportunities for student engagement for selected student populations.
Pilot specific programs for residential students who are in year 2 designed to encourage persistence to year 3.
Objective 4: Shorten Time to Degree Strategy 1: Improve advising for all students Responsibility: Faculty, Department Chairs, Professional Advisors, Registrar's Office, Administrative Systems Office, First-Year Advising & Retention Center, Enrollment Management & Academic Success Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, some actions steps will be completed during fall 2013 Action Steps: Redesign course checksheets to make degree requirements clearer for students. Develop and post rotation schedule for courses that are not offered each semester to assist students in taking courses at the appropriate time. Implement DegreeWorks which will keep students on track and will better clarify which courses are required for each major. Train all faculty and professional advisors in the use of AdvisorTrac to monitor and track advising notes and create a seamless transition when students change majors. List approved course substitutions on student DUCK records for viewable access to others to reduce likelihood of students repeating courses. Print copies of the academic catalog and distribute one copy to each new student at orientation. Orient students to specific catalog sections during their FYE/CSU 1022 course. Purchase a program to create an online academic catalog so students can more easily access important policies and procedures.
Strategy 2: Improve the process for transfer students Responsibility: Faculty, Department Chairs, Professional Advisors, Registrar's Office, Administrative Systems Office, Enrollment Management & Academic Success, Provost's Office
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Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, some actions steps will be completed during fall 2013 Action Steps: Implement the new reverse transfer agreement with Gordon College; develop
similar programs with other two-year USG colleges. Require course substitutions to be submitted for approval during first semester
of students' enrollment. Develop an electronic course substitution workflow process to reduce paper
forms and decrease time it takes to approve substitutions. Review transfer evaluation documents and revise to make them easier for
students to understand. Create a position of transfer articulator responsible for identifying core
curriculum areas in which courses should be placed. Assist in translating the core curriculum from other USG institutions. Provide a recommendation to the USG to adopt a common acceptable score range for AP, IB and CLEP credit across the USG.
Strategy 3: Establish alternative methods for earning class credit Responsibility: Testing Center, Faculty, Department Chairs, Registrar's Office, Provost's Office Timeline: 2012-2013 academic year, some actions steps will be completed during fall 2013 Action Steps:
CLEP credit o Broaden scope of acceptance of CLEP scores at Clayton State. o Remove the artificial Clayton State barriers that prevent some students from using some CLEP exams. o Encourage more students to prepare for and take CLEP exams. o Develop a YouTube video promoting CLEP.
Expand prior learning assessment opportunities beyond CLEP. o Allow students to receive course credit from FLATS (Foreign Language Achievement Testing Services).
Develop task force to review all PLAs and expand ACE credit opportunities for students with prior training and experience including military experience.
Strategy 4: Interventions to Improve Academic Success Responsibility: Center for Academic Success, Mathematics Department, Professional & Faculty Advisors, Financial Aid Office Timeline: 2012-2013 & 2013-2014 academic years
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Action Steps: Identify "at risk" (grades of D & F) students at the midterm and intervene as
necessary through referrals and emails to provide academic assistance. Provide interventions/advising for students who consistently withdraw multiple
times from classes (more than two semesters). Provide Supplemental Instruction (SI) and expand peer tutoring for traditionally
difficult courses with high D, F, W rates. Imbed remediation (i.e. MATH 0099) into regular core courses by creating special
sections for students who place in a lower math. Promote online training sessions for students to take prior to taking math
placement exams to increase likelihood of being placed into a core math course. Provide additional financial aid training to help students understand their
funding, which will prevent them from unexpected surprises before they finish their degree.
Objective 5: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Strategy 1: Increase high impact practices in instruction to increase active student engagement. Responsibility: The Engaged Learning Innovations Committee, Center for Instructional Development, Office of Academic Affairs, Dean's Council, instructional faculty, Enrollment Management & Academic Success, Center for Academic Success, First-Year Advising & Retention Center, and academic departments. Timeline: The campus plan for HIPs for Student Success was completed in June 2012. The action plan will be communicated to the campus community in September 2012. Funds have been allocated for 2012-2013 and will continue to be allocated each year. The action plan will be implemented incrementally through 2015. Action Steps: Create HIPs Campus Action Plan and communicate the plan to campus community. Offer professional development opportunities related to HIPs for faculty. Compare data related to student success in courses utilizing HIPs to those that do not. Implement the Engaged Learning & Innovations Program to provide incentives to faculty to redesign classroom/laboratory instruction (see HIPs Campus Action Plan for full details) Increase opportunities for undergraduate research. Increase civic engagement opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. Expand existing Supplemental Instruction
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Redesign the First-Year Experience Program so it aligns better with the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes
Redesign the Capstone Experience Program and design applicable Middle-YearsExperience Programs
Strategy 2: Redesign online and hybrid course/program delivery. Responsibility: Academic Deans, Department Chairs, Online Course Policy Committee, Center for Instructional Development, and Enrollment Management & Academic Success. Timeline: Academic Years 2011-2013 Action Steps: Review all existing online courses to ensure quality. Provide faculty development (Online Academy) to design high quality online/hybrid courses. Monitor student success in online courses as compared to seated courses. Create guidelines concerning what courses can be taught well online and which students are likely to succeed.
Strategy 3: Redesign instruction for courses that traditionally have a high DFW rates. Responsibility: Department of Mathematics, Department of Natural Sciences and Center for Academic Success. Timeline: Academic Year 2012-2013 Action Steps: Add Quantitative Reasoning as an option in Area A Investigate models in incorporate a laboratory component for Mathematical Modeling and College Algebra to support students with borderline math placement scores. Explore adding co-requisite recitation sections to courses with high D, F, W rates.
Objective 6: Redesign of Learning Support Strategy 1: Computer-based laboratory for learning support mathematics Responsibility: Center for Academic Success and the Department of Mathematics Timeline: Fall 2012 determine the appropriate redesign strategy for implementation in Spring 2013 or Fall 2013 Action Steps: Select the appropriate model (compatible with Clayton State technology infrastructure) for redesign with implementation. Select appropriate software platform.
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Identify space and staff (Center for Academic Success, Mathematics, Education) for a collaborative implementation.
Strategy 2: Develop co-requisite courses that provide "just-in-time" remediation in introductory college mathematics courses
Responsibility: Department of Mathematics Timeline: Course development and campus curriculum approval processes will take place in academic year 2012-2013. Action Steps: Develop mandatory lab component for just-in-time remediation that aligns with
Area A2 mathematics courses. Use mini-grants for faculty to develop learning modules on remedial topics. Use ACCUPLACER scores to identify appropriate math placement.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation The integrity of the data and its consistent use and interpretation will be crucial for us and for any institution going forward in Complete College Georgia. Furthermore, this data has to be regularly reported internally and externally at the highest offices. Executive leadership at the University takes the project with utmost seriousness and will employ University resources to act upon the recommendations of the CCG Team as informed by the data.
The structure for feedback, evaluation, and adjustment will follow a three-tiered structure: 1. Data Collection and Reporting 2. Reporting from CCG Team to President's Cabinet 3. Approved recommendations taken to operational units
The data will be collected from the Student Information System and other sources and through the Office of Institutional Research initially; however, the Office of Academic Affairs plans to hire a full time data and demography analyst for enhanced data collection and analysis. These data reports will be shared by way of web reported to all interested University stakeholders. Thus they will report on the following and the report should always provide a longitudinal context:
Enrollment Data: First-Time/Full-Time; Part-Time and Full-Time; Transfer; Graduate; Special Populations (dual enrollment, military, adult, online only, etc.) Progression Data: Retention, Progression, Graduation Rate (both institution and system rates); credit hour completion by time; success rates by class and by program Credential Data: number of degrees awarded; certificates; reverse transfer degrees Time to Degree: charting programs by time to degree rates: students earning credit under the PLA rubric (ACE credits; CLEP, etc.), students with dual enrollment credit.
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C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 22 Special Populations /Student Types: reports based on special populations/student types to include number of students, types of contact with services and departments, and progression rates. Remediation: number of students in remediation and time to exit and success rates Articulation: number of articulation agreements with USG and TCSG schools; number of students (and hours) attributable to those articulation agreements. Student Support: Data will be collected on advising and other student support related activities. In addition to these reports on the numbers of the students in the varying fields, an executive summary of activities related to these areas will be a part of the report. Reporting Cycle: The reporting should be frequent even if the data may not change by the month; therefore, we will report monthly report on all this data. The reports will be distributed broadly via a web-based newsletter, as well as reporting monthly to the President's Cabinet by the leader of the CCG team or by the Provost, or both, in order to generate presidential approval and recommendations.
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C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 23 Part V. Appendices Appendix 1 - Complete College Georgia Team Mark Daddona, Team Leader, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management &
Academic Success Micheal Crafton, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Demmitt, Associate Vice President for Academic Outreach Michelle Furlong, Chair, Department of Natural Sciences Kathy Garrison, Director, Center for Academic Success Anthony Giovannitti, Chair, Department of Mathematics DeLandra Hunter, Director, First-Year Advising & Retention Center Jill Lane, Dean, Assessment & Instructional Development Sharon Long, Director, Testing Center Elaine Manglitz, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Antoinette Miller, Professor of Psychology Nasser Momayezi, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Barbara Musolf, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences Sue Odom, Associate Dean, College of Health Alphonso Ogbuehi, Dean, College of Business Nareem Reddy, Director, Institutional Research Lila Roberts, Dean, College of Information & Mathematical Sciences
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C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 24
Appendix 2 White/Non-Hispanic Student Population Changes
Percentage of White (Non-Hispanic) Students Since Fall 1996 at CSU Normalized for Ethnicity Unknown
80
70
60
50
40 y = -3.0742x + 6202.3 R = 0.9699
30
20 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Year

Percentage

Appendix 3 Black/Non-Hispanic Student Population Changes

Percentage of Black (Non-Hispanic) Students in Fall Semesters at CSU Normalized for Ethnicity Unknown

Percentage

80

70

60

50

40

y = 2.7946x - 5551.8

R = 0.9953

30

20 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Year

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C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 25 Appendix 4 - First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen Average SAT Scores

SAT Scores

1010 1000
990 980 970 960 950 940 930
SAT

Fall 2005
986

Freshmen SAT Scores

Fall 2006
998

Fall 2007
975

Fall 2008
971

Fall 2009
980

Fall 2010
959

Fall 2011
960

Appendix 5 Total Bachelor Degrees Conferred

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Appendix 6 Full-Time, First-Time Retention Rates

C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 26

Appendix 7 Six-Year Graduation Rates
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C l a y t o n S t a t e : P a g e | 27

Appendix 8 Summary of Major Objective Targets

Objective 1
2
4
6

Description First-Time Freshmen Retention Rate
Dual Enrollment Students
Increase Number of Degrees Awarded
Improve Math Learning Support

Completion

Target Increase

Date

2% from previous year Fall 2014

10% from previous year

Fall 2014

5% from Summer 2012 Summer 2014

10% success over two Spring 2015 years

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College of Coastal Georgia Campus Plan Complete College Georgia
Introduction
As a comprehensive undergraduate institution, the College of Coastal Georgia has worked continuously to identify student needs, increase student satisfaction, improve the quality of instruction and services, increase student retention and graduation rates, and promote and support academic success for all students.
Since its transformation from a two-year to a four-year state college in 2008, the College has learned several lessons in identifying, tracking and evaluating the factors that impact student access, retention and graduation. These include:
1. Researching the underlying barriers to student success problems is important in designing student retention strategies that will meet the needs of students;
2. Requiring intentional, structured and systematic action to ensure student success involves a coordinated and centralized outreach approach;
3. Establishing an Office of Enrollment Management, and involving it and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness in all student retention planning and progression initiatives is critical to ensure planning is as fact-based as possible;
4. Widely publicizing the student retention plan is important in creating a culture of student success; and 5. Assigning specific student retention tasks to key individuals/groups who will report regularly on progress will ensure
that student success initiatives are on track and part of a culture of continuous improvement
These lessons, in combination with the objectives and strategies outlined in this Complete College Georgia (CCG) campus plan, will contribute to a stronger culture of student access and success. And while beyond the scope of this campus plan, the College hopes that its efforts to promote and support student success for all students will ultimately contribute to a stronger community and economy in Southeast Georgia and beyond. To guide, track and monitor student access and success efforts, the College established three main goals and ten objectives. These include:
Goal 1. Increase access and provide proactive services for the traditionally underserved student
Objective 1.1: Reengineer enrollment management processes and outreach efforts Objective 1.2: Establish strategic distance learning focus to expand online and blended course offerings Objective 1.3: Expand community partnerships and education opportunities Objective 1.4: Improve college readiness of first-time, first-generation, low-income high school graduates
Goal 2. Expand and improve retention systems and instructional delivery to support student success
Objective 2.1: Develop an integrated advising model to guide students across all educational thresholds Objective 2.2: Develop a robust and active career counseling program Objective 2.3: Improve and expand retention structures that promote and sustain student success Objective 2.4: Enhance instructional delivery and promote pedagogical innovation
Goal 3. Promote and increase student campus and community engagement
Objective 3.1: Anchor service-learning across the curriculum Objective 3.2: Enhance engaged learning and educationally purposeful activities
The College and the community are partners in providing students with a holistic academic experience. The College is able to build upon its strong working relationships with K-12 partners who are active participants in this plan. Additionally, the College has set clear targets and challenging goals, and its many stakeholders have made important progress in its cultural transformation with the expectation of nothing less than success for its students and campus. The retention and progression priority is being embedded in everything the College is engaged in, including performance reviews, annual reports and budget reviews. The focus is to create a learning-centered environment that will increase student learning, promote student progression and, ultimately, lead to improved graduation rates. The College believes its student progression metrics, standards and retention/graduation strategies are clear evidence of those expectations and a strong foundational commitment to graduation with distinction as the overarching campus priority. Both the mission statement and institutional strategic plan place significant emphasis on student success and overlap with the tenets of Complete College Georgia. Through institutional strategic planning, the College develops an annual set of strategic goals, including measurable outcomes, which provide opportunity for continued institutional improvement and success. Further, the institutional strategic goals are aligned with the University System of Georgia's Strategic Plan.
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College of Coastal Georgia Campus Plan Complete College Georgia
The Complete College Plan necessitates an overarching caution. As the campus, and indeed the entire USG, moves aggressively to enroll and graduate more, diverse populations it is important that institutions and the system approach this new work with clear understanding that, while laudable and necessary, the task is daunting and the work is complex and demanding. Neither tuition nor state funds are sufficient or available to finance the myriad supports and services which will be needed to nurture success across this significantly larger pool of students who are not traditionally prepared, supported or financed to attend and complete "college" as now presented. Campuses will need to seek external funds, which the College has done rather aggressively and successfully. Yet, the ability to sustain that level of investment and wrap-around support will challenge this campus and others.
To achieve the desired goals, all parties must recognize that this broader population cannot be served successfully through simple replication of old models. New ideas, new approaches, new technologies, and, indeed, new resources are required. These are investments in the state's future and it is essential we recognize and act on these requirements as quickly as possible. If the required resources do not materialize for the Complete College Georgia campus plan, the College's contingency plan would involve reallocation of resources and reprioritization of key student success initiatives to ensure continued progress in efforts to improve student retention and graduation rates. However, within the current tuition/fee funding model, there are clear limits on flexibility and "non-course" services and supports.
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis
Goals
With the ultimate outcome of Complete College Georgia (CCG) to contribute to the larger statewide effort target of increased degree production expanded access and increased graduation, the College subscribed to a broad-based approach in creating three main goals as noted in the Overview.
Goals 1 and 2 of the College's CCG Campus Plan evolved from data analyses and recommendations from the College's Complete College Georgia Steering Committee's (members from Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, Institutional Effectiveness, and Student Affairs) work over the last three months, as well as the campus-wide efforts put forth since summer 2010; namely, national (Foundations of Excellence) and state-wide (RPG Report) assessment review processes from which collected data was used to formulate curricular improvement strategies coupled with best practices in the field, which include early connections, high expectations and aspirations, a clear academic plan and pathway, an effective track to college readiness, engaged learning, and academic and social support network. Goal 3 evolved from the College's adoption of "Service-Learning" as its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC. By anchoring service-learning in the QEP, the College is committed long-term to this method of teaching, learning and community engagement given its proven strength as a pedagogical tool to help students achieve a broad range of important personal and academic outcomes. Additionally, the College's commitment to service-learning enhances its broader institutional goals of encouraging civic engagement among students and increasing outreach to local communities.
The College's CCG Campus Plan is expected to have a positive impact on the institution's ability to attract and retain greater numbers of students and to ensure all students' timely progression toward graduation by way of academic advising, Supplemental Instruction in high-risk courses, avoidance of course scheduling conflicts, course mapping over several semesters, and monitoring primary and secondary student support interventions. Additionally, implementation will lead to changes in policies that affect students' academic performance and increase student engagement that instill the College's core values.
Data Analysis
The College is a vastly different place than it was three years ago and its transformation plans anticipate even more change over the next few years. Because of the radical shift in mission and student population, moving from a two-year blended, technicalacademic institution to a four-year comprehensive undergraduate institution, the College truly does not have an historic baseline of data or characteristics. As such, the Complete College America (CCA) student retention and graduation data holds little instructive value for the College, and the institution is in the process of establishing a series of institutional measures to more appropriately reflect its student access and success goals, building upon the measurements and targets established in its RPG Campus Plan. Nonetheless, findings from recent reports and survey instruments Graduating Student Satisfaction Survey (Associate and Baccalaureate degree candidates), Community College Survey of Student Engagement, Student Withdrawal Data Report, Foundations of Excellence student and faculty surveys, grade distribution analysis, underrepresented student profile, SACSCOC self-study, RPG Campus Plan, regional and local workforce needs (e.g., Federal Law Enforcement Training Center [FLETC]) have been instructive in helping the College understand what gaps exist and where improvements should be
2
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College of Coastal Georgia Campus Plan Complete College Georgia

targeted, informing the development of major strategies in the College's CCG Campus Plan. As the campus plan progresses, data, including workforce and military population needs, will be used to develop targets and make informed decisions.

Appendix 1 provides data analysis from some of these information-gathering areas.

The next section discusses the objective and strategy aspects of the College's CCG Campus Plan, addressing the concerns and issues raised from a broad student access and success assessment that included the findings generated by the aforementioned data collection tools and assessment reviews.

Part II: Objectives and Strategies

Each of the main goals of the College's CCG Campus Plan is presented in the following integrated matrix and aligned with key objectives, initial benchmarks and desired outcomes. Undergirding each objective are specific strategies, action steps, lead role, assessment tools, and operational start date. Additionally, the prescribed goals and objectives are in alignment with the Complete College Georgia's required elements and cross-referenced in the matrix. These include:

1. Forging partnerships with the P-16 continuum; 2. Improving access and completion for underserved students; 3. Shortening time to degree; 4. Restructuring instructional delivery; and 5. Transforming remediation.

Further, alignment of goals and strategies with connection and contribution to both USG and institution-based metrics is provided in Part IV. Once the College's CCG Campus Plan is approved, 2015 and 2020 institutional targets will be established for outlined measures that appear in Appendix 2.

Goal 1: Increase access and provide proactive services for the traditionally underserved student

Objective 1.1: Reengineer enrollment management

Desired Outcome: Optimize enrollment through a planned and

processes and student outreach efforts

comprehensive program for recruiting, admitting and graduating

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, overall underrepresented

students with a focus on targeted underrepresented students,

student enrollment will increase by 5% from Fall 2012

utilizing expanded outreach efforts and dynamic community

baseline

partnerships

Strategy

Action Steps

Lead Role

Assessment

Element1 Operational

1.1.1 Create an integrated Hire additional admissions Assistant VP for Initiate annual

1, 2

Underway

enrollment management counselors to assist with Enrollment

operations audit

process to enhance

tracking and monitoring

Management

to assess

customer services in

students from initial

admission,

Admissions, Financial Aid enrollment to graduation;

financial aid, and

and Registrar's Office;

appoint one admissions

registrar services;

create a separate

officer to recruit and enroll

student

recruitment plan for adult adult learners and military

satisfaction

learners and military

veterans

surveys

veterans

1 Element Legend: 1 = Forging partnerships with the P-16 continuum 2 = Improving access and completion for underserved students 3 = Shortening time-to-degree 4 = Restructuring instructional delivery 5 = Transforming remediation
3

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1.1.2 Redesign orientation to better prepare incoming students for the rigors of the college experience and offer targeted visitation open houses for special audiences
1.1.3 Expand relationships with local and regional community agencies, business organizations, and military veteran groups, raising awareness of the College as a viable educational option
1.1.4 Increase opportunities for high school student participation in Dual Enrollment (ACCEL and MOWR)
1.1.5 Work with the College's Foundation to create new scholarship programs and increase funds through community gift-giving
1.1.6 Increase awareness of financial aid and SAP requirements among students, faculty and staff
1.1.7 Actively recruit stopouts and those who registered but did not attend

Create sessions within orientation to help students identify the challenges they will face academically, financially and socially; create new visitation program to focus on needs of non-traditional students Collect points of contact with all external groups and organizations and begin a systematic outreach effort via prospect management system to monitor educational partnerships and joint collaborations, increasing institutional recognition as a destination college Expand existing College plan to promote dual enrollment in area highs schools and tracking tool to monitor students' progress
Continue to seek out new donors and maintain relations with current ones in an effort to increase scholarship funding amounts
Develop communication outreach strategies with Schools, instructors and students to promote understanding of financial aid requirements concerning SAP, impact of withdrawals, and implications of defaults; develop student road map to ensure understanding of academic and financial requirements
Initiate direct mailing to stop-outs from previous semesters; coordinate the development and dissemination of a post card reminder; issue a stop-out survey

Assistant VP for Enrollment Management
Associate VP for Academic Affairs; Assistant VP for Enrollment Management
Associate VP for Academic Affairs; Assistant VP for Enrollment Management Chief Advancement Officer; Assistant VP for Enrollment Management
Assistant VP for Enrollment Management; Director of Financial Aid
Assistant VP for Enrollment Management

Disseminate participant evaluation and enrolled student surveys
Number of meetings and visits with external groups; inquiries, applications, and enrolled students
Number of students enrolled annually; percentage earning a 2.0 GPA or better Number of new scholarships created; number awarded; recipients who transfer or graduate Initiate focus groups and disseminate survey questionnaires
Number of stopouts readmitted; number successfully transferred, completing degrees

2, 3 1, 2 1, 2, 3, 4 2, 3 2, 3
2, 3

Underway Fall 2012 Underway Underway Underway
Fall 2012

4
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1.1.8 Create a strategic comprehensive approach to serve specific needs of adult learners and military veterans

Provide a one-stop source of information and referral for prospective adult learners and military veterans; create an informative and interactive College web page for this population

Objective 1.2: Establish strategic distance learning focus to expand online and blended course offerings

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, students enrolled in online and blended course sections will increase by 20% from Fall 2012 baseline

Strategy

Action Steps

1.2.1 Expand online course and blended offerings to support degree completion, especially among adult learners and military veterans

Become eCore affiliate to increase core offerings; develop an operational plan of action; create support system for faculty and students

Objective 1.3: Expand community partnership opportunities

Initial Benchmark: Number of school, technical college and community agency in partnership agreements will increase annually as will the amount of external funding secured for partnership initiatives

Strategy

Action Steps

1.3.1 Expand and enhance the relationship development with high school counselors, locally, regionally and state-wide
1.3.2 Seek to conduct enrichment programs with area high schools to increase academic/social preparation for college; establish mentorship program with high school students who are at highrisk

Enhance work with regional middle/high schools to plan and conduct a series of enrichment programs; e.g., Math & Science ExpoLympics with a STEM focus
Offer professional development for guidance counselors to partner with the College in developing and conducting student outreach programs; identify College students to mentor high-risk students in preparation for college entrance

1.3.3 Seek to deploy a regional marketing campaign focused on how higher education opportunities and benefits lead to employment and economic development in Southeast GA

Work with local and regional business chamber officials, technical colleges, and school boards to develop a marketing plan, engaging P-16 partners and community agencies

Assistant VP for Number of credit 2, 3

Fall 2012

Enrollment

hours awarded;

Management;

number of adult

Director of

learner and

Marketing and

military veterans

Public Relations enrolled; student

satisfaction

evaluations

Desired Outcome: Increase and enhance quality online and blended

courses to increase student retention and shorten time to degree

Lead Role
Associate VP for Academic Affairs; Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Assessment
eCore enrollments; non-eCore online enrollments; RN to BSN enrollments

Element 2,3,4,5

Operational Spring 2013

Desired Outcome: Develop and support community partnerships that foster educational programs, articulation agreements, and student financial support

Lead Role Assistant VP for Enrollment Management

Assessment
Participant evaluation survey results; number of students who enroll

Element 1, 2

Operational Underway

Assistant VP for Number of campus 1, 2

Enrollment

visits, inquiries,

Management,

applications, and

Assistant VP for enrolled students

Academic

from targeted high

Services; Dean of schools; number of

Students

partnerships

established

Fall 2013

Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Number of

1, 2

inquiries,

applicants, admits,

and enrolled

students

Fall 2012

5
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1.3.4 Seek collaborative Establish formal articulation President; VP

Number of

1, 2

Summer

relations with Okefenokee agreements to enhance the and AVP for

students enrolled

2012

Technical College,

transfer process, using

Academic Affairs through

Altamaha Technical

USG approved courses for

partnerships

College and Savannah

articulation as a guide

retention,

Technical College

progression and

graduation rates

Objective 1.4: Improve college readiness of first-time, first- Desired Outcome: Enhance first-year student success through

generation, low-income high school graduates

college readiness programs to increase first-year retention rates

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, at a minimum, all first-

generation students will be provided additional academic

and advising support

Strategy

Action Steps

Lead Role Assessment

Element Operational

1.4.1 Use some Success Selected students will

Assistant VP Number of students in 1, 2, 3 Summer

First grant funds to provide enroll in one LS course and for Academic the program who

2013

a Summer Bridge program one specialized Freshman Services

successfully exit LS

whose goal is to enable

Seminar (CCGA 1101) to

and take and pass

some students admitted to develop the skills needed

regular college-credit

Learning Support eligible to pass the Compass test

courses in fall.

for regular classes before and prepare to take and be

Students will be

Fall Semester begins

successful in college-level

tracked each semester

courses in the Fall

to determine their

Semester

ongoing retention,

progression, and

academic success

1.4.2 Continue work with Offer the Summer Bridge VP for

Student progression 1, 2

Underway

the African-American Male and Go program, bringing Student

and retention rates

Initiative (AAMI) grant

first-year black males to the Affairs;

tracked

program, bringing in new College for three weeks of Coordinator

AAMI cohorts annually as coaching in reading,

of Diversity

funding allows

vocabulary and math

and Inclusion

1.4.3 Prepare students to Develop a pilot with AAMI VP for

Compare COMPASS 2, 3, 5 Summer

re-take and pass the

grant to prepare LS

Student

test scores of high

2013

COMPASS test prior to the students to re-take and

Affairs

school students who

beginning of Fall Semester pass the COMPASS test

participate in

classes, allowing them to prior to the beginning of

workshops and those

enroll in regular College Fall Semester by way of

who do not; number of

courses; offer on- and off- COMPASS test preparation

applied, admitted and

campus testing

workshops

enrolled participants

opportunities

Goal 2: Expand and improve instructional delivery and retention systems to support student success

Objective 2.1: Develop an integrated advising model to

Desired Outcome: Provide frequent and meaningful engagement

guide students across all educational progression

with and feedback to students about curriculum, realistic options,

milestones

performance, and progress toward degree

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, students utilizing advising

services will be 100%

Strategy

Action Steps

Lead Role Assessment

Element Operational

2.1.1 Restructure

Identify problems and

VP for

Student satisfaction 1, 3

Fall 2013

academic advising to

opportunities for more

Academic

surveys; faculty

improve skill and impact of advising intervention; train Affairs;

performance reviews;

advising program

and purposefully select

Assistant VP student retention

faculty and staff advisors for Academic increased

and mentors

Services

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2.1.2 Actively promote

Expand awareness and

academic support

increase utilization of the

structures Success First, Academic Tutoring and

Supplemental Instruction, Instruction Center that

Writing Center, First year provides face-to-face, walk-

Experience, Academic

in tutoring and

Tutoring and Instruction

Supplemental Instruction

Center in an effort to

support; Center for

facilitate student success Academic Advising

with a focus on advising responsible for advising all

and tutoring

Undeclared and General

Studies students; Writing

Center that provides

instructional student

support to students

2.1.3 Offer a

Utilize DegreeWorks, a

comprehensive set of web- web-based application to

based advising, degree

help students and

audit, and transfer

academic advisors monitor

articulation tools to

progress toward degree

students

completion

2.1.4 Provide more

Assign LS faculty to

intrusive advising and

students for advisement

mentoring of LS students and mentorship; each LS

student will meet each

semester with his/her

faculty member; if

resources can be identified,

successful currently-

enrolled students who

began in LS will also

mentor

Objective 2.2: Develop a robust and active career

counseling program

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, approximately 50% of all

students and 85% of undecided majors will have had

exposure to career counseling

Strategy

Action Steps

2.2.1 Provide career

Request students to

counseling for students, complete the Focus2

assisting them in reaching assessment in CCGA 1101

their educational and

to complement individual

career goals

career counseling sessions

offered to students as part

of a career development

model

Assistant VP for Academic Services; Dean, School of Arts & Sciences

Student satisfaction surveys; first-year-tosecond year retention rates tracked

2, 3, 5

Underway

Chief Information Officer; Coordinator of Instructional Technology
Assistant VP for Academic Services

Student progress toward attaining educational goals tracked and monitored
Student success both in LS and regular courses measured by advising mentor and LS student satisfaction surveys

3 2, 3, 5

Spring 2013 Fall 2012

Desired Outcome: Successful career placement for all graduates

Lead Role Coordinator of Career Services

Assessment Number of students participating; student satisfaction surveys; graduate employment tracked

Element 3

Operational Underway

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Objective 2.3: Improve and expand retention structures

that promote and sustain student success

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, new retention structures will

increase first-time, full-time student retention by 10% from

Fall 2012 baseline

Strategy

Action Steps

2.3.1 Redesign Learning Provide opportunities for

Support Program areas

students to exit Learning

using accelerated and

Support more quickly and

modular models

more prepared for college-

level work; Faculty will

attend conferences at

which course redesign is a

focus and work together to

design new versions

2.3.2 Maintain and

Continue to make full use of

improve the Early Alert

the GradesFirst software

Program with a focus on (and perhaps the D2L

first-year students

course management

system) to identify at-risk

students early in the term.

After faculty identify these

students, Academic

Services staff and others

will contact the students,

answer questions, and

make appropriate referrals

designed to help the

students become

successful

2.3.3 Provide College

Create a CCGA 1101

Success Seminar (CCGA Advisory Committee

1101) with goal of enrolling (composed of course

all FTFT students

instructors and students) to

provide guidance and

suggestions relating to

faculty evaluation of text,

professional development

and efficient use of budget

to accomplish program

goals

2.3.4 Facilitate easier

Ensure that CORE courses

completion of General

taken are the ones that

Education core

students need to stay on

requirements to reduce

track to finish their degrees;

time to graduation

Senate General Education

Committee will conduct an

assessment of CORE

course offerings with goal

of streamlining options in

order to complete general

education requirements in a

timely manner

Desired Outcome: Invest in innovative academic support approaches to ensure student-learning outcomes are met and expand data collection and analysis to inform retention strategy

Lead Role Assistant VP for Academic Services

Assessment
Learning Support Program redesign completed; percentage of students exiting LS each semester compared to previous term

Element 2, 5

Operational Underway

Assistant VP Compare number of 3

for Academic faculty submitting

Services

student progress

reports to previous

term

Underway

Assistant VP for Academic Services

Number and GPA of 3 students who complete CCGA 1101 successfully compared to those who do not take it or earn D, F, W, WF; progression, graduation, transfer rates

Underway

VP for Academic Affairs

Number of CORE courses offered each semester

2, 3, 4

Fall 2012

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2.3.5 Reduce time to

Review and evaluate

degree by improving

CORE courses with highest

course completion rates F, D, W rates and make

necessary improvements

that will enhance student

success; increase course

progression rate in the

CORE; review yearly cycle

of frequency and diversity

of course offerings;

Discipline-specific faculty

work groups will conduct

thorough assessment of

high F, D, W courses to

determine what

modifications can be made

to improve student success;

evaluate options, assess

potential for effectiveness,

including reducing course

options in CORE; require

completion of Area A

courses within first 30-40

semester hours map

programs of study; ensure

that course scheduling is

not a hindrance to efficient

degree completion

Objective 2.4: Enhance instructional delivery and promote

pedagogical innovation

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, 20% of all students will take at

least one online and blended course, with an eCore

enrollment of 300; non-eCore online enrollment of 600;

and RN to BSN enrollment of 60

Strategy

Action Steps

2.4.1 Create a distance Offer distance education

education policies and

orientations for faculty to

procedures manual to

include a session on

provide information and

policies and procedures;

assistance for faculty

create "Teaching Online"

teaching online courses

course for faculty

2.4.2 Establish eTuition to Funnel funds from eCore,

facilitate expansion and

eTuition and budget to

support of online courses support online courses and

and all other instructional instructional delivery

delivery innovation

initiatives, including

development of online

courses and preparation

and requirements of online

faculty

VP for Academic Affairs

Conduct grade

3, 4

distribution analysis;

number of credit hours

completed in CORE

courses each

semester by student

cohort; conduct

student focus groups

within associate and

baccalaureate degree

programs

Fall 2012

Desired Outcome: Expand academic program formats to best meet student needs and provide ongoing opportunities for faculty professional development in new pedagogical delivery

Lead Role
Associate VP for Academic Affairs; Coordinator of Instructional Technology
VP for Business Affairs; Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Assessment
Policies and procedures created; evaluation of adherence to policies; attendance at workshops
Student evaluation survey and evaluation of selected courses by online task force; annual assessment of course tracking for growth of online courses; semester evaluation of fiscal profit from online fees and application to course development and faculty development

Element 3, 4
3, 4

Operational Fall 2012
Fall 2012

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2.4.3 Offer workshops for faculty to learn how to combine online learning and student centered learning within the face-toface classroom
2.4.4 Encourage innovative teaching practices and tools for faculty development and course improvement models for all online, blended, and face-face courses

Develop blended models of instruction and adhere to quality standards, learning outcome and course improvement models

Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Number of blended courses offered in each subject area, course evaluation data

2,3,4,5

Develop courses which adhere to quality standards; implement learning outcome and course improvement models; develop new terms and course length options to shorten time to degree

VP for Academic Affairs; Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Number of non-eCore courses setup with improvement cycle; number of non-eCore online courses+ having been redesigned; course evaluation data

2,3,4,5

Fall 2012 Fall 2012

Goal 3: Promote and increase student campus and community engagement

Objective 3.1: Anchor service-learning across the

Desired Outcome: Students will develop critical and creative thinking

curriculum

and reflection skills; gain enhanced understanding of course content;

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, service-learning courses will engage actively in the community; and obtain social responsibility,

consist of 15% of scheduled offerings and 20% of faculty global awareness, and openness to diverse perspectives

will teach at least one service-learning course

Strategy

Implementation

Lead Role Assessment

Element Operational

3.1.1 Expand student

Develop a schedule of

Director of

Number of service-

3, 4

Underway

learning opportunities

service-learning offerings Service-

learning courses

through the creation and that are coordinated with Learning

offered; number of

availability of a series of community partners to

students enrolled in

service-learning courses provide opportunity for

service-learning

each semester

students to collaborate and

courses; assessment

build relationships with

of reflection activities

community organizations

journals, analytic

papers, portfolios

3.1.2 Deepen faculty

Offer Service-Learning

Director of

Successful completion 3, 4

Underway

members' understanding of Scholars Program, a six- Service-

of seminar series;

service-learning and how to week seminar series that Learning

faculty evaluations of

integrate it into their

allows the opportunity for a

Service-Learning

curriculum and pedagogy select cohort of College

Program

faculty to engage in

dialogue about student-

centered, experiential

education that promotes

academic learning while

serving genuine community

needs; provide additional

faculty professional

development by way of

workshops

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Objective 3.2: Enhance engaged learning and

educationally purposeful activities

Initial Benchmark: By 2015, establish a baseline to more

effectively track student engagement in high impact co-

curricular activities that support the classroom experience

Strategy

Implementation

3.2.1 Connect Conduct a campus needs assessment

academic

and proceed in prioritizing key student

experiences to engagement areas, aligning them with

co-curricular academic experiences; identify key

activities to areas of student engagement both on-

enhance

and off-campus, determine costs,

student

potential benefits, and properly align

engagement events to academic experiences

3.2.2 Develop Consider launching curricular learning

curricular

communities that link specific courses

learning

around an interdisciplinary theme,

communities enrolling a common cohort of students;

to increase

appoint learning community work group

student

to assess approaches used to build

engagement learning communities, with a focus on

and retention restructuring students' time, credit and

learning experiences; issue action plan

on proposed learning community

structure selected

3.2.3 Build a Initiate a common reading program for

sense of

incoming students to create a common

common

educational and interactive experience,

experience

providing a sense of community new

and

students will be asked to read a selected

community for book and to discuss it as part of a

new students campus-wide community of readers,

through a

reflecting about a book in course

common

assignments

reading

3.2.4

Develop and utilize assessment tools for

Systematically tracking student learning and student

track student engagement within Core and

learning and baccalaureate programs

engagement

Desired Outcome: Create a comprehensive culture of learning through increased student engagement and learning opportunities

Lead Role
VP for Student Affairs; Director of ServiceLearning

Assessment
Evaluate student organization sponsorship of programs and student attendance at events

Element 2, 3, 4

Operational Fall 2012

VP for Student Affairs; AVP for Academic Affairs

Mid-term and final

3, 4

grades reviewed at the

end of each semester,

comparing persistence

rates for learning

community members

and non-members

Spring 2013

VP for

Graded reflection

3, 4

Academic

assignments on

Affairs; VP for common reading

Student

theme; retention rates

Affairs;

(Fall-to-Spring; Spring-

Assistant VP to-Fall)

for Academic

Services

Committee on Use common rubrics 3

Institutional to evaluate student

Effectiveness; progress on general

Director of

education outcomes

Institutional

Effectiveness

Fall 2013 Fall 2012

Part III: Implementation of Goals and Objectives
The President charged the CCG Steering Committee under the leadership of the VPAA with developing and implementing the College's CCG Campus Plan.
The President is responsible for ensuring that the CCG campus plan and its goals and objectives are implemented in an efficient and timely manner and keeping the USG well-informed about the progress being made in this regard. The VPAA is responsible for reinforcing a climate of accountability for the pursuit of the plans and achievement of priorities and goals, ensuring that resources are allocated to institutional strategic priorities, communicating regularly with the campus community on the progress towards achieving the goals contained in the campus plan. The Steering Committee is responsible for establishing institutional metrics to measure progress towards the goals and objectives of the campus plan, designing and overseeing the annual assessment processes. Other senior administrators, including Vice-Presidents, School Deans and Directors, are responsible for ensuring that unit plans are developed, implemented and aligned with the campus plan.
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The expectation is that the CCG Campus Plan will influence and shape decisions at all levels of the College and that the College community plays an integral role in the implementation process. However, the success of the College's CCG Campus Plan will depend on making the implementation plan operational, including
1. Setting a functional timeline to carry out strategies and action steps; 2. Allocating necessary resources, including budgetary, personnel and physical amidst rising fiscal challenges; 3. Managing student and institutional revenue needs as costs outpace federal and state-wide support; 4. Implementing performance measures to assess progress and success; and 5. Reviewing performance measures and adjusting priorities as needed to pursue strategies successfully
An important ingredient of the student access and success process will be the flexibility to make adjustments, reprioritize objectives, revise strategies, and reallocate resources dependent on USG budgetary support, if required and provided. Accountability and effective communication will serve as the framework for achieving the goals of the campus plan. The next step in implementing the campus plan will be for each of the campus areas responsible for the various action steps to establish annual action plans. These concise plans should identify and allocate the budgetary, personnel and resources needed to address each strategy.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback / Evaluation
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE), working in conjunction with CCG Steering Committee, Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, will evaluate the College's Complete College Georgia Campus Plan quarterly to assure that it supports the mission and vision of the College and aligns with the USG's Strategic Plan, as well as outlining improvements achieved as a result of planning and evaluation.
To continuously and effectively monitor and track CCG campus plan progress, an e-dashboard containing key performance indicators, reflective of the institution's commitment to student access and success, will be developed and posted on the College's Intranet so that the entire campus community is aware of institutional progress. The allocated budget for the aforementioned objectives and strategies will be closely monitored and, where possible and needed, adjustments and/or reprioritization will be made to ensure the campus plan remains on track.
Increased Efficiencies and Increased Numbers
The USG and institution-based CCG metrics (Appendix 2) will be utilized to evaluate collective success for each element in the campus plan and how they align with the three main goals. Institutional-based metric targets for 2015 and 2020 will be developed by late summer. At the conclusion of the academic year, the OIE will issue an annual CCG Campus Plan Progress Report that will be disseminated to the President's Cabinet, Faculty Senate, Staff Assembly, and Student Government Association, providing opportunities for discussion and review. A copy of the report will also be placed on the College's Intranet website for campus-wide access. CCG objectives and strategies will be designated as either being completed, ongoing or carried over to the new academic year. Additionally, an annual progress report will be submitted to the USG for review and consideration.
Quality
Although there are no widely accepted metrics for determining the quality of a college degree, there are several structures and processes to monitor and to enhance the quality of instruction, course content, academic programs, and institutional effectiveness. The College subscribes to an institutional effectiveness structure that is cohesive, comprehensive, and addresses annually required assessment and systematic evaluation review cycles of academic programs, academic support units, and administrative support services campus-wide. In addition, this framework maps and links the units to the institution's Core Values, Strategic Goals, Strategic Master Plan Priorities, and SACSCOC Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards, and Professional Accreditation or Affiliation requirements.
The President's Cabinet coordinates all institutional planning and assessment. The Cabinet includes representation from the administration, academic programs, and staff; it oversees regular review and revision of the institution's mission, values, goals, and vision, as well as annual strategic planning. All curriculum changes are approved through the faculty governance structure of the College, which is comprised of a Faculty Senate and various standing faculty committees, the membership of which consists of a senator, academic department representatives, faculty-at-large representatives, student representatives, and ex officio administration representatives.
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The Committee on Institutional Effectiveness (CIE), a standing committee of the Faculty Senate, makes recommendations concerning program evaluation policies and procedures, as well as coordinates and promotes assessment of the general education and program learning outcomes to ensure that these activities are used to improve the quality of instruction, to provide feedback to faculty on ways to improve student learning, and to meet the requirements of the USG and SACSCOC. The Faculty Senate's Curriculum Committee is responsible for the review of all curriculum proposals and makes its recommendations to the Senate for action. All Faculty Senate actions require Presidential approval before they are formalized for implementation. (As an extension to this quality control structure and to ensure that the College's Complete College Georgia Campus Plan effectively integrates and efficiently assesses goals, objectives and strategies, the CCG Steering Committee will remain intact to provide needed guidance and annual review of progress.) The College and its many stakeholders have embarked on the journey of transformation with the expectation of nothing less than success for our students and our campus. The College believes its metrics, its standards and its strategies are clear evidence of those expectations and its strong philosophical commitment to graduation with distinction as the overarching campus priority.
Appendices
Appendix 1 Data Summaries
Graduating Student Satisfaction Survey
The 2011-12 survey results for associate degree candidates (n=188) indicated that 9% of the students surveyed did not feel that their College experience was a positive one, while 7% did not feel a sense of community at the College when asked about student life. In terms of the quality of College enrollment services, 31% and 10% were dissatisfied with financial aid and the graduation process, respectively. The 2011-2012 survey results for baccalaureate degree candidates (n=92) indicated that financial aid services were erratic and unsupportive as 32% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with the Office of Financial Aid. In terms of academic advising, 75% of students surveyed believed their advisor was helpful and provided accurate information; however, 28% were uncertain as to who was assigned as their academic advisor from the time they first enrolled.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
CCSSE's survey instrument, The Community College Student Report, provides information on student engagement, a key indicator of learning. The survey, administered to students, asks questions that assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are correlated highly with student learning and student retention. The 2011 CCSSE survey (n=485) results for the College provide some very helpful information relevant to student retention and progression. First Look one of the reports from the CCSSE survey highlights those items where a college falls notably above or below the mean of its comparison group (similarly-sized 2011 CCSSE Cohort colleges that participated in CCSSE from 2006 through 2008). Those survey items that fell "below" the mean for the College included: (a) Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions; (b) Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from instructors on your performance; (c) Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework; (d) Use information you have read or heard to perform a new skill; and (e) Frequency of career counseling. The results were also compared to those obtained in the 2008 CCSSE survey. The College demonstrated significant improvement, obtaining a lower score only in the item "discussed ideas from your readings or classes with instructors outside of class."
Mid-Semester Withdrawals
Higher portions of freshmen withdraw than sophomores or upper classmen. For Spring Semester 2012, the reasons for withdrawal (n=337) ranked in order of highest to lowest percentage are academic reasons (44%), personal reasons (28%), other reasons (6%), work obligations (5%), medical reasons (2%), financial reasons (2%), and family obligations (1%). Twelve percent did not provide a response. Some of the reasons under the "other" group were strongly related to the academic and personal reasons groups, such as "changing majors," and "large workload." Looking at the student withdrawal results from an historical perspective (Fall Semester 2010 to Spring 2012), family obligations, personal reasons, medical, and work obligations account for a collective average of 56% of withdrawals. It is revealing that small percentages of students identify finances as a reason for withdrawal; in part, this may reflect easy access to federal student aid.
Foundations of Excellence (FOE)
The College was selected as one of twelve (12) institutions in the nation to participate in the 2009-10 class of four year institutions with Foundations of Excellence (FOE) in the First College Year a partnership with the respected Policy Center on the First Year that enhances an institution's ability to align its goals and action plans for student learning, success and persistence in a liberal education curriculum. This rigorous program is designed to help intuitions identify areas needing
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improvement and map pathways to success. In the context of the FOE needs assessment, the College collected and analyzed data during late Fall Semester 2009 and early Spring Semester 2010. The model for first-year excellence is comprised of a set of principles, termed Foundational Dimensions, which have been developed in collaboration with more than 300 institutions that impact all facets of the College, and affect all initiatives from initial contact with potential students through admissions, orientation, and all first-year curricular and co-curricular experiences. The College's Foundational Dimension committees, comprised of faculty, staff and students, identified six (6) major deficiencies which impact student progression: (a) curricular barriers as evidenced through high attrition classes; (b) faculty and staff preparedness to address student needs; (c) student engagement; (d) academic advising; (e) career planning; and (f) cultural sensitivity and global awareness.

Retention, Progression and Graduation

In Spring Semester 2010, the College engaged in a USG Board of Regents' graduation and retention assessment process that culminated in an institutional submission (RPG Report) to the Board for improving graduation and retention rates at the College over a three-year period. A broad-based approach was used to create four overarching strategies focused on imbedding philosophies and building processes in the near term which will ensure improved retention, progression and degree completion in the long term. The key strategies included (1) implementation of student-centered policies and programs which focus on retention; (2) reducing barriers to student performance and progression; (3) integrating Foundations of Excellence recommendations to foster student success; and (4) establishing clear student progression and graduation targets and goals and ensure all members of the campus community are accountable for their achievement.

Grade Distribution Analysis

A grade distribution analysis was performed recently to determine which classes yielded the highest number of D, F and W grades during Spring Semester 2011 and Fall Semester 2011. College Algebra (MATH 1111) and English Composition I (ENGL 1101) were the courses with the highest number of D, F and W grades in both semesters. In addition to those two courses, Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 1101) and College Success Seminar (CCGA 1101) made the top four courses with high number of F grades for both semesters. It should be noted that many of the students who failed these courses also obtained a 0.0 GPA for that particular semester. Principles of Chemistry I (CHEM 1211) had the highest percentage of D, F, and W with 67% during Spring Semester 2011; however, during Fall Semester 2011, the percentage was reduced to 32%, due in part to the addition of Supplemental Instruction.

Underrepresented Student Profile

In an effort to draw a more accurate portrait of who the College's underrepresented students are in relation to Complete College Georgia outreach efforts, the below table2 summarizes Fall Semester 2011 data findings.

Category

Part-Time

Full-Time

Total

Adult Learners3

777

548

1325

Students with disabilities

35

63

98

Military-related students4

88

181

269

First-generation5

640

878

1518

Total Unduplicated Headcount

1063

1204

2267

% of Population 38.14% 2.82% 7.74% 43.70% 65.26%

2 CCGA SIS Banner database, May 25, 2012 3 Students 25 years of age or older as of October 15, 2011 4 Unduplicated count of those who received Military Waiver or VA Benefits during Fall Semester 2011 5 Information on first generation status is only available for those who completed the FAFSA application
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College of Coastal Georgia Campus Plan Complete College Georgia
Appendix 2 Complete College Georgia Metrics6

Increase Access Ensur e Success Promote Engagemen

Element

Measure

Forging partnerships with the P-16 continuum Improving access and completion for underserved
Shortening timeto-degree
Restructuring instructional delivery
Transforming remediation

Number of students enrolled through K-12 partnerships
Number of students enrolled through technical college articulations
Number of student enrichment and mentorship programs
Number of first generation students (retention/graduation rates)# Number of Pell eligible students (retention/graduation rates)# Number of adult learners (retention/graduation rates)# Number of military veterans (retention/graduation rates)# Percent of full- and part-time students making satisfactory academic progress Number of inquiries, applications, admissions, and deposits from local and regional community groups, businesses, high schools and technical colleges 8-year rates of completion of FTF in Bachelor programs* 6-year rates of completion of FTF in Bachelor programs* 4-year rates of completion of FTF in Bachelor program* 4-year rate of completion of FTF in Associate programs* 3-year rates of completion of FTF in Associate programs* 2-year rates of completion of FTF in Associate programs* One-year retention rates* Number of credit hours at time of completion** Course completion ratio*** Number of student transfers retention/graduation rates elsewhere* Number of degrees conferred^ Number of formalized instructional improvement programs and participants Number of online and hybrid courses offered /completion rates Number of face-to-face course offerings / completion rates Number of eCore students enrolled Number of service-learning courses and community partnerships established Number of students and faculty participating in SmartMeasure Success rate of learning support students engaged in non-traditional courses Success rate in college-level math after completion of LS Math Success rate in college-level English after completion of LS English Success rate in college-level courses after completion of LS Reading Success rate in learning support courses Number of students enrolled in Summer Bridge Program and percent who transition into regular college-level courses Number of high school students placing out of LS prior to enrollment

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

* Calculated as a 3-year rolling average and disaggregated by: (a) students entering fulltime; (b) students entering part-time; (c) students entering on learning support programs; and (d) students entering on federal financial aid **Tracked for both native freshmen and transfer students as a rolling 3-year average *** Tracked by a rolling 3-year average at the System level ^Total number of Associate and Bachelor degrees awarded annually calculated as a rolling 3-year average #Calculated on a rolling 3-year average

6 Qualitative research methods student satisfaction surveys, focus groups will also be utilized accordingly to measure student retention and progression
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Part I: Columbus State University Metrics and Data Analysis
Goal: In accordance with the Columbus State University (CSU) mission "to achieve academic excellence" and "to achieve excellence in the student experience," the goal of the CSU Complete College Georgia plan is to increase postsecondary completion within our region. By 2020, our goal is to increase the number of students completing degree programs by 18%. This number equates to 1,400 students within various programs, which represents the gap between the current rate of 42% of Georgians with a certificate or degree and the CCA goal of 60% by 2020. Our share of the 18% increase is an estimated 200 additional graduates every year for 7 years for a total of 1,400 students. Goal Setting Process: A campus dialogue in April, 2012 included representatives from Academic Affairs, the Library, College Deans and Chairs, Faculty Senate, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, Military Affairs, the Math & Science Learning Center, UTeach Columbus, the First Year Experience Program, the Department of Basic Studies, the Adult Learning Consortium, the Student Government Association, as well as other interested students and faculty. CSU identified barriers to access and completion of degree programs offered at the certificate, associate, and baccalaureate levels. Ideas and recommendations were solicited and vetted at the meeting. A sub-group formed to draft the prospectus which was circulated electronically among all constituencies for review and revision. The CSU plan is based on the input from the above mentioned groups. Data analyzed to develop our strategies included CSU and USG program and institutional assessments, the Long Term Occupational Projections of the Lower Chattahoochee Workforce Investment Area (2008-2018), the results of the Adult Learner Inventory produced by Noel Levitz, materials presented at the Summit, as well as information gleaned from Complete College Georgia and Complete College America. This data informed the campus plan by assisting campus constituents in identifying issues which created barriers for student progress. An analysis of the data follows. Demographics and Service Area: CSU is the only public university within 50 miles and serves the counties of: Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Stewart, Talbot, Taylor, and Troup. The demographic data extracted from the US Census indicates that the population in Columbus State's service area is less likely to have a high school diploma or bachelor's degree than the overall population of Georgia or the nation (see Appendix 1). With the exception of Harris County, the region has a significantly higher proportion of citizens living below the poverty line and lower median household income than the rest of the state and nation. The highest annual job growth rates for bachelor's degrees in this economic region are projected to be in the area of education, particularly in Special Education, Kindergarten, and Elementary Education. Student Body Characteristics: Columbus State University currently enrolls 8,307 students, including an undergraduate student population of 7,037. The institution's population is comprised of 65% full-time students. The institution also follows national trends with the female population representing 60% of the student body. The student population is 55% white. The African American student population increased 5% over the past year and now comprises 32% of the student body. Columbus State University has the highest minority population in the state outside of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In surveys conducted in Fall 2011, 38% of freshmen responding reported that they were first generation college students. The CSU student population reflects the economic demographics of the region demonstrated in the 2010 US Census data. The financial needs of CSU undergraduate students (see Appendix 2) and confirm that the need for financial assistance is significant. The data also suggest several trends: 1. Although the overall undergraduate enrollment has grown over the past 3 years, full-time freshman enrollment has
declined by 130 students, or 9.8%, from Academic Year (AY) 2010 to AY 2012. 2. The number and percentage of CSU students receiving PELL awards has grown substantially over 3 years, and the
proportion of freshmen receiving PELL has increased by 5.37% since 2010. Almost half of all entering freshmen, 48.35%, are "at risk" according to our working definition of "high needs" students. For purposes of this application, "high-needs" students are defined as individuals that qualify for need-based financial assistance such as PELL grants. 3. Over the same period, funding for other need-based grants has substantially decreased, reducing opportunities to obtain financial assistance. Access Mission: Because there are no two-year USG colleges located within 50 miles, CSU is one of three "access" institutions designated by the University System of Georgia to serve students who do not meet regular admission standards and would
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otherwise be referred to a two-year institution. The University takes pride in its role as an access institution, but this role also decreases the overall student retention rate because these students are academically underprepared. Based on the CCG data, of the 237 students who needed remedial English and math, only 101 (42.62%) successfully completed the remedial coursework. The one-year retention rate for first-time, full-time access students enrolling in Fall 2010 was 59.5% and was 10.9% less than that of regularly admitted freshmen (70.4%). See Appendix 3 for retention data comparing non-learning support and learning support students. In Fall 2011, 27% of new freshmen were admitted through the access mission and 92% of students accepted under this mission required remedial math. Low Retention Rates: In 2010, CSU developed a comprehensive, three-year plan to address issues related to retention, progression, and graduation. Although the institution's retention rates have been relatively stable, they remain under the 70% threshold. The 2011 retention rate for first-time, full-time freshman was 68%. The Fall 2011 retention rate for first-time, fulltime freshman was 68%. This reflected a decrease of 1% from the previous year. The 6-Year Graduation rate is 30% reflecting a 2.0% decrease. The retention rates of first-time, full-time undergraduate students have fluctuated over the past six years and the rates range from 65% to 71% (see Appendix 2). Six-year graduation rates have decreased slightly from 32% for the 2000-2006 cohort to 31% for the 2005-2011 cohort demonstrating a 1% decrease over the past six years (see Appendix 3). Low Graduation Rates: Over the past five years, the six-year graduation rates have ranged from 28.7% to 32.6%. The AY 2011 six-year graduation rate is 30.3%. CCG data for the Fall 2004 cohort indicates that the graduation rate for students who took remedial courses at entry was only 19.7%. Full-time students in the 2004 cohort who received Pell Grant at entry had a graduation rate of 33.52%. Part-time students in the 2004 cohort had a six-year graduation rate of 16.55%. Time to graduation is significantly increased for students age 25 and older. Full-time students in this category took an average of 8.16 years to complete the bachelor's degree. Strengths: Columbus State University is fortunate to have several support resources already in place that will contribute to the Complete College Georgia initiative. These include the online Early Alert program which allows faculty to make referrals for students who are at risk of performing poorly or failing their classes. Also in use is the MAP-Works (Making Achievement Possible Works) program, an Educational Benchmarking Incorporated (EBI) which is used to specifically target first-year student success and retention. The midterm grade reporting system was implemented in Summer 2011 and will be used all faculty members teaching core courses in the College of Letters and Sciences in Fall 2012. This college represents the largest provider of core courses on the campus. CSU offers tutorial services at no additional cost to the student through three primary campus resources: the Math and Science Learning Center, the Office of Tutorial Services, and the Writing Center. Finally, the university has strong articulation agreements and partnerships with Andrew College, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Columbus Technical College, Georgia Military College, and West Georgia Technical College that provide seamless transfer opportunities for prospective students. Areas for Improvement/Key Gaps: At Columbus State University, there is a need to provide additional support for nontraditional students. A review of data demonstrates that although the university is committed to serving the traditional residential student, a significant percentage of students are from the Columbus area and more than 25 years of age. To that end, the Academic Center for Excellence has added an adult education specialist and is in the process of developing a location to serve the needs of the adult non-traditional student. A second need for improvement ascertained by the Columbus State University Complete College Task Force commissioned to review data and make recommendations to the Complete College Summit Team was that the Early Alert and MAP-Works systems are poorly utilized. Only 11 (2%) of 469 faculty members referred students to support services using the Early Alert system in 2011-2012. A review of ACE initiatives over the last year yields promise that the work of ACE directly with faculty will result in much higher utilization rates of the Early Alert and MAP-Works systems. What information is still needed? Columbus State University Complete College Task Force commissioned to review data and make recommendations to the Complete College Summit Team determined that there existed a lack of ability within the Columbus State University data storage system to make key connections between different sets of data. Being able to drill down and cross-check different data sets in real time is critical to reviewing student performance and being able to recommend appropriate interventions and resources when necessary. An example of this need is the recommendation by the
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Student Affairs Division that the capability be developed to ascertain first generation students and crosscheck performance by course with data from financial aid use. Many other such opportunities exist to review and analyze student data in order to recommend appropriate services and interventions for students.
Part II: Columbus State University Strategies and Objectives
The six strategies identified below will be implemented during Year 1 of the Complete College Georgia initiative. Each strategy has been specifically selected because of its ability to positively impact the access and retention rates of typically underserved populations (e.g. first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities).
Improving Access and Completion for Traditionally Underserved Students Columbus State University serves many students traditionally considered "underserved." While many of the strategies below can support student retention, progression, and graduation for the broad student population, many are particularly helpful for specific subgroups. For example, Strategy 4: Restructure Instructional Delivery, Objective 4.1 states: Identify courses with high percentages of non-productive grades in remedial education and in the core curriculum and provide supplemental instruction for those courses. While benefitting all students enrolled in these courses, this strategy will be particularly helpful for first generation students who may not have an understanding of the expectations of faculty in collegiate level course work; adult students who may be returning to the college classroom after an extended absence; and distance learning students who may be completing the course online and may not be aware of online assistance available to students in the course. This approach also acknowledges that many students fit into multiple categories of underserved students. For instance, a military student may also be an adult student who is attending CSU part-time due to ongoing military duties.
Strategy 1: Strengthen partnerships with P-12 Objective1.1: Retain dual (joint) enrollment students as regular freshmen.
Potential Efficacy: Recruiting from this population would provide an academically prepared market of students who have already begun their transition to higher education. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: The dual enrollment population at CSU has ranged from 29 to 53 students from AY 05-06 to AY 09-10. The percentage of dual enrollment students who have matriculated as regular freshman has ranged from 32% - 49%. However, the retention rate of these students to their second year of study is markedly higher than that of traditional freshmen ranging from 76% to 92% (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2012). Target student population(s): high school students and first generation students. Objective1.2: Provide intentional academic support for Early College students. Potential Efficacy: Since Fall 2008, Columbus State University has partnered with Muscogee County School district to provide college courses for students in the Early College Academy of Columbus. Establishing intentional academic support as a mandatory part of the Early College experience should support and increase student success to positively impact their academic performance. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: Of the 134 students served through the Early College program since Fall 2008, only 43% are still in good academic standing; 37% have had academic difficulties and have been placed on academic probation; and 21% have been placed on academic exclusion. Target student population(s): first generation students, low-income students, and students in need of learning support.
Strategy 2: Increase college and career readiness Objective 2.1: Increase the number of highly-qualified secondary education teachers in math and science to meet the demand for teachers in the STEM discipline in our P-12 partners through the UTeach Columbus Program.
Potential Efficacy: Providing highly qualified secondary education teachers in STEM fields for our local school districts should positively impact the math and science preparation of the high school students matriculating to Columbus State University. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: In 2011-2012, we had 6 program completers in current STEM secondary
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education programs (bachelor's and post-bacc). Our goal is to graduate 18 students from the program in 2015-2016 and graduate an average of 27 students per year thereafter. Target student population(s): high school students and first generation students Objective 2.2: Incorporate FYRS 1105: First-Year Seminar in a minimum of 3 traditional freshmen learning communities each term. Potential Efficacy: Incorporating the First-Year Seminar into the traditional learning communities will provide new students a supportive transition to the higher education setting. This transitional experience is significant for all students as they 1) adapt to increased academic expectations; 2) select appropriate co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for their personal and academic growth; and 3) manage their higher education experience within the larger context of their personal lives. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: The retention rate for non-learning support students in the First Year Seminar has surpassed the rate for those in the Freshman Learning Communities. In AY 10-11, students who completed the First Year Experience through a Freshman Learning Community had a 70.4% retention rate compared to 75% for non- learning support students taking the First Year Seminar. In AY 09-10, the numbers were 74.5% for students in learning communities and 70 % for non-learning support students in FYRS 1105 (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2012). Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of first generation students, part-time and working students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities.
Strategy 3: Decrease time to degree completion Objective3.1: Use online and print media to advertise and promote existing prior learning assessment opportunities available at CSU such as the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), etc.
Potential Efficacy: While these opportunities already exist at CSU, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) are the main sources for awarding credit for prior learning. As a whole, prior learning options are not publicized in a manner that increases student awareness of their availability. Prior learning assessment opportunities allow students to save both time and money by allowing them to earn credit for knowledge and skills they have already acquired. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: Only 33.96% of adult students who transfer to CSU complete a four-year degree within 6 years while the number drops precipitously to 18.03% for transfer students who took remedial courses at entry (CCG Data, 2011). While CSU accepts credit from AP, IB, CLEP, and DANTES, most of the credit received traditionally comes from AP or IB sources as opposed to CLEP or DANTES. In Fall 2011, 91% of the credit was from AP and IB sources while only 9% came from CLEP or DANTES. Since Spring 2006, an average of 71% of the credit has been from AP and IB and only 29% from CLEP or DANTES (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2012). Target student population(s): transfer students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, part-time and working students, and low income students. Objective3.2: Establish flexible course offerings to meet the needs of various student populations (including early morning and late evening offerings; five and eight week offerings; and weekend course offerings). Potential Efficacy: The establishment of flexible course offerings allows students more opportunities to manage the school-work-personal life balance. Students who are unable to achieve this balance are often frustrated and either stop out or drop out. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: The Adult Learner Inventory was administered in Spring 2011 and was completed by 279 students. Three items which indicated challenges related to course scheduling were:
1. My program allows me to pace my studies to fit my life and work schedules. 2. Sufficient course offerings within my program of study are available each term. 26. I am able to choose course delivery that fits my life circumstances.
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Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of adult students, military students, part-time and working students, transfer students, and distance learning students. Objective3.3: Develop or revise articulation agreements with two-year and technical colleges. Potential Efficacy: Articulation agreements will provide students and advisor with reliable information regarding transferability of coursework from another institution. It provides students who intend to transfer to CSU a guide through which they can strategically complete courses at the initial institution to reduce unnecessary repetition. This will result in better utilization of the student's time and use of financial aid funds. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: From 2007-2011, there was a 68% increase in the number of transfer students from Columbus Technical College and a 38.7% increase in transfers from Georgia institutions outside of the University System (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2011). Data from the USG indicate that students who transfer in 30 or fewer credits require an average of 4.65 years to complete a bachelor's degree. Students who transfer in 31-59 credits require an average of 3.74 additional years to complete a bachelor's degree. Students transferring in 60 or more credits still take an average of 2.97 years to complete a bachelor's degree (CCG Data, 2011). Target student population(s): transfer students, part-time and working students, adult students, military students, distance learning students, and low income students.
Strategy 4: Restructure instructional delivery Objective 4.1: Identify courses with high percentages of non-productive grades in remedial education and in the core curriculum and provide supplemental instruction for those courses.
Potential Efficacy: This will provide increased academic support for students in courses that have statistically higher rates of grades of D, F, WF, or W. Over the past year, non-productive grade rates for core courses spiked in spring term. Supplemental instruction services may need to be more heavily promoted in all spring courses. Relationship to Specific Metrics & Goals: In 2010-2011, 40.42% of grades in remedial courses reflected grades of D, F, WF, or W. In Fall 2010, there was a 29% rate in grades of D, F, WF, or W in core courses. In Spring 2011, the percentage increased to 41%. We will continue analyze this data to determine if these grades occurred primarily in sequenced courses where the content became more challenging (CHEM 1212: Principles of Chemistry 2; ENGL 1102: English Composition 2, etc.) or if the non-productive grades were spread evenly in courses across the core. Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 4.2: Promote and support faculty development in alternative pedagogical delivery approaches that address the needs of millennial learners. Potential Efficacy: Additional faculty development can increase the understanding of the needs of 21st century learners and provide effective delivery strategies to meet these needs without compromising the academic rigor of the course or academic program. Relationship to Specific Metrics & Goals: The results of the Spring 2011 administration of the Adult Learner Inventory indicate that students find it challenging to pace their studies so that it fits into their life and work schedules. This is evident in the fact that in 2008-2009, the average length of time to complete a baccalaureate degree was 5.18 years. However, it took an average of 8.16 years for an adult student to complete a four-year degree. This may be, in part, due to the difficulty of integrating courses into their life and work schedules. Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 4.3: Review each major to identify scheduling barriers to degree completion Potential Efficacy: Review each program of study to identify any courses or transition points that create bottlenecks that prohibit student progression. This will allow department chairs and deans an opportunity to search for solutions that will allow students to progress in a timely manner.
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Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: For students graduating in 2009-2010, the average time to degree ranged from 3.63 years for students majoring in Music Performance to 9.86 years for students majoring in Applied Computer Science. All majors other than Music Performance had an average degree completion time of greater than 4 years (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2010). Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 4.4: Provide existing online programs resources which allow for expansion Potential Efficacy: Supporting existing online programs will increase capacity and allow the programs to increase the number of students served. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: Programs such as Communication and General Business have developed online options for students who wish to complete their programs of study online. For students graduating in 2009-2010, the average time to degree completion for Communication majors was 8.49 years and 6.93 years for General Business majors (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2010). Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of part-time and working students, distance learning students, adult students, and military students. Objective 4.5: Establish the CSU Complete College Council in Fall 2012 to consider the strategic implementation of new initiatives that have proven potential to support student learning and increase student success. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: The Council will monitor the progress of each initiative monthly to ensure that initiatives are moving forward and that the established objectives are being accomplished. Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Strategy 5: Transform remediation Objective 5.1: Train faculty and staff to use the online Early Alert and MAP-Works systems to identify and refer students in need of academic support Potential Efficacy: This will provide faculty and staff members an opportunity to better understand the needs of the millennial learner and how they can provide support while maintaining high academic standards. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: Data provided by the USG indicate that of the 1,114 first-time, full-time freshman in 2007, only 531 (47.67%) completed at least one entry, college-level math and English course within two academic years of entry (CCG Data, 2011). Target student population(s): all students to include the populations of first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 5.2: Provide specific training for all tutors to prepare them to meet the needs of learners who may have needs, learning styles, or abilities which differ from their own. Potential Efficacy: Training for tutors in this area will provide essential information on methods for individualizing tutorial sessions to best suit the learning style and needs of the millennial learner. Relationship to Specific Metrics & Goals: Although the official 2011-2012 data is pending from the three tutorial services providers on campus, there were a minimum of 6,725 student visits to the three centers for academic assistance. This high volume of use demonstrates the need to ensure each tutor has adequate training to meet the needs of the students served. Target student population(s): students with disabilities, first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, and low income students.
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Objective 5.3: Redesign remediation to feature modules that address specific student needs and provide "just-in-time" instruction to shorten the time needed to complete certificate or degree requirements.
Potential Efficacy: This approach will allow students to meet their remedial needs without being locked into semesterlong courses. This will be especially helpful for the large number of students who need remedial math. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: This is related to data on enrollment and success in remedial courses. Of the 1,114 first time students entering in Fall 2007, 21.27% required remedial course work in math, English, or both subjects (CCG Data, 2011). In Fall 2011, 92% of students accepted under the access mission required remedial math (CSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, 2011). Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities.
Strategy 6: Identify and utilize appropriate analytics, metrics, and data Objective 6.1: Create a dashboard to track data that will support the Complete College Georgia and Complete College CSU initiatives.
Potential Efficacy: Data will be transparent and available to faculty, staff, and administrators. This will provide a sound platform for informed decision-making. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: While institutional data can readily be found online (http://ir.columbusstate.edu/index.php), the development of a dashboard specifically tracking Complete College metrics will provide measures to track the progress of each initiative. Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 6.2: Align CSU's short term and long term strategic plans with CCG. Potential Efficacy: Linking the Complete College Georgia initiative to the mission of the university and the Columbus State University Strategic Plan communicates clearly to campus community and the community at large that the institution is serious about this effort. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: This relates specifically to the goal of increasing efficiencies through the use of data and analytics. Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 6.3: Investigate institutional membership in a research collaborative. Potential Efficacy: Membership in such a collaborative would allow the university to advance research into issues related to retention, progression, and graduation without placing additional burdens on an already heavily-encumbered infrastructure. Relationship to Specific Metrics and Goals: This supports the goal of increasing efficiencies by allowing an external entity to assist with research related to student retention, persistence, and graduation. Target student population(s): first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities.
Part III: Columbus State University Planning and Implementation Process
Strategy 1: Strengthen partnerships with P-12 Objective1.1: Retain dual (joint) enrollment students as regular freshmen. The initial goal is to increase matriculation rates of dual enrollment students to at least 50% in Fall 2013. This initiative will begin in Fall 2012 and will be facilitated by the Director of Recruitment in the Division of Enrollment Management. The Director of Recruitment will identify dual enrollment
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students to department chairs and deans based on their intended major so that they may contact, or have appropriate faculty from their particular area contact dual enrollment students to recruit them into their program as continuing majors. Dual enrollment students will also be contacted by CSU recruiters with promotional and programmatic information regarding a new initiative soon to be announced which targets and supports students with academic profiles similar to that of dual enrollment students. This objective will target high school students, particularly those who are first generation college students. It will provide them with opportunities for personal contact with faculty members and department chairs in their areas of interest to persuade them to continue their education at CSU after the completion of high school. Objective1.2: Provide intentional academic support for Early College students. Beginning Fall 2012, the Director of the Academic Center for Excellence and the Coordinator of the Early College (EC) program will review the schedules of the Early College students. 20 of the 24 EC students are currently enrolled in a foreign language course. These students will attend weekly tutorial sessions in this area. Additional tutorial support for their other courses will be organized on an individual basis through the CSU Coordinator of the Early College program. This effort is intended to reduce the number of Early College students placed on probation and exclusion by 10%. This initiative targets first generation students who have the potential to be academically successful, but who may be academically and economically underprepared for the challenges they will face in the collegiate environment.
Strategy 2: Increase college and career readiness Objective 2.1: Increase the number of highly-qualified secondary education teachers in math and science to meet the demand for teachers in the STEM disciplines through the UTeach Columbus Program. Beginning Fall 2012, the Project Co-Directors will collect and report retention rates of students enrolled in secondary education majors in the STEM fields each semester. This objective specifically targets high school students working with UTeach scholars from CSU and first generation students who may not otherwise consider a degree or career in the STEM fields. Objective 2.2: Incorporate FYRS 1105: First-Year Seminar in a minimum of 3 freshmen learning communities each term. This will be organized by the Director of the First Year Experience Program in Fall 2012 and will be implemented in Spring 2013. This initiative will be expanded to provide specific sections of FYRS 1105 that target distinct sub-populations such as military students, online students, and/or adult learners. Providing specialized sections for different groups of students can provide them with more precise information to promote their academic success. All entering freshmen and students transferring with less than 30 credit hours are required to complete the First Year Experience requirement by completing FYRS 1105: First-Year Seminar or by participating in a learning community.
Strategy 3: Decrease Time to Degree Objective3.1: Use online and print media to advertise and promote existing prior learning assessment opportunities available at CSU (e.g. CLEP, DANTES, etc.) to all adult students. New online and print advertising will be developed by the Coordinator for Adult Re-Entry in Fall 2012. This objective will particularly be advantageous for students who may have accomplished collegiate-level outcomes outside of the university environment. Specifically, this can assist adult students, military students, part-time and working students, and low income students in reaching their academic goals in a more expedient fashion while reducing the overall cost of their education. Objective3.2: Establish flexible course offerings to meet the needs of various student populations (including early morning and late evening offerings; five and eight week offerings; and weekend course offerings). This will be implemented by department chairs as they develop course schedules for Spring 2013. The dean of each college will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining this effort. While beneficial to all students, this endeavor will assist adult students, military students, part-time and working students, transfer students, and distance learning students. While each population may have different reasons for needing flexible schedule options, this will allow these students to take courses regardless of their occupation or geographic location. Objective3.3: Develop or revise articulation agreements with two-year and technical colleges. The Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education will update the five existing agreements by December 2012. This objective will benefit transfer students from a variety of technical and community colleges. Many students who transfer from these institutions are also part-
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time and working students, adult students, military students, distance learning students, and low income students. This initiative will allow them to complete courses at the two-year college in an intentional manner and will provide a seamless transfer process to CSU.
Strategy 4: Restructure Instructional Delivery Objective 4.1: Identify courses with high percentages of non-productive grades in remedial education and in the core curriculum and provide supplemental instruction for those courses. The Director of the Academic Center for Excellence will collaborate with the directors of other tutorial service providers to provide supplemental instruction in a minimum of 25% of the core and remedial courses with high non-productive grade rates beginning Fall 2012. The percentage of students served will incrementally increase by 15%-20% each year. This objective targets students who may need additional assistance because they have come to CSU academically underprepared in a specific content area and those who have been away from educational setting for an extended period of time. Objective 4.2: Promote and support faculty development in alternative pedagogical approaches that address the needs of millennial learners. The Director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning will organize and provide at least one on-campus training each month to address this topic. The Director was hired on August 1, 2012 and is currently developing the 2012-2013 calendar of faculty development opportunities that address the needs of millennial learners. This initiative has the potential to support the success of all students, but particularly those who are transitioning to higher education after an extended absence (adult learners) or first generation students who are adapting to and developing an understanding of the higher education setting. Objective 4.3: Review each major to identify scheduling barriers to degree completion. The Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education will survey department chairs in Fall 2012 to gather data regarding transition points or courses that negatively impact student progress (i.e. too much student demand/not enough availability of courses). The Dean and Provost will assist in the process of data analysis to determine where resources are most needed to address the need for additional faculty, physical space, or course materials. This objective should also benefit all students by identifying barriers and by addressing those through process improvement plans or by allocating additional resources when needed. Objective 4.4: Provide existing online programs resources which allow for expansion. In Fall 2012, department chairs with online programs will work with the Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to gather data regarding courses or services which are not currently staffed at a level to meet student demand. This endeavor will be particularly helpful to reduce the stop-out or drop-out rates of part-time and working students, distance learning students, adult students, and military students who need to complete their courses or degrees online. Objective 4.5: Establish the CSU Complete College Council in Fall 2012 to consider the strategic implementation of new initiatives that have proven potential to support student learning and increase student success. This activity will provide a multidisciplinary group through which new student support initiatives can be examined to determine if the initiatives are costeffective in terms of potential benefits for students.
Strategy 5: Transform Remediation Objective 5.1: Train at least 70% of faculty and staff to use the online Early Alert and MAP-Works systems to identify and refer students in need of academic support. The Director of the Academic Center for Excellence will begin monthly training sessions for all faculty members in Fall 2012. While this effort will benefit all students, it will provide additional assistance for individuals in specific subgroups who have a high potential to leave the university due to an unsuccessful academic, economic, or social transition. These include first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 5.2: Provide specific training for all tutors to prepare them to meet the needs of learners who may have needs, learning styles, or abilities which differ from their own. The Coordinator of Tutorial Services will work with the Director of Disability Services to schedule training in Fall 2012. This objective will support the success of students with disabilities, first
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generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, and low income students. Objective 5.3: Redesign remediation to feature modules that address specific student needs and provide "just-in-time" instruction to shorten the time needed to complete certificate or degree requirements. The Chair of the Department of Basic Studies will work with program faculty to commission the development of these modules (number of modules to be determined) in Fall 2012. This initiative is particularly designed to support students who need learning support in a particular area by providing them an opportunity to complete the material that they need to be academically successful.
Strategy 6: Identify and utilize appropriate analytics, metrics, and data Objective 6.1: Create a dashboard to track data that will support the Complete College Georgia and Complete College CSU initiatives. The Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness and the Chief Information Officer will complete the development of this product in Summer 2012. This objective will be particularly helpful in determining how successful the university is in retaining and providing adequate assistance to specific student populations. These include, but are not limited to first generation students, part-time and working students, transfer students, distance learning students, students in need of learning support, adult students, military students, low income students, and students with disabilities. Objective 6.2: Align CSU's short term and long term strategic plans with Complete College Georgia. The Provost and the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management will lead the strategic planning process which is to be completed by December 2012. This objective will benefit all students as it will guide all constituents of the university to meeting the needs of all students. Objective 6.3: Investigate institutional membership in a research collaborative. One collaborative has been interviewed by the Provost and the Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness and others are scheduled. This endeavor will serve to inform the efforts of the University in serving the diverse student population that is CSU.
Part IV: Columbus State University Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation Plan
Specific individuals have been tasked with leadership of each initiative and will comprise the CSU Complete College Council. The Council represents a broad-based constituency from across the campus and includes the following individuals: Director of Recruitment; Director of the Academic Center for Excellence; Coordinator of Tutorial Services; Director of the Writing Center, Director of the Math and Science Learning Center; Coordinator of Adult Re-Entry; Director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning; Director of the First Year Experience Program; Chair of the Department of Basic Studies; Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Chief Information Officer; the dean of each college/library (5); Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education; Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the Provost. The Council will meet monthly. Each individual will be responsible for gathering and reporting the data to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education on a schedule determined appropriate for each specific initiative.
CSU would like to implement the initiatives listed above for first three years of this plan to allow time to monitor and adjust the approaches and determine the effectiveness of each. In the spirit of continuous improvement, these activities will be reviewed and modified by the CSU Complete College Council. The Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness will provide leadership for the analysis of data. Data will be compared, when possible, to comparator and aspirant peers to determine progress relative to these indicators. Modifications will be implemented only after the need is indicated by intensive study and review of the data. The dashboard project that will be implemented by the end of Summer 2011 will provide the Council with real-time data that will provided the basis for sound decision-making.
Columbus State University is committed to providing data regarding these initiatives to appropriate individuals in a timely manner. Information about Complete College Georgia and Complete College CSU will be shared on a publically available website to be maintained by Academic Affairs. The information will be available to CSU faculty, staff, and administrators through the dashboard. It will also be communicated through designated communication points such as Faculty Senate, Chairs Assembly, Deans Council, Academic Council, and the President's Cabinet.
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Appendix
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Appendix 1: Demographic Description of CSU Service Area

Demographic Information % White % Black % Hispanic or Latino origin % Identifying as 2 or More races % High School Graduates % Bachelor's degrees % Below Poverty Line (2006-10) Median Household Income (2006-10)

Georgia Counties in CSU Service Area Muscogee Harris Marion Stewart Talbot

46.3

79.3 60.0 28.0 39.0

45.5

17.2 32.7 47.3 59.2

6.4

2.7

6.5

24.0 1.3

Taylor
58.2 39.3 1.8

Troup
61.5 33.4 3.2

State Nation

Georgia United

States

59.7 72.4

13.3 12.6

8.8

16.3

3.0

1.5 1.6 1.0

1.0 0.8 1.5 2.1

2.9

83.8

88.5 80.2 70.4 78.7 63.5 79.3 83.5 85.0

21.6

27.4 6.8 11.0 10.9 7.4 19.4 27.2 27.9

18.2

9.0 22.0 24.2 23.5 33.1 19.8 15.7 13.8

$41,331 $67,018 $31,581 $30,954 $33,870 $25,237 $41,770 $49,347 $51,914

US Census Data. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13000.html.

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Appendix 2: Financial Needs of Columbus State University Undergraduate Students

AY 2010 AY 2011 AY 2012

Total Number of Undergraduate Students

6,969

7,069

7,037

Number (Percentage) of undergraduate students awarded 2,580

3,095

3,302

PELL

(37.02%) (43.78%) (46.92%)

Number of Other Undergraduate Students Awarded Other 730

719

259

Need-Based Grants

Total Number of Full-Time Freshmen

1,319

1,240

1,189

Number (Percentage) of Full-Time Freshmen Awarded PELL 567

586

575

(42.98%) (47.25%) (48.35%)

Number of other Full-Time Freshmen Awarded other

300

272

32

Need-Based Grants

Source: Data from Columbus State University Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness

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Appendix 3: Retention Rates for Students Based on Learning Support Status

Disaggregated Category Non-Learning Support Learning Support Total Cohort

AY 02-03 70.1%
67.4%
69.6%

AY 03-04 73.4%
59.9%
71.3%

AY 04-05 71.2%

AY 05-06 68.5%

AY 06-07 74.7%

AY 07-08 71.1%

AY 08-09 67.9%

AY 09-10 72.1%

61.2% 59.5% 54.3% 58.6% 46.3% 54.7%

70.1% 67.1% 70.3% 68.4% 63.3% 68.1%*

*Although retention appears to have improved for the 2009-10 cohort after the first year of the FYE program, the 2008-09 retention rate was abnormally low, inflating the appearance of change.

Source: Data from Columbus State University Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness

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Appendix 4: One-Year Retention Rates of First-Time Full-Time Freshmen

Bachelor's Degree One Year Retention Rate First-Time Full-Time Freshmen

Percen t

80 74

76

74

69

74

75

70

60 68

71

69

65

69

68

50

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Cohort

CSU Specific

Systemwide

Source: University System of Georgia, Academic DataMart, and/or Student Information Reporting System

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Appendix 5: Six-Year Graduation Rates of First-Time Full-Time Freshmen

Bachelor's Degree Six-Year Graduation

Rates First-Time Full-Time Freshmen

Percen t

45 37 40

38

35

39

41

38

35

30

25 32 20

31

29

33

33

31

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Cohort

CSU Specific

Systemwide

Source: University System of Georgia, Academic DataMart, and/or Student Information Reporting System

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COMPLETE COLLEGE GEORGIA Dalton State College Campus Plan
Introduction
Dalton State College is pleased to participate in the Complete College Georgia initiative, as the initiative encompasses and expands some of the self-assessments we were either already doing or were developing plans to do in the near future. Complete College Georgia has given us a more structured format within which to work as well as provided us with a vehicle to engage the overall campus community across divisions through a variety of venues. Our plan broadens the opportunities for personnel in academic affairs and student services to collaborate more fully in achieving shared institutional goals. The plan supports our institutional mission by encouraging the development of "broad access to quality education"; "partnerships between the College and Northwest Georgia businesses and industries, governments, and schools"; "high levels of student achievement"; and especially "continuous improvement . . . through the use of inclusive, participatory planning and meaningful assessment."
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis
Following the system-wide Complete College Georgia summit in Athens in March, our five-member team became the CCG Steering Committee at Dalton State. This Committee is comprised of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services (VPESS), the Director for Institutional Research, the Assistant VPES, and a professor of psychology. The Steering Committee set up a regular weekly meeting time to both work on plan development and review data and relevant literature. The vice presidents discussed the CCG initiative with their respective leadership teams, and the VPAA made a presentation about the initiative at the end-of-year faculty meeting. Steering Committee members further discussed the initiative at various meetings and with other individuals on campus. On June 6, 2012, all personnel at the Director level and above--across divisions, including the President--attended an all-day retreat focused on team building, data sharing, and framework development for our CCG plan. The ideas from the retreat were captured in a matrix and will be shared with the campus community for feedback. The community is also being kept informed through newspaper articles, presentations at civic groups, and the Archway Collaborative.
We initially noted we needed to strengthen our data collection, management, and analytic capabilities. Since the March summit, we have developed a system to centralize most of the data we need to capture, but we still do not have the tools to do analytics-- particularly predictive analyses. We discussed our data system needs with the Chancellor and his staff at our spring budget hearing, and we were awarded a line item in our FY13 budget to fund a data analytics software package and hire a research analyst. We have now hired the analyst and purchased the software package, iDashboards. We're also considering an analytics package produced by Desire2Learn when our campus converts to the D2L learning support system in spring 2013. Consequently, we should see improvement in our data efforts for the new school year.
Our data collection and analysis process is a multi-departmental effort. Our Office of Computing and Information Services mines student Banner data and creates a database easily accessible by our data analyst in the Department of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP). The data analyst then performs statistical analysis on the data and produces detailed interpretive reports. These reports are then submitted to the administration and discussed. Once all relevant data analysis scripts have been written, the production of data-based reports will be fast and easy. Reports will be released, updated, and disseminated to the entire campus community each semester. Along with these reports, our new iDashboards software will allow for real-time monitoring of our goals and student populations, thereby enhancing overall campus responsibility for student success.
By analyzing data, we have identified several groups that appear to need extra attention because of low performance, slow progress, or attrition. These groups include part-time students (who have a lower-than-average GPA of 2.53 and course completion rate of 77%), African-American students (2.06 GPA and 70% course completion rate), two-year transfer associate degree students (2.35 GPA), first generation students, learning support students, and adult learners (a lower-than-average course completion rate of 78%). Low income is also a barrier for our students, and it is pervasive across the student body. In fall 2011, for example, 85% of Dalton State's students received some type of financial aid--60% of it need-based. We do not currently have reliable data on military students, but we have begun collecting this information from new fall 2012 students. We also need to gather data on the number of course repeats and withdrawals as well as determine why students drop classes. In addition, we need data from our academic resource offices and our academic labs along with data on the effectiveness of various interventions, such as the First Year Experience program. The IRP, in cooperation with relevant other departments, is developing methods of collecting this data. For example, Math/Science Lab attendance may be monitored by instituting a student ID policy in which a student is required to swipe his or her ID card before he or she enters the lab. This will allow the College to track how many times particular students use the lab and ascertain whether or not lab use correlates with successful course completion.
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One of our strengths in terms of developing and implementing this plan is the collaboration between academic affairs and enrollment and student services. We are a very student-centered campus, with many faculty and staff willing to go far beyond what is required in order to help students succeed. For example, during the 2011-2012 school year we had 65 faculty members volunteer to participate in a campus-wide course redesign initiative. This initiative focused on a learning-centered approach, and it required attending a number of meetings, reading relevant material, working through a workbook and online tutorial, and committing to redesign at least one course for fall 2012. They received no additional compensation for that effort, but they were motivated by their desire to improve student achievement of learning outcomes. Similarly, our Financial Aid staff frequently work longer hours than their peers and try all possible means to help students secure needed funds. Our library is a tremendous asset, both for human and mixed media resources. Our professional degree programs fare well, such as Nursing and Education, possibly because of higher program-specific admission requirements, use of cohorts, and highly structured curricula. Our ASN 2-Year Nursing students, for instance, have a high average GPA of 3.08. Our four-year degree students perform, persist, and graduate at higher rates than our two-year and certificate program students. Our white and Hispanic/Latino students perform similarly well, and both groups perform better than our African American students. Our full-time students have higher rates of success than our part-timers. We are also seeing positive results from our early intervention programs. Our staff conduct college readiness programs in local high schools, we offer a Near Peer program with our County schools that involves college students serving as tutors and mentors for high school students, we host a Summer Bridge program every year for low achieving high school graduates who want to go to college to give them a chance to hone their basic skills so as to be eligible for admission, and we host a Summer Academy each year for high school students who want additional academic help. For example, in fall 2011 the need for remedial college courses fell by 43% among those students completing the Near Peer program. These students also showed average score gains of 33% in algebra, 23% in writing, and 12% in reading.
Despite these successful activities, we have identified some areas for improvement. We need to continue to strengthen our crossdivisional collaboration as personnel changes occur and job responsibilities shift. In addition to our data issues and the particular groups of students who are not performing, persisting, or completing well (discussed above), we have agreed that we must do a better job overall with communication on campus at all levels. We need to strengthen our partnerships with the local P-12 systems and GA Northwestern Technical College so as to establish a seamless educational system in this region. The College will support economic development plans and projected job needs for the NW Georgia region in the following industries: chemistry, communications, health and human services, entrepreneurship, and informational technology. We are working with both the P-12 systems and GA Northwestern Technical College to identify relevant career pathways and articulation agreements to build workforce capacity in those areas in particular. We are in the midst of redesigning our advising and First Year Experience programs, both of which have moved from student services to academic affairs in summer 2012. In addition, we are revising our Early Alert program so that we might more effectively identify students who need help earlier on in the semester. We need to improve our use of technology in the classroom, and in particular we need to develop more hybrid and online courses and programs to provide alternative delivery methods. Dalton State College is collaborating with other USG institutions to improve access and success for Latino students. Perhaps one of our greatest challenges and areas for improvement is the resistance to change on the part of some faculty and staff. We need a large scale culture change on our campus that focuses on service excellence and everyone--including the students themselves--taking responsibility for student success.
We have identified some of our data and programmatic gaps, but we require other things as well to help us implement this plan. One is a centralized calendar that can capture all manner of campus events, from those that are cultural and social in nature which help to build campus community to those directly connected to the classroom. We need to offer a wider variety of course delivery formats (i.e., evening/weekend classes, fully online classes, split sessions, modular self-paced). Limited resources create challenges in meeting these goals, and additional funds would assist with implementation of these objectives.
Complete College Georgia Goals for Dalton State 1. Dalton State will partner with local P-12 systems to ensure students graduate high school and enter college with the knowledge and skills necessary to complete college-level work. 2. Dalton State will serve as the point of access to higher education and provide targeted academic support services for underserved populations in Northwest Georgia. 3. Dalton State will identify alternative delivery methods, policy changes, and services needed to shorten the traditional time needed to earn a degree. 4. Dalton State will examine and pilot alternative instructional delivery methods that lead to increased student engagement. 5. Dalton State will review the current learning support course format and make modifications that will lead to increased student mastery of learning support requirements. 6. Dalton State will transform our campus culture to reflect our sense of community and institutional pride.
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Part II: Strategies and Objectives
In a collaborative effort between the administration, staff, and faculty, the College has developed the following strategies and objectives for improving the College's service to its service area:
1. Partnerships with P-12 The Dalton/Whitfield County area has one of the lowest academic attainment rates of the state, with only about 15% of adult community residents holding a 4-year degree, compared to approximately 27% statewide. While 53% of service area high school graduates go to college, only 33% choose to attend Dalton State. Further, approximately 60% of students entering Dalton State College for the first time require at least one area of learning support; a large number of these students are coming directly from our local school systems yet do not have the requisite knowledge and skills to successfully complete college level work. Our data show that students requiring learning support are less likely to be retained and/or complete a certificate or degree program. In addition, there is currently minimal connection, communication and/or collaboration between faculty, staff, and administrators at Dalton State and the local P12 systems in our 10-county service area.
Strategy: Dalton State College will enhance the articulation of common goals, needs, and interests with the P-12 academic community in our 10-county service area with the intended outcomes of more students choosing to attend DSC after they graduate from high school, better alignment of curricula between the core curriculum at DSC and the common core being implemented in the local P-12 high schools, and development of academic skills in P-12 students to ensure their readiness for college level work, thus requiring fewer high school graduates to need learning support on entering college.
Objective 1: Expand the communication and collaboration between Dalton State faculty and staff and the faculty and staff in the P-12 systems that serve as feeders to DSC. This will involve outreach to faculty, staff and administrators in the P-12 systems, and targeted efforts to share information and support each other's goals.
Objective 2: Collaborate with the P-12 systems to improve college enrollment, readiness, and success of high school graduates. We will begin by increasing involvement with the Dalton City and Whitfield County systems. We will also expand involvement in those school systems where we have already established relationships because of other projects in the past, such as Murray County, Calhoun City, and Catoosa County.
2. Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved Since its inception, Dalton State has had an access mission, with the goal of improving the academic attainment of residents in the NW Georgia community. Although in fall 2011 Dalton State implemented admission requirements as approved by the Board of Regents, it is still primarily an access institution. However, recent data analyses indicate that while some students who enroll at DSC do well, others struggle to meet academic expectations, remain consistently enrolled, and/or complete their selected program of study. The student populations we have identified as have particular need of additional assistance are part-time, AfricanAmerican, older (25+) adult, first generation, and learning support students. As shown previously, these student groups carry a lower GPA or course completion rate than the average Dalton State student. We do not currently have data on military students, but they are included in our Adult Learning Consortium efforts. We also know that income is an issue for a majority of our students, since 85% of our students received some type of financial aid in fall 2011, 60% of which was primarily need-based.
Strategy: Our goal is to better understand the particular needs of these identified populations and develop intervention/support services that will increase their likelihood of success. Our intended outcomes include better aligning our intervention/support services to meet high-risk students' needs and increase their performance, retention and graduation.
Objective 1: We will more thoroughly assess the needs of the identified student populations who appear to need additional targeted intervention/support services, determining any areas that need special assistance.
Objective 2: We will identify barriers to success, such as policies and/or procedures that may need revision. Examples include restricting the number of times a student can repeat the same course and limiting the number of times a student can withdraw from a course without penalty.
Objective 3: DSC will engage in targeted marketing efforts to reach traditionally unserved student populations, encouraging them to enroll and informing them of the programs and services available to assist them in being successful students. Some success has been noted through our involvement with the Adult Learning Consortium and subsequent "Quick Admit" days.
Objective 4: Initiate new services and expand/enhance existing ones to better assist high risk students in being successful.
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3. Shorten Time to Degree Many students at Dalton State accumulate far more hours than needed to meet the requirements of a certificate or degree program without ever graduating. For example, 17% of all current students have more credits than necessary--9% of students in Bachelor programs, 21% for Associate programs, 30% for Certificate programs, and 33% of Mini-Certificate programs. Others extend their time at DSC far beyond the generally accepted limit for completion of a certificate or degree, whether 2-year or 4-year. For instance, 22% of all current students have taken more than 150% of the expected completion time for their program--14% of students in Bachelor programs, 20% for Associate programs, 56% for Certificate programs, and 64% of Mini-Certificate programs. We will address this situation through better advising, alternative scheduling and course formatting, and policy changes.
Strategy: Students will take only the required number of hours to complete the credential they are seeking (certificate, 2year degree, 4-year degree), and they will complete their program within 150% of the time required for full-time.
Objective 1: DSC faculty and staff will provide better advising services to ensure consistency, continuity, and the development and implementation of completion plans.
Objective 2: The DSC administration will expand on current efforts related to alternative course credit allocation, alternative scheduling, and alternative delivery formats to better accommodate working adults.
Objective 3: The DSC administration will consider policy revisions that will encourage students to complete their programs in a timely manner.
4. Restructure Instructional Delivery Research suggests that increased student engagement leads to improved student achievement of learning outcomes. For most courses, this suggests a move from traditional methods to evidence-based pedagogy in a more active classroom environment. Increased integration of new technological tools into the learning process can also enhance student engagement both inside and outside of the classroom. Last year, DSC initiated a course redesign project that involved 65 faculty volunteer participants across campus. They studied course redesign from a learning-centered perspective, engaged in small group discussions, and actively redesigned at least one course to teach differently this fall. We will continue building on this effort and introduce other efforts to improve instructional delivery.
Strategy: DSC will increase expectations for faculty involvement in professional development activities so as to improve and enhance instructional delivery. The College will also provide faculty development opportunities to equip faculty with new ideas, perspectives, and tools to engage in more effective instructional delivery methods. The intent of both strategies is to increase student engagement and thereby improve student achievement of learning outcomes. A part of this redesign also requires students to assume more responsibility for their own learning.
Objective 1: Implement an annual individualized instructional assessment for faculty to identify areas for improvement and develop a plan for addressing those areas.
Objective 2: Decrease D/F/W rates in all courses such that they do not exceed 30% of students enrolled in the course, and include the measurement of these rates in the faculty evaluation process.
Objective 3: Increase faculty development opportunities and expectations for involvement with an emphasis on implementation of evidence-based pedagogy and effective instructional practices to improve student success and course completion.
Objective 4: Expand hybrid and online course offerings, including quality control measures and training for faculty preparing to teach them for the first time.
Objective 5: Improve first year students' retention and success rates through a redesign of the First Year Experience course and overall program. This will include the establishment of a First Year Learning Initiative and criteria for credentialing FYLI courses based on best practices.
5. Transforming Remediation Approximately 60% of new students at DSC require at least one area of learning support. While some students successfully complete their learning support requirement on the first attempt (66.9% in Reading, 61.7% in Math, and 52.6% in English), many others do not. The need to enroll in learning support classes, particularly more than once, delays the student's ability to begin college-level classes and thus prolongs time to degree. Furthermore, failure to exit learning support on the first attempt results in cumulative delays for students, as they are not able to continue on into regular classes in those areas (English and Math) until they exit learning support. In addition, many other courses and programs have successful completion of all learning support requirements as a pre-requisite for enrollment.
Strategy: DSC will offer alternatives to traditional learning support courses designed to assist students in gaining the requisite knowledge and skills in a format that increases the likelihood they will successfully exit learning support on the first attempt and/or otherwise reduces the amount of time required for them to complete their learning support courses.
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Objective 1: Improve student outcomes and ensure that the content of the learning support 0090 classes is such that students are prepared to successfully complete the required English and math courses in their respective certificate programs.
Objective 2: Improve student outcomes in ENGL 0098, Reading 0098, and Math 0098 through implementation of alternative instructional design such that students exit on their first attempt and are prepared to successfully complete English 1101 and their selected course to satisfy the math requirement for Area A in the Core.
6. Changing Campus Culture Although it is not one of the sections suggested by the USG for the CCG plan, the need to change the culture on our campus in order to maximize the success of our CCG efforts was a focus of discussion among our leadership group (all in positions of Director and above across all three divisions). Despite the fact that Dalton State was approved to offer 4-year degree programs over a decade ago, the addition of 4-year programs has been slow, and the campus is still in transition in terms of its culture and identity. There is a resulting shift toward valuing scholarship among the faculty, which must be balanced with service to the institution and a continued focus on student success and completion. Changes in performance expectations, programmatic changes, increased assessment requirements, and a variety of new initiatives combined with continuous budget cuts and no pay increases in 4 years have resulted in low morale and a cynical attitude among many faculty and staff. We believe that in order for CCG or any major initiative to be effective, we need to transform our campus culture to instill a stronger sense of community and a shared pride in the institution and its mission.
Strategy: A concerted and intentional effort will be made across all divisions to transform the culture of the college such that all will feel a strong connection and commitment to Dalton State College and feel supportive of its mission, daily operations, and special events. Furthermore, all will be dedicated to the ultimate goal of student success and assume personal responsibility for making that a priority.
Objective 1: Conduct a campus climate assessment to help identify areas for improvement. Objective 2: Engage in "branding," and identify what makes DSC unique. Objective 3: Establish campus traditions. Objective 4: Explore the feasibility of providing/improving campus level support services.
Part III: Planning and Implementation
While at the moment we have not yet established benchmarks and timelines for every objective metric due to a lack of data, as part of our CCG implementation we will be analyzing new data and creating appropriate benchmarks and timelines to measure the success of all objectives.
1. Partnerships with P-12
Strategy: Dalton State College will enhance the articulation of common goals, needs and interests with the P-12 academic community in our region with the intended outcomes of more students choosing to attend DSC after they graduate from high school, better alignment of curricula between the core curriculum at DSC and the common core being implemented in the local P-12 high schools, and development of academic skills in students to ensure their readiness for college level work, thus requiring fewer high school graduates to require learning support on entering college.
Objective 1: Expand the communication and collaboration between Dalton State faculty and staff and the faculty and staff in the P-12 systems that serve as feeders to DSC. Some ways we can work more productively together include:
Serving on each other's advisory boards as appropriate; Joining in each other's staff development activities as appropriate; Providing speakers for each other's activities and events; Participating in mutual conferencing and staff development efforts; Establishing consortia around specific areas of common interest; Visiting each other's classrooms to observe and provide feedback; Creating DSC faculty awareness of high school culture and instructional practices; Working together to align curricula, especially in gateway core courses; and Collaborating with the P-12 systems to help them meet state mandates in regard to instruction and teacher
preparation. Participating in the Archway Literacy Collaborative with local schools.
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Metric: Increase the involvement of DSC faculty and staff in activities with the local school systems and vice versa. That will be documented by the various units and/or people involved. Initial efforts will focus on school systems where we have existing relationships, such as Dalton City, Whitfield County, Calhoun City, and Catoosa County.
Objective 2: Collaborate with the P-12 systems to improve college enrollment, readiness, and success of high school graduates. DSC is involved in several programs to achieve these goals, and these will be continued and expanded/enhanced as resources allow:
Summer Bridge Program serves students at risk academically and provides targeted instruction during the summer to bring them to the level of performance in basic academic skills required for admission into DSC;
Near Peer Program pairs DSC upper division students with high school seniors to provide peer mentoring, tutoring and support services to encourage high school student to attend college and be successful;
Summer Academy Program serves high school students who need additional assistance in basic academic skills; Dual enrollment allows more advanced high school students to get a "head start" on college by pairing high school
courses with classes in the college core curriculum and allowing students to complete the course at DSC and get credit for both levels. Students may also take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in high school, if available, and if they test out of them at a high enough level, they can get college credit; Have DSC staff attend middle and high school events to provide information on college and particularly DSC. Recruit high school students specifically for STEM majors, including the RETP program. STEM graduates are highly sought by local industries.
Metrics: Increase the percentage of high school students graduating from our local feeder school systems who choose to attend
DSC from 33 % of graduates in fall 2011 to 35 % in fall 2013. Improve the alignment of the high school math and English curricula with that of ENGL 1101 and MATH 1111. That will
be assessed by our Math and English faculty. Decrease the percentage of high school graduates entering DSC who need at least one area of learning support by 5%
from fall 2011 to fall 2013. Increase the number of students participating in dual enrollment from 74 in fall 2011 to 84 in fall 2013. Increase the number of high school students entering as STEM majors and RETP participants by 5% from fall 2011 to fall
2013.
2. Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved
Strategy: Our goal is to better understand the particular needs of these identified populations and develop intervention/support services that will increase their likelihood of success. Our intended outcomes include better aligning our intervention/support services to meet high risk students' needs and increase their performance, retention and graduation. Already identified high-risk populations at DSC are part-time, older (25+) adult, African-American, learning support, and low income students.
Objective 1: We will more thoroughly assess the needs of the identified student populations who appear to need additional targeted intervention/support services, determining any areas that need special assistance. This will be done through a more comprehensive analysis of existing data and/or analysis of data collected from selected groups for this purpose. Examples of sources include:
focus groups; surveys; USG data analysis; NSSE results; Results from the ALFI survey of adult learners; the FAFSA; interviews with students who withdraw; results from participation in ETS assessment of non-cognitive factors that affect persistence and completion; data from the national student clearinghouse; and other data collected internally.
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Metric: As a result of participation in the CCG initiative, we have begun to identify and collect data on sub-groups within our student population. Since we have not done that before in a systematic way, there is no centralized source of baseline data. Thus, the CCG initiative will allow us to establish baseline data from which we can measure our progress going forward.
Objective 2: Review relevant policies and procedures that might serve as barriers to student success and change these if needed. Examples might include:
Policy on number of course repeats allowed Policy on number of withdrawals from courses without penalty Number of times students are allowed to change majors without penalty
Metric: Document any changes in relevant policies/procedures, along with the impact. For example, if students are limited in the number of times they are allowed to repeat courses or change majors, measure the impact in terms of reduced credit hours for a degree.
Objective 3: DSC will engage in targeted marketing efforts to reach traditionally unserved student populations. An example is our marketing to adult students for "Quick Admit" days, marketing to local businesses and industries for adult students, and marketing to local National Guard Armories for military personnel.
Metrics: Increase the number of "Quick Admit" days from 2 to 4 during 2012-2013. Develop brochures for distribution to local businesses and industries for them to give their employees and to National
Guard Armories in the NW Georgia region to give to military personnel. Participate in at least 2 job fairs or other large public events to distribute material about DSC.
Objective 4: Based on data from Objective 1, initiate new services and expand/enhance existing ones to better assist high risk students in being successful. This may include:
Increase our efforts to provide assistance in completing the FAFSA Offer more scholarships for minority students Explore with our Foundation the possible establishment of an emergency loan program to assist students with
educational expenses Establish a military resource center Offer alternative course scheduling options such as weekends, evenings, split sessions Provide more online student support services such as tutoring, advising, counseling Embed academic support services within courses and/or within schools Revise our early alert system to enable us to offer support services to at-risk students earlier in the semester Provide online orientation and course preview information Establish targeted learning communities and targeted sections of the First Year Experience course for additional
support services Assist students who are not accepted into their preferred major redirect their interests into another suitable program,
for example from nursing to an allied health occupation Explore cohort options for liberal arts degrees
Metrics: Increase retention of all students, but especially those in identified high risk groups--part-time, older (25+) adult,
African-American, learning support, and low income students--by 3% from fall 2011 to fall 2013. Increase the number of students receiving academic and student support services from 2011-12 to 2013-14 by 5%,
while maintaining high student satisfaction with these services (measured via satisfaction surveys). Increase average GPAs of students in identified high-risk groups by half a point from fall 2011 to fall 2013. Increase graduation rates of all students, but especially those in identified high-risk groups, by 5% from spring 2012 to
spring 2014.
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3. Shorten Time to Degree
Strategy: Students will take only the required number of hours to complete the credential they are seeking (certificate, 2year degree, or 4-year degree), and students will complete their program within 150% of the time required if they were to go full-time.
Objective 1: DSC faculty and staff will provide better advising services to ensure consistency and continuity. In so doing, we will:
Ensure that all faculty and staff advisors are trained in and use DegreeWorks; Provide all students with a clearly defined program of study for their declared major; Ensure that there is at least a 2-year course schedule posted to assist students in planning their academic program.
Metrics: Document that all faculty and staff advisors are trained in and use DegreeWorks by the end of spring 2013. Document that all students are provided with a clearly defined program of study for their major by the end of spring
2013. Document that there is a 2-year course schedule posted by the end of spring 2013.
Objective 2: DSC administration will consider alternative course credit allocation, alternative scheduling, and alternative delivery formats to better accommodate working adults. These may include:
Increase accelerated/alternative delivery and or credit options for course completion, including more hybrid/online courses, prior learning assessment, department challenge exams, CLEP testing, and AP and IB credits
Offering more split session courses Offering tiered registration to help ensure upper division students get needed courses to keep them on track for
graduation Offering an opportunity for students in Learning Support Reading to exit early Offering more Maymester classes Offer a select number of accelerated programs Offer evening and weekend courses Increase the number of hybrid and online courses
Metrics: Document changes in course offerings, alternative credit allocation, and alternative scheduling (current baseline data
not available for example, we will need to obtain data for things such as number of students awarded credit through alternative options for 2011-2012 and other interventions are just now being discussed as possibilities). Increase the number of hybrid classes by 10% from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. Increase the number of online classes by 10% from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014.
Objective 3: DSC administration will consider policy revisions that will encourage students to complete their programs in a timely manner. These may include:
Limiting the number of withdrawals allowed per student Limiting the number of times a student can repeat a given class Expanding summer class offerings Developing an incentive for students to take more hours each semester Limiting the number of times a student can change majors Instituting the cohort model in traditional liberal arts programs Instituting an earlier drop date without penalty
Metrics: Document changes in relevant policies and procedures. Decrease the number of students repeating classes, withdrawing from classes, and changing majors. Baseline data on
these items are not currently available, but we will obtain them and set targets.
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Decrease the number of students who exceed the requisite number of credit hours for a designated certificate, the 60 credit hour limit for 2-year degrees, and the 120 credit hour limit for 4-year degrees by 5% from spring 2012 to spring 2014.
Increase the graduation rate at the 3-year mark for 2-year degrees and the 6-year mark for 4-year degrees by 3% from spring 2012 to spring 2014.
Increase summer school enrollment by 5% from 2012 to 2013. Increase the average number of hours taken by students each semester by 10% from 2012-2013 to 2013-2014.
4. Restructure Instructional Delivery
Strategy: DSC will increase expectations for faculty involvement in professional development activities so as to improve and enhance instructional delivery. The College will also provide faculty development opportunities to equip faculty with new ideas, perspectives, and tools to engage in more effective instructional delivery methods. The intent of both strategies is to increase student engagement and thereby improve student achievement of learning outcomes. A part of this redesign also requires students to assume more responsibility for their own learning.
Objective 1: Implement an annual individualized instructional assessment for faculty to identify areas for improvement, and develop a plan for addressing those areas. This will result in a continuous improvement effort for each faculty member and improved student outcomes in their courses.
Metric: Revise the annual faculty review process for faculty to document individualized instructional assessments and continuous improvement plans.
Objective 2: Decrease D/F/W rates in all courses such that they do not exceed 30% of students enrolled in the course, and include the measurement of these rates in the faculty evaluation process.
Metric: Decrease the percentage of courses with > 30% D/F/W rates by 10% from fall 2011 to 2013.
Objective 3: Increase faculty development opportunities and expectations for involvement with an emphasis on implementation of evidence-based pedagogy and effective instructional practices to improve student success and course completion.
Metrics: Document the number of faculty development opportunities provided, the number of faculty participating, and the
implementation of strategies to improve student success and course completion. The target will be for at least 25% of full-time faculty to implement a change in their instructional practices during the academic year 2012-2013, 33% during 2013-2014, and 50% during 2014-2015. Analyze data and report on student learning outcomes comparing traditional courses with those same courses where faculty have redesigned instruction. Current baseline data are not available, but an assessment of student learning outcomes is being conducted during fall 2012 for a select number of classes where the instructor is implementing a different method of instruction from the way the class was taught in fall 2011.
Objective 4: Expand hybrid and online course offerings, including quality control measures and training for faculty preparing to teach them for the first time.
Metrics: Increase the number of hybrid courses by 10% from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014 and assess their effectiveness in
comparison to traditional courses via completion rates. Increase the number of online courses by 10% from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014 and assess their effectiveness in
comparison to traditional courses via completion rates.
Objective 5: Improve first year students' retention and success rates through a redesign of the First Year Experience course and overall program. This will include the establishment of a First Year Learning Initiative and criteria for credentialing FYLI courses based on best practices.
Metric: Increase fall-to-spring retention of first year students by 3% from fall 2010 to fall 2013, and increase fall-to-fall retention by 3% from fall 2010 to fall 2013.
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5. Transforming Remediation
Strategy: DSC will offer alternatives to traditional learning support courses that are designed to assist students in gaining the requisite knowledge and skills in a format that increases the likelihood they will successfully exit learning support on the first attempt and/or otherwise reduces the amount of time required for them to complete their learning support requirements.
Objective 1: Improve student outcomes and ensure that the content of the learning support 0090 classes is such that students are prepared to successfully complete the required English and math courses in their respective certificate programs.
Metric: Increase the number of students who successfully exit learning support English and Math 0090 on the first attempt by 3% from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013.
Objective 2: Improve student outcomes in ENGL 0098, Reading 0098, and Math 0098 through implementation of alternative instructional design such that students exit on their first attempt and are prepared to successfully complete English 1101 and their selected course to satisfy the math requirement for Area A in the Core Curriculum. Alternative methods that will be implemented in fall 2012 include:
Pairing each section of ENGL 0098 with a section of the First Year Experience course (this is our QEP); Revising the content of READ 0098; Making READ 0098 a co-curricular option that students will take along with their regular class and if they pass their
regular class with a "C" or better, accept that as a "pass" for the learning support class as well; Offering computer assisted sections of MATH 0098; Offering MATH 0098 as a co-curricular option with the student's choice of college level math in Area A of the Core; and Establishing a new MATH course, 0099, that would be a 6 hour course combining the content of 0097 and 0098 in 1
semester.
Metrics: Increase the number of students who successfully exit learning support English and Math 0090 on the first attempt by
3% from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013. Analyze success of alternative approaches to learning support compared with traditional classroom methods. No
baseline data are available yet because the changes are just being implemented in fall 2012.
6. Changing Campus Culture
Strategy: A concerted and intentional effort will be made across all divisions to transform the culture of the college such that all will feel a strong connection and commitment toDalton State College and feel supportive of its mission, daily operations, and special events. Furthermore, all will be dedicated to the ultimate goal of student success and assume personal responsibility for making that a priority.
Objective 1: Conduct a campus climate assessment to help identify areas for improvement then develop a plan based on results.
Metrics: Analyze difference in campus climate assessment conducted in fall 2012 to results of follow-up assessment to be
conducted in spring 2014. Analyze results from DSC's participation in the American Democracy Project's Civic Health Initiative, scheduled to begin
during fall 2012, and develop plan of action based on identified areas to be strengthened.
Objective 2: Engage in "branding," and identify what makes DSC unique.
Metric: Document efforts to establish a "brand" for DSC. There is a Marketing Committee currently working on this with the assistance of a consultant.
Objective 3: Establish campus traditions, including annual events, events associated with athletics, and family oriented events.
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Metric: Document establishment of activities and events targeted to become recurring such that they can become traditions of the campus. Objective 4: Explore the feasibility of providing/improving campus level support services. This might include but not be limited to the following: Transportation shuttles for residential students Childcare Renovation and enlargement of the Pope Student Center Renovation of the gym and other recreational space Increased residential life opportunities Improved food services Metric: Document improvements in campus level support services for faculty, staff and students.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
As we identified in our initial work on the Complete College Georgia plan, our campus has a significant amount of work to do to develop the necessary data systems and analytical processes to meet both the data requirements of CCG and our service area needs. As discussed in Part I, our FY13 budget allocation included funds for a data analytics software package and an analyst position. We have hired the analyst, and he is developing a centralized data collection system which will enable us to monitor and analyze the required data for measuring our progress on our proposed CCG plan. This data system will allow us to create a collection mechanism to capture missing data, such as tracking military and first generation students, and analyze our data using appropriate statistical methods. When we convert to the D2L system in 2013, we plan to add an analytics module to heighten faculty responsibility for student success. We have purchased an analytics software package, iDashboards, which will allow us to capture the data in a format that can be easily shared with the college community as well as the public. Our CCG Plan will be embedded in our 2012-2015 Strategic Plan, which is currently being developed. The CCG Steering Committee, whose members also serve on the Strategic Planning Committee, will continue to meet regularly to review the data and monitor progress on meeting our goals. Offices and subcommittees--comprised of both faculty, staff, and student members--will be specifically designated to assess and monitor each implementation strategy. In addition, an Annual Report to the Board of Regents will describe our progress at meeting CCG goals. Results on our progress will also be presented both to the college community at regular meetings and to students and other constituents in focus groups. During these sessions we will discuss successes and areas where we may need to revise our plans. These meetings will provide opportunities for regular feedback from the campus community to the Steering Committee. In addition, reports on our progress will be made in various newsletters, the local newspaper, reports to the campus community at our general meetings held at the end of each semester, speaking engagements in the community, and our annual reports.
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11

Darton State College Complete College Georgia Plan
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis The Complete College Georgia initiative tasks us with the directive to recruit, retain, and graduate more students than ever before. Projections indicate that over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia will require some form of higher education by 2020. Currently, only 36 percent of working-age Georgians hold at least a two-year degree. In the southwestern part of the state, the percentage is much lower (19.2 percent). As we approach our work towards the Complete College Georgia goal of producing an additional 250,000 graduates, we are creating initiatives for improvement in respect to access, retention, and graduation rates at Darton State College.
Quality education for healthcare professionals is essential due to Albany's role as the hub for healthcare needs of many rural communities in the region. Darton serves as the region's premier educator of nurses and allied health professionals. Our healthcare programs produced more than 400 graduates over the past year, and we have earned a reputation for excellence in the field among doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. We strive to meet the region's needs by creating new programs such as our R.N. to B.S.N. program beginning this Fall, and by creating opportunities through satellite programs such as Nursing, Emergency Medical Services, and Medical Laboratory Technology. Darton offers all of the degrees needed for the five careers listed under the Associates Degree category of Georgia Department of Labor's "Hot Careers to 2018" publication. Four of the five careers are in the nursing and allied health fields.
Online courses are critical to increasing the educational attainment of southwest Georgians. Rural areas within our region contain some of the counties with the smallest percentage of citizens with college degrees in the state. Degree attainment for citizens of these rural counties is often hindered by time, distance, and financial constraints. Online education is a viable option for many rural students who are not able to come to campus several days each week due to these constraints. Darton has been a national leader in online education for over a decade, and continues to expand online courses and degree programs.
According to Complete College America, "Time is the enemy of college completion." Darton's data from Complete College America shows that 9.69% of students in the cohort beginning Fall 2005 graduated within three years. By the fourth year, only an additional 3.32% of that cohort had graduated. Shortening time to degree is essential to increasing degree production. Students enrolled in remedial education are at a disadvantage in both college readiness and in time and credits to degree. According to CCA data, of the Fall 2005 beginning cohort, less than 5% of students who required remediation and attended full-time earned an Associate's degree within 4 years. It is imperative that we make major transformations in the way we approach remedial education. We have recently begun this transformation with Learning Support Math. However, much work must still be done to ensure success for the population of students requiring remediation.
At Darton State College, over half of the student body is age twenty-five and older. This group seems to struggle with completing gateway courses in a timely manner. Within the Fall 2007 cohort, only 17.51% of these students had completed a college level English course, which is required of all majors. We must focus support services for adult learners and restructure gateway courses to improve success in these courses.
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The Complete College America data was extremely helpful. However, data that included a number less than ten was suppressed. We found that this was sometimes misleading in analysis of the data. For example, much of our data was suppressed for the 20-24 year old age group, making it nearly impossible to compare that group with the others. Because suppressed data shows as zero on charts, it often appears as though that group is performing poorly when they could, in fact, be out-performing other groups. Without the suppressed data, there is no way to compare. We encountered this problem frequently among several demographic groups.
Part II: Strategies and Objectives and Part III: Planning and Implementation Specific initiatives and the goals to which they relate are listed below, along with information regarding the planning and implementation of these objectives.
CCG Goal: Shorten time to degree Initiative: Increase student use of our Credit by Exam option
Credit by examination (CBE) is an easy way for students who have prior knowledge to obtain credit for a course. At Darton State College, we currently offer a CBE program. Additionally, these exams are offered to students at no cost. This particular initiative falls well within the scope of the mission of CCG, as it provides affordable, fast, and convenient ways for students to work toward completion of their degree programs. However, what we do not do well is advertise this option for our students or provide a centralized place for them to view the CBE options. To enhance the usage of our CBE programs and to further assist students, we will create a database of CBE by division and advertise this option to students during our advising and registration periods. This marketing approach will focus on three different constituencies, as information will be disseminated to advisors, students, and potential students. Making students more aware of this option will allow for great strides to be made toward early or on-time completion. Both the database and our marketing approaches will be completed by January 2013. We hope that this increase in student and advisor knowledge of this option will have a significant impact on degree completion.
CCG Goal: Shorten time to degree Initiative: Award Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Credit to students
According to Georgia's Higher Education Completion Plan 2012, nearly 1 million working Georgians, 22 percent of those in the workforce, have earned some college credit, but have not completed a degree, and more than 780,000 veterans live in the state. It is our belief that many of these adults would return to school and begin or complete their education if they understood the options available to them and were supplied with the knowledge of where and how to start. One such option is prior learning assessment (PLA). PLA allows adult learners to earn college credit for what they already know, thereby decreasing time to graduation and tuition cost. There are several methods to achieve prior learning assessment including CLEP exams, challenge exams, and portfolio submission. Darton State College is actively implementing and granting prior learning credit through CLEP and challenge exams. A more comprehensive policy addressing challenge exams across disciplines should be determined and administered by Fall 2013. The portfolio submission process for prior learning credit is missing from Darton State College. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) conducts a series of workshops to provide training for college personnel who are interested in acquiring the knowledge base for assessing portfolio submissions for PLA credit. By Fall 2013, Darton State College will have faculty trained
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to conduct assessments on portfolio submissions. Also, by Fall 2013, Darton State College will have policies and procedures in place for awarding PLA credit through portfolio submission. The comprehensive approach to prior learning assessment that will be completed by Fall 2013 should be evaluated by an appointed faculty committee and the Director of Military and Adult Learning annually to determine any changes that may be necessary to ensure that credit is awarded consistently and accurately.
CCG Goal: Shorten time to degree Initiative: Enhance academic planning
Perhaps the most common-sense approach to shortening time to degree is establishing a plan for completion. Clear and concise term-by-term plans help students make completion the goal and help them avoid aimless academic pursuits. Although our first-time freshmen are required to develop an academic plan as part of the First Year Experience course, these pen-and-paper plans are rarely kept and utilized by students and advisors. To enhance academic planning and ensure that plans are updated by students and tracked by advisors, we will implement DegreeWorks software which has a robust planning feature. Advisors and FYE faculty will be trained initially during Faculty/Staff Development Days and on an ongoing basis after initial implementation. We will continue to utilize the FYE course to train first-time freshmen on the software and assist them in developing their initial completion plan.
CCG Goal: Shorten time to degree and increase participation with K-12 institutions Initiative: Increase participation in our ACCEL and Move on When Ready (MOWR) program
As part of the Georgia Department of Education's goal to increase post high school readiness, Georgia school systems will be evaluated based on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. One of the indexes for evaluation requires a percentage of the school systems' graduates to earn high school credit via ACCEL, Dual Hope Grant, Move on When Ready (MOWR), Early College, Gateway to College, Advanced Placement courses, or International Baccalaureate courses. Moreover, with changes to the HOPE Scholarship Rigor Requirements, there will be an additional need for increased participation in programs like those mentioned above. To help implement stronger partnerships with K-12 systems, Darton State College will work to increase participation in its already strong ACCEL and MOWR programs by 15% by Fall 2013. We will work toward this initiative by providing more options for post-secondary institutions and home school students. We will increase access to our courses by advertising our online and satellite course offerings and will create partnerships with area schools to offer courses on their campuses in English and other selected courses. We will work with area schools to promote the ACCEL and MOWR programs by offering information sessions for parents, teachers, students, and administrators on our campus as well as at various high schools, and we will create a collaborative plan with school systems to help them achieve their CCRPI goals in this area.
CCG Goal: Increase partnerships with K-12 Initiative: Supporting Teachers through Training in Enhanced Methods (ST3EM)
Darton State College has applied for a Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) Program Grant as the lead institution in partnership with Albany State University and Southwest Georgia RESA. The goal of the project is three-fold. First, to support teacher training that develops an understanding of the relationship between content knowledge, the curricular standards and the application of the two in classroom instruction; second, to enhance the ability of the teachers to apply the challenging academic content standards in project-based inquiry designed instruction;
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and third, to develop a stronger collaboration between classroom practitioners and STEM faculty. The project will focus on enhancing teacher content knowledge through face-to-face sessions with STEM faculty and online support on specific common core content. The faculty and RESA consultants will provide training on inquiry-based and project basedinstruction, designed around the integration of CCGPS and Next Generation Science standards. ESOL teachers and administrators are included in components of the training, with targeted assistance to address the specific needs of each group. The training is provided at regular intervals, with additional support provided by RESA between sessions. The inter-session time will also include (1) mentor-mentee partnerships with the practitioners and STEM faculty, (2) application of project-based instructional activities that provide more rigorous mathematics and science curricula, (3) ongoing administrator training, (4) use of online content support for classroom practitioners, and (5) the development of practitioner-STEM faculty-student learning communities.
CCG Goal: Improving access and completion for traditionally underserved students Initiative: Improve access to information and increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates for part-time, adult, and working students
With a majority of Darton's students classified as non-traditional (52%), targeting this segment of our student population through enhanced student services becomes critical in ensuring their success in college. Through improved marketing strategies for online courses, extending hours of the Career Development Center, and providing additional tutoring support, we are breaking down any additional barriers that may keep this segment of our students from attending and succeeding in college. Distance learning options have been identified as a priority in the CCG Plan "in order to enable all students, especially working students, adult learners and military personnel to effectively pursue college completion." To reach this goal, Darton intends to increase Georgians' awareness of our online offerings. In Fall 2010, Darton served 3,196 students from the state of Georgia in online course delivery. Of these students, only 1,033 (32%) were from outside of Darton State College's 14 county service area, highlighting the need for marketing throughout the state to bring a greater awareness of educational options accessible to adults through Darton State College Online. It is essential for students to have clear-cut career goals that are consistent with both interest and aptitude in order to have a direction in college. The total number of students who did not return Fall Semester 2011 from Fall Semester 2010 was 2,729; this represents 46% of the Fall Semester 2010 enrollment. For the period from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011, 227 undecided students did not return. Sixty-two percent of undecided students, our fifth most common major, did not return. Career assessments such as the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator help in this process of personal exploration. Currently, the Career Development Center at Darton State College offers both assessments to its current students. We administered 226 career assessments in 2010 and 184 assessments in 2011. With an additional staff member, we could extend the hours of the center and increase the number of tests that we can administer. Darton's low one-year retention rate shows we have a need for ten additional peer tutors to bring students up to speed academically and to help students develop internal resources. Data showing the pass rates of students who were assigned a tutor indicate that peer tutors can help improve overall retention rates. At least one of the additional new peer tutors needs to be for nursing students to accommodate the needs of Darton's largest major. Other peer tutors are needed particularly for chemistry, anatomy, history, and accounting, courses for which we have
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no lab or center. To implement this initiative, Peer Tutoring Center staff will work closely with faculty members to recruit and train new tutors. Success will be assessed by an end-ofsemester check of grades of all Peer Tutoring Center clients. Clearly, additional peer tutors and expanded hours for tutoring will give part-time, adult, and working students more access to academic assistance, especially in gateway courses that lead to acceptance into our allied health and nursing programs. This initiative will be implemented by developing a webpage specific to adult learners, implementing targeted marketing strategies, increasing the peer tutoring options, expanding the Career Development Center hours, and by providing additional tutoring support for online students. Marketing strategies will include broadcast radio and television stations, new media, and web delivered services such as "Keywords," and "Display" campaigns that can be customized to target specific demographic criteria and geographic areas such as rural towns or military installations within the state as well as the utilization of search engine optimization strategies, local newspapers and other local interest publications by placement of traditional advertisements and press releases focusing on local students who are achieving success in online learning, and direct mail to potential adult learners in rural and metropolitan areas. Student success programs will also be expanded. The initiative to add 10 new peer tutors will help improve the retention and graduation rates of part-time, adult, and working students, as well as military students. Additional tutoring support for online students will be explored through options such as NetTutor or Ask Online, consulting with online faculty to determine areas of need and the wisest use of resources. The Career Development Center will extend office hours/days to accommodate both students and community members. These changes will require the hiring of an additional full-time Senior Administrative Assistant. Assessment will include tracking of student services utilization, as well as enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.
CCG Goal: Improving access and completion for students in competitive programs Initiative: Offer an Associate of Science in Health Science
Currently, students who are not accepted to the career program of choice have very few choices that are favorable for the student. They have the following options: 1. They may sit out of school for a year with the intentions of reapplying the following year. 2. They may change majors or declare a double major that would allow them to remain in
school until they reapply the following year. 3. They may simply drop out and never return, which sends a message of failure to the
student. To increase the number of students who graduate, Darton State College has created an Associate of Science in Health Science degree. Essentially, students who wish to apply to any of the allied health career programs declare Health Science as their major then choose a sub-area of study (MLT, OTA, PTA, etc.) they wish to pursue. The degree in health science gives a student who wishes to complete an allied health degree at Darton State College the opportunity to complete any prerequisites required before applying to the career program of choice. If a student gains acceptance to a career program, his or her major will be changed accordingly. If a student is not accepted, he or she may continue taking classes to complete the degree in health science. The Associate of Science in Health Science is transferable to institutions of higher learning. A student wishing to pursue a degree in a health related field requiring higher education (physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory care, etc) may complete the two-
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year degree at Darton State College then transfer to an institution of higher learning that offers advanced degrees for his or her desired area of study. By offering an Associate of Science in Health Science, 1. Students do not have to sit out of school for a year while waiting to reapply. If not accepted
to a career program, they still have an educational path to accomplish a two-year degree. 2. They do not have to change majors or declare a double major because they are already on a
path for a two-year degree that will not waste any credits already taken. 3. The dropout rate after non-acceptance into a career program should decline because
students will have a successful path for accomplishing a two-year degree. This in turn will foster success in our students and reflect on their feelings of self-worth.
CCG Goal: Improving access and completion for traditionally underserved students Initiative: Improve access to information and increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates for military students
During Spring 2012, 243 military students and dependents were enrolled at Darton State College, a 62% increase from 149 military students and dependents during Spring 2011. According to Georgia's Higher Education Completion Plan 2012, more than 780,000 veterans live in the state. Improving access to information and increasing recruitment, retention, and graduation rates for military students will provide enhanced employment opportunities for our veterans. Darton State College will improve access to information and increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates for military students by implementing targeted recruitment, expanding military-friendly academic programs, and by providing quality student services. Targeted military recruitment will include attendance as an exhibitor at the 2012 DoD Worldwide Education Symposium, attending local on-base education fairs, and monthly visits to the local Marine Corps installation. Darton State College will also explore options to reduce financial barriers to admissions and enrollment. Through assessment of current course offerings and recognition of the educational needs of the military, Darton State College has developed and offers several military friendly academic programs, including the Associate of Arts in music degree designed specifically for military musicians (beginning Fall 2012), the Fort Benning nursing program, and 39 online degrees and certificates. Enhanced marketing and recruitment strategies will help ensure not only the continued success of these programs, but will also serve the wide diversity of interests of our targeted military population. Darton State College will also educate faculty and staff on the unique experience and needs of military students. To provide the fullest opportunities for student success, Darton State College will continue to offer, maintain, promote, and explore student services tailored to the needs of military students, including but not limited to the Military Outreach Committee, Military Resource Center, Military Student Organization, Disability Services, and Counseling Center. Tutoring and career services will also be marketed and provided as outlined for adult learners, but tailored as needed to meet the unique needs of the military population. Assessment will include tracking of student services utilization, as well as enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.
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CCG Goal: Restructuring instructional delivery Initiative: Increase the number of students who successfully exit ENGL 1101 and 1102 by their second attempt
It appears that, with increasing frequency, students are entering the ENGL 1101/1102 sequence unprepared for the work in those classes. In the five-year period beginning with the spring 2007 semester and ending with spring 2012, 14.3 percent of students taking ENGL 1101 failed their first attempt at the course; a further one percent failed ENGL 1102 on their first attempt. Such failures in gateway courses impacts college retention rates as retention is found to be influenced by GPA (Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1993; Mangold, Bean, Adams, Schwab, & Lynch, 2003; O'Brien & Shedd, 2001). Ishitani and DesJardins (2002) found that the higher a student's first-year GPA, the less likely that student was to drop out of college. Therefore, ensuring success without compromising quality in the earliest semesters of a student's college career is a primary goal. To this end, with regard to bolstering success rates in ENGL 1101 and 1102 by students who fail in their first attempt, Darton State College has implemented several programs and policies. The Intensive Composition and Reading Review (ICRR) workshop was instituted in Fall 2011 to address the specific ENGL 1101 and 1102 failure issues. Students who fail these classes are required to repeat the failed class in their next semester of enrollment; they are also required to concurrently participate in the ICRR workshop throughout the semester to further bolster skills needed for success in the classes. The workshop coordinator and ENGL instructors work together to address individual needs of the students. It is believed that the ICRR workshop will allow at least 80 percent of repeating 1101/1102 students to succeed in their second attempt. Student progress will be tracked to determine the success of the program. Further, twice weekly hour-long workshops conducted by the English faculty in conjunction with the Writing Center are also open to all Darton students to address specific areas of need. The Darton Writing Center hosts the ICRR workshops; they also provide assistance to students well beyond the ENGL 1101/1102 experience, giving Darton's students continuing writing assistance throughout their Darton career. Finally, our Writing Center is undergoing an intense makeover to make it more convenient for all of our students. The Writing Center will have its own page in GaVIEW (and subsequently Desire2Learn). This page will provide live, online tutoring at different parts of the day each week. It will also serve as a host to several different resources to enhance student success and will have digital drop-boxes for students to both submit and pick up their work. Our hope is that with access to tutoring from instructors, both on campus and online; extra resources available through the ICRR program and Writing Center; and enhanced attention to this issue that all students will have greater success in these two gateway courses.
CCG Goal: Restructuring instructional delivery Initiative: Provide support for students who have failed a gateway Math course (currently MATH 1111 or MATH 1001) in a previous semester.
An average of 40% of students are currently not passing their gateway math course at Darton State College. Improving the pass rates of these courses through this initiative will improve the overall completion rates of students at Darton State College. Our goal is to improve the pass rates in these courses to 70% for students who did not pass on their first attempt. We plan to use some of our current resources and add new tools to help us improve the success rates of our students in these gateway math courses. First, we offer one-on-one support through our Math Center. We plan to supplement this support by requiring math faculty members to work one of their office hours each week in the Math Center. This will increase the
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visibility of our Math Center for all of our students, give the faculty knowledge of the things that our students are having the most difficulty with, and have our faculty help the students and our Math Center staff members improve their performance. We will also continue to offer one-onone tutoring through our Academic Support Center for students who need additional tutoring. An online assessment will be developed through the use of one of the publisher provided online tools that will be required for each student who has previously failed a gateway math course. Based on this assessment, a personal plan of action will be developed for each student. The student will work with his or her current faculty member to ensure this plan of action is followed. This will provide the ongoing assessment so we will know if each student is on track to successfully complete the course. The overall assessment will come at the end of each semester based on grades earned by the students being tracked.
CCG Goal: Transforming Remediation Initiative: Full Integration of the National Center for Academic Transformation's Emporium Model for Learning Support Math
Fifty-five percent of first-time students are required to enroll in a Learning Support course and 92% of those students are enrolled in Learning Support Math specifically. Fifty-seven percent of Learning Support students at Darton College are not retained over a one-year period. This makes Learning Support Math an obstacle to completion for the majority of our students. We must improve the completion rate of these courses in order to significantly improve the graduation rates at Darton State College. After a one-year pilot period, we fully adopted the National Center for Academic Transformation's Emporium Model in Fall 2011. The emporium model replaced classroom lectures with a learning resource center model featuring interactive computer software and ondemand personalized assistance. Using the software program MyMathLab, Darton College's LS math faculty reorganized the two learning support math classes into a modular approach. The course objectives in MATH 0097 are represented in Modules 1-5. The course objectives in MATH 0099 are represented in Modules 6-10. Each module is broken down into video lectures, animations, notebook assignments, homework assignments, quizzes, and a final exam. We have made adjustments and continue to address issues as we find them through our regular evaluation of our new system. Our initial assessment of this new system was done through end of semester results. For the best case, we had students that were able to finish all 10 modules in one semester or less. However, we saw that we still had students struggling to make it through at the pace that would lead to completion when the new Learning Support rules go into effect in August 2012. Therefore, our faculty have been working on new measures and creating new tools to help track student progress and to provide additional support for those students who are not making adequate progress through the courses. One example of this new assessment is the use of pacing guides. These guides show exactly where a student should be in the course during every week of the semester, allowing them to know at a glance whether they are on pace, and if not, how far off pace they are. It should also be noted that while our faculty continue to improve the system we have in place, we have also tasked one faculty member with communicating with schools that are using different methods to improve Learning Support completion rates. These other methods are constantly evaluated, and we will incorporate those changes that will best help our students. To evaluate our progress, 25% of students should complete 5 or more modules during their first attempt and the remaining modules during their second attempt. 70% of students should earn an IP or higher each semester (complete at least 3 modules).
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CCG Goal: Transforming Remediation Initiative: Accelerate the amount of time it takes for students to exit Learning Support reading and English.
According to Complete College America, the length of time that students spend in remedial courses has been identified as one of the major detractors for traditional remediation programs. Because of this fact, Learning Support English and reading have been retooled to reduce the amount of time that students spend in the program. The fast track English and reading programs allow students to reach their goal prior to mid-term registration. The possibility of exiting prior to a new registration period has proved to be a remarkable incentive for dedicated students. Students are allowed to volunteer for the program. They attend class/lab, and work on additional skills based modules designed to enhanced student achievement and success. In addition, a new software program (Aplia) designed by Cengage Learning in tandem with Darton instructors will be implemented during Fall 2012.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation Darton State College has developed a Complete College Georgia Committee. Part of this committee's responsibility is to ensure that the initiatives developed are both evaluated and communicated to the college community. This committee will meet several times a semester to assist departments with developing their initiatives, ensuring that assessment takes place, and working to assist those who do not meet their targets on the first due date. The committee will also report at Faculty Assembly and Faculty/Staff Assembly to ensure that all faculty and staff members are knowledgeable of the efforts of our CCG plan. The CCG committee will also work with departments in developing new initiatives and strategies to ensure that assessment and innovation are a part of our overall plan. The CCG committee includes faculty members, administrators, recruiters, advertising staff, research and data specialists, records staff, and student support staff.
As part of our feedback system, Darton State College utilizes the input of students, faculty, staff, board members, community members, industry leaders, and advisory committees. This input is gathered through community needs assessment surveys, student evaluations and questionnaires, open communication between the faculty/staff and administrators, and various other survey instruments. To gather feedback on each specific initiative, the CCG committee is also using a chart (found on the next page) that lists not only our initiatives but also our targets with completion dates. After each due date, the committee will assess the initiative to see if the target has in fact been met and will offer information regarding ongoing evaluation. This document, along with our supporting materials, will be placed on Sharepoint, visible for all employees with access to this database.
Bibliography Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., & Castaneda, M. B. (1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling
test of an integrated model of student retention. Journal of Higher Education, 64(2), 123-139. Ishitani, T., & DesJardins, S. (2002). A longitudinal investigation of dropout from college in the United
States. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 4(2), 173-201. Mangold, W. D., Bean, L. G., Adams, D. J., Schwab, W. A., & Lynch, S. M. (2003). Who goes who stays: An
assessment of the effect of a freshman mentoring and unit registration program on college persistence. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 4(2), 95-122. O'Brien, C., & Shedd, J. (2001, February). Getting through college: Voices of low income and minority students in New England. Washington, DC: The Institute for Higher Education Policy.
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Ways to Measure
Number of Credit by Exams (CBE) administered
PLA credit awarded
Number and percentage of students with completion plans
Number of Dual enrolled students
Increases in student STEM involvement and content knowledge (CRCT and participation in STEM activities)

Implementation

Responsible Agent

Targets

Goal and Objective 1: Shorten Time to Degree

Create a database of CBE by

Registrar,

Creation of database by January 2013

division and advertise this option Office of

Creating of 3-prong marketing approach by

to students during

Institutional

January 2013

advising/registration and on the Advancement

Darton web

Develop policies for awarding

Dean of Social By Fall 2013, faculty will be trained to assess PLA

PLA credit; faculty credentialing Science

and policies will be developed for accepting PLA

for assessing prior learning

credits

Implement DegreeWorks

Student

Faculty and advisors will be trained during

software and train students,

Success

Spring Faculty/Staff Development Days

advisors, and faculty how to use Advisor,

Full implementation Fall 2013

it

FYE Coordintor

Create training videos for use in FYE classes

Goal and Objective 2: Partnerships with K-12

Expansion of ACCEL and MOWR ACCEL

Increase the number of students involved in ACCEL

programs

coordinator, and MOWR programs by 15% by Fall 2013

Director of

Implementation of ST3EM grant

Admissions Dean of Math

Awarding of grant funds October 2012

and Science

Selection of cohort by end of Fall 2012

Begin training by Spring 2013

Targets Met? Yes No

Ongoing Evaluation

Increases in teacher content knowledge (LMT, MOSART)

Increased recruitment of STEM students into teaching careers and of pre-service teachers into STEM fields
Number of part-time and working students enrolled

Goal and Objective 3: Improving Access and Completion for Traditionally Underserved Students

Improve marketing strategies for Online

Update DSC website by January 2013

online courses, including

Coordinator,

Extend Career Development Center Office hours

updating the Darton website to Career

by January 2013.

be more user friendly, extend

Development

Hire a full-time senior administrative assistant

hours of Career Development

Center

by January 2013.

Center, provide additional

Coordinator,

Hire and train additional 10- new tutors by

tutoring support

Peer Tutoring Coordinator

January 2013. Implement a plan for providing additional

tutoring support for online students. Investigate

NetTutor and Ask Online further and consult

with online faculty to determine areas of need

and the wisest use of resources.

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Ways to Measure

Implementation

Targets

Targets Met?

Ongoing Evaluation

Number of adult learners enrolled
Number of students who continue education through A.S. in Health Sciences Number of military students enrolled
Number of students who successfully exit specific Gateway courses
Number of students who successfully exit Learning Support

Yes No

Improve marketing strategies for online courses, including updating the Darton website to be more user friendly , extend hours of Career Development Center, provide additional tutoring support

Online Coordinator, Career Development Center Coordinator, Peer Tutoring Coordinator

Update DSC website by January 2013 Extend Career Development Center Office hours by January 2013. Hire a full-time senior administrative assistant by January 2013. Hire and train additional 10- new tutors by January 2013.

Offer A.S. in Health Science Migrate pre-program students to Health Science major

Dean of Health Sciences

Have all pre-program Allied Health students declared as Health Science majors by Spring 2013

Offer a fully online associate of arts degree in music. Improve marketing strategies for online courses, including updating the Darton website to be more user friendly, extend hours of Career Development Center, provide additional tutoring support. Employ Full-time Military Resource Center Director

Military and Adult Education Director, Director of Music, Online Coordinator, Peer Tutoring Coordinator, Institutional

Offer AA in music fully online by Fall 2012 Update DSC website by January 2013 Extend Career Development Center Office hours by January 2013. Hire a full-time senior administrative assistant by January 2013. Hire and train additional 10- new tutors by January 2013. Implement marketing strategies to target military populations.

Advancement

Goal and Objective 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery

Restructuring of ENGL 1101 & 1102 to provide free support to those students who fail in a previous semester

Dean of Humanities, Dean of Math and Science

Increase pass rate of students taking ENGL 1101/1102 by the second attempt to 80%. Increase pass rate of students taking MATH 1111 by the second attempt to 70%.

Restructuring of MATH 1111 to provide support to

students who previously fail

Goal and Objective 5: Transforming Remediation

Full integration of the National Center for Academic Transformation's Emporium Model for Learning Support Math Accelerate the amount of time it takes for students to exit Learning Support reading and English.

Dean of Learning Support, Dean of Math and Science

25% of students should complete 5 or more modules during their first attempt and the remaining modules during their second attempt. 70% of students should earn an IP or higher each semester (complete at least 3 modules). Increase the number of students exiting fast track Learning Support reading and English by Fall 2013.

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East Georgia State College Campus Completion Plan
August 22, 2012
Executive Summary
East Georgia State College (EGSC) has adopted the following institutional goal, progression steps and target levels of attainment, as described in the Appendix, to guide its college completion efforts:
Goal: EGSC will implement a comprehensive college success program that enables all its students to achieve their academic goals with minimum delay and expense. Step 1: Transition students smoothly to college. Increase proportion of academically prepared
students, while maintaining an access mission. Step 2: Promote optimal student choices. Provide an environment that clarifies student choices
while improving their ability to make sound, informed decisions. Step 3: Ensure students attain individual academic goals. Increase proportion of students who
graduate fully prepared to take the next step on their journeys. EGSC has a number of programs in place that contribute to college completion and will evaluate, adjust, and expand those programs. In addition, aggressive new initiatives will be established. One new key initiative is the introduction of Academic Centers for Excellence (ACE) in both Swainsboro and Statesboro Fall Semester 2012. In Swainsboro, library space was repurposed to produce a Learning Commons where students receive a wide variety of academic services, including tutoring, academic advisement, and diagnostic testing. By design, ACE will be the hub for a number of our initiatives. The Centers will be guided by a professional team including a Director of Learning Support, Director and Assistant Director of Advisement, learning support tutors and part-time academic advisors. In order to achieve the above goal and assist students in completing the three critical steps described above, the following initiatives will be implemented:
Establish a high school partnership program; Create new summer programs: A Jump Start Academy and an Intensive Academic Program; Restructure learning support delivery to facilitate early exit; Provide supplemental instruction and support for key gateway courses; Expand residence hall learning/living communities; Incorporate emerging technology to enhance delivery of face-to-face and online courses; Promote improved student decision-making through critical thinking (Quality Enhancement Plan); Deepen student engagement through expanded service opportunities (service seal of distinction); Provide Associate of Arts degrees to Statesboro students (pending approval); Create new educational opportunities for military and reverse-transfer students; Refine EGSC's early warning system and integrate that system into ACE; Establish new programs of study to inspire student interest and meet workforce needs; Further enhance collaborative relationships with other higher education institutions, particularly sister institutions in the USG and TCSG.
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East Georgia State College Campus Completion Plan

I. Institutional Mission and Strategic Positioning
EGSC's mission focuses on providing access to higher education. Recognizing this critical importance, EGSC held a series of priority-setting sessions in Spring 2012. From this participatory process, EGSC's contribution to Complete College Georgia was established as its top FY 2013 priority. A CCG team was formed to develop this plan and is composed of stakeholder representatives, including the vice presidents for academic affairs, student affairs, and business affairs; two of the three academic division chairs; the directors of learning support, EGSC Statesboro, admissions, counseling, and financial aid; three faculty representing the three academic divisions; and two students. Additionally, the position description of each EGSC employee was updated to include the significance and responsibility of individual contributions to the College's plan.

II. Goals and Data Analysis
Based upon an analysis of data furnished by the USG for the March CCCP Summit, three steps to achieving student success are presented later in this section. Targets for demographically defined cohorts that contribute significantly to the composition of EGSC's student population will also be established for each step. Further, strategies enabling EGSC to reach these targets are presented.

Analysis of USG Complete College Data
An analysis of the USG Complete College data reveals important aspects of recent student success at EGSC and is presented below by selected student cohorts from Fall 2005 and 2007.
Fall 2005 Cohort (Retention/Graduation/Transfer): The three year overall graduation rate for the Fall 2005 Cohort was 7.31 percent, while the four year rate was 9.51 percent. In both cases, the graduation rates were higher for females and lower for males. In contrast, the overall transfer out rate for Fall 2005 first-time entry students who enrolled in a four-year institution by August 31, 2009 was 60.15 percent for full-time students, with all demographic categories having sufficient data to be analyzed showing rates above 50 percent. Since 60 percent of the College's student population attends EGSC Statesboro, graduation rates are depressed while transfer rates are increased, largely because of the unavailability of associate degrees at East Georgia State College Statesboro.

Table 1 first shows the percentage of full-time and part-time students in the Fall 2005 Cohort who were either retained or transferred through Spring semester 2007. Table 2 then shows the percentage of full-time students in that same cohort who were retained, transferred, or graduated from Fall semester 2007 through Spring semester 2009.
Table 1: Fall 2005 Cohort Retention/Transfer Rates through Spring 2007

Full-time 84.8% 54.7% 39.5%

Semester Spring 2006 Fall 2006 Spring 2007

Part-Time 75.4% 45.9% 36.1%

Table 2: Fall 2005 Cohort Retention/Transfer/Graduation Rates through Fall 2008

Full-time 22.3% 19.4% 14.1% 12.1%

Semester Fall 2007 Spring 2008 Fall 2008 Spring 2009

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Table 1 shows a marked decline of students retained in the USG from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006. By way of comparison, Table 2 shows a more gradual decline for students remaining in the USG.

Fall 2007 Cohort (Remediation): In the area of remediation, 51.6 percent of the College's Fall 2007 Cohort was required to take learning support, and of these students, 52.1 percent successfully completed learning support courses. Also for the Fall 2007 Cohort, 48.3 percent of students completed at least one college level math and English course within two academic years of entry. In Table 3 below, learning support and initial college course completion data are presented for the Fall 2007 Student Cohort broken down by categories relevant to the College's student population (race and Pell Grant recipients).

Table 3: Fall 2007 Cohort Remediation Success Rates

Remediation Required

Remediation Successful

Fall 2007 Cohort

68.3%

43.9%

Black (non-Hispanic) students

44.0%

59.7%

White (non-Hispanic) students

61.5%

49.0%

Pell grants recipients

Completed Math/English 39.0% 53.8% 45.4%

Table 3 indicates that majority students do better in remediation than minority students and students receiving Pell Grants. In addition, for the Fall 2007 Cohort, 30.07 percent of full-time students completed 24 credit hours within their first academic year, while 38.27 percent of part-time students completed 12 credit hours within their first academic year.

How Data Impacts Campus Plan: The USG data shows that the majority of entering students at EGSC are underprepared for college. The USG data also shows a significant difference in the success rates experienced by black and white students who require remediation, as well as important differences in graduation rates between male and female students. In addition, the retention/transfer rate for the Fall 2005 cohort declines substantially after Spring semester 2006. As a result, the College's Campus Completion Plan will focus on increasing the proportion of its students who are college ready, who clearly define and purposely pursue their academic goals, and who depart EGSC with the credentials appropriate for advancing their personal goals.

Campus Strengths: Although EGSC is currently experiencing modest declines in enrollment for the Summer and Fall semesters of 2012, EGSC has experienced significant annual enrollment growth since Fall 2004, both in Swainsboro and Statesboro. New facilities and expanded student services were added to support this growth. Full-time faculty are dedicated to teaching and account for over 70 percent of the course sections taught. In addition, the College has aggressively enhanced its online program and is scheduled to transition to Desire2Learn for Fall Semester 2012 and to Degree Works for Spring Semester 2013.

Campus Challenges: As an access institution, EGSC's primary challenge in both Swainsboro and Statesboro is providing an underprepared student population with the necessary tools to succeed academically. Therefore, the College must organize its academic and student support resources to engage each student based on individual levels of preparation.

Student Cohort Targets
To assess the College's progress toward achieving its college completion institutional goal, annual targets are presented in the plan's appendix (A1 and A2) for the following four most significant student demographic cohorts that the College serves in Swainsboro and Statesboro. The targets are expressed as three-year rolling averages as recommended by the USG Metrics Working Group.
Black, non-Hispanic, Females Black, non-Hispanic, Males White, non-Hispanic, Females White, non-Hispanic, Males
The College expects to add targets for Hispanic students as the Hispanic proportion of its student population increases. For Fall semester 2011, only 1.5 percent of the College's student population was Hispanic.
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The annual evaluation of the College's progress toward meeting its targets will include analysis of full-time versus part-time status, campus location, and use of financial aid.
Implementation Steps To support EGSC's institutional goal of implementing a comprehensive program that enables all students to achieve their academic goals with minimum delay and expense, the College will focus on three critical steps to ensure college success: the transition to college work, making optimal choices based on identified goals, and successfully achieving those goals. The Academic Centers for Excellence (ACEs) are expected to have significant impact on each of these steps.
STEP 1 Transition Smoothly to College. To continuously increase the proportion of academically prepared students enrolling in EGSC while maintaining an access mission, the following initiatives will be implemented:
High school partnership program Supplemental support for gateway courses Restructure learning support delivery Expand residence hall learning/living communities
Annual percentage targets for successful completion (grade of "C" or better) of first college level math and English courses in the initial year of enrollment will be used to assess the achievement of Step 1. These targets are listed in the Appendix, Table A1 on page A1.
STEP 2 Make Optimal Choices: The following strategic initiatives will be used to provide an environment that clarifies student choices while improving students' ability to make sound, informed decisions, including course selection.
Focus on critical thinking (Quality Enhancement Plan) Expand residence hall learning/living communities Deepen student engagement through expanded service opportunities (Seal of Distinction) Supplement instruction and support for gateway courses Incorporate emerging technology to enhance delivery of face-to-face and online courses Create new educational opportunities for military and reverse-transfer students
Annual percentage targets will include completion benchmarks for 15 and 30 credit hours. In addition, there are targets for the one-year retention rate. These targets are listed in the Appendix, Tables A2 and A3 on page A1 and Table A4 on page A2.
STEP 3 Achieve Academic Goals: The following strategic initiatives will be used to increase the proportion of students who graduate and leave EGSC fully prepared to take the next step on their journeys.
Focus on critical thinking (Quality Enhancement Plan) Deepen student engagement through expanded service opportunities (Seal of Distinction) Establish new programs of study to inspire student interest and meet workforce needs Expand associate degree options for Statesboro students (pending approval) Enhance collaborative relationships with other higher education institutions, particularly sister institutions in the USG and TCSG
Annual percentage targets for the associate level will include average total hours earned upon completion, ratio of hours successfully completed to hours attempted, three-year graduation rate, and the number of associate of arts degrees awarded. Similar targets for the baccalaureate level will be added after the College completes its operational transition to state college status. These targets are listed in the Appendix, Tables A5, A6, A7 and A8 on page A2.
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As an access institution with historically high transfer rates, EGSC supports the recognition of transfer as a successful student outcome by Complete College America and Complete College Georgia. However, the implementation of two changes in FY 2013 may contribute to an overall decrease in transfer rates for EGSC: (1) the availability of an associate of arts degree for Statesboro students, and (2) the expansion of baccalaureate degree programs for Swainsboro students. Therefore, the impact of these two factors must be studied in greater detail before establishing targets for transfer rates.
Initiatives
To achieve its institutional completion goal, EGSC will implement a number of strategic initiatives to increase student success. These initiatives include:
Establish a high school partnership program with local high schools to assist students in developing college-ready reading, English and math skills, and planning for college entry and success; Introduce a Jump Start Academy, offering students the opportunity to advance their academic success by taking core credit classes during summer in combination with enhanced academic assistance; Restructure learning support (LS) delivery to provide co-requisite credit courses for reading and English LS courses, expanded instructional delivery for students taking math LS courses, modular LS classes, and pioneering alternative LS and initial college credit math courses for non-STEM majors in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation's Quantway Project; Provide supplemental instruction and support for Gateway courses that are identified as obstacles to student success; Expand residence hall learning/living communities; Incorporate emerging technology to enhance delivery of face-to-face and online courses; Refine EGSC's early warning system and integrate that system into ACE; Improve student decision-making skills through a Core Curriculum Area B Introduction to Critical Thinking course and the formal integration of critical thinking into an expanding range of other Core Curriculum courses as guided by the College's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP); Deepen student engagement through expanded service opportunities that connect academic learning with the development of life skills with recognition through a Service Seal of Distinction granted upon graduation; Seek USG and SACSCOC approval to provide EGSC Statesboro students the access and opportunity to earn an Associate of Arts degree; Create new educational opportunities for military students and establish points of contact; Develop alternative scheduling; Develop degree completion and monitoring program and reverse transfer programs to improve access and opportunity to traditionally underserved students; Investigate collaborative and independent opportunities for new programs of study to inspire student interest and meet workforce needs, such as associate and bachelor degrees in nursing, fire science, middle grades sciences and math education; Further enhance collaborative relationships with other higher education institutions, particularly sister institutions in the USG and TCSG.
Analyze Additional Data
The data for several of the metrics recommended by the USG Working Group as well as other metrics used by the College to track student success will be generated internally. However, consistent with the EGSC's historically high transfer rates, the College will seek to develop a broader perspective of its student successes once they leave. EGSC will draw from USG data and National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) StudentTracker reports. As noted in the NSC Research Center's Signature Report 2: Transfer and Mobility, mobile students should become the unit of analysis and institutions should be viewed as the stepping stones for diverse educational paths. This approach underscores the cooperative nature of reaching the goal of 250,000 additional Georgia graduates by the year 2020.
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III. Strategies and Objectives
Partnerships with P-12 EGSC has partnership programs with P-12 school systems throughout its service area primarily located within the "golden triangle" connecting Macon, Augusta, and Savannah. Partnerships include: ACCEL, Early and dual enrollment opportunities, PREP, Rising 8th grader prep program, Second Grade Experience, Magnolia Midlands Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center (GYSTC), student sponsored tutoring programs, and high school counselor workshops.
EGSC will enhance local community outreach provided through the Fulford Community Learning Center with programs such as SAT prep, reading and math tutoring.
The GYSTC office will relocate to the Fulford Community Learning Center and Planetarium during Fall 2012, and its coordinator will operate under the Fulford Center's direction. Sharing similar missions, this move facilitates a new partnership and allows strategic coordination of activities between the two Centers.
EGSC is a participant in the Governor's REACH program, providing scholarships and mentoring to potential `high risk' students.
Two new summer programs have been implemented as part of the CCP. Along with existing programs, these two new programs should have a positive impact on applicant preparedness and student retention.
(a) The Jump Start Summer Academy: Intensive academic assistance including advisor, tutor and instructor participation. (b) The Intensive Academic Program (IAP): Intensive preparatory assistance directed at successful COMPASS testing.
Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved Currently, 60 percent of EGSC students do not have the opportunity to complete an associate degree. EGSC Statesboro students are only provided learning support classes, classes to make up their Regents' High School Curriculum deficiencies, and classes in Areas A, C, and E of the Core. With the addition of a few selected courses, EGSC Statesboro students can have access to the associate of arts degree. If approved, this additional degree has the potential to more fully prepare students for transfer and double our graduation rate.
The CCP will also focus on creating new educational opportunities for our military though a concerted outreach program to each military base or unit in our service area that includes regularly scheduled visits and a designated EGSC contact for veterans.
Since a substantial number of working students attend EGSC, access will be extended to meet the needs of nontraditional adult and part-time students through the development of alternative scheduling that will replace traditional 8AM to 2PM class schedules, including the use of short sessions.
EGSC's online courses and programs are extremely popular. Based on student requests, we plan to expand beyond the current programs in psychology, sociology, and general studies to include learning support, business, and criminal justice classes. At the same time, we are experiencing a greater withdrawal rate from online classes than in traditional face-to-face classes. We will consider restructuring the delivery of online classes to address this obstacle for student success.
Most of our students would be classified as at-risk students, to include first generation and students with disabilities, so a comprehensive academic advising program is critical for student success. With the addition of an Academic Advisement Center in the ACE, we expect to see the quality of advisement significantly enhanced.
Approximately 80 percent of EGSC students are collecting some form of financial aid. It appears to drive enrollment in some summer semesters and will continue to be important. Expanded financial aid counseling and mentoring will be available for at-risk students.
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Shorten Time or Credits to Degree Along with continuing our current practice of promoting graduation in two years and taking 15 credit hours each semester, an active integrated degree completion monitoring and promotion program will begin to identify students who are close to graduation and offer advisement for these students regarding their options to complete coursework at EGSC or to reverse-transfer courses back to EGSC after transferring to another institution. We will develop a reverse transfer program with Georgia Southern University which will expand on existing efforts with transfer students; this program will serve as a model for expansion to other USG institutions. Discussions are also in process to expand current 2+2 programs with Georgia Southwestern State University to provide our students access to additional four-year online programs.
Excellent academic advisement is a key factor in student success and for completing a degree in the shortest time possible. EGSC provides annual basic advisement training to new and current faculty, and DegreeWorks will be instituted to assist with EGSC's academic advising program.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery A key component of the College's CCP strategy is to redesign and restructure face-to-face and online courses to augment student success. Depending on the course and the department, various approaches will be taken to facilitate and enhance student learning to the greatest extent possible. During Fall Semester 2012, each academic division will form instructional communities to share ideas, approaches, and content. Instructors will explore multiple teaching methods to optimize learning USG also provides many excellent faculty development opportunities that we plan to utilize.
We will also explore the feasibility of establishing a Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship (CTLS) to fully support our instructional communities.
In restructuring on-line courses, EGSC believes that emerging technologies allow the instructor and students to communicate more effectively and provide learning resources quickly and efficiently. EGSC has developed a reputation for providing "Education with a Personal Touch." Our goal is to use emerging technology and other innovative techniques to make online instruction equivalent to face-to-face teaching.
Initial Efforts: EGSC faculty have been experimenting with new ways to restructure delivery. We will expand our use of instructional material that is available anywhere, anytime using tablet PCs and video production software. Instructors have produced several hundred short, concise videos to address areas in which students struggle, and are accessible online to students 24/7.
Flipping the Classroom: As reported by the Center for Digital Education, "Students increasingly expect a classroom experience that helps them develop knowledge for themselves, not just passively receive onedimensional information." We will "flip the classroom" by enabling students to view short module videos of lectures online and then to come to class ready to discuss the material, work problems, and explore the ideas in more detail. Instructors will develop videos collectively and share the lectures to improve efficiency. Each instructional community will decide how the modules are to be produced and shared. Short 1-4 minute instructional videos on how to work or approach a homework problem or discussion topic have already proven to be beneficial at EGSC. Access to this material anywhere, anytime, has been received very positively by students.
EGSC Gateway Courses: EGSC determines its gateway courses annually. Usually the traditional gateway courses (math, science, English, accounting, learning support, etc.) are identified, but occasionally other courses appear with low success rates. We will expand our efforts to improve the success rates in the traditional and locally-identified gateway courses.
Alternative Scheduling of Courses: EGSC will begin a program of short sessions running from 4 to 7 weeks within the regular semester to isolate and accelerate course material. The courses may be connected.
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Online Courses: At EGSC and elsewhere nationally, the success rates in online classes are very low, in part because of a substantial percentage of "W's" in online classes. Improving instructional delivery in these very popular courses will substantially increase the overall college success rates.
Transforming Remediation
To transform remediation consistent with the Complete College initiative, EGSC plans to take bold steps that will encourage students to move forward quickly and allow them to achieve success early in their college experience. One of the most important proposals is to allow students to begin taking college level courses as quickly as possible when evidence from diagnostic testing supports this route.
Reducing LS Courses to One Per Area: Currently EGSC offers only the 0099 courses in reading, English, and math. This change was made when data confirmed that students placed into the lowest levels are able to progress much faster with encouragement and enhanced instruction. The most successful data came from the math area. In Fall 2010, when the new policy was implemented, 161 more lower-level students were able to exit LS Math, a 142.5 percent increase. Also, the success rate of the Math 1111 students in spring of 2011 increased from the previous spring, a good indication that the students who were exiting sooner did not reduce the overall success rate.
Development of MLCS (Math Literacy for College Students): In Fall 2010, EGSC received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation for development of a new learning support math course for students not planning to major in STEM disciplines. The USG approved EGSC as one of three colleges in the System to pilot MLCS 0099. Students completing MLCS 0099 are able to enter college level courses Math 1001 (Quantitative Reasoning) and then Math 1121 (Intro to Statistics). They are not required to take the COMPASS as the learning support exit requirement. So far, this approach has worked very well at EGSC. The success rate of our students in MLCS 0099 has averaged 75 percent compared to a success rate of about 33 percent for students taking Math 0099 for the first time.
New research shows that several approaches move students through remediation and toward graduation more quickly than the current learning support model. A co-requisite course model is proposed since EGSC has a limited number of sections of LS courses and gateway college credit courses in reading-based disciplines and English. For math, which is more sequential, an alternative approach is presented.
Co-Requisite Courses: Some students placing into learning support English may take the ENGL 0099 course simultaneously with the gateway course, ENGL 1101. The program will be limited to students with adequate COMPASS writing (English) scores. Similarly, some students placing into READ 0099 may be allowed to take a prescribed co-requisite course. Students will receive college credit for the co-requisite courses and institutional credit for the LS courses.
Alternative Approach in Math: Students with a high enough COMPASS score can bypass traditional learning support and take a gateway course with an additional two hours of instruction per week. These students can complete MATH 1111 or Math 1001 with this additional instructional time. The LS student will be allowed to take the COMPASS exit exam to satisfy the USG LS exit requirements.
Diagnostic Testing: The new ACE will have Pearson's MyFoundationsLab (MFL) and MyMathTest (MMT) which includes diagnostic testing. These tests will allow the ACE staff to assess the student's strengths and weaknesses to provide an instructional program for success.
Modular Learning Support Courses: Instructors in learning support may choose to organize their learning support course around modules. In a modular approach, students will work at their own pace through various skills modules. Those who have completed the modules through a designated level and have satisfied the instruction through other assignments may be allowed to take the exit COMPASS early, prior to the end of a term. At the same time, the LS course may decrease in size as some of the stronger students test out. This provides more individual time for the instructor to work with remaining students.
Faculty Development: Faculty will develop practices and methodologies for course redesign through the new Center for Teaching, Learning and Scholarship. Instructors may apply for Faculty/Staff Development funds to
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deliver presentations on course redesign at conferences where they can also gather information on best practices from other institutions. Finally, EGSC will explore the possibility of hosting a mini-conference calling for papers specifically dealing with course redesign.
Learning/Living Communities: In Fall 2011 EGSC found the percentage of students in learning support living in on-campus housing exceeded the percentage of students in learning support for the entire College by about 20%. Also, a study of the five-week grades found that students living in on-campus housing improved their grade at a rate of 10% greater than the average student at EGSC. This is attributed to the formation of study groups and review sessions for selected classes, including learning support. Learning/Living Communities in on-campus housing will be expanded to increase the program's effectiveness by implementing it earlier in the semester.
The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE): The ACE will replace the existing Academic Instruction and Resource (AIR) Center in Fall 2012. The ACE Coordinator and a cohort of part-time faculty tutors and student tutors will be working in the expanded facility. Tutors will assist students with preparing for tests, writing papers, completing MyFoundationsLab and MyMathLab, and other homework assignments. The ACE personnel, the Director of Learning Support, the Director of Advisement, and instructors of learning support, co-requisite, and alternative courses will all work together to offer assistance to learning support students.
IV. Planning and Implementation
Partnerships with P-12
The following programs will be continued and will increase in participation level: Celebration of Education School annual essay contest co- sponsored with Southeastern Technical College encourages interest in and anticipation of higher educational pursuits Second Grade Experience provides on-campus learning and exposure in science, astronomy, art, physical fitness and health Post Secondary Readiness and Enrichment Program (PREP) for seventh and eighth graders provides exposure to college and on-campus learning activities EGSC student members of Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators (SPAGE) mentor high school students EGSC student athletes mentor second and third graders through reading events REACH Scholarship and mentoring opportunities with high risk students to increase their successful pursuit of higher education in the future. GYSTC fosters an interest in the sciences by bringing curriculum to the local area school systems. This program will be relocated to the Fulford Community Learning Center and Planetarium Fall 2012 and will be supervised by the Fulford Center's director, a strategic move that facilitates coordination of activities between the two Centers. The Fulford Community Learning Center provides tutoring for testing, reading, writing, math, and general educational programs.
The College has had preliminary discussions with local school systems to implement COMPASS testing for students prior to their completion of high school. This program will begin Spring 2013 for 12th graders. Based on experience gained from unsuccessfully offering the JUMP START and the Intensive Academic Program (IAP) in Summer 2012, the College will reintroduce these programs in a new format in Summer 2013.
Improving Access and Completion for Traditionally Underserved Students
EGSC is requesting approval from the USG and SACSCOC to offer students in Statesboro associate of arts degrees in general studies, psychology, and sociology. EGSC contacts for our military outreach program will be appointed in Fall 2012 and will include an Administrative Point Person; special academic advisors; a Veterans Benefits Specialist in the Financial Aid Office; a contact in the Admissions Office; and a Veterans Recruiter who develops contacts with retired military organizations (VFW, American Legion, etc.).
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To expand access, we will add more late evening, early morning and late-afternoon classes, and one day per week classes starting Spring 2013. To be successful, a wide variety of student services must be available including extended evening hours for ACE and support offices such as Financial Aid, Admissions, Records and Business. This will improve access and understanding of the college process for first generation students.
We will be training our academic advisors and will work through the new Advisement Center to better assess individual student success in online classes. A special orientation program for all online-only students will be conducted, and EGSC will work with faculty to utilize the D2L course management system when it is launched this Fall 2012. All of these actions will contribute to student success.
Shorten Time or Credits to Degree
An active degree completion monitoring and promotion program will begin in Fall 2012. The program will target and notify students at 15, 30, 45, 60 hours of progression toward graduation, to offer encouragement to graduate, and to provide options on how they can graduate.
When EGSC is approved to offer associate of arts degrees in general studies, psychology, and sociology in Statesboro, we will collaborate with Georgia Southern University to develop a reverse-transfer process for students who will benefit from completing an associate degree.
The new ACE will have an Advisement Center as one of its components, staffed with professional advisors to assist students. We will be developing intrusive advising techniques and a program of student, faculty, and staff mentors for at-risk students. EGSC has purchased DegreeWorks (DW), a degree-audit software package, which will be used by faculty advisors, professional advisors, and students to shorten the time to graduate. DegreeWorks will become operational in Spring 2013. During Fall 2012, the Advisement Center staff and the academic advisors will receive DW training.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery
Technology is imperative for course re-structure. The technology for producing high quality videos is improving rapidly, making it usable by instructors without specialized technical expertise. Technology that allows videos and animations to be produced and distributed quickly to meet students' needs anytime, anywhere, has proven to be highly effective as attested by numerous EGSC students. The math/science faculty are being encouraged to share their experiences with video production for use in instruction. For Spring semester 2013, a pilot program will be initiated for faculty to "flip their classroom." In addition, EGSC will hire an instructional designer to support faculty in these efforts.
Each year EGSC will identify gateway courses based on student success rates and develop strategies to increase success rates in those classes. ACE will increase instructional support for improving success in institutional gateway courses. EGSC will actively use early warning grades to target students for success in the gateway courses. EGSC will also pair faculty with proven success strategies with faculty who need improvement. Additional faculty training will be provided, as necessary, in techniques to improve student academic success.
The outcome of restructuring online classes has the potential of substantially increasing student success in those courses, and at college generally. Analysis of successful and unsuccessful online students will begin in Fall 2012 to develop standards for online classes which lead to greater student success. EGSC is considering limiting on-line classes to students who have successfully completed a given number of semester hours and on-line software that can assess the degree of computer literacy prior to students enrolling in on-line classes.
Transforming Remediation
With MLSC 0099 Math Literacy available, it is imperative that EGSC increase enrollment in the Quantway alternative route through LS math. To do this, advisors must encourage students who will not need Math 1111 in their programs to follow the alternative route. An appropriate place to encourage this is in fall advisement training.
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The learning support co-requisite program will be developed in Fall 2012 and piloted in Spring 2013. The instructor of co-requisite courses will be the first-line tutor for their students, working both in the ACE and in their offices. In addition, students making rapid progress can test out of the LS course early and devote more time to the co-requisite course, allowing the instructor more time for tutoring assistance.
The alternative approach in math will require modifying of the length and scheduling in the selected math classes, directing the ACE tutorial resources through special referrals, using diagnostic testing for COMPASS review, and increasing interaction of students with the math instructors. To partially offset the extra contact hours, the math instructors in this program will be allowed to use some of their office hours as lab hours.
Beginning in Fall 2012, LS reading and English instructors will incorporate the MyFoundationsLab (MFL) diagnostic test and exercises into their classes, assigning students to complete out-of-class work in the ACE. Learning support math instructors will use MFL and MMT as diagnostic tools and MyMathLab (MML) as an instructional tool.
During the August 2012 fall workshop, faculty were presented with the option of developing modular learning support classes. They will develop the courses in the fall to be delivered on a pilot basis in the spring. If successful, as shown by assessment of the students exiting the program, the course offerings will be expanded.
Beginning in fall 2012, all full-time faculty will be encouraged to use up to 30% of their office hours in the new ACE to assist students in their courses and assist with academic advisement. This time will also be counted as institutional service in progress toward promotion and/or tenure.
A faculty/staff group will be formed in summer 2012 to develop methods for expanding the learning/living communities in student on-campus housing.
V. Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation
EGSC is currently revising its strategic planning process by adopting a web-based planning environment that will allow decision makers to more effectively integrate departmental goals with institutional goals. The College has adopted the following three institutional goals to guide its strategic planning process.
1. East Georgia State College will implement a comprehensive college success program that enables all its students to achieve their academic goals with minimum delay and expense.
2. East Georgia State College will foster a culture of service through opportunities that allow its students to develop life skills that compliment and reinforce their academic skills.
3. East Georgia State College will be a catalyst for the economic development of its service area.
EGSC's first and most important goal is the college completion goal. The College's other two institutional goals are related to the completion goal. Developing an effective service culture will provide an opportunity for students to mature in a variety of ways. Achievement of the first two institutional goals will serve as a catalyst for the third goal, economic growth of a service area that has been restrained by low rates of post-secondary attainment.
The campus completion institutional goal and implementation strategies described in this plan will determine departmental goals necessary to support campus completion efforts. Success at reaching targets by student cohorts will be tracked as part of the strategic planning process and new targets will be added when appropriate. All of the College's current campus completion targets are presented in tabular form in the following Appendix (A1 and A2), organized by implementation steps.
Table A8 lists graduation targets for the number of associate degrees awarded. These targets represent an increase in excess of 2,000 awards resulting from the strategic initiatives described in this campus completion plan. Through collaborations with its sister institutions in the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia, East Georgia State College will work to compound this growth number dramatically.
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East Georgia State College

Appendix

Campus Completion Plan

Notes on Annual Campus Completion Targets
1. For each table, the relevant measure is expressed as a rolling three-year average consistent with the recommendations of the USG Metrics Working Group.
2. The left most column of each table serves as the historical starting point for the projections presented throughout the other columns of the table.
3. The targets for Table A1 through Table A7 are set for first-time, full-time freshmen.
4. Tables A1 through A7 list starting and ending fall semesters in their header rows. For example, the left most column header, 2007-2009, refers to a three year average for the 2007, 2008, and 2009 fall semesters.
5. For Table A8, a three-year rolling average of associate of arts degrees conferred is used as the measure, starting with the average number of degrees actually conferred within the three year period from Fall Semester 2007 and ending with Summer Semester 2010 for the listed cohorts.
6. The projected graduation rates and number of degrees to be awarded as listed in tables A7and A8 are contingent upon receiving USG approval to award associate of arts degrees to the College's students in Statesboro. These projections would be reduced substantially without this approval.

Table A1: Step 1 Percent Completion of First Math/English Gateway Courses in One Academic Year

2007 2009 21.5 14.0 41.9 32.0

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 21.7 14.1 48.6 34.7

2009 2011 22.0 14.5 49.0 35.0

2010 2012 25.0 17.5 52.0 38.5

2011 2013 28.0 20.5 55.0 41.5

2012 2014 31.0 23.5 58.0 44.5

2013 2015 34.0 26.5 61.0 47.5

2014 2016 37.0 29.5 64.0 50.5

2015 2017 40.0 32.5 67.0 53.5

2016 2018 43.0 35.5 70.0 56.5

2017 2019 46.0 38.5 73.0 59.5

Table A2: Step 2 Percent Reach Course Completion 15 hour Benchmark

2007 2009 57.6 48.4 76.0 68.7

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 55.7 45.2 75.6 64.2

2009 2011 58.0 48.0 76.0 66.0

2010 2012 61.0 52.0 77.5 68.0

2011 2013 64.0 56.0 79.0 70.0

2012 2014 67.0 60.0 80.5 72.0

2013 2015 70.0 64.0 82.0 74.0

2014 2016 73.0 68.0 83.5 76.0

2015 2017 76.0 72.0 85.0 78.0

2016 2018 79.0 76.0 86.5 80.0

2017 2019 82.0 80.0 88.0 82.0

Table A3: Step 2 Percent Reach Course Completion 30 hour Benchmark

2007 2009 39.7 32.9 59.3 48.4

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 34.7 29.4 59.7 44.3

2009 2011 38.0 31.0 60.0 46.0

2010 2012 40.0 33.0 62.0 49.0

2011 2013 44.0 37.0 64.0 52.0

2012 2014 48.0 41.0 66.0 55.0

2013 2015 52.0 45.0 68.0 58.0

2014 2016 56.0 49.0 70.0 61.0

2015 2017 60.0 52.0 72.0 64.0

2016 2018 64.0 56.0 74.0 67.0

2017 2019 68.0 60.0 76.0 70.0

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East Georgia State College

Appendix

Campus Completion Plan

Table A4: Step 2 One-Year Retention Rate (percent)

2007 2009 54.1 49.4 52.7 52.1

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 55.3 49.9 52.2 50.3

2009 2011 51.3 43.4 53.0 46.7

2010 2012 54.0 47.0 54.0 50.0

2011 2013 55.0 50.0 56.0 52.0

2012 2014 58.0 52.0 58.0 54.0

2013 2015 60.0 54.0 60.0 56.0

2014 2016 62.0 56.0 62.0 58.0

2015 2017 64.0 58.0 64.0 60.0

2016 2018 66.0 60.0 66.0 62.0

2017 2019 68.0 62.0 68.0 64.0

Table A5: Step 3 Average Total Hours Earned Upon Graduation (AA degree)

2007 2009 70.8 70.3 69.0 68.1

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 72.3 69.0 68.3 67.1

2009 2011 72.8 66.5 68.6 65.8

2010 2012 72.0 66.0 68.0 65.5

2011 2013 71.0 65.5 67.5 65.0

2012 2014 70.0 65.0 67.0 65.0

2013 2015 69.0 65.0 66.5 65.0

2014 2016 68.0 65.0 66.0 65.0

2015 2017 67.0 65.0 65.5 65.0

2016 2018 66.0 65.0 65.0 65.0

2017 2019 65.0 65.0 65.0 65.0

Table A6: Step 3 Ratio of Hours Successfully Completed to Hours Attempted

2007 2009 0.55 0.49 0.72 0.65

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 0.53 0.45 0.74 0.63

2009 2011 0.51 0.42 0.76 0.62

2010 2012 .53 .45 .77 .63

2011 2013 .56 .50 .78 .65

2012 2014 .59 .54 .79 .67

2013 2015 .62 .58 .80 .69

2014 2016 .65 .62 .81 .71

2015 2017 .68 .66 .82 .73

2016 2018 .71 .69 .83 .75

2017 2019 .74 .72 .84 .77

Table A7: Step 3 Three-Year Graduation Rate (percent)

2007 2009 2.2 2.0 10.1 5.0

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2010 2.5 2.5 11.0 5.5

2009 2011 3.0 3.0 11.5 6.0

2010 2012 3.5 3.5 12.5 7.0

2011 2013 4.5 4.5 14.0 10.0

2012 2014 6.0 6.0 16.0 12.0

2013 2015 8.0 8.0 17.0 14.0

2014 2016 10.0 10.0 19.0 16.0

2015 2017 12.0 12.0 21.0 18.0

2016 2018 14.0 14.0 23.0 20.0

2017 2019 16.0 16.0 25.0 22.0

Table A8: Step 3 Number of Associate of Arts Degree Awarded

2007 2010 17
6 59 30

Student Cohort
Black Female Black Male White Female White Male

2008 2011
19 6 64 36

2009 2012
21 7 73 38

2010 2013 33 11 105 52

2011 2014 41 15 121 62

2012 2015 52 22 139 75

2013 2016
65 30 160 90

2014 2017 81 42 184 107

2015 2018 101 59 212 129

2016 2019 126
83 244 155

2017 2020 158 116 280 186

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Fort Valley State University College Completion Plan
August 22, 2012
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2012 COMPLETE COLLEGE FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY PLAN PART I: GOALS AND DATA ANALYSIS (1) How data informed your strategy development? In Fall 2011, the Retention Committee responded to President Larry E. Rivers' challenge to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to increase retention, persistence, and graduation rates at Fort Valley State University. This prospectus represents a culmination of efforts to identify reasons FVSU students do not return to the College and to motivate the implementation of initiatives, best practices and policies to help students overcome these barriers to academic success, persistence, and graduation. In this vein, the committee reviewed data compiled from surveys of four cohorts of nonreturning/stop-out students in order to identify factors that contribute to attrition. Non-returning/stop-out students cited personal reasons (i.e., financial hardship, lack of academic preparation, and lack of family support) and institutional barriers (i.e., outdated pedagogical approaches, disjointed learning support curricula, and unclear progress indicators) that hindered acculturation, retention, progress, and completion. These data were used by the FVSU USG Completion Task Force to develop a comprehensive completion strategy with clear metrics to gauge expanded access and demonstrate progress toward the USG complete college goals with respect to increased efficiencies.
STATEMENT OF OVERARCHING GOAL AND OBJECTIVES Overarching Goal: To create an organizational climate and educational environment conducive to student achievement and the cultivation and promotion of connective relationships, which facilitate access, retention, persistence, and graduation for all of our students (i.e., early engagers, full-time, part-time, online, adult, and military learners) and facilitates the realization of the USG Complete College Georgia goals.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
1. First-year undergraduate retention rates are improved by three percentage points each year through 2012-2016. 2. Implementation of a comprehensive, longitudinal student coding and tracking system to demonstrate expanded
access, credit hour completion, and increased efficiencies 3. The four-year graduation rate for full-time students will increase by five percent by 2012-2016. 4. The five-year graduation rate for full-time students will increase by ten percent by 2012-2016. 5. Student persistence rates will increase by ten percent by 2012-2016. 6. Faculty and staff demonstrate increased understanding that Georgia College Completion is a campus-wide effort as
indicated through periodic surveys. 7. The administrative cabinet demonstrates increased commitment to retention as reflected through assessment tools
and fund allocation. 8. The campus engages in annual discussions regarding retention on a regular basis. 9. The University has a system of accountability and rewards that support retention. 10. A standing committee is responsible for oversight of Georgia College Completion planning and implementation. 11. An enhanced student-centered climate characterized by high quality academic and student life programming and
effective use of technology
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K-12 Partnerships
OBJECTIVE 1: Increase the number of college-ready students
graduating from high school.
Strategy: Improve college readiness via FVSU dual enrollment and AP courses
Metric: High ability and middle-tier students in STEM
pipelines with FVSU.
Measurement: Increase number in STEM pipeline by
100% by 2015

Restructuring Instruction
Objective 2. Reevaluate and envision anew the performance in completion-related aspects of
higher education.

Expanded Access
Objective 3. Improve college access and completion for students traditionally
underserved in post-secondary education

Strategy: Improve completion rates, especially from
populations with historically low rates]--contingent upon
transforming remediation courses
Metrics: Current retention and graduation rate for remedial, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and students with
disabilities
Measurement: Retention and graduation rates will increase by 20% by 2015 as a result of innovative pedagogy and use of
technology

Strategy: Improve process to comprehensively
identify and collect data on all segments of the FVSU student
Metrics: Collect information on part-time, low-income, adults, online
students, military, minority, and students with disabilities from application
Measurement: Retention and graduation rates will increase by 10% by 2015 as
a result of innovative pedagogy and use of
technology

PART II: STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES
Regardless of refinement of the big goal and the setting of targets and baselines, the increase in access and graduation for the purpose of creating quality-educated individuals will be unprecedented. Campuses should focus their effort on envisioning and planning the overall model that could deliver on such lofty targets while at the same time making connections to the metrics and the ultimate outcome. Although the work of RPG on first-time, full-time Freshman is important, the discussion should be broader to include groups and underserved populations referenced at the Summit, as well as in the metrics of Complete College America and the USG Metrics Working Group. (USG campus Completion Plan, April 2012)
IIA. Institutional Context
Founded in 1895, Fort Valley State University embraces a history that weaves together African-American culture, a commitment to personal and intellectual growth and a deep sense of community. What students of every era have found here is unequaled leadership across a wide scope of programs. Our status as an 1895 state land-grant university has led to remarkable innovations in agriculture and related fields. FVSU's acclaimed biology and chemistry departments send more students of African descent to medical and dental programs than any other Georgia state school. And our comprehensive liberal arts curriculum continues to set new standards of excellence. Keeping up with technological advances, we offer topnotch online programs and the opportunity to keep abreast of FVSU's goings-on through Facebook and Twitter. We have an
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excellent relationship with the city of Fort Valley and surrounding areas. Our communiversity efforts bridge the gap between town and gown. The university regularly brings the local community onto campus for special events that showcase our students' achievements.
Fort Valley State University is located within a 50-mile geographical radius that includes six counties with high unemployment rates (12% - 14.1%), low education attainment rates, extremely high rates of poverty, and the lowest health outcomes in the state of Georgia. The typical FVSU undergraduate is a first-generation college student with one or more academic deficiencies, little or no financial support and tremendous personal, external pulls to meet family and financial obligations. While these students are oftentimes highly motivated and more than willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to achieve a college education, they are often not aware of what is necessary to take full advantage of educational opportunities and support. Lack of this knowledge of how to navigate the educational process to their advantage causes frustration that sometimes results in stopping out and/or dropping out. To pinpoint areas of vulnerability, we have successfully implemented a risks assessment, early Identification tool for first-year students. By employing Map-Works, a comprehensive profile is generated for each student. The profile provides both student and academic advisor with information about strengths and weaknesses in four areas: academics, financial security, social well-being, and acclimation. Results are used to inform and tailor interventions for each student to help them integrate more fully into the university community. FVSU will employ similar assessments tool to develop a profile for each constituent in our student population to highlight institutional, instructional and personal factors that contribute to matriculation (access), retention, progress and completion. To shed light on these factors, we will pursue a three-pronged approach.
First, FVSU will set and align campus-level goals based on participation from target populations and informed by Georgia's workforce requirements. FVSU will amend its mission statement to include emphasis on online programs, military access and degree completion by adult learners.
Second, FVSU will develop measures of success and allocation of goals to suit the mission and capabilities at FVSU and vis vis the USG and technical college systems. We will implement strategies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how various segments of our student population experience FVSU. Resulting data will inform instructional delivery, course scheduling, budgetary decisions regarding faculty and staff hires, development and funding of support programs, curricular changes, and future expansion of online course presence. The greatest needs include the development of robust tools to effectively track the behaviors of our constituents. During the first-year of the implementation of this plan, efforts will be placed on properly coding students in our database to more easily monitor retention, progression, increased efficiencies, and graduation rates.
Third, we will submit a college completion plan aligned with the framework in Complete College Georgia and built upon USG Progression and Graduation reporting strategies and structures to be part of President's annual budget request.
Fort Valley State University aims to meet the goals of the Complete College Georgia Plan by expanding the current scope of its completion metrics which focuses exclusively on the matriculation patterns of full-time, first-time first-year students to better represent the types of students who matriculate at Fort Valley State University. Specifically, FVSU will seek to better understand the factors that affect access, enrollment, retention, progression, and completion among the following student populations.
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Additionally, the newly implemented tracking system will permit us to address data gaps which occur after students stop-out and/or transfer. The Office of Institutional Research will be tasked with mining the National Student Clearinghouse to determine transfer rates and completion rates after transfer.

Table 1. Expanded Performance Metrics for Student Population Types

Student Type First-time, full-time freshman

Current Metrics


First-Generation College
Active Military, reserve, guard, military family, veterans

Expanded Metrics




Rationale
Comprehensive measure of persistence and time to completion and efficiencies (credit hours attempted vs. completed) Provide additional support via bridge program and first-year experience Determine risks to RPG; inform online course offerings

Learning Support
Students, 3.0 in first year Students, 2.0 in first year
Part-time students Pell-eligible Transfer Student with Disabilities



Monitor remediation progress and progress

post-remediation in English, Math, and

Critical Thinking



Identification of gateway courses that

create stumbling blocks



Identification of gateway courses that

create stumbling blocks to inform

intervention strategies



Define strategies to increase student

engagement to impact completion



Provide additional support via TRiO

Student Support Services



Define strategies to increase student

engagement to impact completion



:Retention, Progression, and Graduation, : Credit hours attempted vs. completed, : Assess level of student engagement via NSSE and MAP-Works

IIB. COMPLETE COLLEGE FVSU: GOALS AND STRATEGIES RELATIVE TO MATRICULATION (ACCESS), RETENTION, PROGRESS AND COMPLETION
Goal 1: Increase the number of college-ready students graduating from high school. Rationale: Provide incentives to high school students, ensuring that they enroll in college
Strategy 1: Improvement in college readiness in high school population [college courses and credit during high school, such as FVSU University Today Scholars dual enrollment program and assistance with AP courses or tests]
Metrics: Annually, FVSU serves 12 University Today Scholars Program (UTSP) and other dual-enrolled high school students. UTSP began on FVSU's campus in 2002. High school upperclassmen earn FVSU college credits while satisfying their campus' graduation requirements. The program -- which has graduated 75 students, so far --

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typically serves Houston, Peach, Macon, Walton, Dooly, Taylor, Crawford and Talbot counties. Credit hours are transferrable to any college or university in the University System of Georgia.

Presently, 10 students participate in UTSP. Last semester, participants accumulated 56 college credit hours, averaging a 3.5 GPA. Five of the ten students have chosen to matriculate at FVSU's campus in Fall 2012.
Measurements: Increase the number of early-engaged high school students by 200% by 2016.

Strategy 2: Continuation of STEM programs such as NSF high school program, LSAMPS and CDEP middle and high school programs

Metrics: One hundred fifty high ability and middle-tier students currently take part in STEM pipelines with FVSU.

Measurements: Increase number in STEM pipeline by 100% by 2016

Strategies/objectives for partnerships with P-12 to improve college readiness

1. Identify more prospective early-engagers in University Today Scholars, SRAP, CDEP, and other pipeline programs (College of Ag, College of Arts & Sciences).
2. Use current students to assist with TRIO programs and connect with pre-college students (External Affairs). 3. Offer online classes and classes in Warner Robins for prospective early-engagers in University Today Scholars, SRAP,
CDEP, and other pipeline programs (Extension Services). 4. Provide clear courses of study in degree programs connected to career paths for early-engagers, remedial students,
middle tier, and part-time students (Department Heads, External Affairs, Career Services, and IT). 5. Tailor online or online learning support courses for early-engagers, remedial students, and middle tier, and part-time
students (Extension Services;UTS). 6. Encourage enrollment in eCore courses for earlier engagers or time-limited students (Extension Services; UTS). 7. Use a research-based train-the-trainer approach to assist programs, faculty and course developers with updating
pedagogy and use of the learning management system (College of Education).

Responsible for Implementations

Departments Heads/Chairs


Academic Success Center


Registrar

Admissions

Office of Enrollment Management


OIRPE

University Today
Scholars

Registrar

Student Affairs


Career Center


Marketing

IT

Pre-College Academic

Programs

Affairs







Goal 2: Create new forms of collaboration and accountability among organizations responsible for or reliant on higher education.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, over the next five years, STEM jobs are projected to grow twice as quickly as jobs in other fields. While all jobs are expected to grow by 10.4%, STEM jobs are expected to increase by 21.4%. Similarly, 80% of jobs in the next decade will require technical skills.

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The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that out of the 20 fastest growing occupations, 15 of them require significant mathematics or science preparation. The U.S. will have over 1.2 million job openings in STEM-related fields by 2018; yet, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, only 16% of U.S. bachelor's degrees will specialize in STEM. As a nation, we are not graduating nearly enough STEM majors to supply the demand. To put these numbers into perspective, of the 3.8 million 9th graders in the US, only 233,000 end up choosing a STEM degree in college (i.e., 6 out of 100; National Center for Education Statistics).
Rationale: career path, supplying graduates for needed jobs Strategy: Collaborative college access efforts [work with business and other groups to outline career paths and increased networking of students with those in their intended professions through community and business engagement in creating a college-going culture].
Metrics: High demand exists for bachelor's degrees in STEM, social services, business, communication, criminal justice.
Measurements: FVSU will partner with at least 15 new businesses and organizations for mentoring relationships, internships and field experiences and definition of career paths for graduates.
Strategies/objectives for career paths
1. Departments delineate career paths and connect with potential employers for mentors and internships (Department Heads, Career Services, and External Affairs)
2. Recruiters communicate career paths to parents and students (Career Services) 3. Career Planning manages students' career planning beginning in first year and continuing through to graduation. 4. External Affairs seeks businesses and organizations who are willing to partner to create career paths 5. Departments such as Chemistry, Business, Social Work and Mass Communication attain accreditation

Responsible for Implementation

Departments Heads/Chairs


Academic Success Center


Center for Excellence in
Teaching


External Affairs


Career Center


Enrollment Management


University Today Scholars


Goal 3: Reevaluate and envision anew the performance [improve performance] in completion-related aspects of higher education. Seek new graduates.
Presently, we know a great deal about the reasons for attrition among traditional students. According to non-returning students personal reasons (e.g., financial hardship, lack of academic preparation, and lack of family support) and institutional barriers (e.g., nonresponsive financial advisors, outdated pedagogical approaches, and nonresponsive faculty) that hindered acculturation, acclimation and esprit de corps were most often the reasons for them choosing to leave. On the other hand, we know very little about the reasons for attrition among adult learners, armed service personnel, veterans, and part-time students.
Rationale: Implement online technology, innovative scheduling, prior learning assessment, enhanced and integrated student support, and career paths for new students and those continuing from prior college, military service or technical colleges
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Strategy 1: Improvement in college completion rates, especially from populations with historically low rates [including remedial, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and students with disabilities]--contingent upon transforming remediation and core courses using (1) customized pedagogical approaches; (2) redesigning course delivery with mix of blended in-person and online experiences; (3) offering non-traditional and block methods; (4) building support programs into structured course delivery models; (5) long-term student groupings or cohorts where possible; (6) Increased compressed sessions (6-8 week) and multiple start-stop dates for online programs; (7) Increased use of eCore and development of majors and career paths to complement eCore; and increased use of Prior Learning Assessment.

Metrics: Current retention and graduation rate for remedial, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and students with disabilities, Adult Learners, Part-time, and Military/Veterans

Measurement: Retention and graduation rates will increase by 20% by 2016 as a result of innovative pedagogy and use of technology.

Departments Heads/Chairs


Academic Success Center


Center for Excellence in
Teaching


Academic Affairs/ OIRPE


Career Center


Enrollment Management


University Today Scholars


Differently Abled Office


Distance Education
Adult Learning


Registrar

Learning Communities


Student Support Services


Learning Support


Military Resource
Office


Strategy 2: Enrolling and supporting part-time students at all age levels
Establish Baseline Metrics: Number of part-time students enrolled at the bachelor's level. Retention and graduation rates. (OIRPE, Registrar)
Strategy 3: Enrolling and supporting adult learners [especially those with existing higher education credit and via Prior Learning Assessment policies and practices]
Establish Baseline Metrics: Number of adult learners enrolled at the bachelor's level. Retention and graduation rates (OIRPE, Registrar)
Strategy 4: Enrolling and supporting military learners [especially those with existing higher education credit and via Prior Learning Assessment policies and practices as well as broad acceptance of military credits from training and duty assignments]. Keep in mind that service members are returning and jobs are not available.
Establish Baseline Metrics: Number of military students enrolled at the bachelor's level. Retention and graduation rates (OIRPE, Registrar)
Strategy 5: Greater articulation with technical colleges [certificates and associate degrees that can merge with FVSU bachelor's degree programs].

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Metric: Currently, articulation agreements exist with two technical colleges, covering four programs (Department Heads, Academic Affairs).
Measurement: Agreements will be articulated with six technical colleges covering 18 programs delineating career paths starting at the technical colleges, resulting in bachelor's degrees and preparation for specific jobs in Georgia.
Strategies/objectives for improving college access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary education
1. Improve our processes to identify prospective, admitted and enrolled adult and military students, including those currently attending technical colleges and active military. We will provide clear courses of study based on what prior learning and college credits the adult and military students bring with them and assist them in preparing for career paths.
2. Offer online or hybrid learning support classes for adult students using recognized innovative techniques. We also will tailor online or online learning support courses, remedial students, middle tier, and part-time students.
3. Encourage enrollment in eCore courses for place or time-limited students. 4. Use a research-based, train-the-trainer approach to assist programs, faculty and course developers with
updating pedagogy and use of the learning management system. 5. Increase promotion and use of the Prior Learning Assessment policies previously approved by the FVSU faculty
and administration. 6. Offer central, staffed locations in Warner Robins, in Fort Valley and online where adult and military students can
get answers, get past required hurdles, and find support. 7. Ensure that adult and military students receive timely and correct assistance with all their educational needs and
readily identify adults and military, provide a one-stop shop for registration, cashier, financial aid, advisement-- this may be partly virtual. By adopting use of a CRM and BlackBoard Instant Messaging in admissions, registrar's office, financial aid, housing and cashier's office, we will provide more efficient interaction with all students. 8. Provide counseling and advisement tailored to adults and military to be pre-emptive and educate regarding anger management, suicide, family problems, etc. for all students, we will include connections to counseling support in the context of classes for all students. This may be done by creating an instance of every class in the learning management system, Desire2learn, and providing a direct link to counseling virtual helpdesks using BlackBoardIM. 9. Organize an Adult Student Organization to go along with the Student Veterans Organization that currently exists, and increase membership in both. We will continue to utilize learning communities for selected undergraduates to increase retention. 10. Encourage participation in student organizations by adult learners and military--including virtual participation where possible. 11. Continue to use MAP-works to survey all freshman and sophomore students to identify those who are at risk for failing or leaving the university, and we will intervene accordingly.

Departments Heads/Chairs


Academic Success Center


Center for Excellence in
Teaching

Academic Affairs/ OIRPE

Career Center


Enrollment Management


University Today Scholars


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Differently Abled Office


Distance Education
Adult Learning


Registrar

Learning Communities


Student Support Services


Learning Support


Military Resource
Office


Goal 4. Modify Instructional delivery to meet the needs of our diverse student population and shorten-time to degree.
Strategy 1. Transformation of Pedagogical Approaches to Enhance Math and Writing Proficiency While our students face a number of hurdles throughout their academic career, weaknesses in mathematics and critical thinking are, in large part, responsible for the hemorrhage seen among our STEM majors. This hurdle is expected to sharply rise as the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century increasingly demands proficiency in the application of quantitative and computational concepts. Therefore, we have focused on enhancing mathematical skills through tutoring and extended contact hours between math instructors and students. Surprisingly, we have also observed that students, despite good performance in the required mathematics courses and beyond, still have deficiencies in mathematical problem solving. It appears that "mathematics" and the "other natural sciences" are viewed as separate domains and the expected transfer of mathematical concepts and applications to other disciplines is remarkably limited. Consequently, FVSU faculty members have embraced a tectonic-shift in pedagogical approaches to demonstrate the applicability of mathematics and the importance of critical thinking.
To date, English and Mathematics faculty members have participated in sponsored professional development workshops to be made aware of the most effective pedagogical approaches to teaching introductory writing and mathematics in the 21st century. Pursuant to these workshops, faculty members revised introductory courses in these areas to incorporate inquirybased modules to enhance conceptualization of the fundamentals of college algebra, pre-calculus, analytical writing, comprehension and critical thinking. In Fall 2011, inquiry-based modules were incorporated into complementary, one-hour laboratories for introductory mathematics.
The FVSU CCG plan will catalyze a cultural-shift in the way faculty employ pedagogical approaches across the curricula. Faculty will be expected to participate in professional development workshops focused on instruction, technology, and critical thinking. These professional development workshops will be coordinated and offered by the QEP/Enhancing Critical Thinking and the Faculty Center for Improving Instruction and Learning.
Strategy 2. Early Identification of Academic Strengths and Weaknesses Placement testing prior to fall semester orientation for entering freshman students allows for analysis of test results and diagnosis and prescription of support strategies to ensure that students who enter the university with a lack of academic preparation receive adequate academic support.
Strategy 3. Implement Academic Enhancement Institute To address the challenges inherent in teaching first-generation college students, a three-day summer Academic Enhancement Institute will be held at FVSU in the University's Academic Success Center. The purpose of the Institute is to enhance the participating faculty members' teaching by providing faculty with best practices for working with first generation students and knowledge of the personal, social, emotional, and academic challenges of first generation college students. It is understood that faculty members have multiple areas of expertise and experiences that can be shared with students both inside and outside of the classroom. The institute will include three workshops which foster faculty/student interactions: 1) how to match
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student needs with faculty interests; 2) how to utilize service learning approaches to bridge the classroom activities with community based projects; and 3) the Do's and Don'ts of faculty/student interactions.
Strategy 4. Decrease Time to Acclimation Acclimation is integral to retention and academic success. In an effort to facilitate retention, FVSU has encouraged students to join one of three learning community including the African-American Male Learning Community, the Women's Learning Community, and the Honors Learning Community. Additionally, a first-year honors society has been established to reward first-year students who achieve a 3.0 during their first year of matriculation. The first-year honors society effectively fosters a learning community of high ability students.
Academic Living/Learning Communities
To engender a sense of a shared learning community among FVSU's entering students, the university is strengthening and expanding its learning communities (LC). Faculty members who have participated in the Academic Enhancement Institute will advise students of and teach the intro classes in their discipline, such as English composition, Intro to Biology, and American Government, in one of the seven learning communities. To ensure ease of management and monitoring, these LCs are limited to only 25 students and are major-oriented, such as Honors, Pre Law, and two are gender specific, with one having rural students exclusively. To be accepted, first-year students must meet certain requirements set by the particular LC Coordinating team. The uniqueness of these LC's is that the cohort takes all of their first-year classes together while also living in the same residence hall. Because the LCs are small in number, some are discipline- or gender- specific and coordinated by Academic Affairs, this will encourage strong contacts between faculty and students. Two faculty members will be assigned to each of the seven LC's and perform daily advising and mentoring duties with each student in the LC. Via the activities/services of the Academic Success Center, this effort will provide centralized and consistent advisement services, tutorial services, and counseling services, as well as professional testing services.
Enhanced Financial Aid Counseling and Follow-Up
Financial aid counselors will become more aggressive and deliberate in their efforts to get students to complete FAFSA documents on a timely basis. This strategy includes identification of students who have not completed their FAFSA applications and requiring counselors to set up financial aid substations in the living/learning centers to ensure that students complete application in time to explore other funding opportunities in the event grants are not available. This will decrease the need for loans to be secured to cover the cost of attendance for students for whom sources of aid can be identified. Financial aid information sessions for parents will also be conducted to ensure that parents are aware of requirements for tax and other documentation to support FAFSA applications for students.
Student Focus/Networking with Faculty
In an effort to instill camaraderie among student and faculty populations, which is expected to increase student retention and graduation, the university will select one student organization and the Academic Living/Learning Communities to participate in a two-day ropes adventure course. The freshmen will be divided into groups and will spend two days learning team building and trust through the exercise. Faculty members will be assigned to each group. The goal of this activity is to get freshmen accustomed to working with faculty and to learn to trust themselves and their peers and faculty. This experience will also allow some early bonding between freshmen students and faculty members. Each year, the students from different organizations will participate in this activity before classes begin.
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Strategy 5. Aggressively strategize to minimize number of credit hours for degree completion. FVSU will make greater use of transfer credits, training of registrar and all advisors in the ACE guide, military transcripts, and methods of accepting certificate and technical college credits without negatively impacting quality as a way of shortening transfer students' time to degree. FVSU will adopt Degree Works in 2013 which will provide a comprehensive measure of progress toward degree completion. We will aim to calibrate course offerings better to the programs of study and the various students (transfers, those who have dropped out and back in, those who have to retake classes, and regular students making normal progress) who will need the classes.
In addition to efforts to decease programmatic credit hours, FVSU will explore the modularization of Learning Support to ensure that limited effort will be expended in the completion of credit hours that do not count toward the measure.
III. GOALS, METRICS, POINTS OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TIMELINE

Goal 1: Increase the number of college-ready students graduating from high school.

Implementation strategy

Metrics

2012-13

Strategy 1: Improvement in college readiness in high school population [college courses and credit during high school, such as FVSU University Today Scholars dual enrollment program and assistance with AP courses or tests]

Baseline: Ten early engagers, dual enrolled high school students

Strategy 2: Continuation of STEM programs such as NSF high school program, LSAMPS and CDEP middle and high school programs

Baseline: One hundred fifty high ability and middle-tier students currently take part in STEM pipelines with FVSU.

FOR IMPLEMENTATION

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

15 early engagers

15 early engagers

20 early engagers

150 students 200 students 300 students

Goal 2: Create new forms of collaboration and accountability among organizations responsible for or reliant on higher education.

Implementation strategy

Metrics

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Collaborative college access

efforts [work with business

and other groups to outline

career paths and increased

networking of students with

those in their intended

professions

through

community and business

High demand exists for bachelor's degrees in STEM, social services, business, communication, criminal justice.

STEM programs will map career
trajectory

All Departments
delineate career
trajectory

Apps and QR codes
developed to delineate
career paths dynamically

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eGnogaalg3e:mReenetvailnuatecraenadtinegnvisaion anew the performance [improve performance] in completion-related aspects of higuhpeorn

ceodlulecgatei-ogno.iSngeeckunlteuwreg].raduates

completion of

Implementation strategy

Metrics

2012-13 2013-14

2014-15

20p1ca5or-ut1irc6suelasr

Improvement in college completion rates, especially from populations with historically low rates [including remedial, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and students with disabilities]-- contingent upon transforming remediation and core courses

Establish Baseline: Current retention and graduation rate for remedial, low-income, African American, Hispanic, and students with disabilities, Adult Learners, Part-time, and Military/Veterans

Establish Baseline Metrics for non-traditional students

Increase retention and graduation rates by 3%

Increase retention and graduation rates by 3%

25% of faculty 50% of faculty 100% of

trained

trained

faculty trained

(1) Using customized pedagogical approaches;

(2) redesigning course delivery with mix of blended in-person and online experiences;

(3) building

support

programs

into

structured

course

delivery models;

(4) Increased compressed sessions (6-8 week) and multiple start-stop dates for online programs;

Number of faculty participating in QEP/ECT, Online, and FCIIL faculty develop workshops
Number of courses with at least minimal online presence defined as syllabi with learning outcomes, introduction, and use of gradebook)
Redesign of Learning Support delivery tailored to particular academic weaknesses
Number of mini-mester courses

10% of courses redesigned

20% of courses redesigned

25% of courses redesigned

20% increase in minimesters

30% increase in minimesters

50% increase in minimesters

10% of faculty trained; 10% more PLAcredit hours awarded

20% of faculty trained; 20% more PLAcredit hours awarded

30% of faculty trained; 30% more PLAcredit hours awarded

(5) Increased use of eCore and development of majors and career paths to complement eCore; and increased use of Prior Learning Assessment.

Number of certified eCORE instructors; number of PLA credit awarded

Enrolling and supporting parttime students at all age levels, adult learners, military learners

Establish Baseline: : Number of part-time, adult and military learners enrolled at the bachelor's

10% increase 20% increase 30% increase

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level. Retention and graduation rates

Goal 4. Modify Instructional delivery to meet the needs of our diverse student population and shorten-time to degree.

Implementation strategy

Metrics

2012-13 2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Transformation

of

Pedagogical Approaches to

Enhance Math and Writing

Proficiency

Number of revised courses

Early Identification of Academic Strengths and Weaknesses

Implement

Academic

Enhancement Institute

Decrease Time to Acclimation

Number of EI's warnings, MAP-Works
Number of participating faculty and deliverables
Establish learning communities; cohort scheduling

Aggressively strategize to minimize number of credit hours for degree completion.
IV. RESOURCES REQUIRED INCLUDE

10% of courses 10% of courses 10% of courses

modified

modified

modified

50% of warnings

result

in

comprehensive

intervention

25% of faculty participate

70% of warnings

result

in

comprehensive

intervention

50% of faculty participate

100%

of

warnings result

in

comprehensive

intervention

100% of faculty

participate

200% increase 400% increase 600% increase

in

learning in

learning in

learning

communities

communities

communities

Identify programs with more than 120 credit hours for degree completion

Bring all into compliance with degree reduction policy

100% compliance

1. A full-time Military Resource Center director who has significant military experience is required. Additionally, one fulltime office staff member could work 8-12 in the Fort Valley location and 3-7 in the Warner Robins location, although it would be better to have a full-time office staff member in each place. These staff members will go out to engage active military, guard, reserves, dependents and veterans, along with other adults, bringing them to programs at our university that will serve their needs.
2. Additional personnel dedicated to website improvement and search optimization, instructional design support for Learning Support courses, and use of the MAP-works retention intervention program.
3. New faculty members with cutting-edge experience in course redesign to model best practices and lead other faculty in innovative uses of pedagogy and technology.
4. Physical space in Warner Robins and Fort Valley and optimized websites for both adult and military students. (Currently, we have offices in Warner Robins but no lounge or social facility. We have several rooms for Military Resource Center offices in Fort Valley, and we can expand to serve adult and military students better if we can utilize room 309 Hubbard.
5. Staffing for an access point/one-stop shop for adult learners

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6. Furniture, supplies, operating expenses, and a dedicated marketing/communication budget for adult learners, military, part-time, articulations with technical colleges, and early-engagers.
7. An electronic helpdesk and use of a dedicated or campus-wide CRM (Constituent Relationship Management platform) to improve efficiency in communication with prospective and existing students. Renewal of the MAP-works license each year.

PART IV: ONGOING FEEDBACK /EVALUATION Over the next three academic years, FVSU will monitor progress toward our goals by answering the following questions.

1. What are the percent constituents of the FVSU student population with respect to

First-time, full-time first-year students
Learning support students Adult learners (students who are 25+) Active military, reserve, guard, military family members, veterans Students who earn 3.0+ in first year Part-time second year students

Transfer students University College Students Fully online or 75% online students Students who earn 2.0 in first year
Part-time first year students Part-time third year students

2. What are the 4- and 6-year completion rates for each respective student category? 3. Are first-generation and Pell-eligible students completing at a faster rate when offered gap funding via the TRiO
Student Support Services program? 4. Has the use of modular remediation in conjunction with for-credit mathematics and English courses decreased time
to exit Learning Support and time to completion? 5. Does an expansion of online adult and military support programs increase retention? 6. Does early engagement via STEM pipeline programs increase the likelihood of on-time completion of STEM majors? 7. Do Learning Communities enhance learner engagement and increase academic performance? 8. What factors increase the enrollment and retention rates of transfer students?

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Campus Completion Plan for the University System of Georgia Complete College Georgia Initiative

Submitted by: Interim President Paul Jones
August 20, 2012

This report presents Georgia College & State University's (Georgia College) Campus Completion Plan as part of the USG's Complete College Georgia initiative and is organized into the following sections:

I.

Process, Goals & Data Analysis

II./III. Strategies & Objectives/Planning & Implementation

IV. Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

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Part I: Process, Goals & Data Analysis

Georgia College is committed to being an integral part of the University System of Georgia's Complete College Georgia (CCG) initiative for creating a more educated state. The CCG Campus Completion Plan at Georgia College was built around its mission as Georgia's designated public liberal arts university in which excellence, engagement, and innovation are essential components of an educational experience that "supports the needs of the region and creates pathways to individual success and personal fulfillment." Since receiving the statewide liberal arts mission in 1996, Georgia College has worked to fulfill its niche by offering a distinctive residential learning environment with innovative teaching that emphasizes "high impact" pedagogies and opportunities for students to engage in learning beyond the classroom. These opportunities, e.g. service learning, study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, and civic engagement, reinforce the learning experience and create the types of engagement that research has shown1 lead to higher rates of retention and graduation. A member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), Georgia College is known for combining the educational experiences typical of esteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability and resources of a public university. The results are positive and self-evident: Graphs 1 and 2 below show trends in retention and graduation rates that are all strong, positive, and consistent.

Graph 1: Retention Rates at GC



Graph 2: Graduation Rates at GC

90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0% 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0% 1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Reten?on into Soph. Year Reten?on into Junior Year Reten?on into Senior Year

Four year Gradua?on Rate Five year Gradua?on Rate Six year Gradua?on Rate

Georgia College's admission policies involve a selective, holistic approach in which such aspects as a student's history at high school, rigor of their curriculum, test scores, and leadership and civic engagement while in high school are considered. Average SAT scores of entering freshmen (combined average score of 1155 for Fall 2011) and the most recent 6-year graduation rate (55.3%, 2005 cohort) rank third among Georgia's public universities. There is a robust first year experience and freshmen are required to live on campus. This focus on mission-centered recruiting and admissions strategies has been a factor in the historically low numbers of part-time students and adult learners at GC (see Appendix 1). Similarly, GC does not offer learning support and/or remedial classes. However, the CCG principles are certainly espoused in the GC plan: addressing curriculum "pinch-points" where students may be stuck and unable to progress toward the degree; removing stigmas associated with support mechanisms facilitating progression; and an institutional commitment to faculty support and quality introductory
1 Kuh, George D., High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter, 2008, Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges & Universities Press.

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courses. As with all institutional endeavors, GC's campus plan keeps the preservation of the integrity of the mission as a top priority.
Other key institutional data for the Fall 2011 term are contained in Appendix 1. Recent accolades include:
GC ranked 1st in U.S. News & World Report among public regional universities in Georgia. U.S. News & World Report ranked GC with a "Strong Commitment to Teaching." The Princeton Review named Georgia College "A Best in the Southeast." GC has been a "College of Distinction" since 2004.
Inclusive Planning Process
The process of developing the GC campus plan and the selection of goals, strategies and objectives have grown naturally out of a larger discussion among Georgia College faculty, staff, and administrators from across the institution were assisted by Noel-Levitz over a 10-month period to collect data, evaluate trends, and plan intentionally for the future. This work culminated in May 2011 with a data-informed, comprehensive and strategic enrollment plan for the university. The plan (available upon request) focuses on several main themes, with the priorities of increasing retention and graduation rates. The plan included immediate, short-term, and long-term strategies (encompassing Georgia College's 3-year RPG plan from September 2010) and, with implementation beginning in Fall 2011, led seamlessly into the campus discussions regarding the CCG initiative.
Thus, with additional clarity and purpose, stakeholders from across the university gathered to craft an institutional CCG plan by selecting metrics, mechanisms for data analysis, and processes to ensure ongoing measurement, reflection, and feedback. A Strategic Enrollment Management Council was created to guide and oversee implementation of the various components of the plan (see Appendix 2). Participation from key stakeholders was crucial to the development of the plan; areas providing analysis and feedback included executive cabinet, enrollment management division, deans and faculty from all four academic colleges, office of strategic initiatives, institutional research, and the budget office. Members of this Council met weekly in Spring 2012 to develop the strategies and objectives in the GC campus plan, and several will have primary responsibility for the oversight of the various implementation and action steps. During Fall 2012 the President of GC's Student Government Association and the Principal of the Georgia College Early College Program will join the Strategic Management Enrollment Council. The SGA president will represent the viewpoints of the GC student body, and the Principal will provide a perspective from schoolchildren and families in our local community. In addition, the University Senate reviewed the document at its summer 2012 retreat and provided helpful feedback, which will be incorporated into future activities.
Goals and Data Analysis
Through the group's analysis of institutional data, the Georgia College campus plan for the CCG initiative used the following overarching goals to guide the creation of strategies and objectives that align with the statewide liberal arts mission of the university:

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Georgia College Campus Completion Plan Goals:
1. Increase graduation rates in particular, by FY15 Georgia College seeks to achieve a 6-year graduation rate of 62%, approximately 7 percentage points higher than current benchmark data.
2. Increase retention of first year students in particular, by FY15 Georgia College seeks to attain an 86% rate of retention of students from the first year into the second year, representing a 3-percentage point increase over current benchmark data.
3. Increase enrollment of students from traditionally underserved populations in particular, by FY 15 Georgia College seeks to increase enrollment of students from traditionally underserved populations by 3% over current benchmark data.
Note that the GC campus plan Goals were obtained through extensive analysis of data and were calculated using the IPEDS definition of full time, first time freshmen. Changes in the definitions of USG metrics employed for assessment of the CCG initiative would necessitate revisions to the targets set here.
Campus strengths were revealed through the analysis of institutional data, e.g. positive trends in retention and graduation rates shown above. Other strengths include the following: a decrease in percentage of classes dropped as a result of an academic policy change in which students are not permitted to exceed five classes dropped over their collegiate career (decrease of 8% withdrawal rate in 2004 to 5% in 2010); decrease in rate of DWF's in Introductory STEM courses as a result of GC's participation in the statewide USG STEM Initiative; and data showing a redesigned learner-centered courses (Mathematics Emporium) produced lower withdrawal rates from 17% in Fall 2009 to 11% in 2011.
Even with demonstrated increases in graduation rates, GC recognizes the need for continued improvement in such rates to meet institutional and statewide goals. Furthermore, in comparison to aspirational peer institutions (see Appendix 3), some gaps exist in matching peer institutional graduation rates. This was a key factor in developing the graduation incentive plan found in Parts II & III. In a similar fashion, although DWF rates in introductory STEM courses have trended lower in recent years, improvements to such rates are still sought at GC. Hence, the strategies of the Mathematics Emporium model course redesign and the enhanced peer-tutoring program are part of the GC campus plan. Retention rates are also key to student success and the ultimate goal of persistence to graduation. Analysis of institutional retention data from recent years revealed a key gap in retaining students from year 2 to year 3. GC will institute strategies such as fully implementing the Early Alert MapWorks instrument for freshmen and targeted sophomore populations as well as expanding the successes of our model for First Year Academic Seminars taught by professional academic advisors. From our review of existing data, areas in need of improvement include increasing numbers of diverse populations and other traditionally underserved populations. Hence, the campus plan includes strategies to address issues of access for such populations. At the core of the CCG campus-planning effort was the selection of metrics that would track both increased efficiencies (graduation rates, time to degree, rate of DWF's etc.) and increased numbers (faculty participation in professional development activities, number of students registered in specific courses, online course activity, number of classes utilizing supplemental instruction etc.).
As seen in Parts II & III, considerable effort was made to tailor metrics with strategies and objectives. The GC campus plan objectives are grouped according to the following strategies:

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1. Enhance GC partnerships with K-12 for college readiness. 2. Improve access and completion for students traditionally underserved. 3. Shorten time to degree or number of credits to degree. 4. Restructure instructional delivery to improve student success.
Information needed the following information items were identified in need of USG assistance:
1. While departments and colleges diligently attempt to track students' post-graduation employment, this remains an area of extreme need, for CCG purposes and other institutional needs, e.g. accreditations. Help in developing resources to accomplish this task statewide would be appreciated and beneficial to all USG institutions.
2. GC would appreciate USG's help in locating home addresses for Military Veterans so that GC registration and recruitment materials can be sent to them.
Parts II & III: Strategies & Objectives/Planning & Implementation

Strategy 1: Enhance GC partnerships with K--12 for college readiness

Objective 1.1: Increase high school completion in GC's Early College program by 5% annually and earning of college credit by the time of high school graduation by 5% over the next two years.

Georgia College Early College (GCEC) is a 7th grade through 12th grade public educational institution that is located on GC's campus. GCEC partners Baldwin County and Putnam County Schools, Oconee RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency), and GC's John H. Lounsbury College of Education as an alternative to the traditional middle and high school. GCEC helps student's complete high school, gives them an opportunity to earn college credit, and assists them in becoming eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. Seed money for the GCEC came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Action: GCEC will provide increasing numbers of high school students with the skills necessary and the head start needed to complete a high school diploma and be prepared for success at a college or university. Benchmark data for the 2011-2012 school year include the following: 199 students enrolled at GCEC in Fall 2011; 10 students from the Legacy class (the first class ever to complete the program through their senior year of high school) earned high school diplomas this year originally 55 students began 7th grade in the Legacy class; at the time of high school graduation, these 10 students had earned between 15 and 29 college credits each; all 10 will matriculate to post-secondary institutions in Fall 2012. Metric/s Number of students enrolled in GCEC. Number of students successfully attaining a high school diploma. Number of college credits attained at time of high school graduation. Number of students matriculating to an institution of post-secondary education.

Objective 1.2: Promote academic success and persistence for at-risk K-12 students through the Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program by increasing the numbers served by 5% with a 100% success rate in students' receiving their high school diploma.

YES, a program coordinated out of the GC Extended University Division, seeks to promote postsecondary education by involving students in a high quality afterschool program that helps fulfill the needs of the whole child and ensures that adult family members have access to programming. The

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program provides Baldwin County students in grades 3-12 with academic support that complements day school efforts.

Action: YES seeks to increase high school graduation rates, nurture and inspire curiosity, and realize deeper levels of literacy. Benchmark data for the 2011-2012 school include 650 students served in four Baldwin County schools, and all 9 out of 9 seniors participating in the YES program earned high school diplomas this year. Metric/s Number of students served in YES program. Number of students successfully attaining a high school diploma. Number of students matriculating to an institution of post-secondary education.

Objective 1.3: Prepare more African-American men as elementary school teachers by enrolling five students into the Call Me Mister Program at GC in 2013.

The College of Education recently was approved to be a site for Clemson University's Call Me Mister program. The mission of the Call Me Mister Initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a more diverse background particularly among the state's lowest performing elementary schools. The program serves to increase the gender and racial diversity in education courses as well as helps increase the diversity of the teaching force in elementary schools in our area.

Action The program will increase the number of minority students attending GC and likewise the number of minority teachers in public schools once students graduate. Benchmark data: since GC's approval to participate is new in AY2012, so no students have yet participated at GC. GC's first participants are expected in the AY2013 cohort. Metric/s Number of GC students served by Call Me Mister program. Number of students matriculating to an institution of post-secondary education to pursue a degree program in preparation for a teaching career.

Objective 1.4: Increase the number of K-12 teachers is STEM-related disciplines who participate in GC-sponsored STEM Learning Communities (LCs) by 10% annually.

STEM Learning Communities (LCs) are groups of K-12 teachers and GC STEM and STEM-Education faculty who meet on a regular basis to share ideas and teaching strategies and discuss common challenges and ways to overcome them. Some key characteristics of such LCs are that they must involve both K-12 teachers and university faculty and that collaborative inquiry conducted in the LCs addresses the primary goal of improving teaching and learning (and hence student success) in mathematics and science in K-12 classes. Increased K-12 student success will lead to improved college readiness.

STEM Learning Communities typically consist of 6-12 members, i.e. K-12 teachers and university faculty, organized around a specific discipline or a single grade level, and typically meet on a monthly or semi-monthly basis. At GC, LC proposals are solicited on an annual basis through a competitive minigrant funding process and are reviewed by a team of GC faculty from across STEM disciplines.

Action: Through STEM Learning Communities, GC will positively impact K-12 student engagement, learning, interest, and success in mathematics and sciences. Benchmark data for 2011-2012 year includes the following: five STEM Learning Communities funded in AY2012 at elementary through high school levels; 16 K-12 teachers and 12 GC faculty participated, more than 60 GC college students helped or collaborated in LCs, and more than 1,200 K-12 students were impacted by STEM LC projects.

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Metric/s Number of K-12 teachers participating in STEM Learning Communities. Number of students matriculating to an institution of post-secondary education to pursue a degree program in a STEM discipline.
Objective 1.5: In 2013 the number of Dual Enrolled students taking GC classes and earning college credit prior to high school graduation will increase by 9% (48 students total).
Dual Enrollment students are high school students taking college courses in order to satisfy high school diploma requirements, as well as earning college credit applicable toward a college degree. Dual Enrollment students are potentially eligible for funding through the ACCEL program to cover most of their tuition for approved courses for fall and spring semester.
Action: Students with the necessary prerequisite skills are encouraged to complete dual enrollment courses to decrease time to degree and to familiarize themselves with university life prior to commencing their programs of study. Benchmark data include: 45 students enrolled with Dual Enrollment in Fall 2011; seven participating high schools represented, including GC Early College. Metric/s Number of students participating in Dual Enrollment at GC. Number of college credits earned by participants at time of high school graduation.

Strategy 2: Improve access & completion for students traditionally underserved

Objective 2.1: Increase the number of online programs by 10% between 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Provide a viable alternative for adult learners to complete degree programs while attending to work and family needs. This will have the net effect of increasing the number of students GC serves.

Action: Online activity from Fall 2009 through Spring 2012 increased from 989 to 1345 course sections. To help meet the above objective GC's Academic Affairs will provide financial incentives for faculty, departments, and colleges, to increase the number of online courses that lead to programs in which 90% of the courses are online. Metric/s Data collected by Academic Affairs that identifies online activity across semesters and academic years within the following categories: active users, active course sections, and total actions.

Objective 2.2: Enhance articulation agreements to increase access for students currently attending institutions with high transfer rates into GC.

Provide students from transfer institutions with a seamless transition to GC. Students will be provided with clearly stated pathways into programs of study and information concerning housing, registration, financing, and student support.

Action: Implement articulation agreements with Georgia Military College and Georgia Perimeter College. Metric/s Number of qualified students applying and transferring to GC from Georgia Military College. Number of qualified students applying and transferring to GC from Georgia Perimeter College.

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Objective 2.3: Develop a minimum of two undergraduate courses tailored to the needs of military personnel and deliver 120 credit hours of course work.
GC's intent is to expand access to military personnel by using our existing relationship with Robins Air force Base to expand services offered. In the past, GC has primarily served graduate needs of base personnel, but effort will be exerted to expand coverage into other levels of academic programming.
Action: Create opportunities for military personnel from all armed forces service branches to take classes from GC by working with faculty to design and list two undergraduate courses. Metric/s Number of credit hours taken by active duty military personnel.

Strategy 3: Shorten time to degree or number of credits to degree
Objective 3.1: In order to shorten time to degree increase the number of students who attempt CLEP by 5% annually and decrease time to degree by 10% in five years.
Gaining college credit through CLEP exams will allow students to complete degree requirements sooner as well as experience the benefit of financial savings through tuition reduction.
Action: Students will be identified through the Office of the Registrar using data obtained through AP score reports. Outreach to students enrolling in high school AP courses at Orientation and through academic advising to encourage college credit attempts through CLEP. Metric/s Number of students who receive college credit through CLEP. Time to degree for students utilizing CLEP as compared to those without CLEP credit.
Objective 3.2: Increase graduation rates across undergraduate degree programs by 1.5% in 2013 utilizing a department-level graduation incentive plan.
An incentive plan with funds dedicated from the Provost's Office was developed to empower academic departments to increase graduation rates. To be considered for incentives departments must meet or exceed predetermined graduation targets. Funds received through the incentive plan can be used at the discretion of departments.
Action: To create greater departmental ownership of retention and graduation rates, an incentive plan for increasing academic departments' graduation rates was developed in the 2011-12 academic year. Departments demonstrating increased graduation rates based on set targets will receive financial incentive awards. Incentive plan details were developed with extensive input from deans and department chairs. Metric/s Institutional Research graduation rate metrics.
Objective 3.3: Increase retention rates by 0.5% for Y1:Y2 and 1% for Y2:Y3 annually for five years by implementing a centralized advising system utilizing professional advisors for first-year and second-year students.
Centralized Advising aids retention by providing seamless support for students who either elect to change majors or otherwise need to select an alternative degree path. Students will benefit from increased access to their advisor, information and support.

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Action: Beginning in 2012, professional advisors from across campus will be consolidated in an advising center, which is a component of the Center for Student Success (CSS). With the exception of three majors, which utilize a vertical core curriculum, all first-year and second-year students will be assigned to CSS advisors. As mentioned above, the CSS professional advisors will also teach most of the First-Year Academic Seminars for their advisees. Metric/s Y1:Y2 and Y2:Y3 retention rates.
Objective 3.4: Increase students' Y1:Y2 retention rate by 0.5% annually for five-years by expanding GC`s Undeclared Advising Model whereby academic advisors serve as students' First Year Academic Seminar instructors.
With advisors responsible for teaching more sections, increased consistency is achieved across the First Year Academic Seminar (FYAS) sections, with curriculum based on best practices for first-year experiences and information on challenges students face as they transition to college. This in turn aids in students' academic success and achievement.
Action: In conjunction with a move to a Centralized Advising Center, increase the number of freshmen First Year Academic Seminar sections taught by professional academic advisors. For academic departments wishing to have their FYAS led by faculty, professional advisors will assist and/or support those seminars to provide "essential elements" success topics. Metric/s Student retention rates into the second semester and sophomore year.
Objective 3.5: By the end of the third semester in residence, 95% of students will have an Academic Planner tool within the DegreeWorks. In so doing, students will reduce their time to degree by 5% within five years.
DegreeWorks provides a comprehensive set of web-based academic-advising, degree audit, and transfer articulation tools, to help students and their advisors negotiate curriculum requirements. The "Academic Planner" tool allows students to plot courses in a sequence from freshmen through senior year. Utilizing the Planner helps student's progress in their degree program and graduate on time.
Action: The Center for Student Success professional advisors will assist each advisee in creating an academic plan within DegreeWorks. During each advisement period, the advisor will review the plan with the student for any necessary updates and adjustments. Academic departments will be encouraged to create and utilize a sample four-year Program of Study, which can aid students in crafting their DegreeWorks academic plan. Metric/s Number of students with a completed plan using the Academic Planner tool in DegreeWorks. Reduction of time to degree.
Strategy 4: Restructure instructional delivery to improve student success
Objective 4.1: Improve students' academic success by increasing the number of faculty participating in high impact pedagogy sessions by 10%.

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Provide faculty with the necessary pedagogical skills to incorporate pedagogies such as service learning, problem based learning, undergraduate research, internships, and civic engagement in order to engage students in and beyond the classroom.

Action: Offer incentives for faculty who incorporate High Impact Pedagogies into their classes including student research, service-learning projects, peer mentoring, and problem-based learning. During the Spring 2011 semester, Academic Affairs sponsored a series of five intensive faculty development workshop series on integrating high-impact pedagogies into the curriculum. Topics included student research, service-learning projects, peer mentoring, and problem-based learning. Benchmark data includes: more than $125,000 invested and 74-faculty (more than 22% of the GC corps of instruction) participating in workshops to enrich their courses through high-impact pedagogies. Metric/s Number of faculty participating in high impact pedagogy workshops. Reduced DWF rates in courses taught using high impact pedagogy

Objective 4.2: Increase course completion rate by 5% in core mathematics courses using the Math Emporium redesign process.

Research has shown2 integrated course delivery using appropriate technology and pedagogy can result in increased student learning. By employing a more learner-centered course structure with active learning techniques, such curricular approaches result in higher pass rates, lower withdrawal rates, longer retention of course content, and greater student satisfaction.

Action: GC invested over $100,000 to renovate space in the Library and Information Technology Center to create a 100-seat teaching laboratory designed to meet the needs of the course. In Fall 2011, four sections of the redesigned MATH 1111 were offered for the first time. Expansion of the emporium model to other courses, particularly those with high DWF rates in the core, will be explored. Metric/s DWF rates in Area A mathematics courses using model the Math Emporium model.

Objective 4.3: Expand the highly successful Bridge Scholars Program by 25% (24 students).

The Bridge Scholars Program (BSP) is an intrusive transitional program for incoming freshmen in which students begin their GC enrollment with an intensive summer 5-week program and an opportunity to earn six credit hours of Core Curriculum credit. Students must earn grades of "C" or better in all summer coursework to continue enrollment into the regular academic year. BSP students are provided additional support, resources, and tutoring to aid in their success.

Action: Georgia College will add a fifth BSP cohort of 24 students, beginning Summer 2012. Metric/s Number of BSP students successfully completing the summer component of and continuing into Fall semester. Number of BSP students retained for their second year at GC.

Objective 4.4: Early Alert MapWorks Transition Survey results for all freshmen students will be used to identify students who have the greatest risk of leaving the institution and provide intervention strategies to help these students remain at the university and be academically successful.
2 Twigg, Carol A., Improving Learning and Reducing Costs: Redesigning Large--Enrollment Courses, 1999, Troy, NY: Center for Academic Transformation, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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The MapWorks Transition Survey is administered five weeks into the fall term to all new first-year students and the system instantaneously analyzes student responses for "red alerts" warning signs that the students' behaviors, expectations and attitudes may not be conducive to success.
Action: The Center for Student Success (CSS) staff will create a specific Red Alert protocol so that all CSS advisors are using the MapWorks results in the same way.
Metrics MapWorks Data and IR/MapWorks reports Number of "Red Alert" students retained for the subsequent year at Georgia College, as well as the percentage of students retained who initially indicated plans to transfer out.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
The Georgia College Complete College Georgia steering committee, reporting directly to the Georgia College President, will be in charge of overseeing the plan and is responsible for disseminating information to the campus. The steering committee is composed of the following core individuals: Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Director of Institutional Research, and the Senior Director for Advising and Retention. The committee will meet monthly and is responsible for ensuring progression in achieving plan objectives and reporting results to the Strategic Enrollment Planning Council for feedback prior to informing the university community. The committee will provide the President with monthly updates. During Fall 2012 the President of GC's Student Government Association and the Principal of the Georgia College Early College Program will join the Strategic Management Enrollment Council. A six-month review cycle will be utilized to evaluate progress toward Complete College Georgia objectives. The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) will continue to be responsible for the collection and maintenance of retention, progression and graduation data, and for providing leadership for the analysis of this data. As possible, institutional data will be compared with comparator and aspirant peers to determine progress relative to the metrics. The OIR will also be responsible for maintaining a publicly available website to disseminate this information; the website will be based on the SAS Enterprise Intelligence System for Education currently being implemented.

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Appendix 1 Undergraduate Student Profile
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Appendix 2
Strategic Enrollment Management Council Dr. Paul Jones, Interim President (Term ends August 31, 2012) Dr. Steve Dorman, President (Term begins September 1, 2012) Dr. Matthew Liao-Troth, Interim Provost Ms. Suzanne Pittman, Assistant VP for Enrollment Management Dr. Tom Ormond, Associate Provost Dr. Jason Huffman, Director of Strategic Initiatives Dr. Ed Hale, Director of Institutional Research Mr. Mike Augustine, Director, Center for Student Success Mr. Ken Procter, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Sandy Gangstead, Dean, College of Health Sciences Dr. Jane Hinson, Dean, College of Education Dr. Dale Young, Interim Dean, College of Business Dr. Elaine Whitaker, Chairperson Department of English & Rhetoric Dr. Ken McGill, Chairperson Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy Dr. Ken Farr, Chairperson Department of Economics and Finance Dr. Lee Gillis, Chairperson Department of Psychological Science Dr. Joe Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Marketing Dr. Judith Malachowski, Director of School of Nursing Dr. Robert Blumenthal, Chairperson Department of Mathematics Dr. Jude Hirsch, Chairperson Department of Kinesiology Dr. Carol Bader, Assistant Dean College of Education Dr. Holley Roberts, Assistant Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education Dr. Paul Jones, VP of Administrative Services and Campus Operations Dr. Bruce Harshbarger, VP of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Ms. Amy Amason, Vice President for External Relations and University Advancement Ms. Susan Allen, Chief Budget Officer

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Appendix 3
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Six Year Graduation and First Year Retention Rates: Georgia College and Comparator and Aspirational Peers
Figure 1: 6 year graduation rate (2004 cohort)

Figure 2: 1 year retention rate (2009 cohort)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
*Comparator Peers; **Aspirational Peers
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Appendix 4

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Campus Completion Plan for the University System of Georgia Complete College Georgia Initiative
Submitted by: Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, President August 22, 2012

This document contains the Georgia Gwinnett College Campus Completion Plan as required for the University System of Georgia's Complete College Georgia initiative. This report is organized as follows:

I.

Process, Data Analysis and Goals

II. Strategies and Objectives

III. Planning and Implementation

IV. Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation

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Part 1: Process Goals and Data Analysis
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is the only access institution within the University System of Georgia that offers only baccalaureate degrees. The GGC mission states that the College "provides access to targeted baccalaureate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region." Founded in 2005, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) operates, and has always operated, in the context of a clear strategic plan derived from its mission and in an environment based in data-informed planning. From its inception, access to and success in baccalaureate education have been at the center of the College's efforts and the focus of regular assessment and review.
Inclusive Planning Process
The GGC campus plan has emerged from the long-standing and continuous discussion among faculty, staff, and administrators from across the institution. Planning that focuses broadly on college access and success is the primary responsibility of several standing committees, including the Enrollment Management Committee, RPG Task Force, and Mentoring Committee, all of which are composed of staff and faculty drawn from across the College. Planning focused specifically on supporting new students is the responsibility of the First Year Matters Steering Committee and Sub-committees and the New Student Orientation Task Force, and guided by an ongoing relationship with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Collaborative and cooperative relationships with the Gwinnett County Schools are developed and managed primarily within the GGC School of Education and its Teacher Education Advisory Committee. Additionally, the Enrollment Management Division routinely interacts with secondary school principals and guidance counselors to enhance the college readiness of high school graduates.
A campus-wide working group began CCG planning by reviewing the plans and reports of these campus groups for near-term proposals with the potential to impact large numbers of students. This list was supplemented with additional actions or tactics suggested at the Complete College Georgia Summit. In subsequent meetings, the working group identified a subset of strategies for implementation and developed specific action plans, objectives, and assessment plans. Pending the establishment of a management infrastructure for these efforts, this working group will be responsible for and monitor the CCG initiatives.
Critical Data A review of the basic demographic characteristics of the GGC student population shows a preponderance of those who are traditionally underserved.
GGC students tend to have relatively low levels of academic preparation. The mean high school GPA of GGC's Fall 2011 entering freshman cohort was among the among the lowest in the USG State Colleges. Each cohort of first-time entering students at GGC has had a consistent academic profile with a mean high school GPA of between 2.69 and 2.80, and 40-45% requiring remediation in at least one core subject (Math, English, Reading). New transfer student cohorts have traditionally entered with a mean transfer GPA of between 2.3 and 2.7 and transfer in an average of 40-45 semester hours.
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GGC enrolls a substantial number of first-generation college students. Results from four consecutive years of the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) show that 40-50% of the entering first-time students are from families in which neither parent has a college degree. A more detailed study of the Fall 2011 entering class showed that 22% of that cohort had no parent with any college experience and an additional 22% had parents with college experience, but no degree, which is consistent with the BCSSE data.
In addition, GGC enrolls a high percentage of Pell Grant eligible students. For the Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 cohorts, the percentages of Pell Grant eligible students were 47% and 57% respectively.
Strengths These basic data show that GGC is attracting, admitting and enrolling a wide range of students, many of whom have significant obstacles to success. Indeed, commitment to the access mission and student success is part of GGC's institutional DNA and a core strength of the College. The College's vision is heavily focused on student success, particularly through faculty engagement, innovation and efficient administrative services. The College's mission welcomes "access-type" students who may not have the preparation, life situations or mindset to automatically succeed in college. The College's strategic plan includes as one of four strategic priorities "Significantly enhance GGC's student success efforts."
Another GGC core strength rests in its commitment to extensive student engagement in active learning and in co-curricular developmental activities. This commitment can be seen in many aspects of College operations including, but not limited to: small class sizes, strong relationships between faculty and students, strong and multi-faceted tutoring services, and an investment in faculty professional development. While figures for six year graduation rates are not yet available (no freshman cohort has yet matriculated for six years), data on student retention indicate that these efforts are serving to enhance student success at GGC relative to other institutions. GGC's one year retention rate for entering freshmen has stayed consistently between 68% and 75% across four student cohorts. It is particularly notable that GGC's retention rates for African-American students are virtually equal to the rates for White students, while the retention rate for Hispanic students is higher than that for White students. Furthermore, an analysis that relates first year retention with high school GPA shows that the GGC relative retention rate is better than that of virtually all other USG institutions, even regional and research universities.
Because GGC has always had a strong emphasis on access to and persistence and success in higher education, GGC has elected to focus a substantial component of effort in the Completion Plan on strengthening and enlarging those on-campus strategies and efforts that are already showing a high impact .
Challenges Growth and growth management are significant challenges. GGC is a rapidly growing college, having grown from 118 students in 2006 to well over 9000 in 2012. Across the same time period, the faculty has grown from 11 full-time faculty to approximately 350 full-time and 200 part-time faculty. Current projections, along with the Complete College mandate, call for GGC to continue to grow, achieving a projected enrollment of 15,000 in the Fall of 2015, pending the development of sufficient facilities to support the growth. Maintaining and managing growth at this pace, while also maintaining commitment
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to the College's access mission and continuing the strategies and efforts that are yielding evidence of significant success in retention and progression, creates a set of unique stressors for GGC.
The absence of reliable historical and predictive data is another challenge unique to GGC. Largely because of its short history, many of the data points needed to compute the Complete College America and USG metrics are not yet available for GGC. For example, GGC cannot yet compute a three-year average of four-year graduation rates, because the College has only had two fairly small student cohorts enrolled long enough to measure a four-year graduation rate. Similarly, computations based on absolute numbers are difficult to interpret given the rate of enrollment growth and programmatic change experienced at GGC. As the Completion Plan for GGC is developed and implemented, establishing sound and reliable baseline rates for many of the critical metrics to be used will necessarily be an initial activity. Beyond graduation rates, metrics for which GGC must establish initial baselines include, but are not limited to:
Time to graduation for native student cohorts Credit hours at completion for native and transfer students Course completion ratios Course taking and re-taking patterns
Opportunities for Improvement GGC has, however, identified several specific areas in which there are clear opportunities to impact student success through both the ongoing implementation of current strategies and efforts and the development and execution of additional creative and innovative strategies, all of which are assessed routinely.
Learning Support exit rates, particularly in Math are an important metric to target in early efforts. Since GGC enrolls a high percentage of students requiring remediation, it is critical to deliver instructional opportunities to those students that support their learning and lead to successful mastery of the essential foundational skills and knowledge needed for credit-bearing work. Since our data also show that students who do not exit the Learning Support courses quickly are more likely to leave the College, improving the early success of these students will have a clear and immediate impact on first-year retention, which is critical for achieving the completion targets of the USG and State of Georgia.
Retention rates are another area in which the College has an opportunity for substantial improvement. While GGC's retention rates are strong in comparison to peer institutions and in comparison to what would be predicted for our population, these rates are still lower than desired. Improving retention to the second year is a first focus; programs targeted toward improving retention in later years will follow.
Success rates in specific Core Curriculum courses also reveal an important area in which focused efforts can yield a strong impact on the progress and eventual graduation of students. Specifically, College Algebra (MATH 1111) and Introduction to Computing (ITEC 1001) consistently have high rates of student failure or withdrawal. As with efforts to improve student learning and success in Learning Support, efforts targeted at student performance in these courses will have a positive impact on progress, persistence and completion.
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Goals and Broad Targets Based on the data and analyses available to GGC at this time, the College is able to establish target levels of improvement in some of the critical Complete College America and USG metrics at this time. However, establishing targets for other metrics must necessarily wait until the College has amassed a sufficient body of historical data to determine current baselines. Also, further analysis of available data is needed to specify specific targets for sub-populations of interest. Below are overall target values for those metrics for which the College has sufficient data. Targets are projected for the first three academic years of the plan. Targets for one-year retention and degrees conferred have been extrapolated from figures in the GGC RPG report delivered to the USG System Office in 2012. Early data from our efforts in transforming remediation, the GGC Segue English and Access Math options, show strong increases in Learning Support exit rates. While these early data reflect relatively small samples, the data show that the projected improvements shown in the table below are realistic and attainable. Maintaining the overall percentage of First Generation and Pell Grant eligible students enrolled will necessarily lead to higher actual enrollment figures as the College continues to grow. As formative and summative evaluation proceeds, targets will be projected for more distant years.

Metric

Baseline

One year retention (at GGC)

68%

Degrees conferred

196 (Sp 12)

% First Generation students enrolled

44%

% Pell Grant eligible students enrolled

50%

First semester exit rate: Learning Support

55%

English

First semester exit rate: Learning Support

34%

Math

First semester exit rate: Learning Support

72%

Reading

First attempt completion rate: College Algebra 62.8%

First attempt completion rate: Intro to Computing

73.1%

AY 13 Target 71% 230 (Sp 13) 44% 50% 58%
37%
74%
65% 75%

AY 14 Target 73% 290 (Sp14) 44% 50% 61%
40%
76%
67% 77%

AY 15 Target 75% 375 (Sp15) 44% 50% 64%
43%
78%
69% 79%

Part II: Strategies and objectives
GGC has identified broad strategies and specific efforts for each of the major areas of focus in the Complete College Georgia initiative. In addition, GGC will invest time in developing its own data resources and analytic understanding of the essential Complete College America and USG metrics. This analytic work will enable the College to establish achievement targets for additional metrics and to identify additional opportunities for improvement and initiatives to support access and success for GGC students.
GGC's specific Completion Plan strategies and activities are discussed briefly below.

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Partnerships with P-12 to improve college readiness GGC's maintains a strong relationship with the Gwinnett County School System (GCSS). There are several initiatives already in place that both build student awareness of the education opportunity available to them at GGC and work to improve the college readiness of graduating students.
GGC continues to partner strategically with Gwinnett County P-12 schools to enhance instruction, provide enrichment opportunities, provide accessible role models, and provide accurate information regarding college opportunities by deepening existing relationships and establishing new avenues. See Appendix 6 for a listing of GGC's primary partners in these initiatives. It is appropriate for us to focus on our partnerships with the Gwinnett County School System because 61% of first-year students at GGC are graduates of schools in Gwinnett County. Specifically, GGC will expand and strengthen partnerships that place GGC students in Gwinnett County classrooms and that bring Gwinnett County students to GGC for educational enrichment opportunities. Collectively, these interactions will improve the educational preparedness of GCPS students leading to greater student success and retention in higher education.
Specific initiatives to implement or continue include:
Working with the Executive Director of Human Resources, GGC places teacher candidates from the School of Education in GCPS schools where they engage in multiple field experiences.
Also in partnership with the Executive Director of Human Resources, GGC's School of Education is continuing and expanding its Human Capital Pipeline, through which promising GCPS students are recruited as potential teacher candidates at GGC. Upon completion of their degrees, these students then return to GCPS as teachers, providing well-educated personnel for the system and strong, familiar role models for students.
The School of Science and Technology, working with the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction and the Director of Science for Gwinnett County Schools, has developed a service learning course that pairs GGC students with Gwinnett County teachers to develop science curriculum for elementary school students.
GGC's ongoing partnership with the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology provides internship opportunities for HS students on GGC campus.
GGC's Office of Recruitment maintains a strong relationship with Gwinnett County high school counselors and Dual Enrollment counselors through regular visits to high schools, frequent campus tours and an annual appreciation luncheon.
These efforts are expected to positively impact metrics associated with increased access to and success in higher education, specifically the number of students enrolling, credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, and retention rates.
Improve college access and completion for students underserved in postsecondary education As stated earlier, GGC has consistently maintained a strong emphasis on providing access to and supporting success in post-secondary education. Several standing committees on campus work to review available data and develop potential efforts designed to improve the College's ability to achieve its overall access mission and vision. A number of continuing and new efforts have been identified for this plan and are summarized below. Many of these efforts are designed to address access and
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completion needs of a wide range of underserved students. Given the demographic and academic characteristics of our student population, broad initiatives that reach and benefit students across target populations are the most effective use of exceptionally limited resources.
GGC has substantially expanded and enhanced its new student orientation program and will continue to make additional improvements. New student orientation is designed to support students' transition to college by providing them with essential information and to provide support for students to begin building relationships with their peers and with GGC faculty. Based upon earlier assessment findings, GGC has modified the orientation program in 2012-13 to allow for differentiated orientation sessions targeting the specific needs of adult learners and high-risk students. The orientation curricula for highrisk and typical first-year students are based on theories of student development and research on predictors of student success, drawing specifically on the work of Baxter-Magolda, Chickering, and Pascarella & Terrenzini.For transfer and non-traditional students, the orientation curricula draw on theories of transition and the work of Schlossberg. See Appendix 7 for more information on the underlying theoretical frameworks supporting the need for differentiated orientation curricula. Ongoing and continuing enhancements will be developed based on further assessment data. These efforts are expected to lead to better student understanding of campus policies, processes and resources as measured through assessment of the student learning outcomes for orientation. In addition, this effort is expected to positively impact metrics tracking enrollment numbers and one year retention rate.
GGC is continuing and refining initiatives that support high-quality mentoring for students. Mentoring is a hallmark of the GGC experience and an essential element of student-faculty interaction. A meaningful out-of-class relationship with a faculty member is a significant factor in retention and graduation rates. Through mentoring, students receive accurate course advising, timely and accurate guidance in accessing essential College resources, assistance with challenges, and timely and accurate information regarding the impact of various options. Specific activities to support mentors include:
Extensive professional development during new faculty orientation Ongoing, regular professional development workshops during the academic year focused on the
specific needs of target populations, including but not limited to adult learners, working students, and students with disabilities Individual mentoring of faculty by Senior Mentors in each of GGC's Schools Technology support for mentors providing basic demographic and academic information on each student mentee Early alert system to support mentors in outreach to students at risk
Each of these efforts will be reviewed and enhanced and is expected to positively impact metrics tracking credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, retention rates, time to degree, graduation rate and credit hours at completion.
GGC is maintaining strong support for student success, particularly for underprepared students, by providing comprehensive tutoring services. Data on both Learning Support exit rates and completion rates in Core Curriculum courses documents the extent to which our student population needs educational support beyond the classroom. Therefore, the College has established extensive and
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proactive tutoring services that go beyond the physical location and operating hours of the tutoring center. Known on campus as TIC-TAC-TOE, these innovative services provide Tutors in the Classroom (TIC), Tutors Around Campus (TAC) and Tutoring Online Everywhere (TOE). As part of its Completion Plan, GGC will evaluate the impact of these services and, where appropriate, expand their reach. This effort is expected to positively impact metrics tracking Learning Support exit rates, credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, course completion ratios for all students, retention rate, and graduation rate.
Shorten Time to Degree Two broad considerations form the foundation of GGC's initiatives that target the priority of shortening time to degree for USG students. First, GGC continues to enroll a substantial number of transfer students, largely from Georgia Perimeter College and Gwinnett Technical College, but also from across the USG. With a relatively large population of transfer students, it is essential that GGC make efficient and effective use of transfer credits so that students are not unnecessarily required to repeat coursework for which they have already earned credit. Second, GGC enrolls a substantial number of students who are unfamiliar with or unprepared for the complexities and requirements of configuring a college course of study. For these students, data suggest that it is important to provide extensive information regarding the options available and the consequences of various actions and choices. The literature also suggests that limiting the degree of choice available to this population of students improves success. With these two large-scale needs in mind, GGC has identified two primary initiatives designed to shorten the time required for students to complete degrees.
To make more efficient and effective use of transfer credits, GGC is implementing its broader, strong articulation agreement with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and with Gwinnett Technical College in particular. By taking advantage of the work done to identify a wider spectrum of TCSG courses that meet the appropriate learning outcomes for transfer courses, GGC will be able to award transfer credit for more coursework to students enrolling after having attended a TCSG institution. Transfer evaluators will make every effort to identify and award credit for all eligible courses. This is expected to positively impact metrics tracking time to degree and credit hours at completion.
To support the needs of all students, GGC is initiating several activities designed to provide more accurate and more accessible information for course selection and sequencing. At the core of GGC efforts to insure that students complete their degrees efficiently, i.e., by mastering the knowledge and skills of their curriculum in the appropriate set and sequence of courses, is a commitment to providing complete, accurate and timely information to students about their course selection options and about the likely and potential consequences of specific choices and actions. Coupled with timely and proactive mentoring and advising, this information will help students avoid taking unnecessary courses, missing prerequisites, and taking courses out of sequence. The specific actions include:
Implementing Banner Degree Works to improve the ability of both students and mentors to identify appropriate course selections.
Investigating the reporting capabilities of Degree Works and, where that application cannot provide the information desired, developing customized applications or scripts to generate reports that can be used by students and mentors to improve course selection.
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Developing an Academic Advising Center that will provide students with access to a central core of professional staff who are knowledgeable and available for ad-hoc academic advising, particularly in reference to learning support requirements, core curriculum requirements, and the specific constraints and regulations governing students on academic probation. Our qualitative review of challenges to the current faculty-only model for advising and mentoring has revealed that the current model is not effectively meeting all student needs in these specific areas. See Appendix 8 for a more detailed summary.
These efforts are expected to positively impact metrics tracking time to graduation, graduation rates, and credit hours at completion.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery Reflecting its access mission and vision, GGC has identified active, engaging pedagogy as an essential element of a student success oriented college. Clearly, the most effective and efficient path through a college curriculum is a path in which a student successfully completes each class he/she takes. The literature clearly demonstrates that courses designed to engage students in active learning show higher rates of student success. It is also well-established that many students benefit, both practically and cognitively, from alternates to the standard multi-day face-to-face class such as online classes, hybrid classes, and compressed format classes. Therefore, GGC's efforts in restructuring instructional delivery focus on both developing and delivering active, engaging courses and on providing courses in alternate formats.
Continue developing and offering engaging authentic pedagogy and learning environments. GGC has a long-standing emphasis on active pedagogy in the classroom which leads to higher levels of student engagement and stronger, deeper learning. The most recent example is GGC's USG STEM grant, through which the College is building a four-year Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) for STEM majors. This effort contributes to student success in STEM courses by reconfiguring traditional laboratory experiences into challenging, well-scaffolded, engaging research investigations. The experiences designed for each course will be appropriate for the learning outcomes of the course and will enable students not only to master course content but also to develop transferable and desirable skills in critical thinking and communication. This activity has already begun. Thus far 17 courses have been revised to embed appropriate research experiences and over 2000 students have been impacted. Further development of experiences for additional courses will continue along with collaborative efforts with the School of Education and the School of Liberal Arts. This effort is expected to positively impact metrics tracking credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, course completion ratios, retention rate, and graduation rate.
Appendix 9 provides additional information on active learning initiatives at GGC.
GGC will expand the number of hybrid courses offered to students and will begin offering weekend compressed-format classes. To better meet the needs of students for whom a traditional college course schedule is inappropriate, GGC will continue to offer hybrid classes across its curriculum and will expand the number of hybrid sections offered. In addition, GGC will begin offering courses structured in a compressed weekend cohort format. These courses will have the same student learning outcomes as the comparable traditional courses and will be assessed using the same assessment instruments and
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criteria as traditional courses. This effort is expected to positively impact metrics tracking number of students enrolled, retention rate, graduation rate and credit hours at completion. Continue to expand the number of block class schedules offered to entering first-time students. GGC has had early indications that allowing entering first-time students the option of enrolling in a block of courses has increased student success in first semester classes. In course blocks, a small cohort of students, usually 20-24, are enrolled in a common schedule such that they share all classes. This format supports development of student-to-student peer relationships and supports development of studentfaculty connections. Further, for students in a block, it is possible to assign a mentor who is also one of their instructors, thus further supporting the development of the student-faculty connection. Students in block schedules in Fall 2011 had higher term GPAs for both Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 and were more likely to be enrolled in Fall 2012 than comparable students who were not enrolled in block schedules. In addition, student self-report data from the first year of block schedules provides evidence that students assign value to the option. Of students in block schedules, 55% agreed that being in a block had a positive impact on their class performance and 52% would continue in the block if the opportunity were available. Preliminary data on student performance and retention also show positive benefits from this initiative as shown in Appendix 10. GGC's expansion of this course option is expected to positively impact metrics tracking credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, course completion ratios, and first-year retention rate. Transforming Remediation The evidence in favor of concurrent instruction as a model for remediation is growing stronger. This model operates in a framework in which students are enrolled in both the initial college-level course (English Composition or College Algebra) and a remedial course. GGC has already launched a limited implementation of concurrent instruction models for both English and Math. Initial data indicate that these transformations have a positive impact on student performance in both the Learning Support level classes (MATH 0099 and ENGL 0099) and the entry-level credit bearing classes (MATH 1111 and ENGL 1101). Appendix 11 provides exit rates for MATH 0099 and ENGL 0099 and success rates for MATH 1111 and ENGL 1101 for Spring 2012. Building from these early positive indicators, GGC is continuing and expanding its offerings within the concurrent instruction model of remediation. The College will also conduct an in-depth analysis to identify the specific student cohorts most aided by this model as the number of students in the population grows. As appropriate, the College will then develop guidelines and recommendations for advising students into either concurrent instruction courses or into standalone remedial courses. These efforts are expected to positively impact metrics tracking Learning Support exit rates, credit hour completion in the first semester and first year, course completion ratios and retention rates.
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Part III: Planning and Implementation

The overall management of this plan will come under the auspices of the VPA&SA. During AY 13 a more detailed management structure will be developed in conjunction with the College's 2012-2015 strategic plan, which includes a re-evaluation of organizational structures. The table below provides a detailed plan for implementation of strategies and initiatives during the first three years of the plan and the specific outcomes and benchmarks that will be used to evaluate individual initiatives. Overall targets for each broad metric are provided in Part I of this document.

Activity

AY 13 Implementation Status

Fill data gaps identified in development of Completion Plan
Partnerships with P-12 Partner strategically with Gwinnett County P-12 schools Develop STEM service learning course

Identify data gaps, review existing data and develop framework for metrics
First offered F12

Provide enrichment opportunities for HS

Establish MOU

students on GGC campus Place teacher candidates from the School of
Education in GCPS schools. Maintain relationship with Gwinnett County
high school counselors.

Continue placements Continue existing efforts

Improve access and completion for underserved students

Expand and enhance new student orientation

Expand to full day

program.

program with

differentiated

sessions for some

target

populations

Outcome and Benchmark Expected New instruments and reports for all metrics, baseline data for all metrics in place.
Increase number of GGC student placements in GCPS to 500. Conduct 51 HS recruitment visits.
Students have a solid sense of connection to GGC: Assessment under development.

AY 14 Implementation Status
Complete analysis of historical metrics
Expand to course cap Initiate program Continue placements Continue existing efforts
Further expansion

Outcome and Benchmark Expected Projected targets for all metrics for all Completion Plan activities.
Increase number of GGC student placements in GCPS to 625. Conduct 51 HS recruitment visits.
Degree of connection following orientation increases.

AY 15 Implementation Status
Continue monitoring and refinement of data and activities
Continue course Continue program Continue placements Continue existing efforts
Further expansion

Outcome and Benchmark Expected Refined targets and revised plans.
Increase number of GGC student placements in GCPS to 750. Conduct 51 HS recruitment visits.
Degree of connection following orientation increases.

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Continue and refine initiatives that support highquality mentoring for students.
Provide comprehensive tutoring services
Shorten time to degree Implement a broader, strong articulation agreement with the Technical College System of Georgia
Provide more accurate and more accessible information for course selection and sequencing. Implement Degree works Develop reporting tools Establish Advising Center

Continue existing activities
Secure needed funding
Award credit for more courses
Make DW available to SoB and SoE faculty; professional dev for Registrar's staff on reporting

Fund 20 PT tutors and online service.
Mean # of transferred hours per student to increase to 21 semester hours. DW used by 40 faculty in advising. 100% of Registrar's staff attends prof dev.

Develop workshops addressing the needs of adult learners and parttime students. Increase available funding
Continue effort to award credit more efficiently
Make DW available to SST and SLA faculty. Deploy standard reports available.

2 new workshop sessions available
Fund 30 PT tutors and online service.
Mean # of transferred hours per student to increase to 24 semester hours. DW used by 200 faculty. 50% of reporting requests fulfilled with standard reports.

Develop workshops addressing needs of military learners.

1 new workshop session available

Institutionalize funding

Fund 40 PT tutors and online service.

Continue effort to award credit more efficiently
Make DW available to students and all faculty; develop custom reports as needed

Mean # of transferred hours per student to increase to 27 semester hours. DW used by 300 faculty and 15% of student body. 50% of requested custom reports

Restructuring Instructional Delivery Develop engaging authentic research experiences in undergraduate STEM courses
Expand the number of hybrid courses offered to students Offer weekend cohort compressed-format classes Expand the number of block class schedules offered to entering first-time students

Begin staffing Advising Center
Continue developing curriculum for additional classes Increase the number of options offered per semester

Minimum of 4 advisors on staff.
2500 students in classes with research experiences. 73 sections in 10 disciplines Not begun 52 block schedules offered

Continue staffing Advising Center
Continue developing curriculum for additional classes

Minimum of 5 advisors on staff.
3000 students in classes with research experiences. 80 sections in 11 disciplines Not begun 57 block schedules offered

Continue staffing Advising Center
Continue developing curriculum for additional classes

Minimum of 6 advisors on staff.
3500 students in classes with research experiences. 85 sections in 12 disciplines One cohort 62 block schedules offered

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Transforming Remediation Expand offerings within the concurrent instruction model of remediation Develop guidelines and recommendations for advising students into either concurrent instruction courses or into stand-alone remedial courses

Conduct analysis of incoming scores and course success

12 ENGL sections 8 MATH sections Develop initial set of guidelines.

Utilize initial guidelines in advising and repeat analysis

14 ENGL sections 9 math sections Refine guidelines and expect increase in success rates.

16 ENGL sections 10 MATH sections

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Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
Process GGC has a well-established process and mechanism for assessment and evaluation of programs effectiveness. The goals and outcomes of the CCG plan will be assessed through the same process. Overall goals for each focal area of the plan will be entered into an online assessment tracking system. Each metric will be entered as a measure within that system along with its specific targets for each year. Additional measures of educational effectiveness and rigor will also be included in the assessment plan. This provides a reporting and documentation structure within which to manage program assessment.
During the first three months of implementation, scripts and analytic tools for computing each metric will be developed and verified. This will serve two purposes: filling the data gaps identified in preparation of this plan and establishing standard computational processes and criteria for each metric. Once each metric is verified, a regular point in each semester will be designated for data extraction and analysis. The data for each semester will be aggregated and documented annually along with a qualitative analysis of the implications for each initiative and plans for modifications and improvements.
Assessment of Efficiencies and Numbers (Access and Success) The primary assessment of the impact of this plan will rest in the measurement of metrics tracing access to college, retention and progression while enrolled, and graduation. These metrics include those identified by the USG metrics working group. In addition, GGC will track some additional metrics known to be predictors of eventual college success, such as credit hour completion in the first semester and first year.
Assessment of Educational Effectiveness and Rigor (Success and Quality) GGC will continue monitoring the extent to which students achieve mastery of the institution's eight overarching student learning outcomes. This process includes aggregation of assessment results reported through academic and co-curricular program assessment and compilation of the results of a series of focused, special-purpose assessments. These results will be monitored to insure that the efforts to raise numbers do not generate an unintended consequence of reduced educational rigor. Additional institution-level metrics may be developed as a result of campus-wide discussions and explorations.
Communication of Results Annual reports of both general assessment foci will be prepared and shared with the GGC community. Each year, the Offices of Institutional Effectiveness and Educational Technology collaborate on a presentation to the GGC community that covers the characteristics of that year's entering class. This presentation will be expanded to include a review of overall institutional effectiveness and of progress toward the College's Complete College Georgia goals. In addition, the annual reports prepared will be posted on the College's internal portal where they can be accessed and reviewed by any member of the GGC community. Annual reports prepared for submission to the system office will also be posted on the internal portal for general GGC community access.
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Appendix 1: Participants in Complete College Georgia Planning
Core Working Group and Summit Attendees Dr. Lois Richardson, Acting VP for Academic and Student Affairs, Chair Enrollment Management
Committee, First Year Matters Committee Mr. Alan Cox, Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives Dr. Juliana Lancaster, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Clay Runk, Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Faculty Senate Dr. Linda Gilbert, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Educational Technology Planning Committee Ms. Laura Ledford, Executive Director of Enrollment Management Ms. Nancy Grattan, Registrar Dr. Anita Vorreyer, Director of New Student Connections Dr. Justin Jernigan, Associate Professor of English for Academic Purposes Dr. Judy Awong-Taylor, Associate Dean, School of Science and Technology and Associate Professor
of Biology Dr. Kris Nagel, Associate Vice President of Educational Technology and Associate Professor of
Information Technology Dr. Nannette Napier, Associate Professor of Information Technology and Chair, Faculty Mentoring
Committee Dr. Jennifer Wunder, Director of the Honors Program and Associate Professor of English Dr. Barry Biddlecomb, Interim Dean, School of Transitional Studies and Associate Professor of
Mathematics Dr. Cathy Moore, Dean, School of Education Mr. Tee Mitchell , Director of Recruitment and Admissions
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Appendix 2: Academic and Personal Challenges of GGC Students

A very high proportion of GGC students face one or more challenges that are known to have a negative relationship with college completion. GGC's Completion initiatives are designed to support these students.

Fall 2011 New Students at GGC

Receive Financial Aid (Fall 2010)

85% Require learning support

47%

Work 11 to 19 hours/week

38%

(remedial) courses

Work 20+ hours/week

27% High school GPA average (GGC) 2.72

Significant family obligations 1st generation college

50% High school GPA average

3.08

44% total (University System of Georgia)

(Father and mother at most

22%

both high school graduates)

(Father and mother at most

22%

both only some college)

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Appendix 3: GGC Historic and Projected Enrollment
Growth and growth management are significant challenges for GGC. The small enrollment numbers for early years are one reason that we face an absence of historical and predictive data.

GGC Enrollment Headcount
FY Historic and Projected

12000 10000
8000 6000 4000 2000
0

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

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Appendix 4: Retention Figures

Retention rates in comparison to other University System of Georgia schools show that GGC's current efforts are leading to success for our challenging population.

Table A: Actual Retention

Retention Rates:

Institution Specific

Systemwide

State

State Colleges

GGC

State

State Colleges

Universities (x - GGC)

GGC Goal Universities (x - GGC)

GGC

Fall07 Cohort

%

1 year

74.4

%

%

%

%

57.7

73.1 73

80.8

%

%

64.5

78.8

2 years

58.1

34.6

50.8 51

71.6

50.4

66.3

3 years

52.0

24.9

44.8 46

66.4

43.2

61.3

4 years

Na

Na

x

Na

Na

X

Fall08 Cohort

1 year

73.3

58.4

75.3 75

80.4

65.2

82.3

2 years

57.0

33.8

54 55

69.5

48.8

67.9

3 years

Na

Na

x

Na

Na

X

Fall09 Cohort

1 year

72.7

56.1

70.3 80

79.7

62.0

75.0

2 years

Na

Na

x

Na

Na

X

Fall10 Cohort

1 year

71.9

56.3

67.7 85

79.8

61.9

73.0

Source: USG Crystal Reports - Fall07, 08 and 09 cohorts GGC offered only 4 majors. This expanded to 12 majors in Fall10. - GGC Goals from Jan 2010 report to the BOR - Approximately 4% of GGC students continue in college outside USG [NSCH Fall 08 cohort)

Table B: Relative Retention

First Year Retention Relative to Mean High School GPA

Comparison group

1st year retention

HS GPA

GGC performance vs.

(%)

comparison group

GGC

68

2.69

State Colleges

56

2.83

+28%

State Universities

72

3.11

+9%

Regional Universities

74

3.14

+6%

Research Universities

91

3.62

=

USG total

70

3.07

+10%

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Table C: First Year Retention by Ethnicity

First Year Retention by Sub-populations

White African-American Hispanic Asian Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 data

2010 78% 77% 79% 89%

2011 67% 65% 73% 78%

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Appendix 5: Fall 2010 Exit and Retention Rates for Learning Support Students Table A: First-attempt performance in LS courses Fall 2010

Course (Numbers) ENG098 ENG099 READ098 MATH099

Took
207 198 338 573

First semester results

A,B,C D,F,WF

IP

W A,B,C within 1st yr.

154

44

0

9

166

109

52

29

8

146

243

51

32 12

279

196

41 320 16

299

(Percentages) ENG098 ENG099 READ098 MATH099

First semester results

A,B,C D,F,WF

IP

74%

21% 0%

55%

26% 15%

72%

15% 9%

34%

7% 56%

W A,B,C within 1st yr.

4%

80%

4%

74%

4%

83%

3%

52%

Table B: Retention among those who do not succeed in LS courses in one semester Fall 2010

Note that 50% of students who do not exit Learning Support Math in their first attempt do not return in the following Fall semester.

RETENTION AMONG THOSE WHO DID NOT GET A,B,C FIRST TIME (Fall10 First time Freshmen ((PT+FT))

Took Fall10

<A,B,C

Retention Returned Returned Returned Returned Spring 11 Fa11 11 Spring 11 Fa11 11

%

%

#

#

ENG098

207 53 26%

60%

32%

32

17

ENG099

198 89 45%

82%

58%

73

52

READ098

338 95 28%

76%

44%

72

42

MATH099

573 377 66%

82%

50%

309

190

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Appendix 8: Rationale for an Academic Advising Center
The establishment of a centralized academic advising center is expected to increase the consistent quality of student advising while simultaneously lowering demands on faculty. Currently, GGC uses a faculty-only model for student academic advising and general mentoring. Through a qualitative analysis of informal feedback, we have identified several ways in which this model as implemented at GGC and in the specific context that is GGC provides non-optimal support to our students. Among the identified issues that we expect to address through the creation of an advising center are:
- Limited availability of faculty advisors. o Faculty often lack the capacity to respond immediately, yet students often need, or believe they need, immediate answers to specific questions. Faculty may be unavailable because of other professional demands such as teaching class, grading, committee meetings, or professional conferences off-campus. o Availability is especially a problem during the summer months, when full time faculty members are not on contract. GGC's rapidly increasing enrollments mean that we have huge orientation sessions throughout each summer for new students. In addition, we have a high percentage of year-round students. These students need academic advising when faculty are least available. o Bringing in faculty who are off contract to meet summer advising needs is expensive, logistically difficult, and leads to inconsistent quality.
- Uneven quality of advisement combined with high need for good advisement o Across the board, faculty struggle to understand the core curriculum criteria and course requirements outside their own discipline. o GGC's relative `youth' as a college and continuing rapid growth generate frequent changes in curricula, policies, and catalogs, which are difficult to track. Faculty members who lose track of these changes may give incorrect or incomplete information. o GGC has, as noted earlier, a high percentage of students who fall into high-need special populations for which standard advising knowledge is insufficient. Students in need of indepth advising include Freshmen and Sophomores, who need to understand the specific criteria applied to core curriculum selections; Learning Support students, who must abide by a fairly rigid set of policies and expectations; Students with undeclared or changing majors, who need to consider the implications of course selections for multiple possible scenarios; and Students returning from academic suspension or entering on academic probation, who need help understanding the stakes, close monitoring, and early intervention.
- Overwhelming load on faculty advisors
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o GGC's advising and mentoring expectations are high. Faculty are currently expected to provide academic advising, general guidance, career advising, and attention to personal development, as well as crisis support and referrals
o Though the College has high expectations of faculty as mentors, our rapid growth means that we have a short timeline for training. In addition, many of our faculty members are young and are beginning to develop the experience they need. Their first priorities are their teaching and careers.
While it is unlikely that one single approach will resolve all of these potential sources of advising inaccuracies, it is clear that many student needs can be better met by providing students with year round access to an expert core of professional staff members who have both the content and technological expertise needed and whose primary focus and responsibility is maintaining their knowledge of the requirements of academic curricula, particularly as they apply to high-need students. Thus, GGC has taken the initial steps to design and establish an academic advising center so as to serve the College's particular student population more effectively.
These staff might have a fairly high caseload, but will have a narrowly defined task. They may even focus on defined subpopulations of students, thereby making it possible for them to have the depth of knowledge and the intended impact on their specific group.
Further, with the resources of an academic advising center available, faculty will then be able to focus more on the other dimensions of student mentoring.
Desired outcomes include increases in advisor availability, improvements in the quality of advisement, as well as an expansion of needed support for faculty. Specifically:
- Students will have access year-round to someone who is equipped to address the students' needs
- Students will receive consistent, accurate advising information, especially high-needs groups. - Students will have access quickly to an advisor through many possible channels (F2F, email,
Skype, phone, chat) - Faculty will have access to professional expertise to assist them with questions upper-level
students might have - Faculty will have access to special purpose support materials (videos, tutorials, etc.) that will
assist them in addressing student questions - Student-faculty relationships will benefit from the increased focus of faculty attention on
student development and career exploration.
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Appendix 9: Examples of Engaging and Authentic Pedagogy and Learning Environments at GGC
Georgia Gwinnett College has a strong and evident commitment to active and engaging pedagogy. This commitment reflects the College's shared understanding that this type of educational environment promotes success and academic progress in all students and is particularly effective for underprepared students. The core narrative of the GGC Complete College Georgia summarizes the College's investment in undergraduate research experiences for STEM students. This appendix provides additional examples of active pedagogical approaches already in place at GGC. The College continues to encourage and support pedagogical development by individual faculty, disciplines as a whole, and interdisciplinary teams.
Connection to the community through service learning:
In selected sections of ENGL 1102, ENGL 1102, students partner with community service organizations. Students interview personnel at the community service organization to understand their needs and prepare written documents to support those identified needs. Students in these courses typically complete semester-long writing and communication projects for their clients. For various clients, student have designed websites; written for blogs; written proposals, instructions manuals, and reports; and much more.
Selected sections of multiple courses in the BBA Marketing concentration take a similar approach. In these upper level classes, students consult with local non-profits and small business and develop business plans that are then presented to the client at the end of the semester.
Connection to the profession through authentic, extended assignments:
In MATH 3600, Content Methods for Mathematics, pre-service teachers design their own field trip experience as they would when they become in-service teachers -- this experience prepares them to write their interdisciplinary unit plan and helps them understand the school considerations when creating a field trip experience for their students.
In multiple research methods and statistics courses, including MATH 2000, PSYC 3030, and BUSA 2000, students engage in one or more research projects in which they design a research question, collect, and analyze data as a class, and get a better sense of qualitative and/or quantitative research and how statistics is intertwined in that process. MATH 2000 students present their work at GGC STARS, an annual exposition of research in science and technology.
Student engagement through project-based learning
In multiple sections of ARTS 1100 (Art Appreciation) students are engaged through a project-based curriculum, organized around three units of inquiry: the nature of art, media and techniques, and the relationship between art and culture. This course includes hands-on studio work, collaborative research, multi-modal presentations, guest speakers and museum visits, culminating in the application of course concepts to the design of a work of meaningful public art for the GGC campus.
In other sections, students engage in a campus-based extended project designed to highlight the role of art in creating and impacting public awareness. As an example, during Spring 2012, Art Appreciation
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classes celebrated Earth Day by creating a dinosaur-looking creature out of recycled materials that we called "Recyclosaurus." For several weeks prior to the event, students brought in recyclables while we discussed the impact of refuse in our culture and how to be better stewards of our environment. On Earth Day we cut, glued, stapled, assembled and then displayed them in a public space on campus. Students in the new First Year Honors Experience are enrolled in learning communities that are rooted in project based learning. All professors committed to teaching these classes have agreed to minimize lectures and classes take place in learning lounges rather than traditional classrooms in order to encourage participation and active learning. Student engagement through innovative use of technology and gaming A particularly innovative approach now being piloted on the GGC campus is The Solomon Project. The Solomon Project takes a traditional English 1102 class and turns it into an immersive mystery adventure in which the students are characters and active agents. Students find themselves in a narrative that unfolds in real-time, in the classroom, on campus, and especially online. On the first day of class, students discover that they are "research interns" working for an archaeology professor who has disappeared and for a shadowy international organization with unclear motives. As they try to solve the mystery, they are drawn into research and writing related challenges and constantly called upon to make decisions that can alter the course of the game. The plot and every challenge they face or task they complete are tied to course outcomes, so students work towards these while playing the game. Initial data show that this course design elicits a high level of student engagement and results in stronger student performance on specific course assessments than the traditional course design. The College is currently exploring the extent to which this specific course design can be scaled up to serve more students.
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Appendix 10: Performance and Retention of Students in Block Schedules

N

Mean Mean

Hours GPA

Enrolled Fall

Fall

2011

2011

Enrolled in

558 12.88 2.30

Block

Not Enrolled in 1407 13.10 2.02

Block

Retained to Spring 2012

Mean Hours Enrolled Spring 2012

Mean GPA Spring 2012

90%

11.69

2.04

90%

11.40

1.72

Retained to Fall 2012
70% 60%

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Appendix 11: Performance of Students in Concurrent Remediation

Access Mathematics
Standard MATH 0099 Access MATH 0099

Pass (A/B/C) 29% 78%

Not Pass (D/F/W/I) 71% 22%

Access MATH 1111

63%

37%

Non-Access MATH 1111

39%

61%

Segue English
Standard ENGL 0099 Segue ENGL 0099
Segue ENGL 1101 Non-Segue ENGL 1101

Pass (A/B/C) 58% 86%
85% 74%

Not Pass (D/F/W/I) 42% 14%
15% 26%

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Georgia Highlands College Completion Plan August 22, 2012
Part One: Goals and Data Analysis Georgia Highlands College (GHC) has always held its access mission in high regard. Founded over forty years ago to serve the population of Northwest Georgia, the college provided an option for local students who could not afford the two private colleges nearby. As time has progressed, however, enrollment growth, geographic expansion, and sector change have forced the college to examine its metrics and expectations for students in our varied communities. As with the other access institutions, the goal of the past was to get students into the pipeline. The focus today has shifted to completion. Use of the National Student Clearinghouse and more detailed transfer reports from the USG have enabled the college over the past two years to delve more deeply into the educational pathway of our students, providing a richer and detailed picture of the student body. GHC's analysis of the Fall 2005 FTFT cohort reveals that while the GHC transfer rate within the USG stands at 29% (using a four-year transfer window), when transfers to all four-year institutions are included (using the National Student Clearinghouse), that rate increases to 43%. Additionally, when you include transfers to TCSG institutions, it further rises to 57%. Likewise, the Fall 2006 FTFT cohort data show similar figures: 27% transfer within USG, 39% transfer to all four-year schools, and 58% transfer to all four-year schools plus TCSG institutions. The USG Metrics Working Group recommendation that USG access institutions be able to count transfers to TCSG schools in addition to USG schools will help access institutions better tell their story and point to the complexity of the notion of success for a diverse student body.
However, transfer does not always equate with completion. Taking the above-mentioned Clearinghouse data into account, GHC has done additional study over the past six months of the Fall 2008 FTFT cohort to discern patterns of student behavior. Of the 1101 students in this cohort, 579 (53%) have graduated, transferred, or are still in school at GHC. The students who remain with us for more than three years represent a variety of circumstances. Some started as full-time students, but have dropped to part-time
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courseloads; some have simply accumulated many more credits than they need to graduate due to a change in program; many began in learning support courses and had a slower start towards credit-level courses. The other half of that cohort is a concern the students who have dropped out of sight. Many of those (63%) were last at GHC, but are not currently enrolled. For these students, the pattern is more discernible: their average GPA is 1.62, and over half of them are out of Satisfactory Academic Progress. So, the college is losing them for a variety of reasons, which are ultimately manifested as poor academic performance. GHC anticipates that the strategies contained in this Completion Plan will create better outcomes and stronger successes for just these types of students, leading to higher completion and transfer rates.
Additionally, exploration at the USG level of a transfer-of-credits program that would enable access institutions to award associate degrees to students who transfer to a four-year USG institution without graduating with their associate degree will further highlight and recognize the progress that these students make toward completion while at their access institution. While the ultimate goal would be for the student to attain a baccalaureate degree, if the sending access institution could automatically award an associate degree upon attainment of the appropriate credits, the student would be assured of some type of credential even before success at the four-year level.
Another area of research at GHC over the past year has been in relation to diversity. The Diversity Committee of the college was formed as a result of the Diversity Summits held by the USG. A key action item of the committee was investigating potential performance gaps within the student body. We broke the findings down by learning support courses and gatekeeper courses (credit-level courses required of all students). For learning support, some of the highest success rates (grades of A, B, or C) were achieved by male Latino students (78% in MATH0097 and 74% in READ0099, for example). The lowest success rates were more mixed, being achieved by either white males (40% in ENGL099) or African American males (27% in MATH0097). Latino males also did well in gatekeeper courses (success rates of 62% in MATH1111 and 78% in POLS1101), while white students overall had the highest success rates in ENGL1101 (69%). We believe that at least part of the credit for the success rates of Latino male students goes to the college's Brother 2 Brother initiative, a program dedicated to promoting the success of our minority male population.
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Last year, men in the program had a Fall to Fall retention rate of 75%, as compared to the overall college retention rate of 61%, and a 36% graduation rate (four-year), as compared to the overall college graduation rate (four-year) of 12%. Despite the great success of the program, there are still performance gaps in the African American male population. There are opportunities there for GHC to increase success for those students.
Along with GHC's internal research, the data provided by the USG is extremely helpful in identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Some areas of strength for GHC are successful completion of learning support courses. GHC traditionally has high success rates for students exiting learning support as compared to other USG institutions. For the Fall 2008 student cohort, for example, GHC successfully exited 77% of both Reading and English learning support students the highest percentage of any state college. In mathematics, the successful exiting percentage was only 50% for GHC, but that was still the third highest success rate in our sector. Since remediation is an important part of the completion agenda, GHC is proud of these success rates and anxious to implement additional strategies in the learning support area. Areas for improvement clearly include retention and graduation. Non-residential access institutions such as ours have traditionally lagged behind in this area, for a wide variety of reasons (academic, personal, occupational, etc.). The Complete College Georgia initiative affords (and mandates) the college the opportunity to be creative as well as strategic in goal setting for the future. For example, the college is exploring the idea of automatically granting the associate degree to students who have accumulated the correct number of appropriate credits, even if they do not apply for graduation. Students would essentially have to opt-out of graduation, rather than opting-in. Taking into consideration that the latest GHC fall-to-fall retention rate hovers at 60%, and the four-year graduation rate is at 12%, the college proposes to increase both of those metrics by 10% over the next three years. Also, degree production could increase by an additional 10% if the college puts into place a program to automatically award the associate degree to qualified students.
Part Two: Strategies and Objectives/Part Three: Planning and Implementation Partnerships with K-12
As a state college, GHC recognizes the vital role that the college serves in working with partners in the K-12 system to improve high school graduation rates and college
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enrollment. In 2011, GHC restructured its organizational model to allow individual campuses to actively engage and participate with key organizations within the counties we serve in focusing on these metrics. The college continues to identify key personnel to serve as committee and board members for organizations whose missions focus on developing programs and strategies to improve student success in the K-12 system. This strategy ensures that the college has a voice in the strategies and programs that are being developed within our communities. Each GHC Campus Dean (our campus leaders and liaisons to the communities we serve) is a member of a local board or chamber of commerce for that particular county (Bartow, Cobb, Douglas, Floyd, Paulding), and has participated in a local leadership program.
In addition to maintaining key memberships within organizations that have a direct impact on educational outcomes within our communities, GHC will explore how we can further enhance and expand opportunities for young students to experience the college environment. In 2008, GHC developed a program known as Fabulous Fridays to partner with our local middle schools in Floyd County to bring all sixth graders to the college. The objective of this program is to expose students to a college campus and educate them about the benefits of a high school and college education. This program allows students to interact with faculty and staff from the college, as they participate in structured academic activities and learn about what it takes to get to college. GHC has already expanded this program to other campus locations. Two of our five campuses have Fabulous Fridays programming. The only obstacle for the other three campuses is an appropriate level of financial and human resources. We anticipate expanding the programming to one other campus every two years, as resources allow. The college is hopeful that our connections with K-12 will result in increased student interest in GHC, leading to increased high school graduation rates and, ultimately, increased enrollment and completion for the college. Our outcomes also include increased awareness in the middle school population of the importance of higher education. We have always gone back and surveyed the attending middle schoolers when they reach eighth grade to track their continued interest in college as they approach high school. Additionally, this year, under the auspices of the newly-formed Office of Community Outreach, GHC will bring these students back to campus when the reach high school for a night of information specifically about attending GHC (or any college). This year, the inaugural class of Fabulous Fridays students will be in tenth grade.
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For students who are a bit older, GHC is expanding dual enrollment options for students. In addition to dual enrollment categories that typically cater to better-prepared high school students (such as ACCEL and Move On When Ready), GHC is working with local partners to engage different populations of high school students in college work. In the Floyd and Bartow County areas, for example, GHC is working with the College and Career Academy (CCA) and the Performance Learning Center (Floyd County) to provide students in alternative high schools the opportunity to gain college credit at GHC. Programs at the Floyd CCA have been in place for over a year now; the articulation agreement with the Bartow CCA is currently in development and would allow GHC to place a recruiter onsite at the CCA. Many such students have had academic difficulty in their traditional high school setting, but are given the chance to progress at an alternative high school. Reaching out to these students will create a bridge to college, facilitating their success at GHC when they exit high school.
Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved Beginning this Fall, GHC is launching an Office of Community Outreach, which was a student success measure funded by the USG for FY2013. This office will initially include a Director of Adult and Service Learning, working in concert with the college's already-existing Coordinator of Veterans' Services. As the veteran population increases, all institutions need to be prepared to offer increased services and develop strategies to maximize the impact of potential prior learning experiences to lessen time to degree. Because so many factors are important in terms of completion for adult learners, this new umbrella office will offer an excellent one-stop shop for students looking for information related to prior learning credits, civic engagement, veterans information, study skills, time management, etc. This office will work closely with GHC Student Support Services to make sure that any counseling or disability needs are addressed for students, as well as with the leaders of the First-Year Experience program to help instill in students the strategies necessary for their academic success and social engagement. The office has already formulated a mission statement and goals that it will assess annually. The two staff members for the new office will evaluate the overall office goals, while distinct goals for service learning, adult learning and veterans' services will be assessed individually. Service learning goals will also be assessed in the
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classrooms where service learning activities take place, such as in GHC's freshman experience course.
The college's participation in the USG Adult Learning Consortium will further these goals. GHC plans to apply to the Consortium this Fall, when the invitation goes out to USG institutions. The Consortium provides access to valuable resources related to serving the adult learner, including tools to assess prior learning and top methodologies to address the specific educational needs of older students. Adult learners and veterans (and their family members) often gravitate towards distance education due to constraints created by work or geography. GHC's Academic Success and eLearning Division has already begun to address this need by expanding online course offerings and reaching out to veterans. Increased community exposure and advertising that is currently underway will increase the number students engaged in distance education. Approximately 1000 of the college's 5500 students were enrolled in some form of distance education course during Fall 2011 and Spring 2012. Increasing capacity and offering fully online degrees are soon-to-be-realized strategies that will increase efficiency and access to underserved students. Specifically, if students can build a complete course schedule via distance education, they can more efficiently move through their core curriculum and not accumulate unnecessary credit hours in order to obtain their degree. These types of offerings will also increase access for students who cannot physically commute to a campus location. GHC plans to have four associate degree programs available totally online by Fall 2013. The college has committed to this effort by using USG funding to create a full-time position for a Director of eLearning.
Finally, GHC plans to address the needs of the ever-growing population of students will learning disabilities. The college has always provided disabilities services; as the college has created new campuses, disability support counselors have been added to ensure services at all locations. Over the past year, it has become apparent that many of our students require specialized psychological services and evaluation, but that they do not have access to medical professionals. To that end, the college has created a protocol to retain the services of local psychologists who will be available to those students in need of evaluation. Through this plan, which begins with the 2012-2013 academic year, the college hopes to address the needs of such students, and thus facilitate their academic success.
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Shorten Time to Degree Just as providing increased distance learning opportunities and using prior learning can shorten a student's time to degree, so can taking the correct courses while enrolled. GHC is focusing on improved advising that will consider credits toward degree as well as GPA for certain programs and actively provide alternatives to students who are not on track for completion. For instance, we have developed a career brochure for students in Pre-Nursing (our most popular area of study) who are not making adequate progress to enter the Nursing program and are reaching out to those students. Brochures and contacts in other areas are planned for design during the 2012-2013 academic year. We already have program maps for our degrees, degree audits, a two-year schedule, and other resources to help students stay on track through increased efficiency, but we can improve the use of them by both teachers and students. Our Early Bird Advising program provides an opportunity for students to do multi-term planning with a faculty member in their area of study. Participation in it can be increased as well.
For students who work, we have cohort programs that run in the evenings and via hybrid and distance formats to enable them to stay on track as they work toward their degrees. Options in these programs are reduced and classes are sequenced so that their path to degree is clearer. A program for adult working students in Pre-Nursing is being piloted during the 2012-2013 academic year, with a Business cohort program to follow the next year.
For identifying students who are struggling with their classes as early as possible for intervention, GHC has an Early Warning Program in place that requires notification from instructors at the two-week point for attendance, the five-week point for participation, and mid-term for grades. Messages are automatically sent via e-mail to students who are flagged at these times, directing them to see their instructors or seek additional support from advising, tutoring, or other sources. We have moved our withdraw date to a week after mid-term so that students have time to be notified about poor midterm grades, speak with instructors or advisors, and decide whether or not to withdraw. For core classes with high DFW rates, GHC is starting a review of pre-requisites to ensure that students are guided correctly about the prior knowledge required to succeed in these courses. The Early Warning Program is designed to give students ample opportunity to address any academic
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struggles they may face in individual courses. This program is overseen by the Academic Success and eLearning Division of the college.
To shorten or even eliminate the time spent in remedial courses before taking credit-level courses, we are providing COMPASS preparation materials and letting students know about them. For instance, students sign up for a COMPASS placement test electronically as they check their Admissions status. On the signup window, a reminder about COMPASS preparation appears with a link to our list of resources. Included on the list is our COMPASS preparation class in mathematics through our Office of Continuing Education with sections running presently at two campuses. We plan to add preparation classes in the other COMPASS areas as part of this plan during the 2012-2013 academic year. Students who do not score above the required levels for admission to the college on the first try at the test are guided to a video that explains the entrance standards and recommends preparation before the next attempt, with the resource link available.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery Some of the most dramatic changes occurring at GHC are in instructional delivery. We are taking many steps in distance learning to make entire degree programs available in a webbased format and improve our focus on quality standards for online course delivery and training for teachers of online or hybrid courses. For instance, in the coming year, the GHC's Teaching and Learning Center and Division of Academic Success and eLearning will program a year-long focus on "best practices in online teaching." We also plan to follow the lead of the University of West Georgia by providing each teacher of an online class with a two-week course that is conducted online. A key focus in that class will be activities and behaviors that teachers can utilize to keep online students engaged and progressing.
GHC is working on ways to reward and recognize employees who excel at their jobs and go above and beyond in their efforts to support student success. In the distance learning area, GHC is focusing on how to notice and reward good online teaching. In addition, we are planning for our first year with Blackboard's Collaborate software, through which we intend to provide specialized advising for students in online programs and orientations. We are acutely aware of the traditionally-higher DFW rates in online classes and are taking steps to set the best possible conditions for student success through advising and early intervention.
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Restructuring instructional delivery goes beyond online options at GHC. For example, we plan to use Collaborate to change the course offerings at our smaller campuses and increase the opportunities for students to complete whole programs without having to drive to take classes at other campuses. By providing Collaborate's unique webinar-style access to a class that already exists at a larger campus, we can enable students at campuses with smaller populations access to a fuller range of courses than would otherwise be possible, allowing them to more efficiently complete their degree at the campus of their choice.
Transforming Remediation Like many USG and TCSG institutions, GHC has been working on the task of transforming remediation for over a year. For instance, we have already redesigned our remedial courses to use approaches and techniques that are recommended in the student success literature, such as the "flipped" classroom and the use of co-requisite courses, as explained below. We are piloting designs in all Learning Support areas that "flip" the classroom to place videobased instruction and online tasks outside the class meetings, while the class periods are devoted to questions and help needed from doing the tasks. We expect all the Learning Support mathematics classes at our Floyd campus to be using the "flipped" design starting in the fall of 2012, with English and reading following with their redesigns in future semesters.
Teacher training is essential to success with the redesigned courses, as is support in the form of embedded tutors or mentors. We are committing time and resources to training all our Learning Support teachers, including part-time instructors, to use the new designs. With modular, "flipped" designs in hand and self-pacing options available, we plan to provide a clearly-delineated path by which each Learning Support course can be completed in eight weeks. Those who do not finish in eight weeks can continue through the full sixteen weeks, but we hope that a clear path will encourage those who can proceed to do so. GHC will pilot this type of course during the 2012-2013 academic year.
In the fall of 2012, we will begin our first co-requisite versions of Learning Support mathematics to allow students to enroll in a credit-level mathematics course concurrently with a Learning Support mathematics course. This will accelerate completion time by enabling the student to gain the background that he or she needs for credit-level
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mathematics alongside the credit work. Attendance requirements will be stringent and absences can lead to students' automatic withdrawal from the credit-level course.
Perhaps the most dramatic change to remediation at GHC will be the creation of a onecourse remedial mathematics pathway leading to statistics so that students who are not in STEM-related or Business areas of study will not have to take two terms of Learning Support algebra before they can proceed. We plan to use the model of Mathematical Literacy for College Students that is currently being piloted in several USG institutions as part of the Quantway project run by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For students who are not in a STEM field, this pathway focused on practical application will foster a great chance of success in the area of mathematics, which is one of the greatest areas of challenge for many access students.
GHC's Learning Support, tutoring, advising, testing, and eLearning units are administratively housed together in an Academic Success and eLearning Division, enabling us to study and plan approaches together in all areas. Our First Year Experience program is housed in the same division. We consider this organization to be essential to transforming remediation and to acting quickly to resolve issues and make adjustments as we try new things. Getting students supported when needs arise is a key part of our plans. The onestop shop model of student success services has proven effective, as it prevents the student from having to seek guidance in multiple places on campus, thus eliminating potential frustration.
Part Four: Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation The institutional effectiveness office at GHC (known as the Office of Strategic Planning, Assessment and Accreditation) will play a large role in generating the evaluative data necessary for the Complete College Georgia plan. This office already oversees most of the assessment reporting for the college, and is prepared to regularly report out on the initiatives contained in this plan. This is the main GHC office that works with the Research and Policy Analysis arm of the USG, so there will be a seamless connection between data generated at the system level and that generated at the college level. Several Banner reports have been created locally to help track the above-mentioned initiatives, and others will be added as needed.
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In addition to the evaluation that will be conducted of new initiatives, GHC has a history of assessing already-existing initiatives. The GHC Division of Academic Success and eLearning, for example, has been successfully monitoring each of their current initiatives (such as the Early Warning Program and the use of the "flipped" classroom in remedial courses) from their inception. The work of this division in terms of data analysis is a large part of why GHC has some of the highest learning support exit success rates in the system. As the college moves forward with Complete College Georgia, we will focus on enriching our data analysis (particularly in terms of remediation techniques) by disaggregating all elements by campus, race, gender, and students traditionally underserved. This work has already begun, in fact. This Spring, the GHC Diversity Committee worked with the Office of Strategic Planning, Assessment and Accreditation to produce a document related to course success levels in our remedial courses and several gatekeeper courses. The full faculty dedicated time to the analysis of this material at our annual Assessment Day. Further study of this data and its ramifications will be a year-long project during the 2012-2013 academic year.
The use of data to track the success of the Complete College Georgia initiatives will ensure that timely adjustments are made as needed. As noted above, the faculty has already started to immerse themselves in targeted study of student success data. The GHC President's Cabinet will also receive regular reports. All college constituents will receive updates at faculty-staff meetings, GHC Foundation meetings, academic division meetings, and our annual Fall In-Service gathering. As an access institution, we are keenly aware of the challenges we face in terms of retention, progression and graduation; however, the improvement of student success is paramount at GHC. We feel that the college has made positive progress over the past two years in relation to our USG Three-Year Plan. The work of Complete College Georgia will build upon that foundation while also expanding our vision of success to recognize the particular needs of underserved populations.
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Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan Final Version
Introduction and Institutional Context
The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's top research universities, enrolling approximately 13,300 degree seeking undergraduates (as of Fall 2011). Between 2000 and 2012, Georgia Tech has produced 32,393 bachelor's degrees, approximately 74% of which were in STEM fields (Figure 1).

3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000
500 0

Figure 1: Bachelor's Degrees Awarded 2000-2012 (N = 32,393)

Non-STEM STEM

Graduating more students with STEM degrees is a national priority. In a recent briefing published by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, the authors write:1
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers drive our nation's innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas, new companies and new industries. However, U.S. businesses frequently voice concerns over the supply and availability of STEM workers. Over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs. STEM workers are also less likely to experience joblessness than their non-STEM counterparts. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy, and are a critical component to helping the U.S. win the future.
The briefing continues to cite some facts related to job growth in STEM fields:
In 2010, 7.6 million people or 1 in 18 workers held STEM jobs. STEM employment grew rapidly from 2000 to 2010, increasing 7.9 percent. In contrast, employment in non-STEM jobs grew just 2.6 percent over this period.
STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17.0 percent from 2008 to 2018, compared to 9.8 percent growth for non-STEM occupations.
STEM workers command higher wages, earning 26 percent more than their non- STEM counterparts.

1 http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf

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Additional data point to strong growth in employment for degree areas represented at Georgia Tech. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) ranks Biomedical Engineering third in a list of occupations with the fastest percentage growth, projecting a 62% increase in the period 2010-20. The BLS also predicts strong growth in the following degree areas that are well-represented at Georgia Tech: Architecture and engineering (+10%); Business and Financial (+17%); Computer and Information Technology (+22%).2
At Georgia Tech, the increasing interest among employers in our students is evidenced by most of the metrics we use to analyze these trends. Compared to a year ago, the total number of employers recruiting on campus through our Career Services office increased by 13% in Fall 2011 and 20% in Spring 2012. Employers visited the campus more often and increased the number of schedules to meet their growing demand for students. The number of interviews was 15% higher than a year ago. In the commencement survey conducted by the Office of Assessment, students report employment rates equal to or exceeding pre-recession rates. These trends, combined with "sell out" demand for our campus career fairs, indicate a strong job market for Tech students.
To help meet the national priorities for more STEM degrees and to ensure that every student who matriculates at Tech, and wants to succeed, earns a degree, Georgia Tech has made undergraduate student success an Institute priority. Over the last decade, we have put considerable resources into programs and services that enhance student success, and we are already yielding results. We have maintained retention and graduation rates that are among the highest in the University System of Georgia (USG). Our freshman retention rate recently reached a record high of 95% (Fall 2010 freshman cohort), and our six-year graduation rate is at 79% (Fall 2005 freshman cohort). For our most recent transfer student cohorts, we retained 93% after the first year (2010-11 cohort), graduated 81% at the end of four years (2007-08 cohort), and graduated 85% at the end of six years (2005-06 cohort). Some of our accomplishments are further evident by the rankings below:
U.S. News & World Report ranks Georgia Tech's undergraduate program as 7th among public universities and 36th overall in 2012. Georgia Tech's undergraduate engineering program was ranked 5th and undergraduate business program was ranked 38th.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranks Georgia Tech as 2nd in engineering undergraduate degrees awarded to overall minorities and 2nd in engineering undergraduate degrees awarded to African-American students.
Bloomberg/BusinessWeek ranks Georgia Tech 2nd in the nation and first in the state of Georgia in annualized return on investment (ROI) based on the financial return graduates earn from their degree.
Even with these accomplishments, however, we can and will continue to work to improve student success, with a goal to achieve the retention and six-year graduation rates of our peers.
In conjunction with the implementation of our strategic plan, Provost Bras recently announced a new organizational structure for the Office of the Provost, primarily within the academic affairs units that provide leadership and services in support of academic programs, students, and faculty. Two outcomes of this restructuring will be central to our Complete College Georgia plan. First, a more focused and coordinated approach to the units that support undergraduate education has been established. A new Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education has been named and begins August 1, 2012. The units reporting to this division include the newly-established Center for Academic Success (tutoring, academic support, and GT1000 freshman seminar), Undergraduate Studies (academic advising, living learning programs), Athletics

2 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/about/projections-overview.htm

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Academics, the Honors Program, the Division of Professional Practice (co-op and internship programs), and Undergraduate Research and Innovation.
Second, a new Division of Learning Excellence has been established under the leadership of the Dean of Libraries (whose title was expanded to include Vice Provost for Learning Excellence). This division includes the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), Office of Assessment, and Program Review and Accreditation. The Dean of Libraries has also assumed primary operational responsibility for the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (Clough Commons), which opened in Fall 2011. The vision for Clough Commons is to be the academicallybased center of gravity for undergraduate students, driving excellence in student learning, academic support, and curriculum innovations. As the central location for many of our undergraduate core science courses and labs, other "gateway" 1000- and 2000-level courses, and academic services (e.g., advising, tutoring, and academic support), Clough Commons will play a significant role in our completion plan.
While the divisions of Undergraduate Education and Learning Excellence will play important roles in this plan, improving retention and graduation rates must involve the entire campus. The team that developed our plan (Appendix A) was established by President Bud Peterson and Provost Rafael Bras and includes faculty, leaders from Student Affairs, the Office of Minority Education Development (OMED), Enrollment Services (Admissions, Financial Aid, and Registrar's Office), Government and Community Relations, Professional Education, and the Office of Institutional Research (IRP), which will continue to oversee data analysis and reporting. As further noted in Appendix A, the President's Chief of Staff and Assistant Vice President is an active member of our planning team, and there are three additional members of the President's Cabinet serving on this team as well. President Peterson will continue to lead the strategic development of our plan, and as the implementation gets underway, even more campus stakeholders will be engaged in the process.
The overarching vision of our plan is to increase degree attainment by focusing our priorities in three areas:
(1) Improving access and completion for certain populations of students, including low-income students, underrepresented minority students, and students who are academically "at risk" or "off course" for degree completion. We will also explore how we can improve our data collection on certain populations, such as veterans, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
(2) Restructuring instructional delivery by leveraging the resources within our newest campus building, Clough Commons, to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning and to strengthen academic support and advising.
(3) Continuing partnerships with the K-12 community, primarily through programs that create pathways for Georgia Tech students to become K-12 teachers and that strengthen the pipeline of students into post-secondary STEM education.
Underlying our plan will be a continued use of data-driven strategies and metrics that that will inform our planning and decision-making.
Goals and Data Analysis
The overall goal of Georgia Tech's Complete College Georgia plan is to reach and consistently maintain an 80% six-year graduation rate and then work to increase this rate gradually to 84%, which is the average of our peer institutions. Since the initiatives outlined in our plan will have to be implemented, evaluated, and adjusted, this process will have to occur over an extended period of time, likely a minimum of five years.
While Georgia Tech has achieved an 80% six-year graduation rate, which we feel reflects good performance relative to national averages, we have been unable to sustain that level consistently. Therefore, before we set out to reach our peer
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Percent Graduated

Northwestern Stanford Cornell
Johns Hopkins MIT
UC-Berkeley CalTech UCLA
Michigan Penn State Carnegie-Mellon Illinois-UC
Florida UT-Austin Washington Texas A&M Virginia Tech Georgia Tech
NC State Purdue
Minnesota

Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan Final Version
average of 84% as shown in Figure 2 below, our first priority is to attain a steady 80% rate. It should be noted that seven of Georgia Tech's peers are private institutions that typically have higher average graduation rates (91%) than their public counterparts (81%). In order to appreciate the value of having such aspirational peers, the private institutions were included in the calculation of this average as they provide us with a more challenging target.
Figure 2: 2009 Peer Institution Six-Year Graduation Rates
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
To achieve our goal of increasing our graduation rate, we must identify (1) target populations of enrolled students that want to graduate from Georgia Tech but are unsuccessful in achieving this goal and (2) populations of students who are experiencing lower rates of retention and graduation in order to identify factors that may be impeding their success. As a first step in this process, we completed a demographic analysis of our undergraduate student population, partially addressing the Complete College Georgia metrics. The results reveal that the majority of our students are initially enrolled either as part of traditional, degree seeking, first-time, full-time freshman (78%) or transfer (16%) cohorts. Some additional characteristics of our degree-seeking undergraduates as of Fall 2011 (N = 13,300) are shown in Appendix C. Of note are the following characteristics of our students:
92% (first-time and continuing) are enrolled full-time and are under the age of 25. 5% are first-time transfer students. 21% are Pell recipients (an indicator of financial need). Underrepresented minority students, including African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, comprise
12% of our student population. Fewer than 10 students are enrolled in remedial courses. Approximately 2% of our students have documented disabilities, but we need better data on this population. Based on responses to the CIRP survey (given to all freshman at orientation), we can estimate that approximately
4% - 7% of our students are first-generation. However, we need more reliable data. We do not have reliable data on military veteran status, but these numbers are likely small.
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In analyzing our transfer student enrollment trends, we note that the majority of transfer students transfer into the College of Engineering (69%), Computing (10%) and Science (10%). In 2010, 57% of transfers came from USG schools. Georgia Perimeter College and Georgia Southern University are the largest feeder institutions of transfer students, while increasing numbers of transfers are from Georgia State University, Southern Polytechnic State University and Kennesaw State University.
Based on these characteristics, it is clear that our goals and strategies for increasing degree attainment must continue to focus on our full-time, traditional-aged students (both those entering as freshmen and those entering as transfers). Therefore, our approach to tracking and analyzing retention, progression, and graduation will not change significantly.
Data Analysis Plan and Key Findings Related to Retention and Graduation
Georgia Tech has a robust system of data collection and analysis currently in place. Our Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) produces annual reports on retention and graduation for both freshmen and transfer students. The Office of Assessment partnered with Enrollment Services to conduct a survey of all non-returning students (the latest report on non-returning students was conducted in February 2004). We also monitor student success in 1000- and 2000level courses, many of which are "gateway" courses for STEM disciplines, through a biannual analysis on midterm progress report grades.3 Georgia Tech participates in programs such as the Freshman Survey (CIRP) through the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in order to understand better our students' backgrounds, expectations and experiences. Special studies are also conducted on an as-needed basis by both IRP and the Office of Assessment. Appendix D summarizes Georgia Tech's current analysis plan for retention and graduation, and which metrics are tracked. We have also noted where we will work on revising some of these analyses to align with the Complete College Georgia metrics.
The figures shown in Appendix E illustrate our trends in first-year retention and six-year graduation rates for both freshmen and transfer students. From Fall 1994 to Fall 2010, Georgia Tech's first-year retention rates for first-time, fulltime freshmen have steadily increased from 85% to 95%. Corresponding increases in retention for transfer students are seen between 2001 (89%) and 2010 (93%). Our six-year graduation rates have also steadily increased from 66% to 79% for freshmen entering in 1990 and 2005, and from 79% to 85% for transfer students entering in 2000-01 and 2005-06. Some additional findings are as follows:
First-Time Freshmen A record 95% of our freshman cohort from Fall 2010 was enrolled in Fall 2011. We have also observed historic high
third-year (90%) and fifth-year (84%) retention rates for the 2009 and 2007 cohorts, respectively. Freshman program participation and academic standing were the characteristics most frequently observed to affect
second-year retention differences among the five most recent cohorts. Georgia Tech's six-year graduation rate reached a record high for the Fall 2004 freshman cohort (80%), while the
historic high for our four-year graduation rate was for the 2007 freshman cohort (41%). Our current six-year graduation rate for the Fall 2005 freshman cohort is at 79%, and five-year graduation rates for the 2007 cohort held steady at the record high of 72%.
3Georgia Tech has a midterm progress report system in place. At mid-semester, prior to the course withdrawal date, all faculty teaching 1000- and 2000-level courses submit through Banner an "S" (satisfactory) or "U" (unsatisfactory) as an indicator of a student's performance in the course. The definition of an "S" or "U" is at the discretion of the faculty member, but many use a "C" or better to translate into an "S" and all lower grades translate into a "U."
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The most recent four- (30.4%), five- (74.0%), and six-year (79.6%) graduation rates for Hispanic students were among the lowest observed for this group in recent years. Although the five- and six-year rates are on par with Institute averages, they represent a decline for the group.
Transfers Retention to the second year rose from a low of 89% for the 2001 cohort to a high of 93% for the 2010 cohort.
Approximately 85% of transfer students were retained through graduation, and 54% percent of those students not retained through graduation were in good academic standing when they left. Of all transfer students not retained over the past 10 years, approximately 60% left Georgia Tech during their first year, and over 59% of these students left in good academic standing. The 2005 transfer cohort experienced a record-high six-year graduation rate of 85%, and the 2007 transfer cohort had a record-high four-year graduation rate of 81%. Generally, graduation rates of transfer students are increasing and are on par with, or even exceed, traditional student graduation rates.
Within both our freshman and transfer student cohorts, we need better information on retention and graduation rates for students with disabilities, military veterans and first-generation students. Finally, we recognize that we need to learn more about what happens to our non-retained students. Accordingly, we conducted an analysis of our Fall 2005 freshman cohort, the most recent cohort for which six-year graduation rate data are available. As illustrated in Figure 3, of the 2,418 students in the 2005 cohort, 79% graduated within six years; 3% did not graduate and were still enrolled at Georgia Tech at the time of the study; and 18% (436) left the Institute. Of the 436 students who left, 58% had a cumulative GPA of 1.99 or lower, while 42% had a GPA above 2.00. This latter group represents the greatest opportunity for us to improve our retention and graduation rates (Figure 4).
Using data from the National Student Clearinghouse, we analyzed the 436 students who were not retained from the Fall 2005 freshman cohort. Some of our findings include:
Degrees were attained by 157 students when they left Georgia Tech and enrolled at other schools (Bachelors: 86%; Associate/certificate: 12%; unspecified: 2%). Of the remaining 279 students, 41% were enrolled somewhere else during 2011, 57% eventually enrolled in another institution but not during 2011, and 2% had no record in the Clearinghouse after they left Georgia Tech.
Focusing on the 134 known bachelor's degree recipients, 75% received bachelor's degrees in disciplines that were available in some form at Georgia Tech. Among the 25% earning a bachelor's degree in disciplines outside of those offered at Georgia Tech, they most often chose majors in English, education, art, communication, nursing, and religious studies. Among the bachelor's degree recipients, 66% left Georgia Tech with a GPA above the 2.00 required for graduation
Within the 134 bachelor's recipients who left Georgia Tech, 51% were from out-of-state while the remaining 49% were from Georgia. Among the non-Georgia Residents, 86% returned to their home state, with 77% attending public institutions and 9% attending private institutions.
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Figure 3: Status of the 2005 Entering Freshman Cohort (N=2418)
Not Retained
18%

Did Not Graduate,
Still Enrolled
3%

Graduated through Summer 2011 79%

Figure 4: Status of the 2005 Freshman Cohort GPA Ranges for Students who were Not Retained (N=436)

3.00-3.99 14%

2.00-2.99 27%

4.00 1%

1.99 and below 58%

Linking our Data to our Plan
Based on our review of our retention and graduation data, we have identified several subgroups of students that could be further studied to inform our future actions to achieve our goal. These groups include:
Students who leave Georgia Tech in good academic standing (GPA of 2.00 or greater). As described previously, of the 436 students who were not retained from our Fall 2005 cohort, we know that 134 (31%) went on to obtain bachelor's degrees, of whom 101 (75%) received degrees in disciplines offered at Georgia Tech. We are particularly interested in the 67 students who had GPAs of 2.00 or higher who went on to earn a bachelor's degree from another institution. We would like to interview this subgroup to better understand why they left and how we might have retained them. If we had retained and graduated this group, our graduation rate would have been 84.7%.
Students who receive 3 or more unsatisfactory ("U") grades on their midterm progress reports. Our studies of midterm progress reports show that the retention of students is negatively impacted by the number of "U" grades. For example, in Spring 2009, 28.7% of students who received three U's were not retained. These percentages have remained fairly consistent (mid-to-low 20% range) over the past few years. These studies also allow us to identify those courses with higher than usual percentages of unsatisfactory progress reports and subsequent failing grades.
Students who are on probation or who are readmitted to Georgia Tech on academic contract. As of Fall 2011, there were 432 students on academic probation, and 117 students who were academically dismissed. Despite their high academic qualifications, these students struggled academically at Georgia Tech. Our most recent study of readmitted students found that 550 academically-dismissed students returned to Georgia Tech with academic contracts between 2006 and 2010. While 81% of these students achieved an average GPA of 2.29 during their first term back, only 14% went on to graduate from Georgia Tech.
Students who leave Georgia Tech after attaining senior status or 90 hours. In 2007, an analysis of Georgia Tech students who attained the level of senior (i.e. 90 hours or greater) but did not earn a bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech was conducted. A total of 15,954 students attained the level of senior by accumulating at least 90
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hours between Fall 1998 and Spring 2005, of which 8% did not graduate. Among those who did not graduate, 913 (73%) had GPAs that would make them eligible to earn a degree had they completed their requirements. Importantly, had all the members of the 1999 first-time freshman cohort who made it to the senior level graduated, our six-year graduation rate would have risen from 76% to approximately 79%.
Other Student Populations. African-American students have lower retention and graduation rates than students of other ethnic backgrounds. For the Fall 2010 cohort, African-American retention to the second year was 92.4%, compared to the overall 95% retention rate. The six-year graduation rate of African-Americans was 61.3% for the Fall 2005 cohort, compared to an overall 79% graduation rate. OMED is working to identify and to implement programs and services to address this discrepancy. Further, as stated, we do not have good data on military veterans, students with disabilities, first-generation students, or students who participate in some of our student affairs programs. These will be areas for exploration in our strategies.
Strategies and Objectives
The strategies achieve our goal of an 84% graduation rate will fall into three categories: (1) Improving access and completion for target student populations; (2) Restructuring instructional delivery; and (3) Continuing partnerships with K-12. An overview of these strategies is included in this section, followed by specific implementation plans in the next.
Strategy #1: Improving Access and Completion for Target Populations Primary Metrics Addressed: Graduation and Retention Rates, Increased Access
As the majority of our undergraduate students are enrolled in one of our ABET accredited and highly ranked engineering programs, they are working through a full and demanding curriculum. Although we are committed to shortening the time to degree completion wherever possible, we do not wish to impact in a negative way the value of our degree programs. Programs such as the International Plan, Undergraduate Research Option and Co-op and Internship programs may increase the time to graduation, but they contribute positively to the student's overall educational experience. Therefore, our strategies for improving access and completion will focus on aligning our resources where we feel that we can make an impact on access and completion for specific populations. These are as follows:
Low-Income Students: We believe that Georgia students from all economic backgrounds should have the opportunity to attend Georgia Tech. Committed to providing access to financially challenged students, Georgia Tech launched the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise Scholarship Program in 2007. The program is designed to help academically-qualified, dependent Georgia residents whose family income falls below 150% of the federal poverty level pursue their first undergraduate degree. Since the program's inception, 539 students representing 86 Georgia counties have received Tech Promise funding, and as of Spring 2012, more than 200 Tech Promise students have graduated. In addition, we have committed to matching the state's newest need-based scholarship, REACH (Realizing Education Achievement Can Happen), for any REACH scholar who is accepted and enrolls at Georgia Tech.
Underrepresented Minority Students: We continue to examine how we support students who are traditionally underrepresented, especially within STEM disciplines. These include African-American, Hispanic, and Native American students. As the unit charged with the retention, development, and performance of these students, OMED is engaged in significant work to increase their retention and graduation rates.
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Students who are Academically "At Risk" or "Off Course" for Degree Completion: Perhaps one of the largest opportunities for increased degree attainment involves examining our academic support and advising systems and policies for these students. Included in this category are students receiving three or more unsatisfactory midterm progress report grades; students on probation or readmitted on contract after dismissal; and students earning 90 credit hours at Georgia Tech who are not progressing to graduation.
Other Populations: Other undergraduate student populations, in particular military veterans, first generation and students with disabilities, have not been fully studied with regards to retention and graduation. We have also not fully studied how participation in student affairs programming impacts retention. One final population we may examine are students who are taking six years to graduate to see if there are factors which might decrease their time to degree completion. For example, for the 2005 freshman cohort, the 5-year graduation rate was 72%, compared to 79% for the 6-year graduation rate. While shortening time to degree completion is not necessarily a high priority at Tech, we may explore whether there were there factors which might have led to that additional 7% graduating closer to 5 years.
Strategy #2 Restructuring Instructional Delivery Primary Metrics Addressed: Quality, Course Completion Ratio
Many of these initiatives will connect with our new learning center, the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (or "Clough Commons") that opened in August 2011. Encompassing 220,000 square feet, Clough Commons includes modern and innovative laboratories for our "gateway" science courses; technologically-advanced classrooms ranging from small seminar settings to large tiered lecture halls; presentation rehearsal studios; an academic help desk that provides general academic advising services; and several departments that support teaching, learning, and student success. There are also "collaboration spaces" which have the potential to provide opportunities for informal teaching and learning as well as flexible, adaptable spaces accommodating individual and collaborative study and small group work. Two new academic support units were specifically created to support the mission of this building. The Center for Academic Success coordinates content/subject tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic coaching, GT1000 freshman seminar, Tech PrEP Pre-Calculus Enrichment program, and other academic support programs. The Communication Center (CommLab), which is part of the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture (LCC), provides tutoring and student support across the disciplines for all forms of communication (written, oral, verbal, electronic, and nonverbal). Finally Georgia Tech's Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) is located in Clough Commons. CETL is charged with supporting innovative pedagogy and educational technology that enhances student learning.
Another component of instructional delivery will involve providing academic support for courses that are traditionally challenging. Many of these are "gateway" courses for STEM majors. The Center for Academic Success offers PLUS (Peer-Led Undergraduate Study) sessions. Based on the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model, PLUS sessions help students develop study skills and strategies and learn difficult material in a relaxed and collaborative environment. In general, students who participate in PLUS sessions earn fewer D's, F's, or W's than those who do not. We will explore other possible courses, particularly those with high DFW rates, to pilot and implement PLUS sessions contingent on the availability of resources. Another program we hope to expand is our Tech PrEP program. Tech PrEP is a partnership between the School of Mathematics and Center for Academic Success. It is a non-credit, intensive, residential summer program for entering Georgia Tech freshmen that reviews fundamental pre-calculus concepts as well as introduces strategies critical for academic success in calculus and other first-year courses. In its first two years, students who have completed the program have performed academically better, on average, in introductory calculus than those who did not participate.
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Georgia Tech, through the leadership of the Dean of Professional Education, will have preliminary discussions to determine whether offering certain undergraduate courses online for Tech students may be possible. This would particularly benefit our undergraduates who are co-oping or interning out-of-state or abroad (approximately 29% of placements over the past three semesters have been outside the state of Georgia), students studying overseas, athletes, and out-of-state students who return home for the summer break but want to take Tech courses. This has potential to impact time to degree completion as well. We may also explore the development of online tools for enhancing study skills.
Finally, Georgia Tech has recently joined peers such as CalTech, Duke, Stanford, Washington and Michigan and entered into a partnership with Coursera to put our web-based courses online and create new opportunities for learning. This partnership will provide another means for delivering instruction off campus. By joining Coursera, Georgia Tech is capitalizing on an already-robust offering of online courses and education. Coursera will enable us to expand our presence, provide increased global access to our excellent educational products, experiment with new methods and ideas in the delivery of education and, most importantly, enhance the learning options and convenience for our own students.
Strategy #3: Enhancing Partnerships with K-12 Primary Metrics Addressed: Increased Access
Although Georgia Tech does not have a College of Education, it does consider it a part of its mission to help serve the K12 educational community of the State of Georgia, particularly in supporting STEM education. These initiatives will not have an immediate impact on Georgia Tech's degree completion rates, but they are clearly important for statewide access. One area is Tech to Teaching, which is a broad umbrella of programs partially supported through a National Science Foundation grant. This includes a variety of initiatives that provide pathways for Tech students who want to pursue K-12 teaching as a career option by allowing students to complete a rigorous undergraduate degree program at Georgia Tech and then enroll in a teacher preparation graduate program in another USG school, such as Kennesaw State University or Georgia State University. This program further benefits the state by providing teachers who are well qualified to meet the high demand for K-12 teaching positions in STEM disciplines. In addition, through a new joint BS/MAT degree program between Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, students can receive their BS and MAT in five years.
Currently, there are in excess of 10 funded Georgia Tech projects that interface with the K-12 community, and the principal investigators meet annually to discuss synergies and further collaborations. Through the Race to the Top STEM Innovation Grant, the Teach for Georgia program, modeled after the national Teach for America program, has the explicit goal of placing Georgia Tech graduates as teachers in rural Georgia secondary science and math classrooms. GoSTEM is a collaboration between Georgia Tech and the Gwinnett County Public School district aimed at enhancing the educational experience of Latino/Hispanic students in Georgia and strengthens the pipeline of these students into post-secondary STEM education. This program was recently funded through a five-year grant from the Goizueta Foundation.
The other strategy that Georgia Tech pursues with respect to pre-college students is through summer camps and enrichment programs. These fall into three basic categories: summer STEM camps, research experiences for high school students, and connections between Georgia Tech labs and rural high schools. CEISMC (the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing) offers summer week-long camps in a variety of STEM topics ranging from Robotics to Astrobiology (approximately 600 middle and high school students participated during summer 2012). These camps represent a partnership between Georgia Tech faculty and graduate students who provide the content expertise and passion with CEISMC who organizes and manages the camp process. There are opportunities for teachers who participate in the GIFT (Georgia Internships For Teachers) program (also facilitated by CEISMC) to bring a team of three high school students to campus to perform STEM research for a 5 week period during the summer. The students
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receive a small stipend and then a follow up reward when they submit their results to the Siemans Science Competition and their local science fair. GTRI (Georgia Tech Research Institute) and OIT (Office of Information Technology) partner to offer the D2D (Direct to Discovery) program to a variety of (primarily rural) school districts. Through this program, classrooms connect to Georgia Tech research labs to experience the authentic research environment without the expense and time commitment of a distant field trip. Georgia Tech faculty provide instruction about the work being done in their labs and demonstrate how real scientific research is performed. All of these programs have a similar goal provide the secondary students in the State of Georgia with authentic experiences in STEM disciplines in order to encourage them and provide them with the necessary background to pursue postsecondary education and careers in the STEM fields.
Planning and Implementation
Because our plan will require collaboration and coordination among many campus units and academic departments, a "Complete College Georgia Tech" steering committee will be established. While Georgia Tech has been studying its retention and graduation rates extensively, it does not currently have a formal retention and graduation committee. This steering committee, appointed by the Provost, and likely chaired by the newly appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, will be charged with overseeing the implementation of our Complete College Georgia plan. It will include faculty, students, and senior administrators from Undergraduate Education, Learning Excellence and the Libraries, Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, OMED, IRP, Government and Community Relations, Communications and Marketing, Campus Services, and faculty from each of our six colleges who are in leadership roles related to undergraduate education. In addition to implementing our Complete College Georgia plan, it will provide guidance for our overall retention and graduation strategies, including reviewing data, analyzing policies, requesting special studies, preparing reports, coordinating with other institute committees and groups, and making recommendations on issues that impact retention and graduation.
In the first year of the implementation of our plan, we will focus on researching many of the issues that impact our retention and graduation. This work will help us to learn the issues and challenges behind these subgroups' lower retention and identify possible resources and interventions. We also plan to continue programs and services that are already having a positive impact on our retention. Below, we describe specific actions for implementation. Lead units (specified with each area) will ensure appropriate action is taken and will report updates, progress, and findings to the Complete College Georgia Tech steering committee.
1. Replicate (and expand) our study of non-returning students to learn more about our non-retained students. (Lead Unit: IRP)
The latest report on non-returning students was conducted in February 2004. If resources are available, IRP plans to replicate and possibly broaden the scope of this study in 2012. Populations include the 67 students identified in our National Student Clearinghouse analysis who left Georgia Tech in good standing but graduated from other institutions as well as students who left Georgia Tech after attaining senior status (90 hours or greater) who were in good academic standing. Other populations may also be included. The goals of this study will be to identify why these students left and what we might have been done to retain them. Resources have been allocated to hire a Graduate Research Assistant to work with IRP and conduct this study.
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2. Propose changes in academic advising and academic support systems, particularly for students who may be academically "at risk" (Lead Units: Undergraduate Education, Enrollment Services)
The Center for Academic Success, a unit in Undergraduate Education, has recently hired a Senior Assistant Director to coordinate outreach and intervention efforts for "at risk" students, including students who receive multiple unsatisfactory progress report grades, students on probation, and students who are readmitted to Georgia Tech on academic contracts. Current programs include academic coaching, academic success workshops, and a structured cohort program for first- and second- year students who are at or below a cumulative GPA of 2.2. These are all voluntary programs, however, and there are currently no mandatory interventions required at the Institute level. For example, one of the most effective interventions for students who are "at risk" for not being retained for academic reasons is a mandatory, for-credit course designed to help students change their behaviors and attitudes related to academic success.4
Another project that we will consider this year is a review and analysis of our academic advising system and how this connects with supporting students who are "at risk." Georgia Tech's academic advising system is decentralized (advisors are housed in and report to the academic departments), and the demand on advisors for general academic advising is significant. Furthermore, advisor-student ratios and advisor responsibilities and expectations vary across departments. When a student is struggling academically, advisors often do not have the time or resources to provide timely, consistent, and meaningful intervention and support. While we have conducted surveys on advising in the past, we have not conducted a full analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of our advising system.
Despite the fact that new resources remain very limited in the upcoming academic year, we have allocated new resources towards both of these priorities. First, funding has been allocated to hire a new Academic Success Coach to expand our efforts in academic coaching and intervention of students who are "off-course" or "at risk." A search will begin this year, and our hope is to hire someone with additional background and experience working with students with learning disabilities, particularly those who are STEM students. Second, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education has restructured and will be hiring a new "Director of Advising" and expanding the role of this position to include efforts related to retention, student success, and college completion. As we explore the relationships between advising and academic support, it is likely that we will see an integration of our academic advising and academic support units.
3. Review enrollment management procedures and policies to identify possible sources of sophomore to junior year attrition and potential barriers to timely degree completion (Lead Unit: Enrollment Services)
In an effort to improve sophomore to junior retention rates and help more students earn their degree "on-time," Enrollment Services, which includes the Registrar's Office, Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA), and Undergraduate Admission, will research policies and issues that may lead to possible intervention. First, the Registrar's Office will determine the feasibility of reporting mechanisms and channels for identifying (a) sophomores who request transcripts be sent to other post-secondary institutions; (b) undergraduates who have not declared degree candidacy but who fail to register for the subsequent fall semester by the end of Phase 1 Registration in April; and (c) students above 90 credit hours who do not enroll for two semesters in a row. In this latter case, these students are of particular concern to us because at 90 credits, they are within one year from earning a Georgia Tech degree.
4 Lindsay, Dawn (2000). A Study to Determine the Characteristics of Effective Intervention Programs for Students on Probation. Ed. D. Dissertation, Pepperdine University.
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We will also research students who use grade substitution5 and eventually go on academic dismissal. The Registrar will review the data on the issues surrounding the application of the grade substitution policy. Since the policy was put into effect in Fall 2005, approximately 200 students who have invoked it have subsequently moved to academic drop status.
Finally, the Registar's office will work with Undergraduate Education and the Georgia Tech Academic Advising Network (GTAAN) to offer workshops on interpreting DegreeWorks reports. Other institutions have found that misunderstanding these reports can impede progress towards graduation. These workshops will also include training in how to use the "what if" option in DegreeWorks to explore the implications of pursuing other majors and the "planned courses" feature to guide better course selection and give students a sense of when they could complete degree requirements.
OSFA will continue to offer programs that support retention. The office provides personalized counseling services to students referred to them and has designated advisers who routinely serve as "ombudspersons," referring students to support services. OSFA will continue to administer an emergency student loan fund to help students temporarily meet tuition expenses. Approximately 125 students per term receive emergency funds. Another smaller short-term loan fund is available to help students with funds for rent, food, and books while they wait for other financial resources. Approximately 25 students per term receive these funds.
Finally, to understand better the reasons some of our sophomores do not return to Georgia Tech, Undergraduate Admission plans to implement a system whereby these students are contacted by phone early in the fall semester to determine their reasons for not returning and, if appropriate, attempt to help them plan for a future return.
4. Continue initiatives and programs that target retention and graduation of underrepresented students (Lead Unit: Student Diversity & Inclusion; a unit of Institute Diversity)
The Student Diversity and Inclusion division (consisting of OMED and the Office of Hispanic Initiatives (OHI)) in the Office of Institute Diversity focuses on the access, retention and graduation of students who are traditionally underrepresented: African American, Hispanic, and Native American. Retention and performance efforts for these students focus on the freshman and sophomore years. Some programs that will continue to be offered include: (1) Challenge- a summer bridge program that introduces incoming underrepresented minority freshmen to Georgia Tech and provides them with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed during their first academic year. It is a fiveweek, intensive program where students are immersed in the Georgia Tech environment; they live in a residence hall, take typical freshman classes taught by Georgia Tech professors, and participate in social and academic workshop facilitated by upperclassmen, alumni, corporate representatives and OMED staff; (2) Team Coach- a yearlong peer mentoring programs that focuses on academic, personal development, and social topics; (3) GT-PRIME- a new initiative aimed to address the retention and academic performance issues of African-American males at Georgia Tech. GT-PRIME is Georgia Tech's version of the Board of Regent's African American Male Initiative (AAMI), designed to provide resources, motivation, and leadership training for African American males. This is achieved through a schedule of workshops, speaker series, competitions, mentor activities, and tutoring throughout each semester, beginning with the Challenge program; and (4) Goizueta Scholarship program is an endowed scholarship initiative designed to increase Hispanic/Latino student access to a Georgia Tech education. The scholarship was
5First-time freshman students who receive a grade of "D" or "F" in a course within their first two terms in residence (first three terms for those who begin in the Freshman Summer Session) are eligible to repeat the course and have the original grade excluded from the computation of the academic average. Grade substitution may be used only once per course, with a maximum of two courses total.
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established at Georgia Tech by the Goizueta Foundation. All recipients of this scholarship are required to get involved in other Georgia Tech activities, and participate in mentoring events sponsored by OHI.
Institutional resources have been committed to all four initiatives listed above. Both the Challenge Program and Team Coach programs receive programmatic priority on available funds, along with dedicated staff with primary focus on these programs. GT-PRIME is part of the Board of Regents African American Male Initiative (AAMI), which provides university systems funds that are matched by the Institution. The Goizueta Scholarship program consists of an established endowment. The program manager that was initially paid half time by the Goizueta Foundation is now a full-time fully encumbered GT employee.
5. Review student affairs programming to determine correlations between participation in specific programs and retention and graduation rates (Lead Unit: Division of Student Affairs)
The Division of Student Affairs (SA) plans to engage in a retention study to determine the extent to which students who are engaged with a particular program and/or service are retained at a higher rate and/or have a greater likelihood to graduate. The overarching question of this study is "What effects do programs and services provided by the Division of Student Affairs have on student retention?" Eight units in the Division of Student Affairs will be charged with researching potential correlations between a program, service or activity in their unit and retention and/or graduation rates. The units consist of the Campus Recreation Center, Career Services, Greek Affairs, Office of the Dean of Students, Ferst Center for the Arts, Counseling Center, Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) program, and the Parents Program.
The Division of Student Affairs also supports efforts to improve sophomore retention. In 2011, in part due to a reorganization, a new office, New Student and Sophomore Programs, was established within the Office of the Dean of Students. This office is currently conducting a search for a Sophomore Programs Coordinator who will continue to expand and initiate new programs designed to address sophomore retention. The office will analyze the impact of these programs on retention and graduation.
Finally, the Dean of Students recently began an online referral form on its website. An email from the Provost is sent each semester to encourage faculty to refer students they may be concerned about to the Office of the Dean of Students using this online form. Staff from the Dean's office meet with students, and, if needed, make referrals to other appropriate offices (e.g., Counseling Center, Career Services, Center for Academic Success, Academic Advisors, Faculty member, etc.).
6. Improve Data on Military Veterans, Students with Disabilities, and First-Generation Students (Lead Units: Enrollment Services, Division of Student Affairs)
Enrollment services will begin adding questions on our admission application to collect data on military veterans and first-generation students starting in Fall 2012. This will allow us to begin tracking and analyzing these student populations, and they will be included in our first-year and transfer student retention and graduation studies starting in 2013.
The Division of Student Affairs at Georgia Tech plans to conduct a needs assessment to learn more about student military veterans in an effort to: (1) Identify enrollment numbers of student veterans; (2) Examine their retention and graduation rates; and (3) Learn about their opinions and attitudes with respect to how the institution might improve their degree of engagement both inside and outside of the classroom. Student Affairs is considering creating a
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"Director of Veterans Affairs" position for Georgia Tech and will be leading the efforts to improve data collection efforts, starting this year.
The population of students with disabilities has grown significantly in the past decade. The number of students registered with the Access Disabled Assistance Program for Tech Students (ADAPTS) has increased from 184 in 2001-2002 to 563 in 2011-2012-- a 206% increase in the last 10 years. More than 400 students with chronic disabilities are served through the ADAPTS program. We have begun collecting data on these students by identifying them in BANNER, and we will also track these students in our first-year and transfer student retention studies starting in 2013. In addition, Student Affairs has purchased a new software management system from AMAC (Alernative Media Access Center), which is now housed at Georgia Tech. This software will enable us to track retention and graduation rates.
Should fiscal resources become available, the Division of Student Affairs plans to conduct a needs assessment to learn more about student with disabilities in an effort to realize the extent to which difficulties that students with disabilities experience may impede their ability to succeed and to ascertain any differences in retention and graduation rates between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. Finally, we will be conducing a program review on Disability Services to determine how we can improve our service to these students.
7. Analyze the impact of Clough Commons on enhancing student success (Lead Units: Learning Excellence, Units located in Clough Commons)
The Divisions of Learning Excellence and the Libraries, which oversees the operation and management of Clough Commons, has begun a comprehensive study examining the impact of Clough Commons on teaching and learning. Some areas it plans to study include:
Comparison between 2010-11 and 2011-12 grades in courses that are currently being offered in Clough Commons
How are teaching and learning in Clough Commons different from teaching and learning in other buildings? How does the Clough Commons facilitate interactions between faculty and students?
The utilization of tutoring and academic support services- and their impact on student success- will also be studied by the various units that offer these programs. In particular, the Center for Academic Success provides content tutoring and academic support programs for many of our core STEM courses (calculus, chemistry, physics, etc.), and our Communication Center provides support for all forms of communication across the disciplines. These units currently track student usage through a program called "TutorTrac" which collects student information and links it to academic information. Both units are working on enhancing their comprehensive assessment plans that examine several outcomes for these programs.
8. Continuing pre-teaching support for GT Students and K-12 outreach efforts (Lead Unit: Learning Excellence)
CETL has recently hired a new Pre-Teaching Advisor/Coordinator. This individual will work collaboratively with campus partners involved in K-12 programs and take the lead on moving our pre-teaching support and K-12 outreach programs to the next level. Some of these programs include coordinating and teaching our pre-teaching courses offered through CETL and running PT-SURE, our Pre-Teaching Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program where Georgia Tech undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a teaching career may apply for a summer research position in a lab at Georgia Tech that also hosts a secondary math or science teacher through the
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Georgia Internship Fellowship for Teachers (GIFT) program. A challenge moving forward with all of our preteaching and K-12 programs is to reach more students by the very nature of our student body, the individual advising needs are very specific and varied, and we don't necessarily have undergraduates who come to Tech focused on pursuing teaching careers. The GoSTEM initiative, based in CETL as well as the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) will also be moving forward this year and will work closely with the Pre-Teaching Advisor. The GoSTEM initiative builds upon our existing K-12 initiatives. We are currently working with a cluster of schools in Gwinnett County Public schools and employ a model which maximizes the impact of our interventions within the population of students in this particular cluster. This strategy allows us to track concentrated effects on students who simultaneously participate in more than one initiative at a time within the cluster, and sustainability effects on those students who participate in one initiative at each grade level over time. As a result, we will be able to reach elementary, middle, and high school Hispanic students, parents, and teachers within the cluster and engage Georgia Tech undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty and the broader community in our efforts to expand the horizons of Latino/Hispanic students. Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation Our Complete College Georgia Tech steering committee will be charged with overseeing our plan and disseminating information to the campus. The committee will liaison with and provide feedback to other Institute standing committees and groups, such as the President's Cabinet, Enrollment Management Advisory Board (EMAG), Deans' and Associate Deans' meetings, and the Institute Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (IUCC). Representation on the committee will include staff from Communications and Marketing to ensure that we are promoting and sharing our work on retention and graduation. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will continue to oversee the retention, progression, and graduation data analysis plan described previously and outlined in Appendix D. We will review these studies, however, to determine what additional information may inform our completion plan and align with the USG and CCA metrics.
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Appendix A: Georgia Tech's Complete College Georgia Planning Team

Dr. Nelson Baker

Dean, Professional Education/Associate Professor in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Ms. Cassandra Belton

Associate Director of Institutional Research & Planning/Decision Support Services

Ms. Sandi Bramblett

Executive Director of Institutional Research & Planning/Decision Support Services

Ms. Lynn Durham

Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the President*

Dr. Steven P. Girardot

Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education & Director, Center for Academic Success

Dr. Dana Hartley

Undergraduate Coordinator, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Dr. Paul Kohn

Vice Provost for Enrollment Services

Dr. Donna Llewellyn

Associate Vice Provost for Learning Excellence & Director, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Mr. S. Gordon Moore

Executive Director for Student Diversity and Inclusion

Dr. Usha Nair-Reichart Associate Professor, School of Economics

Dr. Caroline Noyes

Assistant Director, Office of Assessment

Ms. Reta Pikowsky

Registrar

Dr. Colin Potts

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education/Associate Professor, College of Computing*

Dr. William Schafer

Vice President for Student Affairs*

Mr. Dene Sheheane

Executive Director of Government and Community Relations*

Dr. Anderson Smith

Special Assistant to the Provost/Regents' Professor of Psychology

Ms. Beth Spencer

Interim Associate Director, Center for Academic Success

*Serves on President's Cabinet

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Percent Retained

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Appendix B: Peer First-Year Retention and Graduation Rates
Figure B1: 2009 Peer Institution Freshman Retention Rates
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Figure B2: 2009 Peer Institution Six-Year Graduation Rates
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
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Percent Graduated

Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan Final Version Appendix C: Undergraduate, Degree Seeking Student Profile (as of Fall 2011)

Degree Seeking Undergraduate Full-Time Part-Time Full-Time Part-Time Full-Time Part-Time Total

Population1

First- First-Time First-Time First Time Continuing Continuing Degree

Time

Transfer Transfer

Seeking

Total Degree Seeking %

Total Total Students

2,692

3

654

38

9,271

642 13,300

100%

Race/ Hispanic

159

1

54

4

511

40

769

6%

Ethnicity Black/African-American

167

69

2

564

47

849

6%

White

1,576

1

358

18

5,638

399

7,990

60%

Asian

444

1

88

13

1,582

111

2,239

17%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

2

-

-

-

8

3

13

0%

American Indian/Alaska Native

2

-

1

-

18

-

21

0%

Two or More Races

88

-

22

1

216

18

345

3%

Unknown

18

-

5

-

53

4

80

1%

Non-resident Alien

236

-

57

-

681

20

994

7%

Gender Male

1,677

2

515

28

6,322

476

9,020

68%

Female

1,015

1

139

10

2,949

166

4,280

32%

Age 19 and under

2,667

3

153

1

2,222

9

5,055

38%

20-24

25

-

434

19

6,701

498

7,677

58%

25 and over

-

-

67

18

348

135

568

4%

Class Freshman (0-29 Hours)

2,467

3

8

253

4

2,735

21%

Sophomore (30-59 Hours)

212

285

8

2,473

28

3,006

23%

Junior (60-89 Hours)

12

314

24

2,882

101

3,333

25%

Senior (90+ Hours)

1

47

6

3,663

509

4,226

32%

Academic Good Standing Standing2 Review/Warning

2,568 94

3

588

46

30

8,358

4

489

531 12,078

91%

40

673

5%

Probation

30

18

4

331

49

432

3%

Academic Dismissal

-

2

-

93

22

117

1%

Other Pell Recipient

454

1

242

18

1,935

137

2,787

21%

Remedial Courses

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

**

Military Veterans

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

First Generation

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Disability

13

-

4

-

215

32

264

2%

1- Georgia Tech's total undergraduate population was 13,948 for Fall 2011; 648 students were non-degree seeking (5%); 2- Standing as of the end of

Fall 2011; **- Less than 10; N/A = Data not available.

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Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan

Appendix D: Georgia Tech Data Analysis for Retention, Graduation, and other Student Outcomes

GT Report
First-Time, Freshman Retention Study

Publication Frequency Annually

Transfer Student Annually Retention Study

Mid-Term Progress Report Study

Bi-annually

Survey of non- As requested returning students

Sophomore

As requested

Retention Study

CIRP/BSSE

Annually

National Survey of Student Engagement

Approx. Every three years

Population Metrics Tracked

First-Time Freshmen

4-, 6-, and 8- year graduation rates
Year to year retention rates

Transfer Students

4-, 6-, and 8- year graduation rates
Year to year retention rates

Students Enrolled in 1000- and 2000- level courses All nonreturning undergraduates in good academic standing Continuing freshman cohorts who were full-time in their second fall term Entering freshmen and transfer students First-year and senior students

Success in "gateway" courses (beyond English & Math)
Qualitative study to determine reasons for departure from Georgia Tech
Characteristics of those students retained through the second year of study at GT
Student background and expectations
Student satisfaction with the GT experience

Additional Analyses to be considered for CCG Stratification by federal
financial aid (Pell eligible) status Veterans Disability status Stratification by federal financial aid (Pell eligible) status Veterans Disability status Course completion ratio Additional factors may be added
Class standing (90 plus hours may require a different survey)

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Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan Appendix E: Longitudinal Trends in First-Year Retention and Six-Year Graduation Rates for Entering
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Georgia Institute of Technology Complete College Georgia Plan Final Version
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Georgia Perimeter College CCG Campus Completion Plan

Part I: Goals and Data Analysis

Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) has expanded its 2008-2012 strategic plan beyond retention, progression, and graduation initiatives for first-time full-time freshmen by embracing the Complete College America (CCA) initiative to create a more educated Georgia. The Complete College Georgia (CCG) process is facilitated by the Retention and Graduation Council, which meets monthly to review, analyze, and report on all retention and graduation initiatives college-wide. Chaired by the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services and the Vice President for Academic Affairs, this 15 member group has identified 14 ambitious, yet realistic goals to be reached over the next 3 years that directly support increased efficiencies, increased numbers, and enhancing the quality of the degrees awarded.

Recognizing Georgia Perimeter College's institutional mission and strategic planning added serious relevancy to the development of its campus completion plan and goal setting process. The characteristics of GPC are as follows:

GPC is the largest associate degree-granting college and the third largest institution in the University System of Georgia (USG) with over 26, 500 students;
GPC admits more students each fall semester, accepts more transfer students, and sends more students on to other institutions than any other USG institution, accounting for more than one- third of all transfer students in the USG;
GPC is the primary access institution in the state enabling underrepresented groups access to higher education;
GPC further extends access through the largest online education program in the USG; GPC students has a significant portion of students that are part-time, female, approximately
twenty-three years of age, and are in need of remediation (Learning Support courses) and financial assistance; GPC is one of the most diverse institutions in the USG with proportions of Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and African American students all above System averages, along with students representing 157 different countries;

Based on the above characteristics, GPC's CCG Committee identified the following goals and related key performance indicators in the verity of outcome, progress, or context metrics as defined by the Complete College America (CCA). Moreover, current GPC data and metrics provided by the USG directly influenced the specific goals in key areas related to success with completion in (1) Partnerships with K-12 to strengthen college readiness and access; (2) Improving access and

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completion for students traditionally underserved; (3) Shortening time to degree or credits by minimizing courses taken that do not count toward degree completion; (4) Restructuring instructional delivery to support student success; and (5) Transforming remediation that improves outcomes related to Learning Support.
Statewide, nearly one out of four (23.8%) high school graduates entering USG institutions in 2009 required Learning Support. For our partner high schools, the proportion for both were 37.8% at Cross Keys High School (DeKalb County) and Social Circle High School (City School) (Source: www.gaosa.org). In order to strengthen college readiness and access, Georgia Perimeter College will focus on providing diagnostic COMPASS testing for selected feeder high school sophomores and retest these same students during their senior year. The objective is to decrease the number of students who place into Learning Support when entering not only GPC, but other USG institutions. Emphasis will also be placed on conducting pre-college institutes for targeted student populations who are part-time, working students, adult learners, military, low income, and/or students with disabilities to increase their success in remedial education by going directly into collegiate level classes upon entering college.
Georgia Perimeter College serves a large number of students who are traditionally underserved; in fact, GPC serves the largest number of military students using VA benefits in the University System of Georgia. As such, GPC will focus on the establishment of a Prior Learning Assessment Program for military students and adult learners. Emphasis will be placed on time and credits to degree by reducing the average number of credits at the time of degree for students who utilized Prior Learning Assessment (ACE transcript review of PLA course/portfolio).
Over 71% of students who attend GPC are on some form of student financial aid necessary to cover the cost of attendance, and other miscellaneous expenses to maintain aid eligibility and to complete college. Therefore, strategic action is necessary to increase participation in work-study and in tracking eligible participants. Additionally, the goal of increasing student knowledge and understanding of financial responsibility in the context of retention, progression, and graduation is also needed to increase the number of students meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to maintain their financial aid. Graduation rates, time and credits to degree, credit accumulation, and retention rates will the basis for assessing outcome data.
In collaboration with Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC), GPC will implement a reverse articulation agreement to support students who transfer to GPC from GPTC to graduate with the minimum number of credits hours required for their awarded degree. This will be supported by assessing time and credit to degree.

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Georgia Perimeter's three-year graduation rates for FT/FT students were 8.74% (FY2006), 9.54% (FY 2007), and 7.68% (FY 2008). The largest percentage of FT/FT students transfer after 3-4 semesters at GPC to USG institutions: 20.9% (FY2006), 18.9% (FY2007), and 24.4% (FY2008, institution-calculated). While GPC transfer rates are slightly above the BOR transfer rates of 22.7% (FY 2006) and 24.1% (FY 2007), these rates reflect students who transferred within the USG only. GPC's own tracking of students through the National Student Clearinghouse indicates that an additional 8.0% will transfer to private and/or out-of-state institutions, including online providers such as the University of Phoenix. Consequently, GPC has established goals to minimize courses taken that do not count toward degree completion in order to shorten time to degree or credits. Specifically, GPC will increase student success through intrusive academic advisement to increase the retention and graduation rates of first-time, full-time students, as well as reduce the average number of credits earned at time of degree awarded. Additionally, in FY2010, GPC awarded 1,674 associate degrees. Data shows that of the fall 2007 FT/FT cohort students, 15.2% had transferred to a USG four-year institution by fall 2010, without earning an associate degree from GPC. To address this trend, GPC will make a concerted effort to award degrees to all students who meet degree requirements.

Restructuring instructional delivery in order to support student success by way of teaching and learning, targeted Gateway courses, as well as alternative delivery models in high fail rate courses are critical based on GPC's access mission and student mix. Recognizing variables that affect student success and graduation rates, GPC will implement a plan to reduce high DWF's in Gateway courses in ENG 1101, ENGL 1102, and MATH 1111. Emphasis will also be placed on increasing first-year student participation in learning communities for first-time, full-time students. This will be supported through a common course outline, which provides information on expectations for college students, strategies for academic achievement and student success, and information literacy through investigation of a specific theme. Outcomes will be assessed by reported retention rates. Lastly, GPC will implement Supplemental Instruction in its CHEM 1211 (gateway course) to provide peer-facilitated study sessions to encourage students to practice and discuss course concepts in SI sessions. Consequently, this will improve their understanding of the material, as well as their grades; thus increasing the student success rate.

Since fall 2006, the percentage of FT/FT students enrolled in Learning Support courses has remained

between 55% and 59%. Over half of new students at GPC place into at least one area of Learning Support

(LS). As an access institution, GPC is often the entry point for many students to begin their college

education. Learning Support students continue to be a variable affecting GPC's graduation rate as many

students have to take remedial courses before they can take collegiate level courses. Therefore, GPC has

established goals to transform remediation by implementing Learning Support increase the number of

students exiting Learning Support in one semester, as well as reviewing and assessing the impact of First

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Year Experience (FYE) on Learning Support student success by way of Learning Support exit rates. Lastly, GPC has made a concentrated effort to develop and implement a pilot of remediation for incoming GPC students who do not meet the new COMPASS placement cut scores. The objective is to increase the number of students testing out of Learning Support and entering collegiate level courses upon registering at Georgia Perimeter College. Furthermore, GPC will track the progress of students who take advantage of this free remediation to determine the impact that it has on their success.

What are your campus strengths, areas of improvement, or key gaps?

As an access institution, Learning Support plays a substantial role in the education of students at GPC. Data show that students who progress from LS to collegiate-level courses generally do as well as students who placed directly into those courses. However, a large number of students who begin in Learning Support do not progress to collegiate-level courses at GPC. The current plan is designed to move more students from LS into the collegiate curriculum in a timely manner. Similarly, GPC has excellent first-year retention rates of First-Time, Full-Time Freshman students, but those rates drop off dramatically for second-year retention and three-year graduation. The current plan is intended to minimize those gaps in rates.

What information do you need that you don't have?

In order to best assess the effectiveness of diagnostic COMPASS placement testing in selected high schools, GPC will need to be able to track these students into postsecondary education (for those who do not attend GPC). Timely Individual Transfer Feedback reports distributed on an annual basis are also essential.

Part II: Strategies and Objectives

Based on data, the following strategies will contribute toward GPC achieving established Complete College Georgia goals.

Partnerships with K-12

GPC will decrease the percentage of students who place into Learning Support when entering USG institutions to 30%. This will be accomplished by providing diagnostic COMPASS placement testing for selected feeder high school sophomores. These same students will be retested in their senior year. This gives students two years to focus on academic areas identified as needing improvement by COMPASS test scores. Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

A target of at least 55% of institute participants will place directly into collegiate level classes upon entering college. This will be accomplished by conducting pre-college institutes for targeted

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underrepresented students (GEAP, DECA and Upward Bound). Pre-college institutes will focus on instruction in English, Reading and Math, so students can enhance their academic skills and not require Learning Support courses. Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education) Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved

The average time to degree will be reduced by 3 credit hours toward graduation for students who utilize Prior Learning Assessment (ACE transcript review of PLA course/portfolio). This will be accomplished by establishing a Prior Learning Assessment Program with avenues to evaluate prior experience and coursework for college credit. Having a program in place will improve access and retention for military students and adult learners. Outcome Metric (Time and Credits to Degree)

GPC will increase the number of eligible students participating in the federal work-study program to 10%. This will be accomplished by recruiting an increased number of eligible students to participate in the federal work-study program and tracking their academic progress as it relates to retention and graduation rates, degree completion, and time and credits to degree. Outcome Metric 2 (Graduation Rates); Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credits to Degree); Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

GPC will Increase the number of students meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by 10% and increase the retention rate of FT/FT students on financial aid by 10%. This will be accomplished by offering programs and workshops that improve student knowledge and understanding of financial responsibility in the context of retention, progression and graduation. Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

Students who transfer to GPC from GPTC will graduate with the minimum number of credit hours required for their awarded degrees. This will be accomplished through the implementation of a reverse articulation agreement with Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Students who are not admissible to GPC will participate in a certificate program at GPTC, complete their Learning Support requirements and return to GPC with 30 transferrable credit hours. Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credit to Degree)

Shorten Time to Degree (or credits to degree)

GPC will increase the retention and graduation rates of FT/FT students from 61% to 65% and from 9% to

10% respectively (see 2-year report). The average time to degree will be reduced from 72 to 66 credits

earned at time of degree awarded. This will be accomplished by Intrusive Academic Advisement where

students are required to meet with an academic advisor at regular check points (i.e., 12, 24, 36, 48 credit

hours) during their college career to insure they are on track and have the resources they need to be

successful. This will also be facilitated and monitored by the Director of Faculty Advising to insure

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consistency at the academic departmental levels. Outcome Metric 2 (Graduation Rates); Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credits to Degree); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)
GPC will increase the number of degrees awarded by 10% (FY 2010 1,674). This will be accomplished through awarding degrees to all students who meet degree requirements. Students who have earned all credit hours needed for degree completion at GPC will be automatically awarded their degree. Outcome
Metric 1 (Degree Production)
Restructuring Instructional Delivery
GPC will increase pass rates in ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102 and MATH 1111 by 5%. This will be accomplished through the implementation of a program of support services focusing on successful completion of ENGL 1101, 1102 and MATH 1111, which are gateway courses at GPC with high DWF rates. Progress Metric 3 (Success in Gateway College Courses); Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation)
GPC will increase by 10% the retention rates of FT/FT students participating in Learning Communities. This will be accomplished by increasing first-year student participation in Learning Communities and tracking their retention. Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)
GPC will increase the success rate for SI course participants by 10% relative to non SI course participants. This will be accomplished through implementing Supplemental Instruction in selected CHEM 1211 courses and tracking the SI course success of participants in these gateway courses. Progress Metric 3 (Success in Gateway College Courses)
GPC will increase the success rate of online students 5%. This will be accomplished through program services such an asynchronous online tutorials in writing, mathematics, and chemistry, as well as library services through chat, texting, email, phone and online guides. Additional resources will include the new Learning Management System Desire 2 Learn (D2L), Smarthinking Online Tutoring System, and the Testing & Education Resource Center, which can be accessed through GALILEO or a link to GALILEO in iCollege. Progress Metrics 3 (Success in Gateway College Course); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)
Transforming Remediation
GPC will increase by 10% the number of students exiting Learning Support in one semester. This will be accomplished by combining Math 0097 and Math 0098 into one course and using the NCAT Emporium model redesign for Mathematics Learning Support Instruction. Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

GPC will increase the LS exit rates of students enrolled in the FYE course by 10%. This will be

accomplished by requiring students testing into two areas of Learning Support to take GPCS 1010.

This course is designed to give new students the tools they need to be successful at GPC. Progress Metric 2

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(Success in Remedial Education)

GPC will increase the number of students testing out of Learning Support and entering collegiate level courses by 5%. This will be accomplished through the My Foundations Lab Remediation Pilot designed to help incoming GPC students improve their English, Reading and Math skills prior to taking their placement retest. Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)
It is important to note that research has shown that students who successfully exit from Learning Support English do as well or better in ENGL 1101 than do students who place directly into ENGL 1101. However, success rates for ENGL 0099 are less than ideal. Therefore, the emphasis of GPC's plan on increasing the number of students who successfully complete ENGL 0099 and are eligible to move on to ENGL 1101.
GPC has no compelling evidence to show that students who begin in Learning Support Math are at any disadvantage for completing collegiate-level math. However, we are aware that MATH 1111 (College Algebra) is one of the courses with the highest DWF rates college-wide. The other entry level mathematics course, (Quantitative Skills and Reasoning), is designed for students who do not plan to pursue STEM majors and has a much higher success rate. Therefore the correct placement and advisement for entry-level Mathematics is essential, and is a significant challenge that we plan to address. As in the case of Learning Support English, the emphasis of GPC's plan is on increasing the number of students who successfully complete MATH 0098 and who are eligible to move on and successfully complete their course in college-level math.

Part III: Planning and Implementation

This section will address, for each of the five Complete College America categories, GPC's plan to implement the strategies for achieving the stated objectives outlined in Part ll. This section will also identify the appropriate GPC department(s) responsible for meeting each objective. Partnerships with K-12

Data currently exists on the number of students testing into Learning Support at USG institutions. Georgia Perimeter College will partner with two feeder high schools (Social Circle and Cross Keys High Schools) in the administration of the COMPASS diagnostic placement test to selected sophomores. The COMPASS diagnostic placement test will be administered to this same group of students in their senior year after they have had time to focus on deficient academic areas. This strategy will achieve the objective of decreasing the number of students placing into Learning Support courses to 30%. Success would be defined as students who do not test into Learning Support courses, but go directly into collegiate level courses. Testing Services will administer the tests and retests, the Office of Institutional Research and

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Planning will analyze the data and the Office of Information Technology will assist with the technology needed to administer the COMPASS placement tests at the two feeder high schools.
Georgia Perimeter College has three grant programs: Georgia Perimeter College Education Achievement Program (GEAP), DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA), and Student Support Services Upward Bound Program that are all focused on college access and completion for underrepresented student populations. All three of these programs offer extensive pre-college institutes geared to help students prepare for collegiate level work. This strategy will increase the number of students testing out of Learning Support and entering collegiate level courses by 5%. Success will be defined as students who do not test into Learning Support courses, but go directly into collegiate level courses. The Directors of the GEAP Program, DeKalb Early College Academy and Upward Bound will work with Academic Affairs and Advising, Counseling and Retention Services to develop pre-college institutes, and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved

National data shows that students who participate in Prior Learning Assessment reduce their number of credits at time of degree through ACE transcript evaluation and/or PLA portfolio courses. Georgia Perimeter College has established a Prior Learning Assessment Program through the Adult Learning Consortium that will allow military and adult learners to have their prior learning evaluated for college credit. The success of this strategy will reduce the average time to degree by 3 credit hours toward graduation for students who utilize Prior Learning Assessment. The Office of Adult Learning Initiatives will work with Academic Affairs, Military Outreach and the College Registrar to implement the evaluation of ACE transcripts and the establishment of a PLA portfolio course. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

National and GPC data shows that students who participate in the federal work-study program are retained and graduate at higher rates and have shorter time and credits to degree and course accumulation. GPC will increase the number of eligible students participating in the federal work-study program by 10%. The Office of Student Financial Services will work with Student Affairs and Enrollment Services to recruit and enroll more students in the program and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

National, state and GPC data verify the importance that maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress

(SAP) plays in student retention and graduation. GPC will Increase in the number of students meeting

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by 10% and will increase the retention rate of FT/FT students on

financial aid by 10%. The Office of Student Financial Services will work with Enrollment Services to develop

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and offer programs and workshops to increase knowledge and understanding of financial responsibility as it relates to degree completion. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

GPC will partner with Georgia Piedmont Technical College in a reverse articulation program so that students who transfer to GPC from GPTC will graduate with the minimum number of credit hours required for their awarded degrees. Through this partnership, students not admissible to GPC because of Learning Support requirements will complete a certificate program and return to GPC with transferrable credit. Enrollment Services departments will work with student services at Georgia Piedmont Technical College to facilitate a smooth transition for students from one institution to the other. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

Shorten time to degree (or credits to degree)

GPC has implemented a new Intrusive Academic Advisement Plan that will increase the retention and graduation rates of FT/FT students from 61% to 65% and from 9% to 10% respectively. The average time to degree for students will be reduced from 72 to 66 credits earned at the time of degree awarded. Advising, Counseling and Retention Services will work with Academic Affairs to insure students receive advisement at prescribed times during the academic year. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

Many students are enrolled at GPC who have met the graduation requirements to be awarded a degree. GPC will increase the number of degrees awarded by 10% (FY 2010 1,674). Student Affairs & Enrollment Services will work with Academic Affairs and the Office of Information Technology to automatically award degrees to students who have completed degree requirements. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data. GATRACS and DegreeWorks will be utilized in support of this objective. Restructuring Instructional Delivery

GPC has identified three key gateway courses with high DWF rates and will develop a program of support services to increase the pass rate in ENG 1101, ENG 1102 and MATH 1111 by 5%. Academic Affairs will work with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning on analyzing the data to determine the success of these outreach initiatives.

National and GPC data verify that participation in Learning Communities increases student retention.

GPC will increase by 10% the retention rates of FT/FT students participating in Learning Communities.

Student Affairs & Enrollment Services departments will work with Academic Affairs to promote enrollment

in Learning Communities. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.

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GPC will implement Supplemental Instruction in selected CHEM 1211 courses with the goal of increasing the success rate for SI course participants by 10% relative to non SI course participants. Student Affairs & Enrollment Services, Academic Affairs, Learning and Tutoring Centers and Learning Resource Centers (GPC Libraries) will work together in support of this objective. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.
GPC will provide online library reference services to students with access to over 100,000 electronic books (no e-book reader necessary), 71,500 full-text journals, 300 practice tests, videos, and more through GALILEO and GPC-subscribed databases. Library instruction will also be available, which includes real-time webinars, asynchronous web tutorials, and over 100 Research Guides coordinated by the Online Library Director. Online students will be able to access the Testing & Education Reference Center through GALILEO offering 300 practice tests, information on over 4,000 accredited schools, a scholarship search featuring $8 billion in available scholarships, a resume builder, and career modules covering subjects from career change to salary negotiations.
Additional online resources will include a new Learning Management System (LMS) called Desire 2 Learn (D2L), which is anticipated to go live in the summer of 2013. This system will provide improved communications and reporting tools such as external email, enhanced chat, instructor class list, and Short Messages Services (SMS) Notifications. The Smarthinking Online Tutoring System will be expanded so that more courses are available to students to connect with a tutor, interact live, submit an essay or a question and receive a direct reply from a tutor within 24 hours, and pre-schedule a Live Session with a tutor at a day and time of availability.

Transforming Remediation

The GPC Math Department has worked to redesign Learning Support Math and it is now one course that students progress through utilizing the emporium model of instructional delivery. Through this course redesign, GPC will increase by 10% the number of students exiting Learning Support in one semester. Academic Affairs will work with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning to analyze the outcome data.

GPC requires students testing into two areas of Learning Support to enroll in the FYE course (GPCS 1010). Participation in this freshmen seminar course will increase the LS exit rates of students enrolled in the FYE course by 10%. Academic Affairs will work with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning to analyze the outcome data.

GPC has implemented a pilot remediation program sponsored through the USG with the goal of increasing the number of students testing out of Learning Support and entering collegiate level courses by

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5%. Academic Affairs will work with Student Affairs & Enrollment Services and the Office of Information Technology to provide the My Foundations Lab online remediation program. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning will analyze the outcome data.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
Georgia Perimeter College uses data extensively to track Retention, Progression, Graduation and Transfer Rates of all students, as well as various sub-populations of interest. Historically, the focus of RPG metrics submitted to the University System of Georgia has been on the First-time Full-time Freshman student cohorts. However, these students represent approximately 12% of GPC's total student population. For institutional purposes, the entire cohort of students who entered GPC in fall 2005 was tracked for six years. Graduation and transfer rates have been calculated for students by full-time/part-time status, transfer history, demographic characteristics, campus of attendance, financial aid status, and numerous other variables. This analysis will be repeated annually with consecutive cohorts of students in support of the institution's Complete College Georgia goals and objectives.
In addition to cohort tracking, the GPC Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) produces grade distribution reports for all academic disciplines each semester, and an analysis of courses with high non-success (DWF) rates annually. These reports are used to inform student success initiatives such as Supplemental Instruction and the development of the proposed QEP, "The EDGE" (Engagement Drives GPC Education). OIRP also conducts internal and external surveys of GPC students, including the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) every three years. OIRP cross-tabulates the CCSSE data by demographic characteristics, campus, program of study and semester credit hours (SCH) earned and reports statistically significant differences to the College community. These findings are used to assess the effectiveness of various program initiatives and to identify areas of need for future interventions.
As a transfer institution, the most important data element that GPC requires is an annual Individual Transfer Feedback Report. In April 2012, GPC received these reports for students who matriculated at their transfer institution in FY 2010 and FY 2011. These were the first such reports published by the University System of Georgia since FY 2008. The OIRP researchers are currently disaggregating and re-aggregating the transfer feedback data by demographics and programs of study in order to assess the effectiveness of instructional delivery. In the future, the data can also be used to assess the effectiveness of specific program initiatives intended to promote student success and shorten time to degree.

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Data about access, retention and completion are shared throughout the GPC community in a variety of ways, including but not limited to the following:
Reports to relevant Deans, Directors, Program Coordinators, etc. College wide outcomes data reported in the annual Fact Book produced by OIRP Survey findings and other data analysis published on the OIRP website Monthly meetings of the Graduation and Retention Council Enrollment Management and Student Success website which is home to the Retention and
Graduation Council 3-Year Plan and progress reports http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcenrol/index.htm

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FY 2013-2015
Georgia Perimeter College
COMPLETE COLLEGE GEORGIA: 3-YEAR PLAN
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Action Strategies [Goals]

PARTNERSHIPS WITH K12- To Strengthen College Readiness and Access

Key Performance Indicators [Metrics/Indicators]

Evaluation [Methods/Findings]

Accountability [Responsible Parties]

Academic Year 2013 2014 2015

1. Provide diagnostic COMPASS testing for selected feeder high school sophomores and retest these same students as seniors

Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

1. Decrease the percentage of students who place into Learning Support when entering USG institutions to 30% (See DeKalb and State Averages).

Student Affairs & Enrollment

March

Services/Academic Affairs/OIRP/OIT

Cont.

Cont.

2. Conduct pre-college institutes for targeted student populations (GEAP, DECA and Upward Bound)

Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

2. A target of at least 55% of institute participants will place directly into collegiate level classes upon entering college

GEAP/Upward Bound/DECA, Student Financial Services/ ACRS/OIRP

Oct

Cont. Cont.

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IMPROVE ACCESS AND COMPLETION FOR STUDENTS TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED

Action Strategies Key Performance Indicators

[Goals]

[Metrics/Indicators]

Evaluation [Methods/Findings]

Accountability

Academic Year

[Responsible Parties] 2013 2014 2015

1. Establish Prior Learning Assessment Program for military students and adult learners
2. Increase participation in Work-Study and tracking participants

Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credits 1. Average time to degree will be Student Affairs & Enrollment

Aug Cont.

to Degree)

reduced by 3 credit hours

Services/Academic Services/OIRP

toward graduation for

students who utilize Prior

Learning Assessment (ACE

transcript review of PLA

course/portfolio)

Outcome Metric 2 (Graduation Rates); Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credits to Degree); Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

2. Increase in the number of eligible students participating in work-study to 10%

Student Financial Services/Student Affairs & Enrollment Services/OIRP

March Cont.

3. Increase student knowledge and understanding of financial responsibility in the context of retention, progression and graduation

Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

3(a) Increase in the number of students meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by 10%

Student Financial Services/Student May Affairs & Enrollment Services/OIRP/Student Support Services

3(b) Increase retention rate of FT/FT students on financial aid by 10%

Cont.

4. Implement reverse articulation agreement with Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credit to Degree)

4. Students who transfer to GPC from GPTC will graduate with the minimum number of credit hours required for their awarded degree

Student Affairs & Enrollment Services/OIRP

Aug Cont.

Cont. Cont. Cont.
Cont.

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SHORTEN TIME TO DEGREE (OR CREDITS) Minimize Courses Taken That Don't Count Toward Degree Completion

Action Strategies Key Performance Indicators

Evaluation

Accountability

[Goals]

[Metrics/Indicators]

[Methods/Findings] [Responsible Parties]

Academic Year
2013 2014 2015

1. Increase student success through Intrusive Academic Advisement

Outcome Metric 2 (Graduation Rates); Outcome Metric 4 (Time and Credits to Degree); Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

1(a) Increase the retention and graduation rates of FT/FT students from 61% to 65%, and from 9% to 10% respectively
1(b) The average time to degree reduced from 72 to 66 credits earned at time of degree awarded

ACRS/Academic Affairs/OIRP ACRS/Academic Affairs/OIRP

Aug Cont. Cont. Aug Cont. Cont.

2. Award degrees to all students who meet degree requirements

Outcome Metric 1 (Degree Production) 2. Increase the number of degrees Student Affairs & Enrollment

Aug

awarded by 10% (FY 2010

Services/OIRP/OIT/Academic Affairs

1,674)

Cont.

Cont.

8/22/2012

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Action Strategies [Goals]
1. Implement Plan to reduce high DWFs in gateway courses

RESTRUCTURING INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY - To Support Student Success

Key Performance Indicators

Evaluation

Accountability

[Metrics/Indicators]

[Methods/Findings] [Responsible Parties]

Progress Metric 3 (Success in Gateway College Courses); Progress Metric 4 (Credit Accumulation)

1. Increase pass rate in ENG 1101, ENGL 1102 and Math 1111 by 5%

Academic Affairs/OIRP

Academic Year
2013 2014 2015

Jan

Cont. Cont.

2. Increased first-year student participation in Learning Communities

Progress Metric 5 (Retention Rates)

2. Increase by 10% the retention rates of FT/FT students participating in Learning Communities

Academic Affairs/OIRP

Aug Cont. Cont.

3. Implement Supplemental Progress Metric 3 (Success in Gateway Instruction in Chemistry College Courses) 1211 courses

3. Increase the success rate for SI course participants by 10% relative to non SI course

Student Affairs & Services/Academic Affairs/OIRP/Learning and Tutoring

Sept

participants

Centers and Learning Resource

Centers (GPC Libraries)

4. Increase asynchronous Progress Metric 3 (Success in Gateway

online tutoring in writing, College Courses); Progress Metric 5

mathematics, and

(Retention Rates)

chemistry

4. Increase the success rate for online students by 5% who use online tutoring resources

Academic Affairs/LTC

N/A

Cont. Sept

Cont. Cont.

8/21/2012

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Action Strategies [Goals]
1. Learning Support course redesign

TRANSFORMING REMEDIATION

Key Performance Indicators [Metrics/Indicators]

Evaluation [Methods/Findings]

Accountability [Responsible Parties]

Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

1. Increase by 10% the number of students exiting Learning Support in one semester

Academic Affairs/OIRP

Academic Year 2013 2014 2015

Aug

Cont

Cont

2. Impact of FYE on LS Student Success

Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial Education)

2. Increase the LS exit rates of students enrolled in FYE course by 10%

Student Affairs &Enrollment Services/Academic Affairs/OIRP

Dec Cont. Cont.

3. My Foundations Lab Remediation Pilot for Incoming GPC Students

Progress Metric 2 (Success in Remedial 3. Increase the number of students Student Affairs &Enrollment

June

Education)

testing out of Learning Support Services/Academic Affairs/OIRP/OIT

and entering collegiate level

courses by 5%

Cont.

Cont.

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Georgia Southern University 2012 Complete College Georgia Plan
Institutional Mission and Strategic Positioning
Georgia Southern University's mission statement reflects an institution that values, first and foremost, the success of its students and the quality of the learning environment. "The University's hallmark is a culture of engagement that bridges theory with practice, extends the learning environment beyond the classroom, and promotes student growth and life success" (Mission Statement, 2004). The institution prepares students to be participating citizens in a democracy by providing them with a first-rate education. Additionally, "the University offers a student-centered environment enhanced by technology, transcultural experiences, private and public partnerships, and stewardship of a safe residential campus recognized for its natural beauty" (Mission Statement, 2004). Moreover, the University remains "committed to advancing the state of Georgia and the region through the benefits of higher education..." (Mission Statement, 2004).
In the summer of 2011, the university leadership held two strategic planning sessions to develop action plans/steps to support the strategic vision set by the President, that is to promote academic excellence; enhance student success; increase research, scholarship, and creative achievement; and maintain fiscal sustainability.
Georgia Southern's Complete College Georgia Plan is guided by these four themes. The University has already accomplished notable progress in the retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) of its students (see Appendix A) while simultaneously maintaining academic quality. Part of the institution's Complete College Georgia Plan is to gain a better assessment of the many ongoing initiatives we have that identify those groups of students for whom our efforts are succeeding adequately, to determine where gaps may still exist, and to develop programmatic refinements needed to improve results. Our plan incorporates four goals which were informed by the data analysis and align with the institution's mission and strategic direction. The planning horizon for the goals reflected in this document is five years.
Goal 1: Maintain the forward progress achieved with the institution's first-year students, ensuring that strategies in place continue to be effective in first-year student retention and progression.
Goal 2: Continue to assess strategies to guide an increase of the overall sophomore retention rate from 64/66% to 69%.
Goal 3: Shorten time to degree by addressing inhibiting factors, getting students to enroll for full semester loads, and continuing to promote summer enrollment.
Goal 4: Evaluate programming to support student success, inventory all efforts, and build upon Georgia Southern's culture where students are engaged at multiple levels through intentional delivery of in and out-of-class opportunities.
The Divisions of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, and Information Technology Services will play key roles in the implementation of this plan, and each of these divisions was represented on Georgia Southern's Complete College Georgia team. To ensure campus-wide involvement, eighteen members from across the University formed the institution's team with representation from each college with undergraduate enrollments and the University Library. Professional staff advisors were also represented. The plan was reviewed by the President, the President's Cabinet, the
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Provost's Council, the Council of Deans, the Faculty Senate leadership, and the student leadership. It is anticipated that this team will continue to work together during the implementation phase of this plan and hold primary responsibility for communicating with their constituencies and stakeholders as the plan unfolds. During the implementation phase, additional efforts will be made to involve all stakeholders, including hosting campus open forums, meetings with key stakeholders, and working directly with community partners.
Data Analysis and Discussion
In addition to considering regional economic workforce needs, Georgia Southern's Complete College Georgia team used campus data to track success, identify gaps, and inform the selection of our goals. Georgia Southern updates data on an annual basis to allow for constant monitoring and understanding of trends, whether it be RPG initiatives or other targeted groups by race/gender, ACT or SAT test scores, high school GPAs, military, first generation, transfer students, etc. Appendix B reflects the University's summary information that is enhanced by more detailed data available through the University's web and report summaries. Analysis of data reveals that the undergraduate student population at Georgia Southern University is overwhelmingly made up of full-time, traditional students. As of fall 2011, 89.2% of undergraduates were full-time; only 10.8% (n=1891) were part-time. In fall 2011, the mean undergraduate student age equaled 21. Indeed, students from under 18 years of age to 24 represented 94.7% (n=14,798) of the total undergraduate population. Undergraduates from 25 to 34 years of age accounted for only 4.4% (n=693) of undergraduates, and students 35 year old or older accounted for only .9% (n=143).
Analysis of the fall 2005 IPEDS first-time freshman cohort reveals that 47% of students graduated from Georgia Southern University within six years. An additional 12% graduated from other institutions (for a total graduation rate of 59%); 4% were still enrolled at Georgia Southern; and 10% were still enrolled other institutions (see Appendix C). Twenty-seven percent of the original fall 2005 cohort were documented as no longer attending college. Of the students who transferred out of Georgia Southern University in FY 2010, 58% (n=691) went to other University System state or research universities. Twenty-two percent (n=261) transferred to two-year colleges within the University System. Georgia Southern administers the Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP) survey every other year. The CIRP results provide a pathway by which characteristics and attitudinal items can be mined for insights on incoming freshmen. In FY 2012, CIRP results were scrutinized with a focus on items denoting potential transfer out trends of the new freshmen. Additionally, University System of Georgia reports on transfers in and out of USG institutions are reviewed to understand feeder institutions as well as reverse transfers out to USG and non-USG institutions. Both the CIRP and USG reports factor into strategies that can be targeted to assist students in staying at Georgia Southern.
The number of freshmen and sophomores transferring out has declined from fall 2007 to fall 2009. In fall 2007, 401 (of 3029) freshmen transferred out, representing 13.2% of the cohort; 311 sophomores transferred out or 10.3% of the cohort. These percentages dropped in fall 2008. In that semester, 337 (of 3109) freshmen transferred or 10.8%. The sophomore transfer population represented 8.1% of the cohort (n=252). Fall 2009 witnessed a further decline with 10.5% of freshmen transferring out and 4.8% (n=169) of sophomores.

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For those students who transfer to Georgia Southern, the data indicate that they exhibit a first-year retention rate comparable to the institution's first-year rate for first-time, full-time freshmen. For instance, in FY 2008, 1,085 transfer students were retained the first year, representing an 80% retention rate compared to a fall 2007 first-year, full-time freshman retention rate of 81%. In FY 2009, 1,157 transfers were retained for an 81% first-year retention rate which equaled the first-time, full-time freshman retention rate. The percentage dropped slightly in FY 2010 to 79% (n=1271) which again equaled the first-time, full-time freshman retention rate overall. Transfer student graduation rates are stronger than those of the overall student population. The FY 2005 cohort exhibited a 60% six-year graduation rate. In FY 2010, the majority of Georgia Southern's transfer students (51%, n=670) came from University System two-year colleges. Twenty-one percent (n=277) came from University System state colleges, and 20% (n=264) transferred from University System state universities (see Appendix D). These data support ongoing efforts to establish more articulation agreements with the associate degree-granting University System institutions.
Race/ethnicity data reveal that of the fall 2011 undergraduate student population, 25% (n=4385) are Black or African American, non-Hispanic/Latino students, representing the second largest race/ethnic category at Georgia Southern; 65.1% (n=11,413) of undergraduates were white, non-Hispanic/Latino. Interestingly, black students are retained at higher rates than whites. The African American student retention rate for the fall 2009 cohort returning fall 2010 equaled 85% compared to a white student retention rate of 78%. The six-year graduation rate for the fall 2004 cohort of African American students was 44% (n=597). White students in this same cohort graduated at a 46% (n=2195) rate. The overall sixyear graduation rate for this cohort was 45% (n=2983). Diverse: Issues in Higher Education has ranked Georgia Southern fourth in the nation for graduating African Americans majoring in the physical sciences.
Approximately one-quarter of Georgia Southern's undergraduate student population is first generation and the number of first generation freshmen is trending downward. In fall 2008, 28.6% of the incoming freshman were first generation students; 71.4% (n=1758) of incoming freshman were not first generation. Only 26.2% of freshmen in fall 2009 were first generation students, and 26.3% (n=816/3101) were first generation students in fall 2010. Fall-to-spring retention rates for this population indicate that first generation students are retained at a comparable rate to that of non-first generation students. For example, between fall 2008 and spring 2009, 92.5% of first generation students were retained compared to 94.8% (n=1649) of non-first generation students. This trend remained stable between fall 2009 and spring 2010 with 91.6% of first generation students retained compared to 93.6% (n=1994) for non-first generation. The difference between the two populations closed the following year with the retention rate of first generation students equaling 92.7% between fall 2010 and spring 2011 compared with 92.9% (n=2109) for non-first generation students (see Appendix E).
According to the Common Data Set, Academic Year 2011-2012, in fall 2011, 2040 first-time, full-time freshmen received need-based financial aid. Of all undergraduate students, 8057 received need-based financial aid, representing 46% of the total undergraduate population. Moving forward, it will be important for the institution to identify and determine the academic success rates of this segment of the student population. The institution is aware of the impact that the Pell program has had on summer enrollment. In summer 2010 and 2011, the federal government allowed students to claim a third Pell award in summer. This policy appears to have added significantly to Georgia Southern's summer enrollment in 2010 and 2011. Summer 2009 Pell applications totaled 597, increasing to 2760 in summer 2010, and 3077 in summer 2011. Pell applications fell to 656 in summer 2012.
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Analysis of data helps identify areas that merit increased attention. Trend data reveal that sophomore students are leaving Georgia Southern University at an increasing rate; these data include all students (those who stop-out, dropout, withdraw etc.) not just those who transfer (see page 2 of this report). The fall 2005 cohort dropped from a 76% first-year retention rate to 66% in the second year. The fall 2006 cohort dropped from a first-year retention rate of 79% to a second-year rate of 67%--12 percentage point drop. The trend continued with the fall 2007 cohort, with a 13 percentage point drop--81% to 68%. The fall 2008 cohort dropped from a first-year rate of 81% to 67%--a 14 percentage point drop. Further investigation reveals that black males exhibit the largest drop in retention between the first and second years followed closely by white males. For instance, the fall 2009 black male cohort had a first-year retention rate of 82.1%. Only 63.8% of this cohort was retained into the third year, representing an 18.3 percentage point drop. White males had a first-year retention rate equal to 76.1% (n=975) and a secondyear retention rate of 60.3% (n=773). These numbers represent a 15.8 percentage point drop. White females went from a first-year retention rate of 79.6% (n=895) to a second-year rate of 66.5% (n=747) or a 13.1 percentage point drop. Black females were retained at an 88.6% (n=328) first-year rate and 78.1% (n=289) second year rate for an overall drop of 10.1 percentage points.
As mentioned earlier, an area of concern is the retention and graduation rates for all male students, including sophomores. In fall 2010, 48.7% (n=9580) of undergraduate students were male. First-year retention for male students was 75.9% (n=1376) compared to 83.4% (n=1488) for female students. A similar trend is exhibited in fall 2009 where 77.7% (n=1403) of males were retained the first year compared to 81.5% (n=1373) of females. Second-year retention of male students is no better. Only 60.9% (n=1100) of male students were retained the second year, while the female student second-year retention rate was 68.6% (n=1155). Examining the fall 2008 cohort reveals a similar trend. First-year male student retention was 79.9% (n=1322) compared to 82.9% (n=1205) for female students. Second-year male student retention was 65.1% (n=1077) compared to 70.4% (n=1024) for females. Male students were retained at a 56.4% (n=933) rate for the third year, while female students were retained at a 63.9% (n=929) rate. Not surprisingly, this trend results in a lower graduation rate for male students. The six-year graduation rate for the fall 2005 male cohort was 39.9% (n=658) compared to 54% (n=795) for female students. For the fall 2004 cohort, male students graduated at a six-year rate of 39.1% compared to 55.1% for female students. The fall 2003 cohort continues the trend with 44.1% of males graduating in six years compared to 57.7% of females. These data suggest that the institution should place increased emphasis on the sophomore student population and male students in particular.
Another phenomenon identified in our data analysis is that the number of credit hours in which students are enrolling each semester is trending downward. This trend impedes their ability to progress in a timely fashion. In fall 2009, the average semester credit hour load was 13.57 for all undergraduates. This dropped to 13.52 for fall 2010 and 13.36 for fall 2011. The spring 2010 average semester credit hour load was 13.24 for all undergraduates. The average load rose to 13.32 in spring 2011, but dropped to 13.24 in spring 2012. Even summer enrollment is not immune. Summer 2010 average credit hour load for all undergraduates was 7.42, dropping to 7.37 in summer 2011, and 7.14 (projected) for summer 2012. The institution recognizes the need to gain a better understanding of why students are not enrolling for 15 credit hours or more per semester despite repeated advisement messages to encourage a full load.
Despite the declining credit hour load, class sizes are increasing. The average class size in fall 2010 was 43 students for lower-division courses and 24 students for upper-division courses. These numbers compare to 41 students for lower-division courses in fall 2009 and 24 students for upper-division courses.
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In fall 2008, lower-division courses averaged 39 students and upper division 22. Similarly, the student/faculty ratio has increased from 21:1 in fall 2008 to 22:1 in fall 2009 to 23:1 in fall 2010. The institution will use funding received for the Complete College Georgia initiative to hire 35-36 new, fulltime, faculty which should begin to address increasing class sizes and higher student/faculty ratios.
Goal 1: Maintain the forward progress achieved with the institution's first-year students, ensuring that strategies in place continue to be effective in first-year student retention and progression.
Georgia Southern University has made significant strides in first-year retention rates. Retention rates for first-year, full-time freshmen have gone from a 15-year low of 70% for the fall 1998 cohort to a high of 81% for the fall cohorts 2007 and 2008. The fall 2009 and 2010 cohorts' first-year retention stabilized around 80%. Not only is the institution succeeding in retaining more first-year, full-time freshmen, but the students are also achieving greater academic success. In fall 2006, 72.6% of freshmen earned grades of A, B, or C; 27.4% of freshmen earned grades of D, F, W, I, or WF. The mean GPA for this cohort equaled 2.41. In fall 2011, 80.2% of freshmen earned grades of A, B, or C; 19.8% of freshmen earned grades of D, F, W, I, or WF. The mean GPA for this cohort was 2.67. The intense emphasis placed by university leadership on improving the academic success of our students has resulted in a number of initiatives that can be credited for this progress, including implementing Conversations with Professors (First Year Experience 1000), requiring freshmen to enroll in the First-Year Seminar (FYE 1220) in their first semester of classes, and implementing the Limited Withdrawal Policy. Improving RPG is a theme constantly reinforced among the faculty by deans and others, and much success is due to coordinated efforts by the cadre of academic advisors, faculty advisors, and established facilities such as the Academic Success Center.
Building on this success, the University implemented a new freshman requirement this past year that is expected to yield further dividends in both retention and academic success rates. This new initiative requires all freshmen to enroll in the First-Year Seminar (FYE 1220) and Global Citizens (FYE 1410) within their first two semesters of classes, thereby providing freshmen with a full-year, first-year experience--considered best practice among first-year initiatives. Initially, the University piloted the program with the STEM students, expanding the program to the entire freshman class in fall 2011. As with other initiatives, this plan will be assessed, using first-year retention of the fall 2011 cohort as well as grade distributions and mean GPA data compared to earlier cohorts.
Additionally, the Henderson Library supports our FYE student experiences by providing modules on information literacy skills in which student learning outcomes have been adopted and evaluated. They provide library orientation and subject specific sessions to various courses across campus including FYE 1220 and Eng 1101/1102 and teach information literacy skills to students taking EGA 1220. They also offer drop-in workshops for any student needing assistance. Librarians are also assigned to work with each college. Anytime students or faculty have questions about library research, services, or resources they can speak directly with their assigned librarian. Librarians partner with the Writing Center (WC) to provide a writing tutor in the library during select hours for students who need help.
Georgia Southern has ongoing student intervention programs in cases where students need learning support in addition to that available in the standard course structure. An important element of our intervention efforts to assure academic success is the early alert grade program. In fall 2008, Georgia Southern implemented an early alert grade program for freshmen which alerted them as early as the third
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week of classes whether they were making unsatisfactory progress in a course. In that first semester, 59% of freshmen received at least one unsatisfactory grade. Advisors work with students identified as having two or more unsatisfactory grades, converting approximately 40% into A, B, or Cs by the end of the term. Nonetheless, more information was needed as to why the student was receiving U grades; therefore, the institution expanded its early alert grade options to include more descriptive grades: S = Satisfactory; U = Unsatisfactory; UA = Unsatisfactory Attendance; UG = Unsatisfactory Grade; UP = Unsatisfactory Class Participation; UAG = Unsatisfactory Attendance & Grades; UAP = Unsatisfactory Attendance & Class Participation; UGP = Unsatisfactory Grades & Class Participation; and UAGP = Unsatisfactory Attendance, Grades, & Class Participation. As of fall 2010, 59% of freshmen were still receiving at least one unsatisfactory grade, but with this additional information, advisors are better positioned to guide students on actions needed to improve grades.
To provide students with additional learning support, the University's College of Business Administration Student Services Center piloted a program this past spring that required all freshmen with two or more U grades to seek extra-curricular help at the Academic Success Center. Of 109 freshmen with two or more U grades (a total of 231 U grades) who reported back to the College, the Academic Success Center helped to convert 95 U grades to an A, B, or C by the end of the spring semester, representing a 41% conversion rate. One hundred seven grades converted to either a D or F, representing 46%. Withdrawals accounted for 29 grades or 13%. The Academic Success Center reported being overwhelmed with the influx of students which may account for the high D, F conversion rate. We believe this strategy is a sound one, and it will benefit by greater coordination efforts between college advisement centers and the Academic Success Center. Additionally, more resources are needed in the Academic Success Center to provide the level of assistance needed to support a much greater number of students. There are other avenues of support to be explored for students with two or more U grades such as supplemental instruction and/or tutoring. Consequently, part of our Complete College Georgia Plan is to explore the financial resources needed to bring the Academic Success Center up to a staffing level sufficient to accommodate all freshmen students with two or more U grades. The plan will also study how many more supplemental instruction sections, and consequent resources, might be needed in key core courses to assist some of these students, depending on the type of unsatisfactory performance noted in the early alert grade. For example, students with a UG grade might be strong candidates for supplemental instruction and/or tutoring while those with UA or UP grades might benefit more from participating in the Academic Success Center. Securing sufficient faculty resources will be critical to the success of supplemental instruction efforts. The objective is to determine whether this strategy is financially feasible, consistent with the University's strategic theme of fiscal sustainability.
Annual evaluation of initiatives in support of maintaining forward progress in success and retention of first-year students will be conducted throughout the five year plan horizon. Additionally, action steps for ensuring that efforts directed toward first-year retention are having their intended effects will be developed in detail during the first year of the Complete College Georgia initiative. These include:

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Initiatives Review all college advisement centers' early alert protocols for following up with freshmen, assessing the effectiveness of all follow-up efforts in converting unsatisfactory early alert grades to A, B, or Cs by the end of the semester. Eliminate or refine those efforts that are not working well and share those that are. Identify patterns in the type of early alert unsatisfactory grade assigned (e.g., UA, UG, UP, UAG, UAP, UGP, or UAGP) to determine if larger trends/issues exist which need to be addressed on a global scale.
Monitor freshman student financial aid, working with the Office of Financial Aid to identify patterns that may impact retention.
Modify the method of communicating with students not registered for summer/fall and executing notification earlier in the semester.
Create integrated reporting of stop-outs from fall to spring to allow us to understand more fully the reasons behind student stop-outs. Stop-outs increased from over 300 undergraduate students between fall 2010 and spring 2011 to over 400 undergraduate students between fall 2011 and spring 2012. Create cohort reports in Banner, tracking high school GPA, SAT scores (with writing score) by gender and race as these data help predict student persistence and success (see Appendix F). Explore the possibility of creating Residential Interest Groups (RIGS) for engineering and math majors to be housed in Freedom's Landing

Responsibility Academic Deans; College Advisement Centers
Provost/VPAA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; Academic Technical Support VP-SAEM; Financial Aid; Strategic Research and Analysis Academic Deans; College Advisement Centers; Registrar
Associate Provost; Academic Technical Support; Strategic Research and Analysis ; FYE
Associate Provost; Academic Technical Support; Strategic Research and Analysis; FYE Deans; Program Directors; Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; University Housing

Timeline November 2012; annually
May 2013; then bi-annually
Ongoing; February 2013; annually Ongoing; November 2012; annually November 2013
November 2012
June 2013

Goal 2: Continue to assess strategies to guide an increase of the overall sophomore retention rate from 64/66% to 69%.
As discussed in the data analysis section, Georgia Southern's retention data document that greater attention must be directed toward the sophomore student population. Retention rates not only drop between the first and second year, but the trend data suggest that more sophomores are leaving in the second year compared to previous years. Specifically, in fall 2005, there was a difference of 10 percentage points between first and second-year retention. That margin increased to 12 percentage points in fall 2006, 13 percentage points in fall 2007, and 14 percentage points in fall 2008 (OSRA web-based retention reports). On closer inspection, it appears that the institution is losing male students more so than females. In fall 2009, black males exhibited an 18.3 percentage point drop between first and second-year retention; white males were not far behind with a 15.8 percentage point drop. White females fared a little better with a 13.1 percentage point drop, and black females had a 10.1 percentage point drop.
Georgia Southern's second Complete College Georgia Plan goal is to increase the overall sophomore retention rate, and a preliminary target of 69% has been established. Further analysis of data will lead to refinement of the target. The first step in support of this goal is to gain a better understanding of the disposition of this population of students. Are they stopping-out, dropping-out, or transferring? How many of these students are leaving because they are in academic difficulty? Are they leaving because of financial problems? The first objective is to identify the specific issues related to sophomore persistence

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and progression. The University will survey this population and plans to utilize focus groups as suggested in the best practice literature. Following data collection and analysis, the Complete College Georgia team will devise specific strategies for addressing areas noted as concerns. Best practice indicates that potential strategies include developing evidenced-based sophomore advising initiatives (e.g., expanding early alerts to the sophomore student population); developing residential housing pods and/or programs for sophomores; enacting a sophomore curriculum experience; and/or creating more sophomore co-curricular programs.

Annual evaluation of initiatives in support of assessing strategies to guide an increase in the overall sophomore retention rate from 64/66% to 69% will be conducted throughout the five year plan horizon. Additionally, action steps under this goal will be developed in detail during the first year of the Complete College Georgia initiative. These include:

Initiatives Review first-year U grades, looking for correlations with subsequent semester GPAs. Investigate further the number of changes of major as well as the majors students are entering and leaving to provide a better sense of where to target interventions. Create reports on summer school enrollment as part of a completion profile.

Responsibility College Advisement Centers
Academic Deans; Academic Technical Support

Timeline June 2013; annually December 2012; annually

VP-SAEM; Registrar; Strategic Ongoing;

Research and Analysis

February 2013;

annually

Goal 3: Shorten time to degree by addressing inhibiting factors, getting students to enroll for full semester loads, and continuing to promote summer enrollment.

The data suggest that students would be well served by several efforts aimed at shortening the time to degree. Despite repeated advisement messages at student orientation sessions as well as one-on-one advisor meetings, students continue to register for fewer than 15 credit hours per semester. The trend has gone from an average semester credit hour load of 13.57 for undergraduates in fall 2009 to 13.36 in fall 2011. The average semester credit hour load in spring 2010 was 13.24 for all undergraduates, which remained the same in spring 2012. Summer enrollment dropped from an average of 7.42 (summer 2010) to 7.14 (projected summer 2012).

Other data highlight the significant impact that enrolling in summer classes has on six-year graduation rates, consistent with national data. For example, for the fall 2003 cohort (n=2735), students who did not enroll in any summer classes exhibited a six-year graduation rate of 9.9% (n=100). On the contrary, 67.1% (n=208) of students in this same cohort who completed 9-12 credit hours during the summer were able to graduate within six years. This favorable trend continued with the following two cohorts. Fall 2004 cohort data shows that 5.3% (n=56) of students who did not enroll in any summer classes graduated within six years. This percentage compares to 64.0% (n=228) of students who enrolled in 9-12 credit hours during the summer and graduated within six years. In the fall 2005, 8.7% (n=92) of students who did not take any summer classes graduated within six years. Over Sixty-eight percent of students who took 9-12 credit hours during the summer graduated within six years.

Based upon this analysis, Georgia Southern's third Complete College goal is to shorten time to degree by addressing inhibiting factors, continuing to advise students to enroll for full semester loads, and

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promoting summer enrollment. In this case, a major inhibiting factor is the Board of Regents' policy that requires students to pay per credit hour for any courses in which they enroll between 12-15 hours. If this policy was changed to allow students to pay a full-time rate for up to 15 credit hours per semester, it is anticipated that more students would register for full academic loads, increasing their chances of completing a degree within the six-year time span.

The institution will gain a better understanding of why students are not enrolling for at least 15 credit hours per semester despite repeated advisement messages, and why many do not register for a full load or attend summer school as means for staying on schedule. Specific action steps include the following and will be developed in detail during the first year of the Complete College Georgia initiative.

Initiatives Inventory the senior curriculum to determine the number of students who can register for no more than12 credit hours due to the nature of their programs (e.g., student teaching, internships, etc.). Expand emphasis on course availability. Are students not registering because the courses they need are not available that semester? To what extent does course availability impact the overall average semester credit hour registration? Implement a four-year academic plan. Currently, freshmen complete a two-year academic plan as part of the First-Year Seminar (FYE 1220). Advisors will work with students to expand their two-year plans into four-year plans. This action will have the added advantage of reinforcing the four-year graduation message. Actively promote summer school registration through informed scenarios shared with students and parents. The University plans to develop a brochure to compare a four-year plan of study with and without summer school enrollment, including the cost of four years of study with housing. Similarly, five and six-year plans of studies will be developed with and without summer school, including all costs. This information will help students and parents better appreciate the value of summer school.

Responsibility Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; College Advisement Centers Provost/VPAA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; Academic Technical Support Provost/VP-AA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; College Advisement Centers; FYE
Academic Deans; College Advisement Centers; Registrar; FYE

Timeline May 2013; May 2015
Ongoing; each academic term
May 2013; annually
Ongoing; November 2013; annually

Annual evaluation of initiatives in support of shortening time to degree will be conducted throughout the five year plan horizon. Additionally, action steps for ensuring that efforts directed toward shortening time to degree are having their intended effects will be developed in detail during the first year of the Complete College Georgia initiative. These include:

Initiatives Assess the impact of the math placement requirement on student GPA and compare to previous data. Create a tracking system for ENGL 1101/1102 (Composition I and II) to better ensure that the Regents Exam Exemption policy is met each semester, which aligns with the BOR mandate for completing Area A within the first 30 hours. Use DegreeWorks to help students stay on track to degree completion.

Responsibility COSM Dean; Mathematics Department Chair; FYE CLASS Dean; Department Chair; Academic Technical Support; Registrar
Academic Department Chairs; College Advisement Centers; FYE

Provide clear and innovative paths to degree completion, including articulation agreements with two-year and technical colleges.
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Provost/VPAA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; College Advisement Centers; FYE

Timeline Ongoing; May 2013; May 2015 Ongoing; May 2013; annually
Implementation Spring 2012; evaluate each term Ongoing; November 2013; evaluate annually
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Initiatives (Cont.) Review curriculum requirements to identify opportunities for greater flexibility in core courses, allowing easier transferability between programs of study when students change majors. Implement more institutional structures that will provide student support in academically challenging courses.
Decrease class sizes in foundational core courses from an average of 43 to 30. This initiative will be helped by budget allocations such as we received for FY 2013. Evaluate the need for additional faculty hires to decrease student/faculty ratios and to allow faculty time to provide additional support to students in both core courses and in the major. Implement Desire2Learn and other technology tools to provide faculty and advisors with sufficient academic information needed to provide improved advisement.
Survey state and local economic development partners to ascertain their employment opportunities and employee needs; Evaluate program availability and new program needs to meet these demands

Responsibility Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs

Timeline May 2014; May 2016

Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; Academic Success Center Provost/VPAA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs Provost/VPAA; Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs Academic Deans; Center for Academic Technology Support; College Advisement Centers; FYE Provost/VPAA; Deans, Department Chairs, CCG Committee members; CEO, Bulloch County Economic Development Authority

Ongoing; May 2013; annually
Fall 2013; evaluate annually Ongoing; evaluate annually Spring 2013; evaluate each term
Fall 2012

On June 13, 2012, Georgia Southern University signed an articulation agreement with Savannah Technical College which will allow students completing a SACS/COC accredited Associate of Science degree in Logistics Management to transfer seamlessly into the Georgia Southern Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Logistics and Intermodel Transportation. This articulation agreement is significant because it is the first for the University with a TCSG institution. Moreover, it directly responds to an economic workforce need in southeast Georgia for more logistics trained professionals.

Georgia Southern and Savannah Technical College are developing two other articulation agreements which also respond to regional workforce needs: construction management and tourism.

We are about to sign another articulation agreement with Armstrong Atlantic State University which will allow seamless transfer of students completing an associate's degree in engineering into one of Georgia Southern's bachelor degree programs in engineering. Once again, this agreement addresses a regional workforce need.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) are two-year USG institutions that seek partnerships with other institutions to facilitate the progression of Hispanic and Latino students. An institutional agreement of continuing Goizueta scholarship support may facilitate student transfers from ABAC or GPC to a four-institution such as Georgia Southern.

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Goal 4: Evaluate programming to support student success, inventory all efforts, and build upon Georgia
Southern's culture where students are engaged at multiple levels through intentional delivery of in and out-of-class opportunities.
Research shows that students who participate in at least two high impact activities demonstrate higher levels of learning (Brownell, Swaner, 2010). Kuh (2008) defines high impact activities as: (1) first-year experiences; (2) common intellectual experiences; (3) learning communities; (4) writing-intensive courses; (5) collaborative assignments and projects; (6) undergraduate research; (7) diversity/global learning; (8) service or community-based learning; (9) internships, (10) capstone experiences, and (11) study abroad opportunities.
Brownell and Swaner's research has shown that participation in first-year seminars, learning communities (especially linked to gateway courses), service learning, and undergraduate research consistently results in greater student persistence as well as higher GPAs (Brownell, Swaner, 2010). Additionally, Hamir (2011) found "...that study abroad participants graduated at higher rates than either applicants or nonparticipants, and that participation increased the predicted probability of graduating in five years by 64% and in six years by 202%. In addition, time-to-degree was slightly shorter for participants when compared to all non-participants..." "Analyses of degree completion rates and differences in time-to-degree between participants based on program type, length, and classification at the time of participation also yielded multiple significant results." From this perspective, it becomes imperative to understand the degree to which these types of high impact activities are encouraged and utilized at Georgia Southern as well as which student populations have access to them.
We offer students a wide variety of rich opportunities to engage in co-curricular activities, including over 300 student organizations. As mentioned previously, we have a strong First-Year Experience Program and are continuing to build upon documented successes. In addition to its regular curricular programming, the First-Year Experience Program offers free evening educational programs featuring a variety of speakers who model the institution's general education outcomes such as "Quality of Life" and "Responsible Citizenship." First-Year Experience and the Office of Career Services offer courses and workshops on Career Exploration and job searching methods as well as career and major fairs.
The Multicultural Student Center celebrates and supports diversity by providing cultural opportunities in the curriculum and the co-curriculum that promote social responsibility, student learning, and personal well-being. These include a series of advocacy and support services, programs and activities that foster inclusion and pluralism. The Center serves the Georgia Southern community by hosting nationally recognized speakers, multicultural conferences, open forums, cultural performances and facilitates diversity training for student and staff development. It also serves to assist in the recruitment and support the retention of underrepresented groups through two successful peer mentor programs: the Minority Advisement Program for freshmen and new transfer students and the Pathways to Success Program for African-American men.
Faculty across campus mentor and guide undergraduate students on research. For example, over half the students in the College of Science & Mathematics complete research projects under individual faculty supervision. Faculty in the College's Chemistry department have been very successful in incorporating undergraduate research into their degree programs. The University Honors Program plays a crucial role with undergraduate research. Since the beginning of the program, students have been required to complete Honors Theses or Capstone Projects. These faculty mentored projects have spanned traditional research
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models, applied research, and creative activities in all academic colleges and majors. Many other degree programs offer these types of opportunities as well. In addition, the Georgia Southern University Research Advisory Board is charged with enhancing undergrad research efforts within the colleges that each member represents. The Board will be providing seed funding to support these efforts. Additionally, the Zach S Henderson Library provides research assistance at the point of need via phone, face-to-face consultations, instruction, instant messaging, and email. The library has been and continues to embed library resources and provide research assistance through GeorgiaView and Folio.

As noted earlier, beginning in spring 2012, all freshmen were required to complete Global Citizens (FYE 1410) as part of their first-year experience. In 2010, Georgia Southern completed an inventory of capstone experiences. The majority of our degree programs offered internship or capstone experiences at that time, many of them required. Efforts were underway to begin initial assessments of student success.

As shown above, Georgia Southern has been active in promoting student engagement; however, we have been less attentive to measuring the impact of these activities and, in particular, the student populations reached. To that end, Georgia Southern's fourth goal is to inventory and build upon Georgia Southern's culture where students are engaged at multiple levels. Annual evaluation of initiatives in support of evaluating programming to support student success, inventorying all efforts, and building upon Georgia Southern's culture of engagement will be conducted throughout the five year plan horizon. Additionally, action steps will be developed in detail during the first year of the Complete College Georgia initiative. These include:

Initiatives Inventory both the type of high impact activities currently ongoing as well as the student populations impacted by race, gender, etc. Use this information to target students not currently being reached. Explore the potential for offering more service-learning courses.
Identify and document current undergraduate research experiences underway; Investigate the feasibility of providing additional undergraduate research experiences.
Continue to encourage majors to develop capstone experiences.

Responsibility Provost/VPAA; FYE; VPSAEM
Center for Teaching, Learning and Scholarship; Student Leadership and Civic Engagement Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; University Honors Program; GSU Research Advisory Board Academic Deans; Academic Department Chairs; University Honors Program

Encourage/broaden the appeal for more students to participate in study abroad; Help students secure private financial assistance; Provide development and support for faculty interested in setting up study abroad classes/programs.

Center for International Studies; College Advisement Centers; FYE; University Honors Program

Timeline December 2012; bi-annually
Ongoing; May 2013; annually
Ongoing; October 2012; evaluate each term Ongoing; November 2012; evaluate annually Ongoing; Fall 2012; evaluate each term

Goals and Strategies Relative to the Following Areas

Partnerships with P-12 to improve college readiness

Georgia Southern has a strong record of participating in partnerships with P-12. As part of this plan, we will continue to work with our P-12 partners on efforts to increase access and college readiness. Within

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the College of Education, the Georgia Center for Educational Renewal addresses current issues and commonly faced challenges encountered by school leaders and teachers in Georgia, throughout the U.S., and internationally. For instance, the Center focuses on the challenges presented by increasingly stringent calls for higher performance of all students, including increasing the achievement gap between white and minority students and between students from low to high socio-economic standing. Consistent with the University's mission, the Center's emphasis is on the special challenges faced by resource-poor schools serving in rural, underserved areas.
Closing the Achievement Gap provides educators with useful information on how to close the gap for all underachieving students. Clinical Associates are P-12 educators who serve as liaisons between his or her school and the College of Education, working to establish field experience placements as well as to coordinate other collaborative college-school activities. As a member of the First District Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), the dean of the College of Education meets monthly with superintendents from member school systems. The Partnership Council recommends policy and procedural changes for new Partner School, Clinical Associate, or Clinical Supervisor programs.
The Thinking and Learning Institute (TLI), an outreach program of the Georgia Southern Writing Project, is administered through the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. This program works with teachers (elementary through college level) to emphasize the teaching of critical thinking skills in content areas. Participants redeliver strategies from the program to their local students and colleagues. For instance, this summer TLI offered a cross-disciplinary and cross-grade-level academy with a focus on implementing the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. CCS requires an adjustment of teaching to incorporating more and more meaningful writing into all disciplines. TLI is currently investigating partnerships with individual schools to develop professional development for Math and Science teachers, who will be required to implement CCS for those disciplines beginning academic year 2013. Four weekend activities over the two semesters are planned and will be open to teachers from any county.

Project Lead the Way Inc. is a national, non-profit organization that promotes STEM education in high schools across the country. The program offers a modular, hands-on, project-based approach to learning that trains high school faculty to teach the modules, ultimately preparing and encouraging high school students to pursue a science, engineering, technology, or math degree in college. Georgia Southern University has been an affiliate university for PLTW for the last six years.

Using data from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange, the College of Science and

Mathematics sets goals to encourage greater STEM participation. Based upon the findings of the 2009-

2010 Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange STEM Report, the College has identified next

steps:





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Initiatives Increase the number of schools participating in Project Lead the Way from 24 PLTW active schools in the state of Georgia to 50 within the next five years. Increase the number of PLTW teachers in the state who are affiliated with the "active" school districts from 58 to 100 within the next five years. Pending continued funding, include more teachers in Project SENSE and Project BESST (in collaboration with the Georgia Southern University Museum). Project SENSE and Project BESST are both aligned with the Georgia Professional Standards, national standards, and Georgia Habits of Mind. These projects have averaged 40 participating teachers per year for 20 years, and plans are to stabilize at approximately 38 schools and 135 teachers working with these two projects each year. Increase the number of teacher participating in our 22 year old funded St. Catherine's Sea Turtle Teaching Training Program. This program works with about 12 school systems, and we would like to expand that to 16 school systems. Additionally, we would like to grow the program from 22 K-12 teachers (2011) to 32. Extend the College's Molecular Biology Initiative (National Science Foundation GK-12) to include more teachers and schools. We currently partner with seven partner high schools. With additional resources, we plan to extend this program to additional teachers and schools, including a summer university-based Upward Bound partnership. Capitalize on the College's National Science Foundation Noyce Grant to recruit more top students to become STEM teachers. Our goal is to find 5-7 new STEM scholars in each of the next two years to finish the project, then to receive a renewal that will allow us to set a new goal of 24 new scholars (6 per year).

Responsibility COSM Dean; COE Dean; P-12 partners
COSM Dean; COE Dean; P-12 partners
COSM Dean; COE Dean; P-12 partners
COSM Dean; COE Dean; P-12 partners
COSM Dean; COE Dean; P-12 partners

Timeline Ongoing; July 2017
Ongoing; July 2014
Ongoing; July 2013
Ongoing; July 2013
Ongoing; Fall 2012; Fall 2013

The Southeast Georgia World Languages Collaborative is a program administered through the Department of Foreign Languages. World language teachers from the middle school through college levels in a seven-county area collaborate to improve proficiency-oriented instruction across educational sectors.

For the last three years, the Georgia Southern library faculty have participated in a Technology Showcase with Bulloch and Liberty County School Systems. Specifically, K-12 teachers and media specialists were taught how to search GALILEO as well as how to embed library resources into their course management system and web pages. Additionally, library faculty have provided tours and library instruction to high school AP English classes and continue to provide library instruction to the high school students participating in the Upward Bound program each summer.

These are just some of the partnerships in which the University participates. As part of the Complete College Georgia Plan, the University plans to focus its efforts on continuing to assess the partnerships in place to determine what is working well and what needs to be changed. These analyses will be shared with the Complete College Georgia team as well as the University leadership.

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Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved in postsecondary
education
Part-time and working students
As shown in the data analysis discussion, Georgia Southern's undergraduate student population is primarily full-time, traditional students. Part-time students accounted for only 10.8% of the fall 2011 undergraduate enrollment. Students 25 or older accounted for only 5.3% of the total undergraduate population. Nonetheless, Georgia Southern has recently committed to expanding the online track of the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree program. Currently, the online BGS enrolls 300 students (predicted enrollment for fall 2011) with plans to increase the online enrollment to over 1,000 students by 2017.
The online Bachelor of General Studies degree targets non-traditional students and working professionals who wish to earn a bachelor's degree. The degree program is purposely quite flexible to allow students to design their program of studies to suit their individual goals. The BGS growth plan mandates that all growth in the online BGS program be consistent with the mission and vision of the program. The mission of the General Studies program is to prepare students for successful life-long learning by engaging them in a broadly applicable interdisciplinary degree program that reflects the growing complexity and connectivity of the modern world and is guided by integrity, academic excellence, and global citizenship. Although the online BGS degree is designed to provide students with a path to degree completion, it is essential that the degree have meaning and substance; as such, the BGS must remain a functional degree that enables and enhances each student's personal and professional growth. Retention and graduation rates for this population of students will continue to be carefully monitored annually (see Appendix G).
The plan to grow the BGS has been developed and will be reviewed by the Provost and President over the summer 2012 for final approval. If approved, implementation will begin immediately, targeting an increased enrollment as early as spring 2013. Projections anticipate enrollment in the program will grow by 200-300 students per year through 2014.
Adult learners and/or military students
Georgia Southern University is recognized as a "military friendly" institution. Neither adult learners nor military/veteran students are presently a significant part of the University's undergraduate population, but that should change to the extent our efforts are successful. In the fall of 2011, 698 veterans (n=358) and dependents/spouses (n=340) were enrolled. This overall population is also being monitored for a better understanding of trends and services that are needed (see Appendix H). Effective Spring 2012, Georgia Southern has joined the GOArmyEd portal to improve efficiency in assigning equivalences and matriculation for military students.
First generation students
As shown in the data analysis discussion, only a quarter of Georgia Southern's undergraduate student population is first generation, and these students persist and graduate at levels comparable to the general undergraduate student population. Thus, first generation students may not require targeted efforts to persist and graduate. Georgia Southern has identified other student populations (e.g., sophomore students) where efforts would be better directed given limited resources.
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Minority students
As shown in the data analysis discussion, African-American students comprise Georgia Southern's second largest racial undergraduate student population, representing 25% of the total undergraduate enrollment (Fall 2011). The data reveal that these students exhibit a first-year retention and graduation rate comparable to the total undergraduate student population. Where students go astray is in their sophomore year, and this trend impacts African American male students much more than African American female students. Since the data are not much better for white male sophomore students, Georgia Southern commits to continuing to track and target sophomore students to increase the secondyear retention rate by 2% in 2014 and enable all students to persist to graduation (see goal 2). Nonetheless, it is important to note that Georgia Southern University has been ranked fourth in the nation for graduating African-American students majoring in chemistry, physics, and geology by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. This success is largely attributed to the opportunity undergraduate students have to participate in research; minority faculty members in key roles who serve as role-models and mentors to these students; and minority-focused student organizations that provide an additional support structure. The University ranked in the top twenty for graduating African-American students majoring in engineering technologies and engineering-related fields, marketing, parks and leisure services, and family and consumer sciences.
Georgia Southern's African American Male Initiative program, Pathways To Success, is a cohortmodel program designed to increase the academic success of this group of students. On average, these students have higher retention rates (81% compared to 78%) and grade point averages (2.51 compared to 2.30) than African American male students in general. Due to the early successes of this program, Georgia Southern intends to double the number of participating students by expanding the incoming freshmen cohort to 60 students.
Also deserving of mention is a $913,000 grant Georgia Southern received from the Goizueta Foundation to establish and support Hispanic/Latino student recruitment and retention. This grant includes $500,000 for need-based tuition assistance for a period of seven years available to Hispanic/Latino students whose families currently reside in the United States.
Support efforts through the Multicultural Student Center are ongoing as of FY12 and will be evaluated annually with the support of Strategic Research and Analysis.
Low-income students
As shown in the data analysis discussion, 46% of Georgia Southern's undergraduate students receive need-based financial aid. Review of the available data point to a need to track low income students better. If we define low income students by those who are eligible to receive Pell Grants, then the institution needs to enhance the tracking mechanism for this cohort of students to determine their persistence and graduation rates as well as what interventions may be needed (i.e., Financial Aid; Strategic Research and Analysis; SAEM-Technical Support). With help from the Division of Information Technology Services, Georgia Southern plans to investigate what specific tracking mechanisms are needed and begin to gather these data during 2012-2013 or as soon as possible after implementation of the technology.

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Students with disabilities
Georgia Southern supports students with disabilities through the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC). For confidentiality reasons, information on students with disabilities is not widely shared with advisors and faculty, which makes tracking this cohort of students at the college level difficult. SDRC staff, however, continue to monitor closely students receiving support and services through the Center. They monitor student performance based on GPA as well as retention, progression, and graduation.
The SDRC staff are closely involved with students in ensuring effective implementation of accommodations such as early or priority registration. As an example, this spring after a review for preregistering students, the staff found that a significant number of the students served by the SDRC were not pre-registered for the upcoming fall semester classes. To address this, a staff member was assigned to communicate directly with each student in order to better understand how the SDRC could assist in facilitating this process. Within three weeks, one-third of the contacted students pre-registered for fall classes. Additionally, the SDRC assisted many of the remaining students to receive the academic advisement needed prior to pre-registration. Such hands-on assistance provided directly to our students often plays a pivotal role in retention efforts.
Additionally, the SDRC works with students, paying careful attention to early alert U grades for freshmen as well as communicating key deadlines to all students with disabilities. Georgia Southern's goal for this population of students is, as much as possible, to increase coordination effective immediately in Fall 2012, between the SDRC and advisors/faculty so that students have clear, consistent support about academics and financial aid issues. The second goal is to create a collaborative endeavor between the SDRC and the First-Year Experience Office to report and enhance early alert U grade interventions; May 2013 is targeted for initial steps in this effort.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery
Research documents the positive correlation between strong teaching/teaching excellence and student retention and persistence. To protect and preserve the University's teaching mission and ethos, President Keel convened the Teaching Legacy Task Force in fall 2011. Part of the Task Force's white paper forms the response to this section of the Complete College Georgia Plan. For the full report, please see http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/provost/pdf/strategic/TeachingLegacyTaskforce-WhitePaper.pdf.
Georgia Southern's efforts to refine instructional delivery include offering more courses online, including an entire undergraduate degree program (the Bachelor of General Studies), optimizing instructional technologies within courses, and exploring degree efficiencies. The number of online courses continues to grow. Currently, the University offers about 11% of its courses online. Special efforts are made to put courses online during the summer term (23%, summer 2012) so that students who wish to return home to work during the summer can still enroll in a Georgia Southern course rather than become a transient student elsewhere. When increasing online instruction, it is critical to recognize that online course development and teaching necessitate a different approach to course development and delivery. Effective online instruction consistent with the University's teaching ethos requires that we adhere to course design standards that promote effective online teaching and learning. To that end, faculty unfamiliar with online course development and delivery need guidance before and during course development--particularly for courses that support the University's online degree programs.
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Best practices for good online course design and delivery include: course overview and introduction; learning objectives and/or competencies; assessment and measurement; instructional materials, learner interaction and engagement; course technology; learner support; and accessibility. Other best practices for online course development are: student-faculty interactions; cooperation among students; active learning; prompt feedback; time on task; high expectations; and diverse talents and ways of learning.
Currently, the Georgia Southern University Center for Online Learning (COL) incorporates many of these best practices into its course and faculty development; however, missing from the COL's practice is a course review process. Requiring courses that support our online degree programs to pass a rigorous course review process (such as the Quality MattersTM Rubric) before they are delivered would promote higher standards and greater consistency in online course development and delivery as well as ensure compliance with our regional accrediting body (ensuring a quality learning experience regardless of the course delivery mode). In its work, the Teaching Legacy Task Force recommended that all Georgia Southern online courses undergo a rigorous course review process to ensure quality control.
An additional example of optimizing technology within instruction is the University's new Learning Management System (LMS), Desire2Learn, which will be fully online as of spring 2013. Called Folio, Desire2Learn includes functionality for course creation, delivery, and management of courses as well as course assessment tools and rubrics. Additionally, the LMS has the ability to "...create and share personalized ePortfolios, gain real-time knowledge with sophisticated analytics, and capture and distribute presentations worldwide" (http://www.desire2learn.com/products/learning-suite/). Desire2Learn Analytics complements WeaveOnline (the University's program assessment tool) by tracking, analyzing, and assessing student achievement over time at the course level. Included in the Analytics component is a set of standard reports tied to student success, retention, and graduation. Analytics will help identify at-risk students and assist faculty and advisors to design specific interventions for success. It will also facilitate the understanding of data patterns "...through competency mapping and reporting engagement data and achievement results" (http://www.desire2learn.com/products /analytics/features/). Folio will provide faculty and advisors with the data they need to make informed decisions about student interventions related to students' academic performance.
Additionally, the Henderson Library provides a number of online resources to help students regardless of whether they are on campus or not
Instant Messaging - http://library.georgiasouthern.edu/libref/imref.html Eagle Source - http://library.georgiasouthern.edu/eaglesource/ Getting Started - http://library.georgiasouthern.edu/libref/using.html GALILEO http://www.galileo.usg.edu DISCOVER @Georgia Southern http://library.georgiasouthern.edu/discover
Finally, the University plans to explore additional degree efficiencies through an evaluation of each program of study on campus to determine if there is any possibility of restructuring degree requirements for selected majors. It may be possible, for example, to reduce the number of elective courses required for a major or to restructure courses to reduce the credit load for a major. The Comprehensive Program Reviews that are tied to USG guidelines provide an ongoing path by which the program evaluations are systematic for academic departments at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

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Conclusion Georgia Southern University has established an institutional priority to continue to make significant strides in increasing retention, progression, and graduation of its students while preserving academic quality. Consequently, the focus of the institution's Complete College Georgia Plan is to expand those efforts which are already having a favorable impact and revamp others which may not be working as well as we had hoped. This action is especially applicable with our first-year retention efforts which have had documented success. On the contrary, our data analysis indicates that we need to focus greater attention on our sophomore students, especially male students. We will survey this population and conduct focus group interviews to learn what supports need to be put into place to ensure their persistence and academic success. Moreover, we have identified specific areas to investigate to determine ways to shorten time to degree. Much of this work has been ongoing, and we will build on these earlier efforts. Finally, the University will continue to encourage and promote student engagement in and out of the classroom, a hallmark of the University.

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References

Georgia Southern University 2012 Complete College Georgia Plan

Bachelor of General Studies Students, Retention, Progression, and Graduation Rates, Fall 2004 Spring 2011 cohorts, August 5, 2011

Brownell, J.E. and Swaner, L.E. (2009). High-impact practices: Applying the learning outcomes literature to the development of successful campus programs. AAC&U Peer Review. pp. 26-30.

Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1991). Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Number 47. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Common Data Sets, http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/osra/cds.htm

Cooperative Institutional Research Program (HERI-UCLA), 2011 campus report, http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/fye/CIRP_results.htm

Enrollment references, http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/osra/student/

First Generation College Students Fall 2002 and Fall 2006 Fall 2010 report, January 19, 2012

Fall 2001 2005 IPEDS First-time Freshman Six Year Graduation Rates Study, May 18, 2012

Georgia Southern University Mission Statement, July 2004, http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/about/mission.html.

Hamir, H.B. (2011). Go Abroad and Graduate On-Time: Study Abroad Participation, Degree Completion, and Time-to-Degree. Educational Administration: Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research. Paper 65, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/65.

Kuh, G.D. (2008). Excerpt from high-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. https://secure.aacu.org/PubExcerpts/Highimp.html.

Quality MattersTM Rubric Standards 2011-2013: http://www.qmprogram.org/files/QM_Standards_20112013.pdf

Retention, Progression, Graduation references, http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/osra/flowmod/

The 5 Pillars of Quality Online Education: http://sloanconsortium.org/5pillars

Transfers to and from Georgia Southern University, Summer 2011, August 12, 2011

University Fact Books, http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/osra/factbook.htm

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Georgia Southern University's Complete College Georgia Team

Dr. Kathy Albertson

Assistant to the Provost; Associate Professor, Writing and Linguistics

Dr. Joannis Barkoulas

Associate Professor, Finance & Quantitative Analysis

Dr. Jean Bartels

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Jayne Perkins Brown

Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Director, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis

Dr. Diana Cone

Associate Provost

Ms. Pam Deal

Director, Center for Academic Technology

Dr. Francis Desiderio

Associate Director, University Honors Program

Ms. Candace Griffith

Assistant Provost for Academic Programs and Policies

Dr. Christine Ludowise

Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Mr. Dominique Quarles

President, Student Government Association

Dr. Sonya Shepherd

Librarian Professor

Dr. Ronnie Sheppard

Chair, Department of Teaching and Learning

Mr. Benjy Thompson

CEO, Development Authority of Bulloch County; Alumna

Ms. Chris Thompson

Coordinator, Academic Advisement, College of Education

Dr. Teresa Thompson

Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Dr. Caren Town

Professor, Literature and Philosophy

Ms. Lisa Vance

Coordinator, Academic Advisement, College of Science and Mathematics

Dr. Mark Welford

Associate Professor, Geology and Geography

Ms. Bobbie Williams

Coordinator, Academic Advisement, College of Business Administration

Ms. Stephanie Williams

Advisor, College of Business Administration

Mr. Alan Woodrum

Alumna; Georgia Southern University Staff Development Council

TBA

Bulloch County Board of Education P-12 Representative

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Appendix A. Retention and Graduation Rates of Fall Term, First-time, Full-time Freshmen

The tables below use the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Enrollment Cohort of First-time Freshmen defined as fall term, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates. The cohort includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended first time in the prior summer term, and students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school). Students who graduated from high school within the same calendar year of the fall term are included even if they attended college before

Fall Term Retention and Graduation Rates

IPEDS First-time Freshman Retention & Graduation Rates

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Entering Cohort1

3,262 2,853 2,628 2,593 2,735 2,983

1st Year Retention

74% 75% 77% 76% 79% 78%

Graduated <= 5 Years Graduated <= 6 Years

34% 35% 38% 39% 41% 39% 41% 43% 45% 45% 47% 45%

2005 3,125 76%
40% 47%

2006 2,732 79% 45%

2007 3,029 81%

2008 3,109 81%

2009 3,492 79%

2010 3,597 80%

IPEDS First-time Freshman Cohort Retention & Graduation Rates

Retention & Graduati on Rates

74%

75%

77%

76%

79%

78%

76%

79%

81%

81%

79%

80%

41%

43%

45%

45%

47%

45%

47%

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

1st Year Retention

Graduated <= 6 Years

Fall 2010 IPEDS First-time Freshman Cohort Returning Fall 2011

Black

Other

White

Unknown

Total

F M Total F M Total F M Total F M Total F M Total

Entering Cohort1

471 399 870 178 175 353 1,125 1,222 2,347 10 17 27 1,784 1,813 3,597

1st Year Retention 86% 78% 82% 76% 73% 74% 84% 76% 80% 60% 82% 74% 83% 76% 80%

Graduation Rate by Race and Gender - Fall 2005 IPEDS First-time Freshman Cohort

Black

Other

White

F M Total F M Total F M Total F

Entering Cohort1

315 303 618 82 113 195 1,075 1,235 2,310 1,472

Graduated <= 5 Years 51% 30% 41% 38% 23% 29% 49% 34% 41% 49%

Graduated <= 6 Years 60% 39% 50% 46% 34% 39% 53% 41% 46% 54%

Total M
1,651 32% 40%

Total
3,123 40% 47%

Note. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Enrollment Reports, Student Information Reporting System (SIRS) and the USG
Academic Data Mart Legacy Like Tables (ADM LLT). 1These are the original IPEDS Enrollment Cohorts of First-time, Full-time, Degree-seeking Freshmen. They do not reflect exclusions as allowed in
IPEDS reporting, however, the retention and graduation rate percentages do reflect the exclusions.

Georgia Southern University Fact Book 2011 2012

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Appendix B. Georgia Southern University Fall Facts

Top Five Counties, States, and International Countries, Fall 2011 Total

Georgia Counties of Origin States of Residence Non - U.S. Countries of Citizenship

1. Gwinnett

1. Georgia

1. Honduras

2. Bulloch

2. Florida

2. Canada

3. Fulton

3. South Carolina

3. China

4. Cobb

4. North Carolina

4. Nigeria

5. Chatham

5. Virginia

5. India

Top Five Georgia Feeder High Schools

of Beginning Freshmen, Fall 2011

School

Location

1. Harrison

Kennesaw

2. Roswell

Roswell

3. Milton

Alpharetta

4. Lambert

Suwanee

5. Brookwood

Snellville

High School and Transfer Students' GPA Averages, Fall 2011 High School = 3.20
Transfer Students to GSU = 2.81
Note. Transfers are first-time, degree- seeking.

SAT Average for Fall Term Beginning Freshmen, Fall 2007-11 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 1108 1111 1106 1106 1112

Note. ACT average was 23 for Fall 2007-11.
.

% of Degree-seeking Undergraduates

On Versus Off Campus, Fall 2011

On Campus

25%

Off Campus

75%

% of Beginning Freshmen

who had a High School Class Rank, Fall 2011

Top tenth of high school class

17%

Top quarter of high school class

42%

Total freshman who submitted class rank: 54%

First-time, Degree-seeking Transfers to GSU, Fall 2007-11 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 876 914 1,080 1,033 1,160

% of Total Enrollment, Fall 2007-11

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UG

88% 87% 86% 87% 87%

Grad 12% 13% 14% 13% 13%

Average Age of Students, Fall 2011

UG

21

Grad

32

First-time, Degree-seeking Transfers from Top 5 Institutions to
Georgia Southern University, Fall 2011 1. East Georgia College
2. Armstrong Atlantic State University
2. Georgia Perimeter College
3. Middle Georgia College
4. Gainesville State College
5. Georgia Military College

Total Undergraduate Graduate

Enrollment Demographics, Fall 2007-11
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 16,841 17,764 19,086 19,691 20,212 14,854 15,490 16,486 17,044 17,525
1,987 2,274 2,600 2,647 2,687

Red = Min Blue = Max
07 11


Male Female

8,217 8,742 9,378 9,580 9,788 8,624 9,022 9,708 10,111 10,424

Black White All Other Races Unknown

3,617 3,874 4,218 4,682 5,059

10,995 11,864 13,113 13,111 13,247

995 1,107 1,370 1,548 1,601

1,234

919

385

350

305

Freshmen (IPEDS) Freshmen (All Other) Sophomore Junior Senior Other Undergraduate Masters Specialist Doctorate Non-Degree Graduate

3,029 1,617 3,538 2,845 3,120
705 1,167
169 502 149

3,109 1,523 3,598 3,131 3,229
900 1,409
208 531 126

First-time Freshmen 1st Year Retention Rates, Fall 2006-10 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
79% 81% 81% 79% 80%

3,492 1,440 3,853 3,231 3,614
856 1,707
260 517 116

3,597 1,458 3,932 3,374 3,754
929 1,768
268 510 101

3,519 1,364 4,171 3,548 3,965
958 1,835
300 482
70

First-time Freshmen Six-Year Graduation Rates, Fall 2001-05 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
45% 45% 47% 45% 47%

Degrees Awarded Fiscal Year (FY), 2008-09 - 2010-11

Red = Min

Blue = Max

Bachelor's

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2,378 2,630 2,679

08-09 10-11


Master's

497

601

708

Post-master's certificates/EDS

51

78

96

Doctoral

55

69

73

Total Degrees

2,981

3,378

3,556



Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis Georgia Southern University Fall Facts, December 9, 2011

Top Five Most Popular Majors, FY 2010-11

Bachelor's

Master's

1. Business/marketing

1. Education

2. Education

2. Business/marketing

3. Engineering Technologies

3. Parks and recreation

4. Health professions and related programs

4. Health professions and related programs

5. Parks and recreation

5. Social sciences

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Appendix C. Georgia Southern University Institutional and Outside Institution Graduation Rates

Six Year Graduation Rates and Still Enrolled Percentages of the Fall 2001-2005 IPEDS First-time Freshman Cohorts

Georgia Southern USG System-wide State of Georgia Out of State

Total

Institution-specific

Still

Still

non-USG

Still

Still

Still

Fall

Enrolled Grad. Enrolled Grad. Enrolled Grad. Enrolled Grad. Enrolled Grad.

Cohort Cohort n n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n %

2001 2002

2,633 120 4.6 1,187 45.1 197 7.5 224 8.5 63 2.4 7 0.3 97 3.7 34 1.3 477 18.1 1,452 55.1 2,599 96 3.7 1,180 45.4 152 5.8 253 9.7 68 2.6 5 0.2 83 3.2 40 1.5 399 15.4 1,478 56.9

2003

2,735 119 4.4 1,295 47.3 156 5.7 241 8.8 68 2.5 9 0.3 73 2.7 42 1.5 416 15.2 1,587 58.0

2004 2005

2,982 116 3.9 1,342 45.0 211 7.1 312 10.5 83 2.8 9 0.3 83 2.8 46 1.5 493 16.5 1,709 57.3 3,123 119 3.8 1,453 46.5 179 5.7 329 10.5 61 2.0 7 0.2 78 2.5 41 1.3 437 14.0 1,830 58.6

Note. From the Fall 2001-2005 Student Information Reporting System (SIRS) file, the Fall 2001 - Summer 2011 SIRS and Academic Data Mart (ADM) G records tables, and the National Student Clearinghouse Subsequent Enrollment Search. Graduated is with a baccalaureate degree as of the summer semester of each cohort's sixth year. Still Enrolled is at the undergraduate level as of the fall semester following completion of each cohort's sixth year, and not having received a baccalaureate degree as of the prior summer (according to the NSC file). The Fall 2004 Cohort is less one exclusion, and the Fall 2005 Cohort is less 2 exclusions (per IPEDS definition).

Figure 2. IPEDS First-time Freshman Graduation Rates By Fall Cohort

2001

45

10

2002

45

2003

47

2004

45

11

Graduated

11

GaSoU

Graduated Other

12

2005 0

47

12

10

20

30

40

50

60

Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis Fall 2001-2005 IPEDS First-time Freshman Six Year Graduation Rates and

Still

Enrolled:

Institutional

and

Outside

Institutions,

Spring

2012,

5/18/2031320

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636

Appendix D. Undergraduate Student Transfers Received by Georgia Southern University from USG Institutions by Institution Sector

The table below displays the total undergraduate student transfers that Georgia Southern University received from USG institutions by institution sector for FY09 and FY10. For both years, the majority of the undergraduate student transfers to Georgia Southern University were from two-year colleges.

Undergraduate Student Transfers Received by Georgia Southern University from USG Institutions by Institution Sector

Institution Sector

n

Two-Year Colleges 545

State Colleges

293

State Universities

209

Research Universities 45

Regional Universities 40

FY09 (n=1,132)
26% 19% 4% 4%

n 48% 670
277 264
63 34

FY10 (n=1,308)
21% 20% 5% 3%

% Changea

51%

23

-6

26

40

-15

Note: From the FY09 and FY10 USG-BOR Transfer Feedback Reports. a% change is: (FY10 total students - FY09 total students)/ FY09 total students *100.

Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis Transfer Report (USG-BOR Transfer Feedback and NSC), August 12, 2011

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Appendix E. Georgia Southern University's First-generation vs. Not First Generation Freshmen: Fall Term, First-year Retention Rates & Five- and Six-year Graduation Rates: 2002, 2006 2010
(Note. Red highlights tabulated below indicate highest comparative between-group values.)

Entering Cohort (n) 1st Year Retention %

Cohort 2002

(n=1967) 1st Not 1st

647 1320

78

78

Cohort 2006

(n=2107) 1st Not 1st

608 1499

76

81

Cohort 2007

(n=2369) 1st Not 1st

710 1659

80

81

Cohort 2008

(n=2461) 1st Not 1st

703 1758

77

83

Cohort 2009

(n=2912) 1st Not 1st

763 2149

78

80

Cohort 2010

(n=3101) 1st Not 1st

816 2285

77

81

Graduated < = 5 Years 36

41 39

47

Graduated < = 6 Years 43

47

Note: This report covers Fall first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshman cohorts (IPEDS) for 2002 and 2006-2010. For the purposes of this report a student was considered not a First Generation student if one or both parents had completed college. Any other response was considered "First Generation." Students who did not respond for both parents were excluded from this report.

Source: Student Information Reporting System (SIRS), USG Academic Data Mart (ADM) Enrollment, GSU Data Warehouse

First Fall Term Retention Rates per Group

Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis First Generation College Student project Summer 2011; January 19, 2012

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Appendix F. Georgia Southern University 1st Year Retention Rates By High School GPA Ranges IPEDS First-time Freshman 1st Year Retention By High School GPA Range.

76.0 73.2

88.3 Fall 2009 Cohort
81.8 86.3

90.6 87.8

78.3

78.8

74.0

78.2

77.9

75.0 74.9

80.8 Fall 2010 Cohort

66.5

2.00-2.25 2.26-2.50 2.51-2.75 2.76-3.00 3.01-3.25 3.26-3.50 3.51-3.75 3.76-4.00
Note. From the Academic Data Mart Legacy Like Tables.

Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis Enrollment Analysis, Fall 2011, 11/30/2011

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Appendix G. Retention, Progression, and Graduation Rates of BGS Majors by Semester

F04 n= 64

Spr05 F05 n= 45 n= 59

Spr06 n= 53

BGS Cohorts (follow each cohort vertically down the column )

F06

Spr07

F07

Spr08

F08

Spr09

F09

n= 97 n= 80 n= 128 n= 97 n= 123 n= 110 n= 107

Spr10 n= 83

F10 n= 144

Spr11 n= 156

Retention/ Progression to:

n%

n%

n%

n

%

n%

n%

n

%

n%

n

%

n% n %

n%

n

%

n%

Spring 2005 Fall 2005 (1st Yr) Spring 2006 Fall 2006 (2nd Yr) Spring 2007 Fall 2007 (3rd Yr) Spring 2008 Fall 2008 (4th Yr) Spring 2009 Fall 2009 (5th Yr) Spring 2010 Fall 2010 (6th Yr) Spring 2011
Graduated

49 76.6
31 48.4 26 57.8 17 26.6 16 35.6 48 81.4
9 14.1 7 15.6 32 54.2 41 77.4 4 6.3 6 13.3 30 50.8 32 60.4 86 88.7
0 0.0 1 2.2 17 28.8 23 43.4 62 63.9 55 68.8 1 1.6 2 4.4 8 13.6 17 32.1 49 50.5 47 58.8 102 79.7
2 3.1 0 0.0 6 10.2 5 9.4 23 23.7 33 41.3 76 59.4 56 57.7 1 1.6 0 0.0 5 8.5 5 9.4 10 10.3 17 21.3 57 44.5 47 48.5 107 87.0
1 1.6 1 2.2 3 5.1 6 11.3 8 8.2 12 15.0 29 22.7 31 32.0 73 59.3 85 77.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 3.4 1 1.9 6 6.2 8 10.0 22 17.2 20 20.6 58 47.2 76 69.1 83 77.6
1 1.6 0 0.0 2 3.4 1 1.9 2 2.1 4 5.0 11 8.6 5 5.2 29 23.6 40 36.4 56 52.3 54 65.1 2 3.1 0 0.0 3 5.1 3 5.7 3 3.1 4 5.0 8 6.3 3 3.1 18 14.6 30 27.3 49 45.8 40 48.2 117 81.3 n% n% n% n % n % n% n % n% n % n% n % n% n % n%

49 76.6 21 46.7 32 54.2 32 60.4 57 58.8 36 45.0 75 58.6 48 49.5 70 56.9 56 50.9 36 33.6 23 27.7 16 11.1 6 3.8

Note . From the Student Information Reporting System (SIRS), Academic Data Mart Legacy-like T ables, Data Warehouse census Enrollment T ables YSR, and Banner Degrees Awarded table SHRDGMR. BGS majors are undergraduates with >=45 total hours (earned and transferred). Students do not duplicate across years. Retained is enrolled and not having graduated as of the fall semester of retention. Graduated is as of Spring 2011.

Georgia Southern University Fact Book 2011 2012

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Appendix H. Georgia Southern University's Military Veteran Students: Enrollment & Retention and Graduation Rates

Fall 2011 Enrollment by Load Type

Enrollment by Load Type of Veterans and Dependents/Spouses, Fall 2011

Type
Undergraduate Veterans Full Time Part Time
Total UG Veterans

Fall 2011
265 319 37 4
302 323

Type
Undergraduate Dependents/Spouses Full Time Part Time Total UG Dependent/Spouses

Graduate Veterans Full Time Part Time
Total Graduate Veterans

24 9 32 8 56 17

Graduate Dependents/Spouses Full Time Part Time Total Graduate Dependents/Spouses

Overall Total 358 340 Total
Source: University System of Georgia (USG) Academic Data Mart Legacy Like Table (ADM-LLT), Data Warehouse enrollment tables (YEN), and Registrar's Office

Retention and Graduation Rates

Retention Rate of Veterans IPEDS First-time, Full-time, Degree-seeking Freshman, Fall 2010 Cohort

1st Year

Original Cohort n %

14

9 64.3

Graduation Rates of Veterans IPEDS First-time, Full-time, Degree-seeking Freshman, Fall 2005 Cohort

Four-Year Five-Year Six-Year

Original Cohort n % n % n %

10

1 10.0 2 20.0 4 40.0

Note. Retention and Graduation rates uses the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Enrollment Cohort of First-time Freshmen defined as fall term, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates. The cohort includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended first time in the prior summer term, and students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school). Students who graduated from high school within the same calendar year of the fall term are included even if they previously attended college. Source: University System of Georgia (USG) Student Information Reporting System (SIRS), Academic Data Mart Legacy Like Table (ADM-LLT), Data Warehouse enrollment tables (YEN), and Registrar's Office
Georgia Southern University, Office of Strategic Research and Analysis Analysis of Veterans, Fall 2011; 05/03/2012
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Complete College Georgia Report Georgia Southwestern State University
August, 22, 2012 Introduction
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW), founded in 1906 as an Agricultural and Mechanical teaching institution (A & M), is proud of its heritage and tradition of service to this particular region of Southwest Georgia. Based on data that we have collected, our institution serves a high percentage of first generation college students (over 50 per cent), and also a high percentage of students who are economically challenged (roughly 45 per cent receiving Pell Grants). With these factors in mind, GSW embraces its mission statement, in which we indicate that we are an institution that cultivates excellence in learning and teaching, and that encourages intellectual, personal, and social growth for students, faculty, staff, and the community. Georgia Southwestern State University is a comprehensive state university within the University System of Georgia that offers a full range of bachelor degree programs, along with selected master's and specialist degree programs. As the following report indicates, we are looking at multiple ways in which to increase our retention and graduation rates, all tied to our Strategic Plan, "Moving Forward."
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis Georgia Southwestern State University looked at data from a number of sources. One key source is the Complete College America data set from The Chronicle of Higher Education regarding our institution (http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/)in comparison to the 20 other public universities and state colleges in the University System of Georgia that have to this point offered bachelor degrees. Some key findings are these:
1. Our six year graduation rate is 30.8 per cent. This puts us 15th out of 20. 2. Our four year graduation rate is 11.4 per cent. This puts us 13th out of 20. 3. Our rate of completions per 100 students is 17.7. This puts us 8th out of 20. 4. Our spending per completion is $35,137. This puts us 20th out of 20, indicating that we
are the leanest of the 20 institutions. Indeed, even in comparing this figure to the twoyear institutions within the USG, we find eight schools that spend more per completion rate than we do.
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GSW CCG REPORT
5. Our student aid per recipient is $5,389. Eleven institutions award more aid per student than we do.
6. Our student population with Pell grants is 43.1 per cent. Thirteen institutions have fewer Pell recipients than we do. These last two statistics indicate that we have a significantly larger percentage of our student population that is economically depressed. In comparing ourselves nationally to our peers, we find the following:
7. We rank 460 out of 622 public four year institutions regarding six year graduation rates. 8. We rank 76 out of 110 comprehensive institutions regarding six year graduation rates. 9. We rank 16th out of 20 selected peer institutions regarding six year graduation rates (these
institutions are [in rank order]: Gwyneed-Mercy College, Molloy College, Alvernia University, CSU-Stanislaus, Ferris State University, Saint Leo University, CSU-San Marcos, Ursuline College, Tiffin University, University of Michigan at Flint, UNCPembroke, Texas Wesleyan University, Nicholls State University, University of Southern Indiana, Angelo State University, {GSW}, Montana State University-Billings, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Augusta State University). Source: http://chroni.cl/OypNwb
Data that unequivocally show specific reasons for low retention and graduation rates at GSW are not available. It is evident that a large number of incoming freshmen complete their first year with a GPA that is so low that they are no longer qualified for financial aid (approximately 23%). It is also evident that the retention rate for these students is very low (under 25%). Thus, many of the planned actions for improving retention and graduation address student academic success, especially during the freshman year. It is also clear that in order to improve retention and graduation, GSW will need to implement plans that are effective for first-generation and/or low-income students.
The Complete College Georgia plan for GSW is designed around the university's strategic plan (Moving Forward). All components of the CCG plan align with one or more of the institutions strategic goals: Goal 1: Cultivating Enrollment Growth - The Southwest Georgia region requires both GSW graduates and the economic impact of the institution itself to build and maintain its prosperity.
2
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GSW CCG REPORT
However, increasing enrollment is only the beginning. Students must persist to graduation if we are to do our part for our region, our state, and the nation. Goal 2:Cultivating Excellence in Undergraduate Learning and Teaching This goal focuses the pursuit of excellence on learning and teaching rather than on academic programs. Learning and teaching take place in a variety of places on our campus both within and beyond the classroom, and between a variety of campus constituents in addition to faculty and students. Excellence in teaching and learning results from an environment where intellectual, personal, and social growth can take place for all campus constituents throughout their lives. Goal Three: Cultivating Community Partnerships - Since its founding in 1906 when the city of Americus requested an institution of higher education be located here, GSW has been an important part of this community. The institution is also part of a community that remembers its past in order to work toward a better future. Cultivating partnerships within these community traditions will enable GSW to contribute to a better future both locally and globally.
Part II: Strategies and Objectives To ensure broad input regarding strategies to improve retention and graduation rates, faculty, staff, and administrators from across the campus were invited to join the five team members who attended the Complete College Georgia Summit to create a CCG Task Force. This Task Force discussed a wide range of possible avenues for improving retention and graduation rates. Subcommittees of the Task Force were charged with developing specific action plans in a number of areas. The suggested actions were reviewed by the full Task Force and selected tasks were developed into an integrated campus-wide plan.Because few data are available that provide specific reasons for low retention and graduation rates, this plan relies heavily on literature reports of strategies that have been shown to be effective at other institutions, especially institutions that, like GSW, enroll a substantial number of low-income and/or first generation college students.
All tasks and initiatives in GSW's CCG plan are designed to address one or more required elements: Element 1: Partnerships with K-12 Student success in higher education is substantially affected by preparation and motivation developed before students arrive on a college campus. To
3
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GSW CCG REPORT
improve students' success in higher education, GSW is collaborating with South Georgia Technical College and local school districts to develop a college-bound culture among middle and high school students. This project will make substantial use of training materials developed by the USG and SREB for the Collaborative Counselor Training Initiative. By taking this training into local schools we will improve students' understanding of college expectations, assist students in choosing appropriate programs, and assist students in navigating the administrative tasks involved in enrolling in higher education. This initiative also directly addresses issues of access and success for traditionally under-represented groups. Element 2: Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved Because GSW enrolls a substantial number of low-income and/or first generation college students, any plan for improving students' success must consider the particular needs of these students. The literature shows that strategies improving communication with families, improving advising, enhancing the freshman year experience, and increasing student engagement help these students be more successful in higher education. Element 3: Shorten time to degree (or credits to degree) One of our goals in improving advising is to insure that students take fewer classes that do not fulfill degree requirements, a goal that will shorten time to degree for all GSW students, including traditionally underserved groups. In addition, we will work with the Student Government Association to implement and publicize strategies for shortening time. We will also solicit further ideas for shortening time to degree from faculty and students. Element 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Program assessment data shows that improvements can be made to GSW's distance education delivery, improvements that should not only lead to higher quality distance education programs, but increase graduation and retention in these programs. The School of Business, which houses GSW's largest distance education programs, will work to standardize its delivery of distance education courses to conform to best practice in this area of instructional delivery. School of Business practice will then become a model for creation and maintenance of distance education programs at GSW. We will also solicit further ideas on instructional delivery innovations from faculty, including hybrid and modular forms of instruction.
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GSW CCG REPORT

Element 5: Transforming Remediation - Developmental courses have been widely shown to constitute an enormous barrier to student success. Nationally very few students who enroll in developmental courses persist to graduation. Substantial success has been demonstrated with changes to traditional remediation including self-paced modular delivery and co-enrollment in developmental support courses.Research has shown that the administrative processes involved with enrolling and continuing in higher education (including application for financial aid) are barriers to the success of students from traditionally under-represented groups. GSW will engage in a campus-wide review of administrative processes that affect students to minimize this barrier to the extent possible.
In the chart tables below, the elements column is tied to the five elements described above. These tables indicate specific actions that we will take over the next three years in order to improve our retention and graduation rates:

Action Plans

Strategic Goal: Goal 1 Cultivating enrollment growth.

1.1: Objective: Improve communication with students' family members in order to promote and increase family support for the students' college success. Target: 2012: < 50 %; 2015: > 80 %

Desired Outcome: Increase retention and graduation, especially among under-represented groups owing to greater family support.

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

1.1.A: Improve

1.1.A.1: Develop

Noel-Levitz

communication of expectations and avenues for support. Provide additional information to parents of incoming students.

informational materials to be delivered to parents during STORM Day
1.1.A.2: Hold orientation sessions for parents at STORM

Assessment Instruments; multiple surveys
Parents' Survey reviewed after every STORM

Day that emphasize Session by STORM

academic success and Committee

family support

1.2: Objective: Promote student engagement by increasing

participation in extra-curricular activities

Target: 2012: < 20 %; 2015: > 30 %

Division Responsible Student Affairs

Start Date In place

Element 2

Student

In place

2

Affairs

Desired Outcome: Improved retention owing to greater student engagement.

5

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GSW CCG REPORT

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

1.2.A: Initiate program to promote student participation in extracurricular activities and track student participation

Institute tracking of student participation using QR codes and establish reward system for participation

Student participation in campus organizations and activities will be compared to previous years

Division Responsible Student Affairs, Athletics

Start Date Fall 2012

Element 2

1.3: Objective: Increase awareness of existing strategies for shortening time to degree.
Target: 2012: < 1%; 2015: > 3 %

Desired Outcome: Increase number of students receiving credit by examination, by prior learning assessment, etc., thus shortening time to degree for these students

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

1.3.A: Making Include credit by Track number of students

students and

examination

receiving credit by

faculty more

options and prior examination or by prior

aware of credit learning

learning assessment annually,

by examination assessment in

as well as the number of

and prior

Master Advisor credit hours awarded

learning

training. Educate

assessment

students and

faculty on CLEP

options, AP and IB

credits

1.3.B: Making Collaborate with Track number of students

students more the Student

receiving credit by

aware of credit Government

examination or by prior

by examination Association and learning assessment annually,

and prior

other student

as well as the number of

learning

groups to

credit hours awarded. Track

assessment

publicize credit by number of students in PLA

examination and 2000

prior learning

assessment

options

1.4: Objective: Increase long range planning in student

registration

Division Responsibl e Enrollment Manageme nt, Academic Affairs

Start Date Spring 2013

Element 1, 2, 3, 4

Enrollment Manageme nt, Academic Affairs, and Student Affairs

Fall 2012

1, 2, 3, 4

Desired Outcome: reduce the number of students taking unnecessary classes and missing infrequently offered classes required for degrees, thereby

6

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GSW CCG REPORT

Target: 2012: < 5 %; 2015: 8 %

raising retention and graduation rates

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division

Start Date Element

Responsible

1.4.A: Institute formal degree planning for students

1.4.A.1: Revising and updating twoyear course rotations of major classes, and suggested fouryear degree plans for each degree program

Annual inventory of two-year course rotations and four-year degree plans conducted by Deans

Deans and Department Chairs

Fall 2012

2 & 3

1.4.A.2: Create degree planning template to accompany curriculum sheets for each degree program

Monitor four-year and six year graduation rates

Academic Affairs and Registrar

Fall 2012

2 & 3

1.4.A.3: Introduce students to degree planning through advising and publicity campaign

Monitor four-year and six year graduation rates

Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management

Spring 2013

2 & 3

1.4.A.4: Train students, faculty, and staff on Degree Works

Development of graduation plans for all students

Enrollment Fall 2013 2,3 Management

1.5: Objective: Educate the entire campus community of the need to improve retention and graduate rates and share GSW's CCG plan.
Target: 2012: < 75 %; 2015: > 99 %

Desired Outcome: Develop campus-wide buy-in for the CCG plan and develop an avenue for feedback on the plan.

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division Responsible

1.5.A: Provide data on our retention and graduation rates to the entire

1.5.A.1: Presentation to campus community.
1.5.A.2: Usable data and action plans developed

Numbers of faculty and staff attending

Academic Affairs

Use of the data

Academic

presented; action plans

7

Start Date Element

Spring Semester 2012, ff.
Fall Semester

1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4,

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community

during workshops

developed

Affairs

1.5.B: Provide the CCG plan to the entire community

The final CCG plan will be disseminated as a follow-up to the Opening Assembly.

Engagement with the process

Academic Affairs

2012

5

After the plan is approved

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1.5.C: Launch professional development workshop series on best practices for teaching and advising

Decide on topics and presenters publicize to campus community

Development of

Academic

2 in the

1-5

topics and volunteers Affairs,

fall and 2

to present the topics Institutional in the

Effectiveness, spring

Center for

Teaching and

Learning

Strategic Goal: Goal 2--Cultivating excellence in undergraduate learning and teaching.

2.1: Objective: Improve academic advising processes to promote Desired Outcome: Improved

student success and timely graduation.

retention and graduation rates,

Target: 2012: < 40 %; 2015: > 60 %

especially among students from

under-represented groups.

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division

Start Date Element

Responsible

2.1.A: Improve advising Hire dedicated

Retention figures Academic

Fall 2012 2

for students who have not declared a major

General Education Advisor

of first year

Affairs

students by major

2.1.B: Implement

Designate and train Advising Survey

"Master Advisor" plan for Master Advisor for

academic departments selected programs

with large enrollment

2.1.C: Improve tracking 2.1.C.1: Implement Retention Studies

of student progress

mid-term and end of

semester grade

reporting to

academic advisors

2.1.C.2: Implement Retention Studies

attendance tracking and Surveys

and referral to

retention specialists

2.2: Objective: Identify administrative barriers to success of

students, especially underserved populations.

Target: 2012: < 2 %; 2015: > 50 %

Academic

Spring

2

Affairs

2013

Academic Affairs

Fall 2012 2

Enrollment Fall 2012 2 Management Academic Affairs
Desired Outcome: Improve retention and graduation rates for underserved student populations

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Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division

Start Date Element

Responsible

2.2.A: Review satisfaction survey and other data to identify barriers to success of students

2.2.A.1: Review Parents Satisfaction Inventory (administered August 2012) responses for correlations with existing data sets, such as NSSE (last administered 2011) and the Adults Learner Inventory (administered 2009)

Monitor retention and Academic

Fall 2012 2,3

graduation rates,

Affairs,

especially for

Student

underserved

Affairs,

populations

Enrollment

Management

2.2.A.2: Review student Monitor retention and Institutional Summer 2,3

complaint logs for patterns graduation rates,

Effectiveness 2013

of dissatisfaction

especially for

and Planning,

underserved

and

populations

Administrativ

e Council

2.2.B: Review Include professionalism

Ongoing assessment Administrativ Fall 2012 2, 3

administrative review, client services

and monitoring

e Council and

processes and review, "customer service" through institutional Institutional

procedures that review as component of effectiveness process Effectiveness

impact students annual assessment of

and Planning

institutional effectiveness

for all divisions and offices

2.3: Objective: Develop a First Year Experience program that promotes academic success, student engagement, and retention Target: 2012: 0 %; 2015: > 99 %

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

2.3.A: Develop UNIV1000 to be a freshman seminar as key component in FYE

2.3.A.1: Create discipline-specific sections of UNIV1000 taught by faculty members in the discipline to promote academic engagement 2.3.A.2: Implement use of College Persistence Questionnaire to

Retention Surveys
Referrals to Student Support Services and Academic Center for Excellence
9

Desired Outcome: Improved

student success and retention

especially among students from

under-represented groups

Division

Start Date Element

Responsible

Director

Fall 2012

2

Academic Skills Center

Director

Fall 2012

2

Academic

Skills Center

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identify freshmen at risk of dropping out 2.3.A.3: Pilot use of SCORE resiliency training to improve student retention

Pilot various assessment mechanisms

Director

Fall 2012

2

Academic

Skills Center,

Business

Office,

Student

Affairs,

Academic

Affairs,

Administrati

ive Council

2.3.A.4: Assign peer mentors to sections of UNIV1000 (FY Ambassadors)

Success rate of graduates from UNIV 1000

2.4: Objective: Improve success of Learning Support students by

redesign of Learning Support Courses

Target: 2012: < 10 %; 2015: > 15 %

Director

Fall 2013

2

Academic

Skills Center

Desired Outcome: Improve success rate in LS courses and retention of LS students

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division

Start Date

Responsible

Element

2.4.A: Convert Implement individualized Track success and

Coordinator Fall 2012

5

all LS courses to instruction using Pearson retention of LS

of Learning

self-paced,

software

students. Also number Support

modular delivery

of students passing

COMPASS

2.5: Objective: Improve delivery of distance education courses and programs
Target: 2012: < 35 %; 2015: > 75 %

Desired Outcome: Rate of success in on-line courses should be comparable to that of face-to-face courses

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division

Start

Responsible Date

Element

2.5.A: Develop Distance Education Manual for

2.5.A.1: Compose Manual

Monitor annual assessment summaries for improvement in outcome attainment for distance

Academic Affairs

In

3 & 4

progress

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distribution to faculty and students via institutional website

education courses and programs

2.5.A.2: Create website to disseminate manual

Monitor annual assessment summaries for improvement in outcome attainment for distance education courses and programs

Academic Affairs, and Developmen t and University Relations

Fall 2012

3 & 4

2.6: Objective: Improve delivery for distance education program in Business
Target: 2012: 20 %; 2015: 100 %

Desired Outcome: Improve assessment outcomes for BBA Program, and provide model for improvement and development of other distance education programs

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

Division Responsible

2.6.A: Formalize ways of encouraging faculty-student and studentstudent interactions in distance education courses and programs

2.6.A.1: Institute a Memorandum of Understanding between School of Business and distance education faculty that emphasizes the necessity faculty-student and student-student interactions in distance education instruction

Monitor BBS annual assessment summaries for improvement in outcome attainment for distance education programs

School of Business

2.6.A.2: Institute specific program of annual evaluation of distance education instruction that specifically evaluates quality of student-faculty interactions in distance education courses.

Monitor BBS annual assessment summaries for improvement in outcome attainment for distance education programs

School of Business

Strategic Goal 3 Cultivating Community Partnerships

Start

Element

Date

Fall 2012 3 & 4

Fall 2012 3 & 4

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3.1: Objective: Develop a collaborative program to create a college-bound culture among students in area schools.
Target: 2012: < 20 %; 2015: > 60 %

Strategy

Action Steps

Assessment

3.1.A: Provide assistance and mentoring for public school students promoting participation in higher education using CCTI training materials.

3.1.A.1: Meet with administrators from local schools and USG personnel to discuss available training materials. 3.1.A.2: Train appropriate personnel at all institutions. 3.1.A.3: Conduct jointly sponsored "College Readiness" workshops

3.1.B: Develop High School Counselor Awareness and engage Graduation Coaches

3.1.A.4: Develop program using college students as mentors to promote college participation 3.1.A.5: Staff and maintain "College Bound" resource room at appropriate K12 campuses Make use of SREB materials

Sumter County Mentor Partnership

Use DHR funding and governing from LEAP (Learning for Everyone ... Avenue to Progress) to continue the program

Participation in meeting
Assessment of understanding of materials
Participation in workshops, number of HS students applying to college Participation in program
Track use of resource room(s) by students
Track number of college ready students coming out of targeted high schools Numbers of students in the program

Desired Outcome: Improved access

and student success, especially

among students from under-

represented groups. Create an

environment in which students are

ready and able to succeed in

college.

Division

Start Date Element

Responsible

Deans, Arts Fall 2012 1,2

and Sciences

and

Education

Deans, Arts Fall 2012 1,2

and Sciences

and

Education

Deans, Arts Spring

1,2

and Sciences 2013

and

Education

Deans, Arts Planning 1,2

and Sciences Spring

and

2013

Education

Start Fall

2013

Dean, A&S Fall 2013 1,2

Enrollment Fall 2012 1,2 Management

Student Affairs

Fall 2012 1, 2

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Part III: Implementation
While the directors of the respective areas assigned tasks/strategies will be responsible for implementation of them, success of the overall plan will depend on buy-in from across campus and input on how we can continue to improve our plans. In order to establish buy-in from all constituencies, the Office of Academic Affairs will launch a series of workshops for faculty and staff to ensure the entire community understands the importance of retention and progression and knows how each area contributes to the successful progression of our students. The Vice President of Academic Affairs has laid the groundwork for this series with several addresses to the campus, starting in April 2012, where he has presented data on GSW's retention and completion rates to the entire campus community and emphasized the importance of working together to address barriers to student success. The Office of Academic Affairs will follow up with a series of professional development workshops that will focus on improving retention and graduation. Workshops will not only allow communication of university plans to a wide constituency, but will provide an avenue for feedback on how well our strategies are working and what else we could do to improve retention and completion. Although some of the tasks in GSW's CCG plan involve only a single office or division, success of the overall plan will require participation and support across the campus. Directors will be charged with ensuring implementation of plans within their divisions, as indicated in the above action charts.
Part IV: Ongoing Evaluation The Office of Institutional Research will provide the following data for the CCG committee to use in continuous evaluation of institutional progress towards goals. Retention Rates One-year retention rates for the first-time full-time cohort. These rates are provided separately by race/ethnicity, sex, and for traditional and non-traditional aged students, students initially enrolled in learning support courses, commuting and residential students, Pell Grant recipients, and first-generation college students. Based on the data in the chart below, our target
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for improvement in retention rates is to have a sustained 3 per cent improvement over the next three years: Institutional-specific One-year Retention Rates

Fall Cohort Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

First-time, Fulltime Freshmen
266 331 326 360 357 399 388 418 435 474

One-Year Retention Rates 71.80 65.56 65.64 70.28 64.71 63.91 76.03 68.90 66.44 64.77

Graduation Rates Overall 4-, 6-, and 8-year graduation rates for the first-time full-time cohort. Six-year rates are provided separately by race/ethnicity, sex, and for traditional and non-traditional aged students, students initially enrolled in learning support courses, commuting and residential students, Pell Grant recipients, and first-generation college students. Based on the data in the chart below, our target for improvement in number of bachelor's degrees granted is to have a sustained 3 per cent improvement over the next three years.: Institutional-specific Graduation Rates

Cohort Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

# in Bachelor's Degree-
seeking Cohort
306 266 330 323 352 356 399 388

Graduated in: 4 Years

#

%

44 14.38

31 11.65

45 13.64

48 14.86

40 11.36

37 10.39

52 13.03

59 15.21

Graduated in: 5 Years

#

%

94 30.72

79

29.7

85 25.76

98 30.34

92 26.14

89

25

107 26.82

Graduated in: 6 Years

#

%

114 37.25

93 34.96

108 32.73

113 34.98

108 30.68

107 30.06

Graduated in: 7 Years

#

%

125 40.85

99 37.22

117 35.45

121 37.46

113 32.1

Graduated in: 8 Years

#

%

129 42.16

101 37.97

120 36.36

126 39.01

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Degrees Conferred The number of Bachelor's degrees awarded in an academic year (summer, fall, and
spring). These numbers are provided separately by major, race/ethnicity, sex, age, for Pell Grant recipients, and first-generation college students. Student Characteristics
Fall enrollment by race/ethnicity, sex, age, full- or part-time status, number of credit hours taken by each student, first-generation students, and Pell Grant recipients. Grade Distributions
Grade distributions for all classes are provided for each fall and spring terms. Grade distributions are also provided separately for the first-time freshmen cohort fall courses and courses with the highest and lowest percentage of As, Bs, and Cs are identified. Exit Rates from Learning Support Classes
Exit rates and number of attempts are provided separately for traditional and nontraditional aged learning support students. Grades in the first English composition and math courses for students who exit from learning support are also provided. Advisement Survey
Locally-developed survey administered annually to all GSW students. Questions pertain to the frequency of advising, accuracy of advising, extent student found advice and advisor to be helpful, and overall quality of academic advising.
Since every academic program, and student or administrative support program submits an annual report, the units responsible for the specific tasks associated with this plan will begin reporting on results associated with their tasks in their 2012-13 annual reports, due no later than
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GSW CCG REPORT October 2013. Each unit will report its results as part of its "Progress Towards Strategic Goals" summary, which is a section of its annual report. The progress sections are compiled by the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, who receives copies of all annual reports, and forwarded to the Strategic Planning and Assessment subcommittee of GSW's Institutional Effectiveness Committee for review and analysis. Beginning next year, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning will compile also the strategic progress summaries from the units responsible for the specific tasks associated with this plan, and forward the compiled summaries to the Complete College Georgia committee for analysis and proposed actions based on the committee's analysis of results.
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APPENDIX
Engagement: 1. Research has shown that involvement in the university is a key factor in student persistence (Astin, 1982; Tinto, 1987). Astin (1984) reported that the more students are involved on campus, the higher their likelihood is to remain and have positive feelings about their campus experience. Coupled with student involvement, Astin also noted that the number one factor which influences students to remain at their institution is their peers. He argues that "the single most potent source of influence on growth and development during the undergraduate years are student peer groups (Astin, 1993, p. 398). He further espoused that this interaction among student peers "had farreaching effects on nearly all areas of student learning and development" (p. 398). 2. Peer mentoring or peer counseling as it has come to be known, has been used as a way of increasing student retention (Brawer, 1996; Good, Haplin, &Haplin, 2000; Highsmith, Denes & Pierre, 1998) and is considered a "critical factor in the success of black freshmen" (Upcraft, Gardner & Associates, 1989, p. 120). The major focus behind peer counseling is to help other students successfully adjust to the social and academic environment of an institution of higher learning. This concept involves training acclimated students to assist new students in making the transition from home, high school, or community college to their new found environment. Freeman (1999) found that mentoring is important for students who find themselves in environments that are culturally unique from those they left. Further, Villalpando (2003) determined that for students of color peer groups are essential as "peer groups empower and nourish academic success and foster the development of a critical cultural consciousness by understanding the member's condition as radicalized students within the academy" (p. 633). Additionally, peer mentoring in higher education may focus on social, academic, and cultural skills that can assist students in their matriculation and in many instances targets ethnic minorities and women. 3. Within the academic realm, "the virtues of mentoring have withstood the test of time and have been found applicable to a variety of situations, including the undergraduate experience" (Scott and Homant, 2007, p. 62). It has become "known as a method used within colleges and universities as a means for meeting the diverse needs of various groups of students as they begin the college adjustment process" (Correll, 2005, p 2).
Improving the First Year Experience Support Structure: 1. Our First Year Experience currently consists primarily of programs aimed at students' first term. These include: 1) An orientation weekend, 2) UNIV 1000 an orientation class, 3) "learning communities" which consist primarily of a block schedule of classes, and 4) residence life programming. There is one program that occurs in the spring term, which is UNIV 1001 a course that freshmen on Academic Warning are required to take. a. In order to strengthen the first year experience, we are proposing: Revisions to the UNIV 1000 course. b. Introduction of "discipline-specific" sections of the course. These sections will be taught by faculty within the discipline and limited to students who are majors in that area. Although all sections of UNIV 1000 are organized around specific majors and are often taught by faculty within the discipline, these new sections will differ in the course content. These sections will still cover the standard orientation material during the first half of the term, but will emphasize improving students' study skills through the introduction of discipline-specific readings during the second half of the term. c. Because these are existing courses, there should be no or minimal cost (possibly stipends for one or two additional sections of UNIV 1000).
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d. Evaluation of the success of these course sections will occur by comparing course grades, first term GPAs, and one-year retention rates for students in these sections to students from other UNIV 1000 sections.
2. Implementation of a Peer Leadership program by assigning peer leaders to sections of UNIV 1000. New students may perceive peer leaders to be more approachable than faculty/staff because of the peers' recent and relevant experiences as a student at GSW. As a result, they can become a trusted resource for new students who may not feel comfortable seeking help from faculty or staff. a. The costs involved for implementing a peer leadership program primarily involve pay for the peers. A proposal has been made for paying a $100.00 stipend for peer leaders for 25 sections of UNIV 1000, which would be a total cost of $2500.00. It has also been suggested that instead of cash, the students could be given a book store voucher. Upon further discussion, we believe that the compensation for peers should be at least $200.00 because we need to attract solid students who will be expected to spend significant time and energy to serve as peer leaders. During the initial year of implementation (fall 2012), peers could be assigned to 10-12 sections of UNIV 1000. This would allow us to evaluate the program by comparing the performance/retention of the students in the sections with the peer leaders to sections without the peer leaders. As the program is further developed, peer leaders would be assigned to all sections of UNIV 1000. In addition, the peers could be required to attend a course specifically developed for peer leaders or one of the current LEAD courses (if applicable), which would create some tuition revenue to help support the peer leader program. b. The costs involved in implementing this program would be the additional hourly pay for the tutors. This may vary depending upon how many hours the tutors may be expected to participate in the class. If the tutors were expected to attend each class, the cost would be approximately $166.75 ($7.25 hr. for 23 classes) for each tutor/section. c. Evaluation of the success of these course sections will occur by comparing course grades, first term GPAs, and one-year retention rates for students in these sections to students from other UNIV 1000 sections. d. Assign tutors to sections of UNIV 1000. Tutors could assist the classes by providing the students with general studies skills or targeting specific classes in the students' learning communities. New students will become familiar with tutors and will hopefully be more comfortable seeking tutoring on their own. Alternatively, the tutor could attend a few of the regular UNIV 1000 class sessions early in the term and then lead weekly study sessions with the students outside of class. e. The program could initially be implemented in 5-6 sections of UNIV 1000 so that the performance/retention of the students in the sections with the embedded tutors could be compared to other sections. Sections of UNIV 1000 where students are enrolled in known "choke point" courses (such as BIOL 1107, BIOL 2107, SOCI 1101, MATH 1111, HIST 1111/1112, or POLS 1101) would be the logical choices for the placement of tutors into UNIV 1000 classes. f. Evaluation of the success of these course sections will occur by comparing course grades, first term GPAs, and one-year retention rates for students in these sections to students from other UNIV 1000 sections.
3. Develop a year-long theme to create a unified first year experience. Programming in Residence Life, UNIV 1000, and additional activities for first-year freshmen would focus on the chosen theme and encourage students to become more engaged on campus and with other freshmen outside of their classes.
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a. Evaluation of the success of the theme-based programming will occur by examining participation rates in the programming, student satisfaction with the activities through the UNIV 1000 course evaluations, and one-year retention rates.
4. Supplement UNIV 1000 by creating "for freshmen only" activities that take place during the convocation hour. These activities could include a freshman convocation, team building activities such as the "Play Fair" that occurs during the orientation weekend, a common reading, and other theme-related activities. The theme based programming would be a collaboration between the First Year Advocate, the Residence Life Coordinator for the Freshmen Residence Halls, and the Director of Campus Life. a. The costs for this programming may initially require funding by the university. We plan to find out if we can obtain funding from the money provided by student activities fees and we also need to get some estimates for the costs of funding at least one special activity a month. We have discussed the possibility of requesting a special fee that would be associated with taking UNIV 1000. The funds generated by the fee would then be used for the additional course programming. In the past, we have used text books that have ranged in price from 10.00 to 45.00, but we do not currently utilize a text book for the course. So a lab fee for the course would not be an undue cost to the students. A fee as low as 10.00 per UNIV 1000 participant could generate approximately $4,500.00 to $5,000.00 depending upon the size of the incoming freshmen class. Kennesaw currently charges a $100.00 fee per student. Although it is too late to implement the fee for this incoming fall, we can begin to talk to Amber DeBaise and Cody King about proposing the fee for the fall 2013 class.
5. Create areas for students to congregate on campus. We currently do not have good places on campus for students to meet and socialize. If we want students to feel connected to the campus and to each other, they need some places to gather on campus. It is also difficult to find places to schedule additional out of class activities, as the SSC conference rooms are often booked.
6. Create a Special Topics for Freshmen course or Freshmen Seminar for first-year students to take in the spring term. This 2 hour credit course will be designed primarily as an interdisciplinary "Perspectives" course which will be team-taught by faculty from different disciplines but on a common topic hopefully one that is related to the first-year theme. This course will provide additional contact between faculty and new freshmen during the spring term, extending the first year experience to a full first year. This course will be designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and enhance their understanding of the general education curriculum through the exploration of a topic from different approaches. A course outline template will be developed and submitted to the Academic Affairs committee so that the course can be offered starting in Spring 2013. a. We have previously discussed developing a similar course which could be submitted for approval for credit in Area B. We still think that this may ultimately be a good option, however, it also appears to be somewhat of a barrier in that approval by the BOR for Area B would take more than a year to obtain and might not be possible at all, since PLA 2000 was not approved because Area B courses must be open to all students. Alternatively, there are many schools that require completion of a freshmen seminar as a graduation requirement, similar to the way in which we require completion of UNIV 1000. b. We think that there will be a sufficient number of first year freshmen who will be interested in taking a course on a unique special topic and will need a 2 credit hour course to complete a 12-15 hour schedule, even if the course is counted as elective hours. We therefore plan to begin to offer the course before pursuing approval for Area B or making
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the course a graduation requirement. Hopefully, there will be enough faculty interested in teaching the course to offer 5-6 sections of the course in Spring 2013. c. This is a course which will most likely be taught as an overload by faculty, who will therefore be paid the appropriate overload pay. The tuition generated by the course should be sufficient to pay the faculty the overload pay, and If necessary, a minimum enrollment number, for example 10, could be required to insure sufficient revenue. The ideal enrollment size for the course should be limited to 15-20 students per section. d. Evaluation of the success of the implementation of a freshmen special topics course or seminar will occur by examining course evaluations and one-year retention rates for students who take the seminars compared to those who do not. Additional Partnerships with K-12: 1. Department of Mathematics a. Certificate for Two-Year College Mathematics Teachers b. Certificate Program for K-8 Mathematics Teachers 2. School of Mathematics and Computer Sciences a. Grant applications, the purpose of which is to boost students' creativity and problems solving skills. The School faculty will be working with the middle and high school students over the Internet and use Moodle free learning management system. Such a setting will allow us to reach students in rural Southwest Georgia, who are traditionally underserved.
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Georgia State University College Completion Plan 2012
Executive Summary
With an undergraduate student body that is 30% first generation, 87% on federal financial aid, 53% Pell recipients, 60% non-white, 58% transfer, and 26% adult learners, Georgia State University is not only a microcosm of the emerging post-secondary demographics of the state of Georgia; it is also a collection of the very populations that higher education has traditionally failed. The New York Times recently reported that the percentage of Americans in the top income quartile who by the age of 24 hold the baccalaureate degree has risen 42 points from 40% in 1970 to 82% today. In contrast, during the same four decades, baccalaureate completion rates for Americans in the lowest income quartile have moved only 2 points, from 6% to 8% [see table 1]. In other words, it is now ten times more likely that an upper-income American will attain a college degree than a low-income American, a gap wider than 40 years ago. Meanwhile, the large achievement gap that exists between white and non-white college students is also growing rather than shrinking, and first-generation students who enroll in college are only one-third as likely to earn a baccalaureate degree as are students whose parents have completed college.
We must do better. If the state of Georgia is to reach its ambitious goal of graduating 250,000 more Georgians with post-secondary credentials over and above the current rates by the year 2020, it will not be primarily through efforts with upper- and middle-class students from college-educated families; the vast majority of these students are already completing college. It will be through finding innovative, impactful, and scalable ways to succeed with the types of students that Georgia State enrolls.
This Completion Plan builds upon the growing national reputation of Georgia State as a place where students who struggle elsewhere are able to succeed. In 2010, the Education Trust lauded GSU for having the second-highest increase in graduation rates for underrepresented students of any university in the nation--an 18.4 point improvement over the past four years [table 2]. In the past year, the University had a graduation rate for Pell students that was 12 points above the national average, conferred more baccalaureate degrees to Latinos than any institution in the state of Georgia, ranked among the top 50 schools in the nation for the number of undergraduate degrees conferred to Asian Americans, and, with a 17% one-year increase, conferred more undergraduate degrees to African Americans than any non-profit college or university in the nation [table 3]. At Georgia State, there is no achievement gap.
There is, however, still much work to be done, including significantly raising the success rates for all Georgia State students. This Completion Plan maps out the next steps. The plan centers on a series of five overarching goals, each to be attained by 2020 (with intermediate benchmarks set for 2015):
We will improve institutional graduation rates by 12 points for both full-time and part time students.
We will enhance our reputation as a destination for students from all backgrounds by increasing by 30% the number of students enrolled from key underrepresented groups.
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We will significantly lower the time and number of credit hours that it takes for the average Georgia State undergraduate to earn a degree, thus lowering both drop-out rates and the level of debt that students might otherwise assume.
We will raise the total number of degrees conferred annually to undergraduates from the current level of 4,383 to 5,500 per year.
We will put tens of thousands of additional Georgians on a path to greater success by conferring 66,000 degrees between now and 2020. Among these will be 42,000 undergraduate degrees.
There are clear challenges to meeting these goals. Perhaps most significantly, Georgia State students often lack financial resources sufficient to get them to the point of graduation. High levels of unmet need among our students lead them to work multiple jobs, enroll in fewer courses, stop out for semesters, or drop out entirely. Because of their finances, students who graduate often take longer to do so, running up more debt in the process. Nationally, graduation rates typically rise by 2 to 3 points between students' 6th and 8th years. For some populations at Georgia State, the increase tops 20 points.
This Completion Plan outlines 16 specific strategies that will allow Georgia State to address these challenges and to reach our completion goals. To reduce the effects of unmet need, we will more than double the institutional scholarship dollars awarded by Georgia State annually and implement a new Panther Retention Grant program to re-enroll students who drop out because they cannot pay for tuition. We also will greatly expand our successful Keep Hope Alive program for students who have lost the Hope scholarship. To raise graduation rates, we will grow the size and impact of Freshman Learning Communities, Supplemental Instruction and other programs that have proven to increase significantly the rates at which our students progress through their studies. Under the leadership of our new Center for Instructional Innovation, we will work with faculty to reinvent the way we deliver course content and will use technology to reach students who grew up amid new modes of learning. To reduce the average time it takes Georgia State students to complete their degrees, we will completely redesign our system of academic advisement, implementing a cutting-edge, web-based advising technology that uses years of GSU retention data to identify when a student has fallen off the path to graduation. Further, we will create an incentive grant program for students who agree to follow an individualized, course-by-course plan to get them to the point of graduation in the most timely manner possible. To help current highschool students realize the dream of a college education and to increase access to GSU, we will institute a Summer Success Academy for at-risk prospective students and grow our partnerships with K-12 through enhancing Early College and instituting a new, large-scale mentoring program for Latino high school students. With the support of grants from the Goizueta and the Coca-Cola Foundations, we will create unique, self-sustaining leadership pipelines that direct deserving Latino and first-generation students from high school through the point of college graduation.
Through these and additional initiatives outlined in this plan, Georgia State University takes the next step in its long-standing and deep commitment to the success of all students. As pledged by President Becker in his inaugural address to the campus community and echoed in the 2011 GSU Strategic Plan, approved unanimously by the University Senate: Georgia State will become a national model for undergraduate education by demonstrating that students from all backgrounds can achieve academic and career success.
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I. Data Analysis: What the Data Tell Us--Five Key Observations
1. Money matters. For the past four years, Georgia State has analyzed with considerable detail the correlation between the financial resources of our students and their completion rates. Unmet need refers to the difference between the costs of being a full time student at GSU and the resources that can be identified for each student through the combination of scholarships, grants, loans, family contributions, and the income derived from the student working 20 hours per week [table 4]. By tracking the level of unmet need of every GSU undergraduate, we have been able to learn several things:
Problems of unmet need are chronic. During the fall of 2011, 63% of our undergraduates (over 14,000 students) had some level of unmet need. In hundreds of instances, students had over $10,000 in unmet need for the academic year, meaning that half of the resources needed to be a full time student at GSU were unaccounted for. Students in such circumstances have to drop out, stop out, reduce their credit hours, skip buying books, skimp on meals, and/or work full time or multiple jobs.
The levels of unmet need are growing. With GSU undergraduates losing over $30 million in state and federal aid over the past twelve months due to cuts to Hope, Summer Pell, ACG, Smart Grants and other programs, the average level of unmet need for GSU undergraduates has risen 31% in the past year: it has more than doubled since 2005. Today, the average Georgia State undergraduate lacks almost one third of the resources that are required to be a full time student [table 5].
There is a direct correlation between unmet need and academic performance. Even when we control for incoming GPA, a GSU student with some level of unmet need is only half as likely to maintain a 3.0 GPA as is a student who has sufficient resources. As levels of unmet need grow, academic performance declines correlatively [table 6].
Unmet need is one of the leading challenges to retention, progression and completion at Georgia State. Precisely because of its impact on GPA, unmet need greatly impacts Hope retention, and GSU students who lose the Hope scholarship graduate at rates 40 points below students who maintain Hope. In addition, as unmet need rises, the stop-out and drop-out rates grow and the number of credit hours taken by students who do manage to enroll decline. With the rapid increase in levels of unmet need this past year, Georgia State saw a 54% one-year increase in the number of students who had to be dropped for non-payment at the fall fee drop and a 198% oneyear increase in the number of credit hours dropped for non-payment, meaning that hundreds of students who were able to stay in school reduced their course loads in order to lower their costs [table 7]. Needless to say, stopping out and reducing the number of course credits taken are behaviors that have devastating impacts on completion rates. As such, addressing the challenges posed by unmet need constitutes a major component of GSU's Completion Plan.
2. Georgia State students are becoming more diverse in just about every way. This past fall, Georgia State set new records for the number of African American, Asian, Latino, first generation, and Pell students enrolled. The freshmen class was 38% African American, 16% Asian, and 11% Latino, with the latter two numbers constituting all-time highs. The percent of Pell students has risen from 31% in
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2007 to a record 53% in 2012, and Georgia State now enrolls more than 12,000 Pell students every semester [table 8]. This past fall, the University also enrolled over 6,000 undergraduates who are adult learners and approximately 6,500 first generation undergraduates; while the University has not historically tracked first-generation students in a consistent fashion (a problem we are correcting), these enrollments, too, are believed to be at record levels. It should be noted that, while the data we utilize as an institution are often segmented by racial, ethnic and economic groups, the programs that we implement are, we believe, effective precisely because they do not segment the student population but rather identity and address problems that cross all racial and economic categories and hence that impact the majority of GSU students.
3. Georgia State consistently defies the conventional wisdom with regard to Retention, Progression and Graduation (RPG). Last year, the 6-year graduation rate (rolling three-year average) for Georgia State was 48.7% for full-time students and 32.5% for part-time students, while the rates were 51.1% for full-time Pell students and 39.1% for part-time Pell students. In short, our Pell students are succeeding at consistently higher rates than are our non-Pell students [table 9]. Since 2004, GSU's overall 6-year graduation rate for full-time students has risen by 16 points. During this same period, the rate for full-time Latino students has risen 34 points, from 25% to 59% [table 10]. Latino students are now not only outperforming all other ethnic and racial groups in their graduation rates, their one-year retention rates also exceed those of the overall student body by 6 points (89% compared to 83%). Graduation rates for both Latino and African American students at GSU top those for white students. The total number of degrees conferred by Georgia State has risen from 5,774 in 2007-2008 to 7,001 in 20112012, a 21% increase over the past five years [table 11]. When one disaggregates these numbers, one once again sees that the most marked improvements come from student populations who often struggle nationally. Over the past twelve months, the number of degrees conferred to undergraduates overall grew by 6%, but conferrals to underrepresented students increased by 13% and conferrals to African American students grew by 17%. Georgia State now confers more baccalaureate degrees to African Americans than any non-profit college or university in the nation.
4. Despite exceptional progress, Georgia State still has much work to do. Georgia State's one-year retention rate for full time students (83%) is 9 points above national averages for four-year public institutions, but its six-year graduation rate for the same students is almost 10 points below national averages. The data show that the primary sources of this phenomenon are: (a) the financial base of GSU students (students with large amounts of unmet need are less able to sustain their enrollment over multiple years), and (b) the transient nature of the GSU student population, especially in the current economy (if one includes the students who, after six years, are still enrolled in college or who have graduated from another institution, Georgia State's six-year success rate with full time students rises from 48.7% to 78.5%, a 30 point increase) [table 12]. Nevertheless, there are still too many obstacles that Georgia State puts in the way of its students. For instance, the academic advising system on campus is currently woefully understaffed and largely uncoordinated--an unacceptable situation on a campus with large numbers of first-generation and low-income students who need proactive help to navigate the college landscape. In addition, a series of academic policies and requirements have been instituted over time, often with the best of intentions, but without careful analysis of their implications for student completion (see Objective 7, below). The cumulative result of these obstacles is that, in recent years, the average number of credit hours at completion has increased for both native and transfer students at Georgia State
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[table 13]. Additionally, while the graduation rates for part-time Pell students are comparatively strong, it is clear that the University still has much work to do in raising the completion rates for its other parttime students, for whom the six-year graduation rate sits at only 32.5%. (Please note: Georgia State has an LSP population that is too statistically insignificant to track--typically fewer than 8 students per year.)
5. We must find ways to reduce the time it takes GSU undergraduates to earn their degrees. One of the most striking findings evidenced by the data is the large increase in graduation rates of nearly all categories of students between their 6th and 8th years. While the national average for fouryear public universities is a 2 to 3 point increase over this period, Georgia State's numbers improve 7 points for full-time students (from 48% to 55%), 13 points for part-time students (from 32.5% to 45.9%) and an incredible 26 points for part-time Pell students (from 39% to 65%) [table 9]. These numbers reflect an important reality about low-income students who have significant amounts of unmet need: even when they are performing well academically and are making good progress towards completion, they take longer to graduate. Regardless, since our data also show that students with unmet need are more likely to drop out and to run up additional debt, we need to find ways to get these students to the point of completion sooner--another central focus of our completion plan.
II. Goals and the Process that Led to Their Adoption
Process. Through a multi-year, campus-wide and data-driven process involving the Strategic Planning Committee, the University Senate, Administrative Council, deans and department chairs, hundreds of faculty and staff, the Student Government Association, and led by President Becker and Provost Palm, Georgia State has made a commitment to student success as its highest institutional priority. The broad dialogue has also involved other important stakeholders including members of the GSU Foundation Board, alumni, donors, business and political leaders, representatives from K-12, and leaders of private foundations. The University commitment that emerged from this process is most prominently evidenced in the 2011 University Strategic Plan, but it extends far beyond this one document. It is evidenced in what has become the top priority of the GSU Foundation: the raising of scholarship dollars in an effort to address what our data show is the leading cause of student attrition, financial need. It is evidenced in the University's budget, with significant new allocations going to programs that have been successful in raising completion rates such as Keep Hope Alive, Supplemental Instruction, University Assistantships, Panther Retention Grants, and the Grades First early alert system. The commitment is evident in the a large and multi-faceted plan to overhaul student advisement on campus--a plan involving every college, cutting-edge new advising technologies, and a doubling of the number of professional advisors on campus over the next 6 months. It is evident in the completion metrics used to track the work of all deans and department chairs annually and in recent GSU property acquisitions to create space to accommodate the Honors College, the new University Advising Center, and--in the years ahead--a Student Success Center to bring together student support services from across campus.
Goals. Georgia State University has adopted five overarching and ambitious completion goals, a number of which were set forth in the 2011 Strategic Plan:
We will confer 66,000 degrees between now and the year 2020. Among these will be 42,000 undergraduate degrees.
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We will increase the total number of degrees conferred annually institution-wide from the current number of 7,001 (FY12) to 7,700 in FY15 and 8,650 in FY20. We will raise the number of undergraduate degrees conferred annually from the current total of 4,383 (FY12) to 4,900 in FY15 and to 5,500 in FY20.
We will improve the institutional 6-year graduation rate for full-time students (currently at 48.3%) to 52% by FY15 and to 60% by FY20 and increase the institutional graduation rate for students entering part time from the current rate of 38.2% to 42% by FY15 and to 50% by FY20.
We will increase the number of undergraduates enrolled from each of the following groups by 15% by FY15 and by 30% by FY20: (a) first generation students, (b) students eligible for federal financial aid, and (c) adult learners, including military learners.
We will lower the average number of credit hours at completion from the current levels of 140 for native students and 148.7 for transfer students (FY12) to 136 for native students and to 145 for transfer students by FY15.
To reach these overarching goals, the University will pursue a series of 16 intermediate objectives that are critical to addressing the problems that contribute to student attrition at Georgia State. It is to a discussion of these objectives that we next turn.
III. Strategies and Objectives
Strategy A: Lower the Levels of Unmet Need
Objective 1: We will double the numbers and amounts of need- and merit-based scholarships. Georgia State has made it the highest fund-raising priority to increase scholarship dollars for students. Led by President Becker and the GSU Foundation, the University has raised over $10 million in new scholarship monies over the past twelve months, led by a $4.98 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation ($4 million in scholarships for Latino students and $998K for support of retention programming) and a $1.15 million grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation ($1 million in scholarships for first-generation students and $150K for support of retention programming). Individual donations for student scholarships have more than tripled from a year ago. GSU just opened a fully staffed Scholarship Resource Center and created a searchable data base of scholarship opportunities for students. Impact: Disbursements to students from institutional scholarships and grants increased 71% over the past year, helping to mitigate some of the impact of cuts to Hope, Summer Pell, and other aid programs. In its first 6 months of operation, the new scholarship data base was used by over 7,000 students. Lead Units: President Becker, the GSU Foundation, Scholarship Resource Center.
Objective 2: We will enhance the size and effectiveness of the Panther Retention Grant program. With a large increase in the number of GSU students dropped for non-payment this past fall and spring, GSU's division of Enrollment Services initiated a new program. Within hours of the fee drop, call center personnel in the One Stop Shop and Admissions were proactively reaching out to hundreds of students who had been dropped. Financial Aid reassessed aid packages for these students to see if additional funding could be located. Based on an analysis of each individual student's level of unmet need, staff members offered grant monies. In some cases, shortages of only a few hundred dollars were preventing students from being able to re-enroll--a surprising claim until one realizes that over 30% of
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Georgia State students come from households with annual incomes of $30,000 or less. Impact: Several hundred students were brought back into their classes post-drop by means of this experimental program during the 2011-2012 academic year. By spring 2012, and largely due to the program, the fee drop was lighter than had been the case the previous spring [table 14]. Because of its success as a pilot program in FY12, the University has committed more than $1 million to the Panther Retention Grant program in FY13. Lead Units: AVP for Student Retention, Director of Financial Aid.
Objective 3: We will decrease the negative effects of the loss of Hope through growing the reach and impact of GSU's signature Keep Hope Alive program. At Georgia State, 74% of the freshman class comes into the University supported by the Hope Scholarship, and the scholarship is worth over $8,000 per year. Several years ago, 51% of Hope freshmen lost the scholarship by end of their first year. Of these students, only 9% ever gained the scholarship back again. For those who remained without the scholarship, their likelihood of graduating dropped 40 points, from 61% to 21% [table 15]. Sadly, the vast majority of students who dropped out after losing Hope left Georgia State in good academic standing; they were on the path to graduating, they just lacked a 3.0 GPA. In 2009 we piloted a program offering students $500 a semester for the first two semesters after they had lost Hope. In return for the funds, they signed a contract agreeing to attend a series of academic skills and financial literacy workshops and to meet with their academic advisors several times during the year. Impact: While the overall rate of Hope recovery for GSU students not in Keep Hope Alive is 9%, over 60% of the students in the program last year recovered Hope by their next check point [table 16]. The program has helped to raise Hope retention rates on campus from 49% in 2008 to 68% last year and has proven so effective that the Goizueta and the Coca-Cola Foundations both directed funds to the initiative as part of their recent gifts to GSU. In 2009, the program started with $40K in Foundation dollars; this coming year, it will be supported at the $250K level and hence will be able to impact hundreds of additional students. The financial literacy workshops have proven so successful that they are now included in every freshmen orientation session. Lead Units: AVP for Student Retention, Office of Undergraduate Studies
Strategy B: Reduce the Time and Credit Hours to Degree
Credit hours taken over and above the minimum number needed to complete the degree add an estimated 14% to the final costs of a degree for the average GSU undergraduate. Strategies for reducing the number of credit hours at completion are critical to improving completion rates at GSU.
Objective 4: We will redesign academic advising. Georgia State currently has an academic advising system that has developed piece-meal over time. The University and its colleges maintain six different advising offices. There is little coordination between them, no common record keeping, and no common training. The current student-advisor ratio of more than 700-to-1 on campus is more than double the recommended national standard. As prescribed by the 2011 Georgia State Strategic Plan, Georgia State is in the process of hiring 42 additional academic advisors over the next six months, bringing our student-advisor ratio to the national standard of 300-to-1. We have established a campus-wide University Advising Council to coordinate advisement. We will adopt a common electronic record keeping system this fall for all advisors campus-wide, and all advisors will undergo regular University-level training. In addition, we have accepted an invitation from the Education Advisory Board in Washington to be one of four universities nationally to collaborate on the development and implementation of a state-of-the-art, web-based advising system that will utilize years of Georgia State's RPG data to determine when advising
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interventions are most needed. For instance, data show that if Political Science majors get an A or B in their first courses in the field, more than 75% of the students graduate in six years; if students receive a C, their likelihood of graduating in six years drops to 25%. The new system will alert the advisor of the C student immediately so that the student can be directed to workshops and tutoring needed to develop skills critical to success in the discipline. In some cases, students may be counseled to pursue other majors. The key is to provide help at the earliest possible stage, before students have wasted credit hours and damaged their GPAs. Hundreds of markers, some specific to every major on campus, are being programmed into the web-based system. Impact: All undergraduates will be assigned an advisor and will be tracked by the new system, so the impact will extend to all student populations. The system will help increase the effectiveness of other RPG programs. For example, a marker has been developed which will notify central offices when Hope students have GPAs declining towards 3.0 so that appropriate interventions may be pursued, hopefully before Hope is lost. A study at Florida State found that proactive advising has disproportionately large impacts on first-generation and low-income students--groups who often lack the context to self-diagnose the academic problems that they may be having and who are reluctant to seek help on their own--making Georgia State an ideal candidate for an advising program of this sort. With higher staffing levels and a new, central location, the University Advising Center will be open for evening hours, a particularly important service to adult learners and students with jobs. Lead Units: Assoc. Provost for Academic Programs, University Advising Council.
Objective 5: We will expand our successful Transition and Graduation Advisor program. In addition to hiring more professional advisors assigned to individual students, since 2010 GSU has been hiring a team of advisors dedicated to specific challenges faced by groups of students collectively. 6-year graduation rates for students who change majors after the completion of 75 hours can be 10 to 20 points lower than overall rates. Additionally, in the final semesters before graduating, many students fail to select the courses they need to complete requirements efficiently or they find that the course sections they need are full. Transition and Graduation Advisors work with students and departments to help ease the transition between majors and to resolve roadblocks to graduation. Because of this initiative, Georgia State already knows that it will set a new record for its institutional six-year graduation rate in October 2012; our Graduation Advisors have tracked 49.7% of the 2005 cohort to the point of graduation by the end of spring 2012 and have helped another 23 students from the cohort register for the courses they need to graduate this summer. Assuming these students perform well in their summer courses, the overall 6year graduation rate will rise to 50.74% by this fall [chart 17]. Impact: In the first two years of the program, the advisors have saved over 700 students from having to enroll extra semesters in order to graduate, have brought more than 370 students to the point of graduation, and have counseled 40 students into new majors because of inadequate grades in their initial fields. We are increasing the total number of advisors in the program from four to six during FY13. Lead Unit: AVP for Student Retention.
Objective 6: We will implement a Graduation Incentive Grant program to encourage timely graduation. The program will offer grants of $500 for seniors who agree to complete and adhere to a written, individualized plan that charts a course-by-course path to graduation in the most timely fashion possible. Impact: Our graduation advisors have found that too many seniors fail to plan ahead. They fail to take courses they need when they are offered or decide to drop a course that they need to graduate. A structured plan developed with an advisor the spring before the senior year may save these students added semesters and thousands of dollars. Lead Unit: Advising Center, Office of Undergraduate Studies.
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Objective 7: We will revise academic policies that impede student progression and success. In recent years, as Georgia State enrollments have climbed to record levels, a series of academic departments implemented special admission requirements as a means of controlling over-enrollment in their majors-many times with unforeseen negative impacts on RPG. With the extensive use of data and the collaboration of the University Senate and departmental faculties, we are in the process of revising each of these policies. We are instituting, for instance, a pre-Health major that will lead not merely to the B.S.N. but also to new baccalaureate degrees in Health Information Technolgy, Public Health, and Health Management. The courses previously required of pre-Nursing students will be fully applicable to these new majors, and, by using data to create a predictive model, we have developed a formula to allow Nursing faculty to make decisions about who will be admitted into the B.S.N. program at the end of the freshman rather than sophomore year. Eligibility requirements for Business, Journalism and other high demand majors are also being reworked. Impact: Precisely because these policies were developed to control enrollments in over-subscribed majors, they impact a disproportionately large number of students. In the fall 2011, approximately 8,000 GSU undergraduates were enrolled (or seeking to enroll) in Nursing, Business and Journalism alone. The newly introduced majors in health fields will direct students to careers in areas that currently suffer from critical workforce shortages in the state of Georgia. Lead Units: Admissions and Standards Committee of the University Senate, College Deans.
Strategy C: Improve Access for Underserved Student Populations both through Innovative GSU Programs and Partnerships with K-12.
Objective 8: We will institute Summer Success Academy and a fall program for at-risk freshmen. In recent years, Georgia State has received far more applications than the number of students that can be accommodated for the fall semester. Meanwhile, our data have shown that there are identifiable characteristics of admitted students that correlate highly to academic struggles and attrition. This summer, GSU is piloting its first-ever Summer Success Academy for over 120 freshmen. These students were admitted for the fall on the condition that they attend the Academy, a seven-week long, 7-credit hour program in which all students are enrolled in Freshman Learning Communities (that will extend into fall and spring) and are exposed to intensive academic support, including Supplemental Instruction, our Grades First early alert system, and the programming and workshops that have made the Keep Hope Alive program successful. For at-risk freshmen who start in the fall semester, we have created a parallel program to be piloted in 2012. Impact: These programs, which are expected to grow in size beyond their current pilot levels, will provide much greater access to GSU for first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students who have strong abilities but who may lack adequate college preparation to start their careers taking a full load of 5 or 6 courses in the fall. When piloted in the summer of 2012, 132 of 135 of the students enrolled--all of whom were at-risk freshmen--completed the program with GPAs of 2.5 or above. Lead Units: AVP for Student Retention, Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Objective 9: We will create self-sustaining Leadership Pipelines for Latino and first generation students. With the support of almost $5 million from the Goizueta Foundation, Georgia State will create a self-sustaining pipeline from high-school through graduation and then into the workplace for many of the state of Georgia's promising Latinos. As a condition of accepting the scholarship, Goizueta scholars will sign a contract agreeing to serve as tutors to current college students through GSU's successful Supplemental Instruction program and as mentors to Latino high school students to help to support the next generation of Latino college students. We have come to an agreement with the Cobb County System
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for GSU students to serve as mentors to current Latino high school students in Cobb during the coming academic year. GSU's Latino alumni, in turn, will help to mentor the current group of Goizueta scholars. The Coca-Cola Foundation so liked this model that they have funded a parallel program for first generation students. Both programs will begin fall 2012 and are funded through at least 2017. Impact: By design, each Goizueta and Coca-Cola scholar at GSU will touch dozens of other students through tutoring and mentoring current college and high school students. Significantly, our data show that tutoring programs also markedly increase the retention and completion rates of the tutors, themselves. Lead Units: Office of Latino Student Support and Outreach, Undergraduate Studies, the Honors College.
Objective 10: We will create an integrated system to recruit, enroll and support military learners. President Becker has appointed a task force with a charge to unify military support services on campus, develop military web pages across the spectrum from admissions to financial aid to counseling, develop tracking systems for military learners in our student data systems, and produce a feasibility study of various models of scholarship support for military learners. Impact: We have not tracked military learners through the same retention systems that we use to track other underserved populations, and, as a result, they have not specifically been targeted for many of the programs that have proven so successful in raising success rates for other groups. As such, the potential is high for future improvement in completion rates for our military learners. Lead Unit: Associate Provost for Academic Programs.
Objective 11: We will strengthen existing Early College partnerships through a focus on college completion. Georgia State has had an Early College agreement with Atlanta Public Schools since 2008. Over this period, more than 700 students from two APS high schools have attended GSU under Early College. The rates at which these students graduate from high school have been high and many of the students are admitted to college. As part of Complete College Georgia, we need to begin to track whether the students are being retained in and graduated from college. If not, we need to strengthen the program so that this goal can be attained. Impact: Early College students are almost exclusively from underserved student populations. While most of these students do not meet minimum BOR admissions requirements to attend research institutions such as Georgia State after high school, the program could contribute substantively to System- and state-wide goals for college completion and workforce development by preparing students to attend schools throughout the USG. Lead Unit: Dean of the College of Education.
Strategy D: Restructure Instructional Delivery to Improve RPG and Degree Conferrals
Objective 12: We will increase the numbers and diversity of students who graduate in STEM fields. Georgia State recognizes the importance to the Georgia economy of producing more graduates prepared to be leaders in the fields of math, science, and technology. Toward this end, we have appointed a campus-wide STEM coordinator (a tenured full professor); totally re-worked the curricula in pre-Calculus courses using a hybrid delivery model with instruction designed around state-of-the-art interactive labs (and, in the process, have lowered DFW rates in these courses by 10 points); successfully secured funding for STEM initiatives from the NSF, BOR, and TRIO; connected Supplemental Instruction to a series of science courses in which students previously struggled; hosted for the past four years an innovative BRAIN summer-long program for promising science students; and implemented a large-scale and coordinated K-12 outreach program in which students taking AP high-school courses in STEM fields from area high schools are brought to campus to experience university-level science research and
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instruction. Impact: We will increase the number of GSU students graduating in STEM fields by 10% by FY15 and 20% by FY20. Lead Units: STEM Coordinator; science, math and computer science chairs.
Objective 13: We will employ the resources of the newly established Center for Instructional Innovation to increase the success of students through hybrid courses and the enhanced use of instructional technology. Under the direction of the new GSU Center for Instructional Innovation, faculty members were awarded summer grants this year as part of a new program to fund the transition of existing lecture courses into technologically-enhanced, hybrid courses. All GSU freshmen now register for their classes on iPads at orientation. As part of the iPad initiative, faculty members who submit successful proposals are assigned a set of these iPads for their students to use for the entire semester, with dozens of different applications--from video journals to virtual tours of art galleries--having been utilized in the first semesters of the program. Impact: We are tracking whether these alternate means of delivery prove effective, particularly with certain student populations who do not do well in more traditional learning environments. Lead Units: Center for Instructional Innovation, IS&T, Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Objective 14: We will increase the percentage of freshmen enrolled in Freshman Learning Communities from the current level of 61% to 70% of the freshmen class by FY15. Objective 15: Using data on course-completion ratios and DFW rates, we will expand the scope of Supplemental Instruction from its current reach of 18 courses to 25 courses by FY15. Objective 16: We will expand the University Assistantship program through which all students who are awarded University-level scholarships are given a paid assistantship working for a faculty member, lab, or project team in their chosen field of study. Impacts: On average, even when one controls for incoming GPA, students who participate in FLCs are retained and graduate at rates 4 points higher than those who do not [table 18]. Students who participate in at least five Supplemental Instruction sessions per semester are retained at a rate 7 points above those who do not [table 19]. Students who participate in the University Assistantship program are retained at a rate 10 points above the University average (93% compared to 83%) and graduate at a rate 27 points above the University average (75% compared to 48%) [table 20]. The number of University Assistantships has more than doubled since 2009. Lead Units: AVP for Student Retention, Office of Undergraduate Studies, academic departments, the Honors College
IV. Implementation and Evaluation of the Plan
None of the initiatives outlined in this plan (and there are probably a dozen other undertakings that could have been discussed if space had allowed) are speculative. All of the strategies have at least been piloted, data has been collected, and resources have been secured. A clear example is our highly ambitious advising initiative. President Becker personally presented a 7-point advising coordination plan in a meeting with advising leadership in March, $2.2 million in new funding has been secured to hire 42 new academic advisors over the next six months, space for these advisors in a new University Advising Center is currently under renovation, the University Advising Council had its first meeting in June, and the Education Advisory Board web-based product went live in August.
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Absolutely essential to the success of the new advising system and all other initiatives outlined in this plan is unprecedented campus-wide support, from the very top of the University administration to individual faculty and staff members. President Becker has made very clear his expectation that Georgia State will succeed in significantly increasing the success rates of its students, and he has backed his words up with strong actions and an even stronger commitment of resources. Provost Palm has applied college completion metrics such as graduation rates and degree conferrals to her regular performance reviews for all deans (and they, in turn, will use the metrics to track the work of department chairs), thus embedding the culture of data-based decision making in the day-to-day operations of the colleges. The University Senate--constituted by faculty, staff, students, and administrators--has unanimously supported the primary components of our completion plan, knowing very well that their votes would, at times, direct resources away from their home units and personal projects. And faculty and staff have worked willingly to make radical changes in long-standing practices, policies and systems--many of which they, themselves, instituted--in order to better serve the students.
Another component critical to the success and implementation of the plan is the fact that the University has consciously and systematically constructed an extensive infrastructure for academic student support over the past decade. During this period, offices essential to the recruitment, financing, registration, retention, and graduation of students have all been brought together in a single division under a common director. These offices include Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, the Office of the Registrar, the One Stop Shop, Undergraduate Studies, First-Year Programs, the Student Advisement Center, and the Graduation Office. In the past three years, two newly created offices were added to the portfolio: the Scholarship Resource Office and the Office of Student Retention, both of which (along with the Student Advisement Center and Undergraduate Studies) are overseen by an Assistant Vice President for Student Retention, a tenured faculty member. By the end of FY13 there will be over 250 employees in the eleven offices that now constitute Enrollment Services at GSU. When an unexpected challenge emerges such as the sudden loss of hundreds of additional students during the fall 2011 fee drop, a large network of personnel and systems, organized under a single administrative structure, can be mobilized quickly to help. Similarly, when a major strategic undertaking such as the advising initiative is launched by the President, key implementation structures already are in place.
IPORT, the Georgia State online data mart, features nightly feeds of data from Banner and other student systems and now offers up-to-date and publicly accessible tables on many key completion metrics to the entire Georgia State community 24/7. The division leader overseeing all of the enrollment and retention offices provides daily, in-person updates to the Provost about progress with regard to key aspects of the plan, and the President includes college completion discussion items on the agenda of almost every administrative meeting and makes the goals of student success a central theme of regular retreats with campus leadership. All deans, vice presidents, and other campus leaders review the latest data, receive verbal updates, and discuss next steps regarding campus progress towards the attainment of University enrollment and completion goals on at least a monthly basis. Department chairs do the same during regular lunches hosted by the Provost and in meetings held by their deans.
The GSU commitment to achieving the goals outlined in this plan is not only philosophical. It is evident in the very structure and practice of the University.
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Campus Contacts:
Timothy Renick, Ph.D. Associate Provost for Academic Programs Chief Enrollment Officer trenick@gsu.edu
Allison Calhoun-Brown, Ph.D. Assistant Vice President for Student Retention acalhounbrown@gsu.edu
Carol Cohen Director, Student Advisement Center ccohen1@gsu.edu
Louis Scott Director, Office of Financial Aid lscott01@gsu.edu
George Pullman, Ph.D. Director, Center for Instructional Innovation gpullman@gsu.edu
Larry Berman, Ph.D. Dean, Honors College larryberman@gsu.edu
Nia Haydel, Ph.D. Office of Undergraduate Studies nhaydel@gsu.edu
Dabney Dixon, Ph.D. STEM Coordinator ddixon@gsu.edu
Paul Alberto, Ph.D. Interim Dean, College of Education palberto@gsu.edu
Walter Massey Vice President of Development wmassey@gsu.edu
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Table 1
Table 2 Table 3
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Table 4 Table 5

Table 6

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Table 7 Table 8

Table 9

Rolling 3-Yr Average Four and Six Year Graduation Rates PELL AND NONPELL

Fall Fall Fall Fall Fall 2003-05 2004-06 2005-07

OVERALL

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Avg.

Avg.

Avg.

First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen

Cohort N

1917 2256 2254 2156 2507

4-Yr Grad. Rate

18.0% 17.2% 18.0% 20.7% 21.6% 17.8% 18.6% 20.1%

6-Yr Grad. Rate

49.7% 48.2% 48.0% n/a n/a 48.7%

n/a

n/a

8-Yr Grad. Rate

55.1% n/a n/a n/a n/a 55.1%

n/a

n/a

First-Time, Part-Time Freshmen

Cohort N

74 79 95 74 95

4-Yr Grad. Rate

6.8% 5.1% 5.3% 5.4% 9.5% 5.7% 5.2% 6.7%

6-Yr Grad. Rate

35.1% 32.9% 29.5% n/a n/a 32.5%

n/a

n/a

8-Yr Grad. Rate

45.9% n/a n/a n/a n/a 45.9%

n/a

n/a

PELL RECIPIENTS First-Time Freshmen
Cohort N 4-Yr Grad. Rate 6-Yr Grad. Rate 8-Yr Grad. Rate First-Time, Part-Time Freshmen Cohort N 4-Yr Grad. Rate 6-Yr Grad. Rate 8-Yr Grad. Rate

Fall 2003
570 17.5% 51.9% 59.1%
20 0.0% 45.0% 65.0%

Fall 2004
776 17.0% 52.1%
n/a
18 0.0% 22.2%
n/a

Fall 2005
692 17.8% 49.4%
n/a
24 8.3% 50.0%
n/a

Fall 2006
731 18.6%
n/a n/a
22 9.1%
n/a n/a

Fall 2003-05 2004-06 2005-07

2007 Avg.

Avg.

Avg.

831 20.7%
n/a n/a

17.4% 51.1% 59.1%

17.8% n/a n/a

19.0% n/a n/a

31 6.5%
n/a n/a

2.8% 39.1% 65.0%

5.8% n/a n/a

8.0% n/a n/a

16

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Table 10

Table 11

Georgia State Degree Conferrals: 5-Year Trends

Undergrad* Grad
Total

2008 3627 2147 5774

2009 3834 2026 5860

2010 3890 2159 6049

2011 4154 2227 6381

1-Yr 5-Yr 2012 Change Change
4383 +6% +21% 2618 +18% +22% 7001 +10% +21%

*Excludes certificates and specialist degrees

Table 12

17
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Table 13
Average Total Credit Hours at Time of Degree Completion

Native Students 3-Yr Avg. Transfer Students 3-Yr Avg. All Students 3-Yr Avg.

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 136.3 137.1 138.8 140.1 140.0 137.4 138.7 139.6 145.5 148.6 149.1 150.0 148.7 147.7 149.2 149.3 141.5 143.7 144.7 145.9 145.0 143.3 144.8 145.2

Averages are based on All Credit Hours Earned towards degree (transfer + institutional) for students who are pursuing their first bachelors degree

Table 14

Table 15

18
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Table 16
Table 17 Table 18
19
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Table 19 Table 20
20
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Complete College Georgia Gordon State College Campus Completion Plan
August 22, 2012
Preamble:
Gordon State College is located south of Atlanta in Barnesville, Georgia where we have served the citizens of central Georgia since 1852. Since 1972 we have been a two-year college of the University System of Georgia, proud of our strong transfer degrees and a highly regarded associate degree program in nursing. In 2006 we became a "state college" with the new mission of offering a limited number of baccalaureate degrees to serve regional needs. Hence our mission is of three pieces: We are an access school providing an avenue to higher education for Georgians; we are a two-year transfer institution with students moving to success at a variety of universities across the state and the Southeast, and we are a four year college presently serving students with seven baccalaureate majors.
Gordon State College is pleased to join the College Completion conversation. We primarily serve the southern metropolitan area of Atlanta and rural central Georgia. Our role in these communities is focused by two strategic goals in the current Gordon Strategic Plan: "Meeting Regional Needs with Quality Academic Services" and "Facilitating Important Student Transitions." Both these goals are closely aligned with the dynamics of the Complete College Georgia (CCG) initiative. More importantly, as Gordon State College involves all stakeholders in its next strategic planning cycle in Fall 2012, the Complete College Georgia initiative will hold a central position in our thinking.
Goals and Data Analysis:
Introductory Thoughts:
Although the focus of this document is much broader than the Retention-Progression-Graduation (RPG) document that was submitted in December of 2011, much of what we learned in creating the RPG document continues to inform our efforts to address the broader agenda outlined in the Complete College Georgia Initiative. In brief summary, the careful analysis we did in that RPG report suggested the following:
(1) In response to the tremendous growth in student population that followed the economic debacle of 2008-2009 (especially growth in the subpopulation of students who entered with extensive Learning Support requirements), Gordon State College lost ground in what had previously been successful efforts to improve student retention and progression toward degree.
(2) One likely culprit in this retention slide was a much-increased reliance on part-time instructors.
(3) Our most effective antidotes to this slide were the many creative programs sponsored by a Student Success Center, a center for tutoring, mentoring, and advising built and staffed in 2009.
(4) Data also supported the effectiveness of several other initiatives of this period including the implementation of a Gordon First Year Experience course.
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(5) The most important measure of the contributions of Gordon State College is not degree completion alone but rather a measure we call the "Appropriate Next Step" measure in which we declare success when a member of our first-time cohort does one of the following three things: The student graduates from Gordon State College or a sister institution with a two-year degree. The student successfully transfers to a sister four-year institution. The student successfully enters one of the baccalaureate programs at Gordon State College and begins taking 3000-level courses.
Although when this analysis was completed in December 2011 we were looking exclusively at the "First- time, Full-time" cohort, we believe that these observations apply equally well to each of the other subpopulations that are important in the Complete College Georgia initiative. Further, many of the strategies we identified in the RPG report to be launched in Fall 2012 will serve these special populations well, especially when "fine-tuned" to attend to needs of these special populations. For example, we will nearly double the number of sections of the Gordon First Year Experience course and require it of all new students with learning support requirements. Obviously this strategy will impact one of the special subpopulations of concern in the Complete College Georgia initiative, students who begin with learning support requirements. Additionally, because we are creating two special sections of the course directed toward adult students (one section is on-line) we will also be impacting the special subpopulation of adult students.
Goals, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Our efforts to establish goals for measures of efficiencies, numbers and access must be rooted in the data from recent years. However, our ability to use that data is clouded by two confounding issues:
Issue 1: The economic collapse in Fall of 2008 created a huge increase in the student population in Fall 2009 that overwhelmed our planning. In Fall 2009 the student population at Gordon State College increased by 18.1%. To our amazement, in Fall 2010 the student population increased another 10%. Moreover, not only did the numbers change, but so did the nature of the new students entering Gordon State College. With no work opportunities available to high school graduates, many students who would have normally entered the work force turned instead to higher education. Whereas in Fall 2008, 51.4% of the first-time, full-time cohort at Gordon State College needed to complete learning support requirements before moving to college-level courses, in Fall 2009, 58.5% needed this help, and in Fall 2010, 61.9% needed the help. Whereas in Fall 2008 only 11.5% of the cohort needed remediation in all three learning support areas, in Fall 2009, 16.6% needed this help, and in Fall 2010, 19.2% needed this help. For this reason retention numbers from these years are not very helpful in charting the future. For this same reason, graduation rates for the cohorts for these years will not be representative of the future. Unfortunately, these are the graduation rates which will be available to us in the near future.
Issue 2: On March 31 of this year our Director of Institutional Research (IR) moved to Southern Maryland to become an Associate Provost. Although we were very pleased for this promotion for Dr. McMurray, it does mean that we are not able to do as thorough a job of data analysis as we would like. Dr. McMurray has continued to work for us as a consultant, and we have adequate data to complete this document. However, we are pleased to announce that we have
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hired a new Director of Institutional Research so our work in data analysis will become more extensive in the near future.

In presenting our goals, we will start with a strength. As found in Table A, we have steadily increased our number of graduates over the last six years, and we hope to continue that growth into the future:

Table A: Degrees Conferred at Gordon State College (2007 2008 to 2011 2012)

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

Five-Year % Change

415

455

490

513

579

39.5

GSC Goal 1. Increased Numbers Degrees Conferred Annually: We will continue our growth in the number of degrees awarded as shown in Table B. Observe that this means that over the five year period represented in Table B, we will increase our number of graduates by more than 20%.

Table B: GSC Goal 1 for Degrees Conferred at Gordon State College

2011-2012

2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

579 (Actual)

596

620

644

%-Increase

3%

4%

4%

2015-2016 670 4%

2015-2016 697 4%

Our second set of goals will be goals relative to retention rates. This is a place where the immediate past does not serve well as a guide. As seen Table A-2 in the Appendix, year-to-year retention rates took a plunge over the past two years for reasons identified above. In our RPG document, we set goals for retention by attending to the average rate of retention over the four earlier Fall cohorts: Fall 2005, Fall 2006, Fall 2007, and Fall 2008. During those four years, our average retention rate was 52.9% With that in mind we set the following retention goals for the Fall 2011 and the Fall 2012 First-Time, Full-time cohorts:
GSC Goal 2. Increased Efficiency One-Year Retention Rate, First-Time Full-Time Cohort: Retention Goal for Fall 2011: First-time Full-time cohort: 54% Retention Goal for Fall 2012 cohort: 56%
In view of these goals and our data for Fall 2010-Fall 2011 retention of special subpopulations, we set the following goals for one year retention of special populations:
GSC Goal 3. Increased Efficiency One-Year Retention Rate, Special First-Time Cohorts: In Table C are found our actual one-year retention rates for critical subpopulations, Fall 2010 and Fall 2011, and our goals for the subsequent four years.

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Table C: GSC Goal 3 for One-Year Retention of First Year Students

First-Time

Actual 2010 to Goal 2011 to Goal 2012-

Cohorts

2011 Retention 2012

2013

Rate

Goal 2013- 2014

Full-Time

Freshmen

46.3%

54%

56%

58%

Part-Time

Freshman

35%

40%

42%

44%

All Learning

Support

38.7%

45%

47%

49%

Full-Time

Transfer

46.9%

54%

56%

58%

Part-Time

Transfer

60.1%

62%

64%

66%

25 and Older

53.9%

56%

58%

60%

Federal

Financial Aid

45.8%

50%

52%

54%

Goal 2014- 2015
60% 46% 51% 60% 68% 62% 56%

In the introduction to this section we identified two issues that make it difficult to project three-year graduation rates. Because of the radical change in the demography of our freshman class in 2009 and 2010, we find our data from earlier years is not useful in making projections for these two classes and we are pessimistic about being able to get sterling numbers for these two cohorts. Because we are presently without an IR director, we have incomplete information about graduation rates for our special subpopulations. For this reason we offer only the goals we established in the December RPG document for first-time full-time cohorts, although we do include new goals for six-year graduation rates. These goals are found in Table D. We will return to graduation rates for special subpopulations at a later time.

GSC Goal 4. Increased Efficiency - Graduation Rates for First-Time, Full-Time Cohort:

Table D: Goals for Graduation Rates for First-Time, Full-time Cohorts

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

Cohort

Cohort

Cohort

Cohort

Three Year

11%

11%

13%

15%

Graduation Rate

Six Year

16%

16%

18%

20%

Graduation Rate

Fall 2013 Fall 2014
Cohort Cohort

16%

17%

21%

22%

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GSC Goal 5. Increased Efficiency - "Appropriate Next Step Measure" for First-Time, Full-Time Cohort: As a historically two-year college with a limited number of baccalaureate degrees, we use the "Appropriate Next Step Measure" (defined earlier) to help us measure our contributions. Our goals for this measure are found in Table E.

Table E: GSC Goal 5 for "Appropriate Next Step Measure" for First-Time, Full-time Cohorts

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

Fall 2012 Fall 2013

Cohort

Cohort

Cohort

Cohort

Cohort

Three Year

31%

31%

33%

35%

36%

"Appropriate

NS"

Six Year

37%

37%

38%

40%

41%

"Appropriate

NS"

Fall 2014 Cohort
37%
42%

We are unprepared at this time to establish goals for "Credit Hours at time of completion" and "Course Completion Ratios." These will be very difficult measures to project without extended study. As an example of the obstacles to understanding these measures, we remind readers that approximately 25% of the Gordon State College student population intends to major in nursing. This includes a large number of transfer students, some of whom hold baccalaureate degrees from other institutions and many of whom have 50-60 hours at transfer. Any measure that includes those transfer hours has little to do with efficiency at Gordon State College. Our belief is that to use either of these two measures will require us to disaggregate our student population in several different ways, and we have not yet done this disaggregation.

In setting our final goal, we note that in this past year we have taken a step back from our Access mission. With the University System of Georgia (USG) decision to recalibrate admissions requirements for the State College/Two Year sector in Fall 2011, we saw a decline from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011 in terms of numbers of students in each of several critical subpopulations. This decline is represented clearly in Table F.

Table F: Fall 2010 Fall 2011 New Students by Percent of Enrollment

New Students

Fall 2010

Cohort

Total New Students

2,075

25 and Older % of Total New Students

317 15.3%

Pell Grant

1,428

% of Total New Students

68.8%

Learning Support

1,155

% of Total New Students

55.7%

Fall 2011 1,537 165 10.7% 1,005 65.4% 660 42.9%

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On the other hand, Gordon State College is committed to serving a diverse student population. As we outline our strategies in the next sections, you will find that several of the strategies will increase our ability to provide this service. In the case of students who are required to complete remedial (Learning Support) requirements before proceeding through the college curriculum, we have limited opportunities to increase the numbers so we will focus on improving success rates (See GSC Goal 3). In the case of adult students, we have adopted strategies to help increase the numbers served. This increase is the focus of the final goal for this iteration of the Gordon State College Completion agenda.

GSC Goal 6. Increased Numbers - Access: In Table G we start with the numbers from Fall 2011 and define goals for the number of adult students (students 25 and older) served by Gordon State College.

Table G: GSC Goal 6 for Number of Adults Served by Gordon State College

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016

165 (actual)

170

183

192

177

Percent Increase

3%

4%

4%

4%

2016-2017 199
4%

Information We Need:
In preparing this report we have given increased attention to cohorts other than the first-time, full-time cohort. As we rebuild our institutional research office, we will begin to track a variety of cohorts carefully. To do so, we will need guidance from the University System of Georgia on careful definitions for terms like "adult students, "first generation college students," and "military related students."
Since the University System has wisely determined that "retention at a sister institution" and "graduation from a sister institution" should be counted in the retention and graduation rates of the institution where the student started studies, we would hope that the mechanisms for acquiring the information from sister institutions will become more automatic in the future.

Strategies and Objectives
As we remarked earlier, many of the strategies we will implement this year are strategies that were born in our design of the Retention, Progression, and Graduation plan that we reported in December of 2011. We mention several of those strategies because, even though they were conceived while thinking of generic first-time, full-time freshmen, they will be especially useful for some of our special populations.
(1) Hiring two additional academic advisors in the Student Success Center and charging them to join the rest of the Student Success Center staff in implementing a robust intervention for new students reported as "disengaged" in their fourth week of the Fall semester.
(2) More than doubling the number of sections of the Gordon First Year Experience Course and requiring all new students with learning support requirements to successfully complete this course.
(3) Reducing the number of sections of courses taught by part-time instructors.

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Because students who do not survive the first year are often distressed by the fourth week of the semester, Strategy (1) directly addresses retention goals. Strategy (2) is directly connected to our desire to assist learning support student to be successful. Strategy (3) will serve all students, but particularly first-generation college students and adult students who need direct connections to the academic community.
Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved: (4) We will focus the attention of two additional academic advisors for the Student Success Center on the needs of a cohort of 320 freshmen students each. These advisors will be charged to interact with these students over the subsequent 12 months with the goal of delivering the students to their sophomore year healthy, happy, and in good academic standing. Each new learning support student will be assigned to one of these advisors. One of the advisors will have first-time part-time students among her charges while another will have first-time adult students in her charges. (5) In 2009 Gordon State College joined Clayton State University and Southern Crescent Technical College in launching the Academy for Advanced Study in public school facilities in Henry County, Georgia. Gordon State College serves primarily an adult population in evening courses. To this point, Gordon has only offered courses in Areas A-E of the core curriculum. In Fall 2012, we will petition the System for permission to offer courses at the McDonough site leading to an Associates Degree. (6) In Fall of 2011 we joined the Adult Learning Consortium of the University System of Georgia. In preparation for this membership, we expanded our policies on accepting credit from CLEP scores and DSST (DANTES) scores to meet the recommendations of the American Council on Education. By October we will have plans made to move beyond these standardized tests in offering credit for Prior Learning. Additionally, we are improving support programming for adult learners within Student Affairs. (7) Similarly, we joined the Soldiers to Schools collaborative and are providing support programing for students who have served in the military with staff in Student Affairs. (8) We are creating special sections of the Gordon First Year Experience course specifically for adult learners, including an on-line section. (9) We are using special admission criteria for adult learners with learning support requirements. Our experience has been that even with low COMPASS scores (below System minimums) these students often thrive in a college environment. (10)As we grow our baccalaureate program mix, we are careful to create majors attractive to adult learners. In January of 2013 we launch a major in Health Services and Informatics Administration, a major that has proven popular with adult students and that offers a completion degree for technical college graduates with a two-year degree in Health Information Technology. We currently have a proposal at System Offices for a major in Human Services. We have already identified more than 30 adult students in our surrounding counties who hold a two year degree and would like to attend to Gordon State College to complete this four year degree.
Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved (Students with Accommodation under ADA): The number of Gordon students with ADA accommodations is growing even at a time of a downturn in enrollment. In particular, in Fall 2012 we have the largest number of students with accommodation in the history of the College. We like to believe this growth is because we do a good job for this student population. However, the following initiatives will improve our services further.
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(11)As part of increased attention to the needs of this subpopulation, in Fall 2012 each student with accommodations will receive a handbook and each faculty member will receive a handbook. These handbooks will describe carefully how ADA policy is implemented and provide resources for further support.
(12)Partially in recognition of the fact that to this point we have not provided optimal services to students needing an "extra testing time" accommodation and a "limited distraction" accommodation, we are in the process of constructing a new testing center that will provide excellent services to these students beginning in Spring 2013.
Restructuring Instructional Delivery: (13)In Fall 2012, Gordon State College will open a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The dual goals of this center will be to enhance the experience of students in traditional classrooms and laboratories and increase the number and quality of courses delivered in an on- line or hybrid format. Note connection to serving special student populations especially adult students who find it difficult to commute to campus - and to shortening time to graduation. (14)We will provide resources to expand our experiments in using the Supplemental Instruction model of course delivery. Local data shows connection of this delivery system with student success.
Shortening Time to Degree: (15)We are developing a "15 semester hour culture" in which we encourage students to attempt and complete at least 15 semester hours each semester and to discourage frivolous dropping of courses. (16)In building new baccalaureate majors we limit the number of specific upper-level courses required by the major thereby facilitating students' ability to use transfer courses to complete a degree. This is particularly important to adult students who may have several transfer hours. (17)As we launch our newly approved baccalaureate major in Health Services and Informatics Administration, we will develop careful articulations for graduates of two-year Health Informatics Technology programs in regional Technical Colleges.
Transforming Remediation: (18)In view of data showing "it makes a difference," we are doubling the number of sections of the Gordon First Year Experience Course and requiring the course of all LS students (19)We have been heavily involved in delivering technology-based sections of learning support mathematics using the Emporium Model (sixteen sections were delivered this year using this delivery system). In view of data showing this strategy is successful, we will expand the number of sections delivered using this model. (20)In Spring of 2013, we hope to experiment with joint enrollment in MATH 99 and a college level mathematics course. (21)We will continue this fall our experiments that involve having LS Reading students co-enrolled in college-level courses that ordinarily they would not qualify to take. We hope to expand these learning communities if the data from our experiments point in the positive direction.
Engaging with K-12: (22)We are presently working with two school systems on College and Career Academies (Lamar County and Henry County). Our Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs serves on the board of one and the steering committee of another.
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(23)We will continue our efforts to reach out to high school students who would benefit from taking a college-level course while still in high school. At a recent event heralding the benefits of "dual credit" or "ACCEL" opportunities, 70 plus students and their families attended. We continue to get some push-back from counselors and administrators at local schools who wish to continue to have their best students in AP and Honors classes, but are slowly making progress.
(24)We have initiated high-level talks with school officials in Pike County that have resulted in a plan in which we will schedule a block of courses on our campus at a time requested by the Pike County School System. The school system will then encourage high school students to take advantage of those courses. If successful, we will use this model in talking to officials in other adjacent counties.
(25)We are midway through the process of writing a Georgia Department of Education Mathematics/Science Partnership proposal in collaboration with our home county, Lamar County, and Butts County. The activities related to the grant will be housed on the Gordon State College campus.
(26)Our collaborative partnership with the Henry County School System, Clayton State University and Southern Crescent Technical College in the Academy for Advanced Study in McDonough is a model for the state. In Fall 2013, Henry County will be busing 300-400 students to the Center for accelerated courses during the day, while in the evening Gordon State College serves the needs of working adults and ACCEL students willing to take an evening course.

Planning and Implementation:

In the preceding section we mentioned 26 different strategies we are using to address the goals of the Complete College Georgia Initiative. In most cases we have briefly described implementation and/or goals. We summarize and complete this description in Table H, which includes a timeline for each strategy.

Table H: Summary of strategies, planning, implementation, and connection go Gordon State College

Goals.

Strategy

Implementation

Connection to Due Date/

Goals

Responsible

Strategies from RPG Plan modified to serve Complete College Georgia

Party

(1) Student Success Team Scripts and resources for intervention GSC Goals 1, September, 2012

(academic advisors are being put together; faculty has 2, 3, 4, 5

Associate Vice

and others)

been advised that "disengagement"

President of

implement robust

report will be requested. Further

Academic Affairs

intervention at four communication will occur in Fall

(AVPAA)

weeks for students workshops. We piloted this

Richard Baskin

reported as

intervention in the Gordon First Year

"disengaged."

Experience Course in 2011-2012.

(2) Doubling number

Resources approved in budget cycle; GSC Goals 1, 2, August, 2012

sections of Gordon sections in schedule and partially

3, 4, 5

AVPAA

Freshman Experience filled.

Richard Baskin

course

(3) Reducing the number Resources approved in budget cycle; GSC Goals 1, 2, August, 2012

of sections taught by hires of full-time instructors

3, 4, 5

Vice President of

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part-time instructors complete; schedules are monitored

Academic Affairs

with goal of no more than 30% of

(VPAA)

sections taught by part-time

Ed Wheeler

instructors. Strategies for Improving Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved

(4) Advisors focused on Resources for two new hires

GSC Goals 1, 2, July, 2012

needs of freshman approved in budget cycle; hiring and 3, 4, 5

Director of

cohorts

training has begun.

Student Success,

Advising and

Testing (SSAT)

Peter Higgins

(5) Offer Gordon two- Conversations initiated with

GSC Goals 1, 2, January, 2013

year degree at

collaborative partners, documents 3, 4, 5, 6

AVPAA

Academy for

submitted to USG in August, course

Richard Baskin

Advanced Study

rotation in preparation.

(6) Participation in Adult Curricular work done to accept CLEP GSC Goals 1, 2, Spring, 2013

Learning Consortium credit; student services support for 3, 4, 5, 6

AVPAA

adult students being improved. Work

Richard Baskin

on Prior Learning Assessment still to

be done.

(7) Participation in

Curricular work done to accept

GSC Goals 1, 2, August 2012

Soldiers to Schools DANTES credit; student services

3, 4, 5, 6

Counselor

project

support for veterans being improved.

Anne Howard

(8) Sections of Gordon First Year Experience Course directed at adults
(9) Special accommodations for adult applicants to college

Sections in schedule; instructors being trained.
Policy in place.

GSC Goals 1, 2, August, 2012

3, 4, 5, 6

AVPAA

Richard Baskin

GSC Goal 6

August, 2012 Director of Admissions Ben Ferguson

(10)Development of

First faculty hired for Health Services GSC Goals 1, 4, January, 2013

baccalaureate

and Informatics Administration

5, 6

Coordinator of

programs attractive (HSIA) major with launch of major

HSIA

to adult learners

planned for January 2013.

Nancy Cross

Prospectus for Human Services

Division Chair

degree and subsequent addendum in

Jeff Knighton

USG offices. Final proposal has been

requested and is in preparation.

Strategies for Improving Access and Completion for Students with ADA Accommodations

(11) Creation and

Handbook currently in draft form.

GSC Goals 1, 2, August, 2012

distribution of

Will be distributed next week.

3, 4, 5, 6

Director of

handbook for students

Counseling

with ADA

Laura Bowen

accommodations and

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their faculty members

(12) Build Testing

Plans prepared by architect. Budget

Center that would

for hire approved.

serve testing needs of

students with ADA

accommodations

Strategies for Restructuring Instructional Delivery

(13)Center for Excellence Resources approved in budget cycle;

in Teaching and

job description prepared. Need to

Learning

hire and resource.

GSC Goals 1, 2, January, 2013

3, 4, 5, 6

Director SSAT

Peter Higgins

GSC Goals 1, 2, October, 2012

3, 4, 5, 6

VPAA

Ed Wheeler

(14)Ramp up of Supplemental Instruction

Resources approved in budget cycle; sections and instructors chosen for implementation.

GSC Goals 1, 2, August, 2012

3, 4, 5

Director of SSAT

Peter Higgins

Strategies for Shortening time to Degree

(15)Create a "15

Conversation with faculty advisors

Semester Hour

began in Spring 2012; advisors

Culture"

preparing summer schedules have

received explicit instructions; idea is

explicit in conversations at each New

Student Orientation.

(16)Creating "Transfer Each new degree proposal is

Friendly

developed with careful attention to

Baccalaureate

this issue. New leadership for HSIA

Degrees"

degree has been charged with

building bridges to technical colleges

in first fall semester.

Strategies for Transforming Remediation

(17)Requiring Gordon

Additional sections created; rigorous

First Year Experience training of instructors for course

Course of all students completed; curricular requirement

with LS requirements established, assessment of learning goals in place. To be implemented in Fall 2012.

(18)Develop articulation Curriculum for HSIA now going

between HIT

through the curricular process.

programs at

Launch in spring.

Technical Colleges

and Gordon's HSIA

major

(19)Expanded number of Additional sections created and

sections of "Emporium Model" modular learning

staffed, training has begun for new instructors. To be implemented in Fall 2012.

support mathematics

courses

GSC Goals 4, 5
GSC Goals 1, 4, 5, 6
GSC Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
GSC Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
GSC Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

August, 2012 AVPAA Richard Baskin
Ongoing VPAA Ed Wheeler
August, 2012 AVPAA Richard Baskin
January, 2013 Coordinator of HSIA Nancy Cross
August, 2012 Director of Learning Support Gwen Sharpe

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(20)Joint enrollment in Committee formed to develop GSC

MATH 99 and a

model and faculty members

college level

participating on System committee.

mathematics course To be implemented in Spring 2013.

(21)Joint enrollment in READ 99 and a college level course

Section scheduled in Fall semester; instructors chosen and oriented. To be implemented in Fall 2012.

Strategies for Engaging with the K-12 Sector

(22)Participation in

Dr. Richard Baskin, Associate VPAA,

College and Career presently plays major role in plans for

Academies in Lamar both academies. We directly support

County and Henry the second through our participation

County

in the Academy for Advanced Study in Henry County. Implementation ongoing.

(23)Reach out for ACCEL Meetings with school

students

superintendents of counties

contiguous to Lamar County, tracking

individual ACCEL students for success

with reports back to counties,

promotion in media and in one-on- one conversation. Implementation ongoing.

(24)Collaboration with Actions to promote and encourage

Pike County Schools students implemented by Pike

County education officials, meetings scheduled for July. To be implemented in Fall 2012.

(25)Math Science Partnership proposal with Butts and Lamar County
(26) Academy for Advanced Study

Meetings with school administrators have occurred, writing team has met. Submission by October 2012.
Three years of experience delivering courses; necessary conversations to offer degrees have begun including submission of documents to USG.

GSC Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 GSC Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 GSC 1, 4, 5
GSC 1, 4, 5
GSC 1, 4, 5
GSC 1, 4, 5 GSC 1, 4, 5, 6

January, 2013 Director of Learning Support Gwen Sharpe August, 2012 AVPAA Richard Baskin
Ongoing AVPAA Richard Baskin
Ongoing AVPAA Richard Baskin, Director of Admissions Ben Ferguson
Ongoing AVPAA Richard Baskin, Director of Admissions Ben Ferguson September, 2012 Division Chair Mike Mahan
August, 2012 AVPAA Richard Baskin

Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

Gordon State College has a robust system evaluating academic effectiveness that includes a review of each two-year and four-year program at least once each seven years. This review is driven by a faculty committee and is called the Gordon Multi-Metric Program Review. A recent evaluation of the Multi- metric review by the Regents Committee on Academic Effectiveness won these accolades:
Gordon State College has established and implemented a clear policy and process for Comprehensive Program Review. This policy and process are written and available ..., address

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specific measurable outcomes, ... and result in specific recommendations for program improvements along with judgments on program quality, productivity, and viability. Our nursing programs have been reviewed recently and accredited by the National League of Nursing, and our fledgling education programs have been recently reviewed and given full accreditation by NCATE. Many of the specific measures related to the Complete College Georgia initiative have been carefully monitored for several years. However, as we rebuild our Institutional Research Office we will give closer attention to the measures related to the special subpopulations that we serve. Information about our efforts related to RPG and Complete College Georgia are shared regularly with the whole campus community via faculty and staff meetings and a monthly newsletter titled DeaNotes. As we prepared this report we solicited ideas from the whole campus community by distributing drafts to key faculty and staff and by soliciting ideas via a web-based college forum. The Complete College Plan was reviewed and discussed at the Fall Faculty Workshop and Faculty/Staff meeting. Conversation continues through email and electronic participation. As we collect data that measure the success of our initiatives, we will share that data with the broader community and again solicit ideas for improvements.
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A. Increased Efficiencies

Appendices

4, 6, and 8 Year Rates of Completion for First-Time Freshmen in Bachelor Degree Programs

We are not including these data at the present time for the following reasons: We did not graduate our first 28 students with bachelor's degrees until May 2009. We do not have sufficient data to generate rolling averages for this statistic. We are not currently classifying students as bachelor degree students or associate degree students upon arrival on our campus. We classify all students as associate degree students and reclassify as bachelor degree students either (a) upon acceptance into the program (BSED in Early Childhood Education, BSN in nursing, Health Services and Informatics Administration) or (b) successful completion of key courses and request to be considered as bachelor degree student (biology, English, history, mathematics)

3 and 6 Year Rates of Completion for First-Time Freshmen in Associate Degree Programs

As noted above, we consider all of our freshmen to be associate degree students upon arrival. A measure that reflects accurately the contributions of institutions in the State College Sector is the measure that we call the "Appropriate Next Step" measure in which we declare success when a member of our first-time cohort does one of the following three things:
The student graduates from Gordon State College with a two-year degree. The student successfully transfers to a sister four-year institution. The student successfully enters one of the baccalaureate programs at Gordon State
College and begins taking 3000-level courses.

Table A-1: "Appropriate Next Step" Measure for First-Time, Full-Time Cohort of Freshmen

Cohort
Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Students

Graduated/Transferred/Enrolled Baccalaureate Program Rates

Three-Year Four-Year

Five-Year

Six Year

1,102 1,127 1,048 1,158

33.7% 33.1% 33.6% 31.1%

37.7 39.0% 38.1%

39.9% 41.1%

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Table A-2: One-year Retention Rates for Subpopulations of First-Time Cohorts of Students New to Gordon College

New Students
Full-Time Freshmen Full-time Freshmen With Learning Support All Learning Support Part-time Freshmen Full-Time Transfer Part-Time Transfer 25 and Older Pell Grant Recipients

Fall 2008 56.9% 50.8% 45.8% 40.6% 47.2% 53.3% 57.3% 52.4%

Cohort
Fall 2009 52.5% 47.9% 46.6% 36.8% 51.4% 48.5% 48.4% 48.3%

Fall 2010 46.3% 38.5% 38.7% 35.0% 46.9% 60.1% 53.9% 45.8%

Table A-3: Credit hours at Time Degree is Conferred for Native Freshmen

Cohort

Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007

Fall 2008

Average Number of 70

76

74

74

Credit Hours Earned at

Time of Completion

Fall 2009
74

Table A-4: Percentage of Hours Earned/Hours Attempted at the End of the Fall Semester

New Students

Cohorts Fall 2010 Fall 2011

Total New Students

57.4%

64.6%

Full-time Freshmen

43.0%

52.4%

Part-time Freshmen

37.6%

34.2%

Full-Time Transfer

75.3%

71.2%

Part-Time Transfer

86.2%

78.6%

25 and Older

73.4%

74.0%

Pell Grant

50.7%

57.8%

Learning Support

28.5%

33.3%

Note. Percentage represents the overall hours earned/overall hours attempted. For example, Fall 2010 Full-time Freshmen completed 57.4% of

the courses they attempted in Fall 2010.

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B. Increased Numbers

Degrees Conferred Annually Table B-1: 2007 2008 to 2011 2012 Degrees Conferred

2007-2008 415

2008-2009 455

2009-2010 490

2010-2011 513

2011-2012 579

Five-Year % Change
39.5

Increased Access: We are not yet tracking students who are "first generation" or "Pell-Eligible." We will develop the mechanisms to track these categories as soon as the University System of Georgia provides us with careful definitions of these categories. Although the University System has not yet provided the "final definition" of adult student, we have begun tracking the number of adult students we serve using the provisional definition of "Age 25 at time of Enrollment."

Table B-2: Number of Entering Students 25 and Older

Fall 25 and Older

2008 164

2009 186

2010 317

2011 165

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Kennesaw State University Complete College Georgia (CCGA) Campus Plan
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis KSU has averaged 4% growth in undergraduate students each year from 2004-2011. During that same timeframe the institution has averaged a 9% per year increase in baccalaureate degrees awarded. However, that time period contains a couple of years of extraordinary increases in both growth and degrees awarded (>15%). In the last three years, the growth of degrees has averaged closer to 6%. A more modest, and probably more realistic, projection model has been developed using various predictor variables such as GA population, our eight feeder county populations, and projected numbers of high school graduates. Projecting outward, we would expect the number of degrees awarded in 2020 to be 4,244 (an increase of 27.9%) if growth in degrees awarded parallels projected enrollment growth. However, if degrees awarded continue at the more rapid rate of 6% per year due to programs in place to accelerate degree completion, the number awarded in 2020 could be over 5,500, an increase of more than 65%.Therefore, KSU's past and projected degree completions will play an important role in advancing CCGA's goal attainment of 250,000 additional graduates in Georgia by 2020.
It is clear from the data, and projections, presented above that KSU already has practices and procedures in place that promote growth in degrees awarded at a rate faster than the rate that would be projected from enrollment growth alone. Specifically, KSU's degree completion achievements are the result of its efforts to help traditional-age (< 25 years) and nontraditional-age (>= 25 years) students, part-time and full-time, attain their education goals through a variety of practices such as first-year experiences, transfer student orientation, adult learner support, military learner services, disabled student support services, tutoring, advising, coaching, and counseling, already targeting student success. The additional strategies outlined in this plan should result in additional increases in baccalaureate degree output. To ensure CCGA goals are achieved, KSU will continue focusing on all significant student subgroups including first-time, fulltime first-year students, transfer students at all classifications levels, students who start as part-time students, and dual enrollment students.
While the ultimate goal is an increase in degrees awarded, unfortunately, the long lead time between implementation of some specific strategy and a measurable increase in degree completion does not allow the use of degree completion as the metric by which strategy implementation can be adjusted quickly enough to meet the 2020 targets. Instead, intermediate short-term measures must be used to make course corrections in the CCGA campus plan. These intermediate metrics include direct measures such as yearto-year retention rates and progression rates (the latter measured by credit hours completed per academic year) as well as indirect measures such as D,F,W rates in specific (gateway) courses. Qualitative assessments (surveys, focus groups, etc.) will also be used where appropriate to measure the success of a particular strategy. These intermediate data can then be used to make mid-course corrections in the choice of strategies to pursue and in the implementation of those strategies. Given the success experienced in the last eight years in increasing the number of degree completions, KSU recognizes the need for continuous improvement to meet both institutional goals and CCGA goals. To help establish goals as part of the plan, KSU analyzed students using the following two approaches:
A degree-completions analysis system was constructed that utilized completions and degrees conferred data available as part of the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) and USG Data Warehouse (USG123). This data system enabled KSU to identify graduating student
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characteristics by annually tracing credential completion pathways backwards through the education pipeline. KSU's annual pool of baccalaureate graduates can be disaggregated into component subgroups, allowing the system to be used for targeted intervention.
A progression model was developed using an annual fiscal year unduplicated headcount methodology with enrollment data from USG123. This approach permitted KSU to focus on two outcomes: 1) annual tracking of students entering college and following their progressiondisaggregated into component subgroups; and 2) tracking enrollment forward to degree completion. A data analysis system was developed for this progression model.
Degree Completions Analysis KSU admits both beginning freshmen and transfer students in relatively equal numbers. Students who matriculate at KSU as beginning freshmen in the fall term, on either a full or part-time basis, represented nearly 44% of all baccalaureate graduates, with transfer and other students comprising the remaining 56% in FY 2011. Given this, the commonly employed analysis of first-time, full-time freshmen who remain continuously enrolled on a full-time basis each fall term and graduate within four to six years, excludes a substantial portion of students graduating from KSU. KSU's SAS-powered Degree Completions Report for FYs 2004-2011 and other analytics available at the institution's Virtual Information Center (https://vic.kennesaw.edu) reveal numerous patterns on baccalaureate graduates. Some of the more notable patterns relevant to the CCGA Plan are as follows:
Continuous enrollment out of high school entering as beginning freshmen (Appendix A.1). In 2004 57% of baccalaureate degrees conferred went to non-traditional-age students (>= 25 years of age) while only 47% were conferred on traditional-age students (< 25 years of age). By 2011 this trend had reversed with 56% of baccalaureate degrees awarded being conferred on traditional-age students and 44% being conferred on non-traditional-age students. Furthermore, the data presented in Appendix A.2 show that the trend is toward traditional-age students who remain enrolled continuously and are therefore, graduating in 4 years at 22 years of age rather than taking 5 or 6 years graduating at 23 or 24 years of age. The combined subgroups of traditional-age graduating in 5 or 6 years has not increased significantly since FY 2004, which may indicate that a relatively constant percentage of KSU's traditional-age students periodically "stop out," change to a part-time status, change majors with loss of useable credit-hours, or simply take additional courses unnecessary for their degrees, thus resulting in delayed graduation. The clear implication of these data is that strategies need to be implemented that target the increased success of traditional-age students as measured by progression toward a 4-year degreecompletion time
Nontraditional students and adult learners. Appendix A.2 also shows that KSU continued to graduate a significant portion of nontraditional-age students, 44% in FY 2011. During that time nearly 27% of baccalaureate graduates were age 28 or older, indicating KSU has a strong contingent of adult learners in the educational pipeline. It is clear that, although declining in percentage of degree completions this continues to be a significant population for KSU and strategies for their success must be part of KSU's CCGA plan.
Transfer students. Annual intakes of new undergraduate transfer students (Appendix D, column 2) typically equal or exceed the intakes of first-time, full-time freshmen (Appendix C, column 2)
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at KSU. As seen in Appendix A.3 transfers also represent a higher percentage of baccalaureate graduates (56% in FY 2011) than those who started at KSU as first-time freshmen (44% in FY 2011). Although decreasing from 81% in FY 2004 to 56% in FY 2011, KSU continues to graduate each year more students who transferred in from other colleges than those who start and finish at KSU. Therefore, KSU needs to continue expanding "onboarding" support for transfer students as well as enhancing relationships with KSU's top TCSG and USG feeder institutions. The need to target success strategies for transfer students has been further emphasized by KSU's participation in the Foundations of Excellence Transfer Focus Self Study facilitated by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. The recommendations emerging from that self-study are presented in Appendix F and are discussed later in this document
Time to completion. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of first-time freshmen who graduated in FY 2011, transferred an average of 15 cumulative earned hours back to KSU. Over 12% of transfer students matriculated multiple times, bringing in additional earned hours. While there are multiple reasons, including financial, for these patterns, survey data and other analyses indicate that course availability is a significant contributing factor. A complete analysis and understanding of course bottlenecks will provide data to department chairs that will allow them to schedule courses/sections as a function of demand, thereby reducing the "bottleneck" effect.
Minority characteristics. Appendix B.1 shows that from FY 2004 to FY 2011, degrees awarded by race and ethnicity closely parallel the enrollment of those racial and ethnic subgroups. The bar chart in Appendix B.2 shows that KSU has outpaced the national trend in growth of degrees awarded in every race/ethnicity/gender category examined. Hispanic females are the fastest growing segment of KSU graduates, with a 358% increase during that period. Asian females are the second fastest growing segment at 103%, followed by African American females at 71%. When analyzed by gender (Appendix B.2), female graduates outpaced male graduates 2-to-1 from FYs 2004 to FY 2011. Excluding the American Indian/Alaska Native category, which has too few individuals to be statistically significant, African American females were the only group that outpaced males of the same racial/ethnic background at a rate higher than 2-to-1 in numbers of degrees awarded in FY 1999 and FY 2009. All other racial groups were lower than a two-to-one ratio. Prior to 2004, KSU graduated slightly higher numbers of minority males than minority females. Since then, that pattern has reversed. This represents an opportunity to find additional ways to support minority male initiatives beyond existing services, or to expand and improve existing efforts.
Progression Analysis An unduplicated disaggregation of component subgroups for students progressing toward degree completion annually for FYs 2001-05 also reveals key findings pertinent to KSU's CCGA Plan:
First-year students. KSU has analyzed two groups of first-year students for FYs 2001-2005 that are traditionally ignored in the federal first-year retention rate and graduation rates: (1) annual first-year intakes that started with a part-time enrollment status; and (2) annual first-year intakes that started in spring semester. The part-time first-year students constituted about 2% of the annual intakes, and did not significantly affect the first-year retention rate or graduation rate when included. Therefore, no specific strategies are being proposed for this group although they will be served by strategies that apply to all students. On the other hand, nearly 15% of annual first-
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year student intakes at KSU started in spring semester. Beginning freshmen that delayed entering until the spring decreased the six-year graduation rate when included, as around 22% of these students had a learning support requirement. Specific strategies for addressing the needs of learning support students are discussed later in this document. The high percentage of learning support students entering in spring semester as compared to 6% or less for students entering in the fall, suggests that traditional-age, beginning first-year student intakes who delay entry by one semester include a number who are less prepared for college and progress slower as compared to those students entering in the fall.
Appendix C shows that while the first-to-second year attrition rate (and reciprocally the retention rate) remained relatively constant for the FY 2001 to FY 2005 cohorts, the 6-year graduation rate has increased significantly. Other data (not shown) indicates that this increase in graduation rate correlates with the development of on-campus and near-campus student housing, thereby creating a more residential atmosphere on the KSU campus. Other data developed as part of the RPG initiative indicate that an increase in graduation rate without a concomitant increase in year-toyear retention rates is achieved by shortening the time to degree completion such that students who had been taking longer than 6 years to graduate now fall within the 6-year target window. Clearly, additional strategies to shorten the time to degree completion are warranted and are discussed later in this document.
Transfer students. Over 47% of the transfer intakes in FY 2005 graduated in six-years or less (Appendix D), with the vast majority of those graduating in four-years or less(data not shown). Furthermore, this is a significantly higher rate (Appendix D, column 6) than exists for students entering as first-time first-year students (Appendix C, column 6). This is not surprising since most transfer students come to KSU with 30-60 credit hours already accumulated at one or more previous institutions. However, many new transfer students take more than four-years to graduate. It can be inferred from this that many either attend part-time, stop out one or more semesters, or transfer earned hours that do not apply toward degree completion. Further coaching is needed for these students to mitigate against those factors that cause these students to take longer than necessary to graduate.
Missing Information and Data Anomalies During analysis of students from FY 2004 to 2011, it was evident that information was missing for key subgroups for either a degree completion analysis or progression analysis. Missing information included:
Tracking of students that are military members. KSU tracked if a student received GI Bill benefits, but did not track students in a self-reporting capacity who served in the military (i.e., Active, Veteran, National Guard, or Reservist). Beginning in fall 2011, KSU asks future applicants to self-report their military affiliation as part of the application process. The success of strategies to increase degree completion for military personnel depends on having accurate information on this population. It will be necessary to code these students in Banner so that the database can be readily queried to track their progress and success.
Tracking of first-generation college students. Beginning in fall 2010, KSU started collecting data on first-generation college students in a self-reporting capacity for students applying to enroll in or after summer 2011. The data collection was modeled after the FAFSA (Free Application for
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Federal Student Aid). As with military personnel, coding in Banner will allow the database to be queried to generate information on these students that will be necessary for the development of interventions with a high probability of success.
First-time first-year student cohorts data management. The USG interpretation of the IPEDS first-time undergraduate student definition allows for inclusion of learning support students as well as nontraditional-aged students who do not remain continuously enrolled out of high school. Thiscreates a cohort of students that are mixed with respect to characteristics that could have significant impact on year-to-year retention and graduation rates. Unlike other USG institutions that adhere to the IPEDS implicit assumption that first-time, full-time first-year students are college ready and begin their programs of study on a full-time basis starting in fall or summer term immediately after their high school graduation, existing KSU data entry practices in Banner permit mixing of first-year remedial students and adult learners with college ready first-year students enrolling directly from high school. Because of this, nearly 10% of KSU's fall cohorts consist of students who were not enrolled full-time for at least 12 semester credit hours that would apply toward degree completion because they were enrolled in non-degree, institutional credit, learning support courses. This can result in graduation delays. Starting with summer 2013 admission applicants, KSU will employ data entry practices that segment these various student populations in order to properly assess the progression of each toward degree completion.
Course taking patterns. KSU needs to understand the course taking patterns of its students. Ongoing efforts to mature the operating practices of the DegreeWorks degree audit system, as well as implementation of the Ad Astra system (to be purchased) will aid in shortening time to completion through improved analysis of student course demand.
Goals KSU has set three primary goals as part of its CCGA plan. Each has associated strategies that are congruent with either Goal #1 or Goal #2 (or both) of KSU's new strategic plan. Those two goals are:
1. Promote excellence and innovation in education through teaching, supervising, and mentoring students; research, creative activity, and scholarship; and professional service.[KSU Strategic Plan Goal 1]
2. Improve recruitment, retention, progression, and graduation rates (RRPG) while continually increasing the quality, breadth and relevance of academic and co-curricular programs. [KSU Strategic Plan Goal 2]
The three CCGA goals and associated strategies are: 1. Increase the college readiness of students enrolling at KSU through external partnerships with TCSG institutions and K-12 schools. Strategies and objectives include: a. Development of strong articulation agreements and guaranteed admission agreements with feeder institutions such as currently exist with Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC) which guarantees core curriculum transfer credit for courses taken as part of CTC's Associate of Science in General Studies degree. b. Place transfer advocates on the campuses of feeder institutions to aid students in course/program selection that will facilitate the transfer process and post-transfer success.
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c. Continue to produce K-12 teachers in all fields of study including such high demand areas as STEM education and insure that they are well-prepared in accordance with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards and key assessments. They will also be prepared to use data to inform their practice.
d. Continue to support existing programs for P-12 students (e.g. Future Educators of America Annual Event & the Academic Decathlon).
e. Develop additional pre-collegiate programs modeled after existing programs such as the Science Summer Camp, the Youth Allies program (where students affiliated with KSU's Center for Student Leadership function as mentors for middle school students),"College 101" (where members of the Distinguished Black Gentlemen/AAMI mentored Black males, 3rd thru 12th grades, on going to college and assuring their success), etc.
2. Enhance academic and non-academic support services for targeted subgroups of students a. Targeted groups include military learners, students with disabilities, student athletes, HOPE scholars and Honors students,, Learning Support students, Hispanic/Latino students and other underserved populations, and students identified as "at-risk". b. Metrics to be analyzed include year-to-year retention rates, D,F,W rates, progression toward graduation (credit hours earned), and student-reported self-efficacy. c. Strategies (described more fully in the next section) include supplemental instruction, tutoring, utilization of graduation coaches, and utilization of peer leaders/peer advisors. Each of these strategies has been shown to be effective in pilot studies with select target populations. Additional resources will be invested in those programs that are demonstrated to be most successful and that are scalable to larger populations.
3. Promote excellence and innovation in education to aid student progression to graduation. Strategies include: a. Expansion of a successful summer bridge program for learning support students designed to increase retention and progression toward a degree b. Expansion of the supplemental instruction program, which has been proven effective in reducing the D,F,W rates and increasing retention for students enrolled in participating classes who avail themselves of the service c. Utilization of graduation coaches as a single-point-of-contact for new, targeted populations of students to increase GPA, retention and progression d. Restructuring course delivery to include first-year seminars and learning communities targeted to specific populations of students, increasing the utilization of peer leaders/peer advisors, examining the feasibility of Prior Learning Assessment through membership in the Adult Learning Consortium, and increasing the number of courses delivered online. e. Use of stretch formats coupled with support workshops in credit-bearing courses for learning support students in order to reduce D,F,W rates, increase mean GPA, increase retention increase progression, thereby shortening the mean time to degree completion.
The next section elaborates on some of the strategies listed above that KSU will use to meet these goals and, where feasible, provides measurable targetsfor how these strategies are expected to improve on existing growth trends. Since fiscal resources are limited, it is imperative to know which strategies are most likely to impact degree completion rates and therefore, should receive additional funding. Therefore, the first two years of the CCGA Campus Plan will involve a number of pilot projects or
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expanded pilots to determine strategies with the highest probability of achieving increased degree completion as measured by the interim metrics of retention and progression. Success or failure of pilot projects is then assessed and used to determine where to direct the resources necessary to scale-up to help meet the over-arching goal of CCGA of a substantial increase in degree completion.
Part II: Strategies and Objectives In preparation for the development of KSU's CCGA Campus Plan, we conducted a survey to inventory current practices and programs that impact retention, progression to graduation, and degree completion for KSU students and to solicit recommendations. A summary of those practices and programs, categorized by function, is in Appendix E. As part of the CCGA Campus Plan, KSU will continue each current initiative and add new ones as appropriate. The next section, however, elaborates on those specific strategies that, based on analysis of data and a review of existing practices, as well as emerging best practices, are estimated to have the highest potential for impact on KSU's ability to achieve its three CCGA goals. These strategies organized by CCGA goal are described below: Strengthen external partnerships with K-12 schools and TCSG Institutions. [CCGA Goal 1]
K-12 Partnerships KSU is the second largest producer of K-12 educators in the state of Georgia including teachers in the critically short-staffed STEM disciplines. KSU will continue to produce teachers to meet Georgia's demand who will contribute to the college preparedness of the students that they, in turn, teach. To this end the curriculum will be aligned with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards.As mentioned earlier, KSU has a number of pre-collegiate programs such as its Science Summer Camp run by the College of Science and Mathematics, the Youth Allies program run by the Center for Student Leadership, the Future Educators of America Annual Event run by the Bagwell College of Education, and Academic Decathlon, also run by the Bagwell College of Education. These programs successfully promote the value of a college education to participants and additionally make them aware of the opportunities available at KSU. KSU will leveragethese existing K-12 partnerships, and will develop at least one new, similar program to be implemented in FY 14 to increase awareness of the advantages of a college education and to make prospective students aware of the variety and quality of the programs and services that KSUoffers.
KSU has a highly successful Dual Enrollment Honors Program(DEHP) that brings high school juniors and seniors onto the KSU campus to take courses for dual high school and college credit. The program currently enrolls approximately 200 students each year. Over the last four years. DEHP students have achieved a mean GPA of 3.4at their graduation from college as compared to the GPA of 3.2 achieved by the typical KSU student. Furthermore, these students have accumulated an average of 19 credit hours toward their baccalaureate degree by the time they graduate from high school. Approximately 1/3 of KSU's DEHP students continue at KSU and nearly 100% have continued their education somewhere. DEHP students are also more likely to obtain their baccalaureate in 4 years (64% vs. 12% for other KSU students). KSU will expand enrollment in this program by 5% per year.
Partnerships with TCSG Institutions One of our primary feeder institutions for transfer students is Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC), which has several campuses near KSU. As mentioned earlier, KSU has a MOU with CTC that guarantees transfer for core curriculum credit courses taken as part of the Associate of Science in General Studies at CTC. This MOU will serve as a model for similar agreements with other TCSG institutions in or near the KSU service area. Also, CTC and
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KSU have entered into an agreement whereby, KSU will be able to use CTC classrooms for courses for KSU students, This will provide some much needed space relief and allow KSU to serve additional students that it might not be able to accommodate on its main campus. Additional strategies for serving students who transfer from TCSG institutions as well asthose who transfer from other USG institutions are discussed later in this proposal.
Enhance academic and non-academic support services for targeted subgroups of students [CCGA Goal 2]
Military Learners KSU has taken steps necessary to become a Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) member. This will increase access for members of the military and their families, and remove barriers to their success (residency requirements, etc.). Services will be provided through our Veterans Resource Center to active duty and reserve service members and their families. In addition, the Registrar's Office may award up to 12 semester hours of credit for military training and experience. Transfer credit will be awarded from official AARTS, SMART or CCAF transcripts utilizing ACE Guidelines. These improvements are being implemented this fall semester. The success of these measures will be measured using metrics described earlier in this document. In addition, KSU submitted a grant proposal to the Department of Education to participate in the VUB (Veterans Upward Bound) program. If approved, this grant will provide funds for the VRC to help participating veterans develop the skills they need to be accepted into college as well as succeed in college. VUB participants who do not wish to enroll at KSU will be directed to other USG and TCSG institutions.
Students with Disabilities The number of disabled learners has grown exponentially and now totals over 450 students who are registered with the office of Disabled Student Support Services. The office is in the process of hiring a full time director and an additional specialist. Students with disabilities typically improve their academic performance (as do many other students) when they have a specific contact on campus who can meet with them on a regular basis, follow their progress, guide them in improving study strategies and interact with faculty when necessary, etc. Therefore, it is envisioned that two to three additional coaches will be added in FY 14 to work with these learners on an individual basis. There is also a need of more general tutoring in core subjects such as history and political service. KSU envisions having professional tutors work with and train student tutors in strategies for working with students with disabilities. Development of a tracking and early warning system that allows for proactive intervention with students, who are struggling academically, will aid disabled students along with others. Faculty training (ongoing) will also be helpful with these students.
Hispanic/Latino and Other Minority Student Populations KSU has a $1.03M grant from the Goizueta Foundation to implement a pilot program to increase the recruitment, retention, and progression to graduation of Hispanic/Latino students. The grant, now entering its second full year of operation has provided scholarship money, programming funds and the initial funding for an Enrollment Services Specialist (ESS) and a Graduation Coach (GC; this position will be described in more detail below) to aid Hispanic/Latino students navigate the transition to, and through, the university experience. KSU has agreed to sustain this program beyond the term of the grant by institutionalizing the ESS and GC positions and the funding for programming.Preliminary findings indicate that students participating in the program are retained at a higher rate (nearly 100%); have a
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higher mean GPA and have accumulated more credit hours that non-participating KSU students. These findings are now being used to improve services to other minority populations.
Additional Targeted Populations Other targeted populations include adult learners, first-year students, student athletes, remedial students, exploratory students, first generation students and students with physical and cognitive disabilities. KSU offers a variety of support services to these populations through various offices within the divisions of Academic Affairs & Student Success. Among these, within Academic Affairs, are a math tutoring lab, a writing center, various academicdepartment-based tutoring services and a supplemental instruction program. Within the Student Success Division, support services include tutoring, leadership development and co-curricular participation. An Adult Learners office serves non-traditional students and a Disabled Student Services office serves students with physical and cognitive disabilities. The Student Athlete Success Center serves students participating in intercollegiate sports. The impact of each of these services will be assessed using appropriate metrics (GPA, D,F,W rate. retention, student satisfaction, etc.) The Adult Learners office has proposed examining the feasibility of using of Prior learning Assessment (PLA) and membership in the Adult Learning Consortium. A committee will be established in FY 13 to examine this option. The First-Year and Undeclared Advising Services office aids all incoming first-year students, as well as students beyond their first year who have either not yet declared a major or are in the transitional process of changing majors. Students are identified in Banner according to various demographic characteristics. Additional tags are being developed in FY 13 for extant populations and programs that identify characteristics (e.g. first generation) and program participation (e.g. Thrive, DEHP, etc.) that will simplify data collection. As new programs are developed or new populations are targeted new tags will be implemented. The success of support and intervention strategies extant or developed for various target populations will then be easily determined beginning this year with extant programs by querying the database using the appropriate demographic and or program-specific tags. Success metrics (GPA, year-to-year retention, progression toward degree attainment as measured by credit-hour accumulation) for each target population will then be compared to the means for typical (non-targeted) KSU students and the analysis will be used to expand and enhance those programs and services that demonstrate positive effects.
Transfer Students KSU is in the final stages of participation in the Foundations of Excellence Transfer Focus Self Study under the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. The purpose of the self-study is to identify and understand the barriers to success of student who transfer into KSU and to develop and implement an action plan to improve the success of that population of students. The study revealed that over 50% of KSU's new students each year enter as transfer students, with the largest number entering after having earned between 30 and 60 credits elsewhere. A large number enter with over 60 credits, manyof which will not apply to the degree with which they will eventually graduate. Recommendations emerging from that self-study, described in Appendix F, include: 1) establishing a Transfer Advocates Office that will employ "graduation coaches" to help transfer students navigate the new environment in which they find themselves; 2) establishing transfer liaisons on the campuses of institutions that are the largest providers of transfer students; these liaisons will work with students before they transfer to reduce the accumulation of credits that will not be useful upon transfer and to help the students understand what will be necessary to be successful after they transfer to KSU; 3) mandatory orientation for transfer students (currently orientation attendance is optional for these students); and 4) transcript evaluation and online advising
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sessions prior to attendance at orientation so students are better prepared to register for the appropriate classes when they come to orientation. KSU is currently implementing recommendation #2 using existing personnel in the Office of Admissions and in the First-year and Undeclared Advising Services office. Pending availability of funds in FY 14 additional personnel will be added to expand and enhance the operation. Additionally, the Graduation and Transcript Evaluation Services (GATES) operation with the Office of the Registrar has already shortened the transcript evaluation cycle to 10 days and is now providing transcript evaluations to transfer students at the time of orientation making the advising and registration process more efficient and more effective. Over the next 3 years, as all of the recommendations are implemented, and as services for transfer students are improved, retention and progression metrics will be used to measure the success of these strategies and target them for continuous improvement. Additionally, KSU has implemented beginning fall 2012, a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) agreement with Georgia Perimeter College, our largest USG feeder institution. KSU shares facilities in Paulding County with our other large feeder institution, Georgia Highlands College (GHC) and is developing a number of 2+2 programs with GHC for student attending classes at that facility.
Students "At Risk" - Early Alert/Early Intervention KSU has implemented an early alert/early intervention process that has reduced the number of first-year students placed on academic probation at the end of their first semester. It has also increased the success of those placed on probation in returning to good academic standing. KSU is currently exploring a number of software and/or hosted solutions expand the early alert capability beyond the first semester for students at risk of poor academic performance. Funds have been identified to purchase one of the packages. Bid documents are being prepared that will allow us to make the most cost-effective choice and a system should be purchased sometime in the 2012-2013 academic year with a partial rollout by fall 2013 and full implementation by fall 2014.
Promote excellence and innovation in education to aid student progression to graduation[CCGA Goal 3]
Shorten Time to Degree a variety of strategies will be used to shorten the time most students take to earn a degree.
Use of Graduation Coaches To better serve its growing Hispanic/Latino student population, KSU undertook a study designed to identify barriers to successful degree completion. The results of the study revealed two major stress points: 1) Hispanic/Latino students did not develop strong, trusting relationships with academic advisors, with many not knowing who their advisor was; and 2) many did not understand the complexities of the financial aid process. Thus, they stopped pursuing financial aid, necessitating taking fewer courses in a semester to reduce costs or stopping out one or more semesters to earn money to support their education. Either response to
financial need would lengthen the time to degree completion. Focus groups with other students indicated that these issues were possibly more intense for the Hispanic/Latino student population, but not unique to that population. A pilot program has been implemented for the Hispanic/Latino population that involves a "graduation coach" as a single point of contact to help resolve those issues that represent potential barriers to degree completion. As indicated earlier, after the first full year of operation students in the program are retained at a higher rate (nearly 100%); have a
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higher mean GPA and have accumulated more credit hours that non-participating KSU students. A similar approach (the Thrive program) was initiated in fall 2011 for 172 students at risk for losing HOPE scholarship support, a previously identified major factor in reducing degree completion rates. These students entered KSU with a 3.00-3.49 H.S. GPA. After the initial year of the program results for Thrive participants were compared to those obtained for a demographically and academically matched control group. Fifty percent of the Thrive participants progressed to sophomore status (>= 30 credit hours) as compared to 36% of the control group. Perhaps even more significant was the finding that 63% of the Thrive participants had 1-year GPAs at or above 3.0, thereby retaining HOPE support vs. 45% of the control group. A new cohort of 188 students has been identified for fall 2012 and a new demographically and academically matched control group is being generated to extend the study. These data constitute a preliminary "proof-of-concept" that indicates that this approach (i.e. the use of a graduation coach) can increase academic performance and retention for relatively well-prepared high school students. However, it remains to be seen if this approach can also improve the performance of students who are identified as "at risk". Consequently, KSU's CCGA Campus Completion Plan includes a large study (minimum 500 students) of this approach applied to a population of students identified as "at risk." based on demographic and high school academic performance criteria. A similar population not provided the services of a graduation coach will serve as a control group for comparison. FY 13 will be used to develop the criteria for inclusion of students in the "at risk" category and for identifying two individuals to serve as graduation coaches. FY 14 and FY 15 will be used to collect quantitative (GPA, retention, progression) and qualitative (student reported self-efficacy) data on the success of the two groups. If the approach is shown to improve student performance, then additional graduation coaches will be hired to serve larger numbers of students with the eventual goal of providing the service to all new students.
Maintenance of Financial Aid Eligibility New federal guidelines for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), for purposes of financial aid eligibility are being implemented and have resulted in KSU re-examining its policies in this area. To better serve students, KSU will continue to provide warnings each semester to students who drop below minimum SAP standards. These students will be placed into an academic plan. As long as they meet the terms of that plan, thereby making progress toward meeting the requisite standards, they will be able to maintain financial aid even if the overall standard is not met for several semesters.
More Efficient Management of Course Offerings In a survey conducted a few years ago for the USG RPG initiative, one reason cited by students who were taking longer than 6 years to graduate for their slow progress toward graduation was course availability, particularly of upper division courses required for the major. These were frequently offered only as single sections, and relatively infrequently (e.g. once a year, once every two years). In some cases, that demand may not be obvious to department chairs as students who can't get into a course in a given semester may shift to part-time status, stop-out for a semester or more, or take courses that are not necessary for their program of study without making their needs known. KSU is currently using DegreeWorks and is in the process of purchasing Ad Astra, an analytical tool, that will be used to determine the actual number of students who need a particular course or set of courses for each major program offered by KSU in order to graduate in a timely manner. This analysis will be
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provided to deans and department chairs so that they can better schedule courses to meet actual demand.
Supplemental Instruction In 2006 KSU implemented a supplemental instruction (SI) program targeting high risk, gateway courses and providing structured help sessions using student facilitators who have successfully completed the course they facilitate and who have been identified by the faculty member teaching the course. High risk courses are those where the D,F,W rate exceeds 30%. In each recent semester over 1,000 students in approximately 50 sections of 16 or 17 courses have been served. The average D,F,W rate for students in those courses who do not attend any SI sessions is around 38% while for those who attend 3 or more SI sessions that rate is reduced to less than 20%. In some courses the rate is reduced to singledigits.Retention rates are increased, and more students earn As or Bs, increasing the probability that they will maintain HOPE scholarships. In fall 2012 program expansion will occur by serving more STEM courses. The new Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics has agreed to fund an additional 10 student facilitators each semester to serve a variety of STEM courses. Conversations are planned with the other academic deans to determine their willingness to fund similar increases in servicing courses in their disciplines. The target is to increase the number of courses and/or students served by at least 5% per year.
Restructuring Course Delivery - KSU's Department of First-Year Programs has a nationally recognized, BOR Teaching-Excellence-Award-winningfirst-year experience program anchored by 3credit-hour, academically rigorous first-year seminars that embody four learning outcomes: a) strategies for academic success; b) life skills; c) campus and community connections; and d) foundations for global learning. The department has also developed targeted themed versions of the first-year seminar as well as targeted themed learning communities that approach common learning outcomes in contexts such as global challenges, leadership development, or community engagement. In keeping with KSU's new strategic plan and the goals of the CCGA Campus Plan, additional versions will be developed that focus on needs of students in specific disciplines or specific interests. For example, in fall 2012 Hispanic/Latino students who are part of the Goizueta Foundation-funded RRPG program will be in a first-year seminar that specifically focuses on their needs as an underserved population. Also in fall 2012 a seminar focused on leadership development for student athletes will be offered to all incoming first-year student athletes. Moving forward, each fall sections or communities will be offered that target one or more new populations of students with specific backgrounds and/or interests. Retention, progression and GPAs will be monitored and compared to those of the student population at large. These data plus student reflections on the value of the course to them will then be used to modify the content and context in order to maximize the effects.
For the past few years, KSU's Center for Student Leadership has provided student Peer Leaders/Peer Advisors (PL/PAs) to approximately 40% of the 120+ sections of the first-year seminar. In sections where PL/PAs have been assigned, students who interacted with them and followed their advice to meet with a professional advisor had significantly higher retention rates (81.7%) and a higher mean GPA (2.99) than the control group (Retention = 73.6%; Mean GPA = 2.69). The goal is to increase the number of sections served by PL/PAs by 5% per year and to increase the percentage of students who interact with the assigned PL/PAs from the current level of approximately 33% by at least 5% per year for the next 3 years to get to a target level of 50% or higher.
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Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) at KSU has consisted of credit given for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework and for courses passed through a College-Level Examination Program exam. As indicated earlier we are now providing up to 12 credit hours to military learners using the ACE guidelines. As indicated earlier, KSU will, in addition to these traditional methods of PLA, investigate the feasibility of participation in the Adult Learning Consortium and awarding credit for learning through life experiences using assessment procedures recommended by that organization.
KSU has a rapidly expanding array of courses in an online format, all of which are reviewed and approved to meet a set of standards before they are offered. In addition, faculty teaching those courses must be certified to teach online. A Distance Learning Center has been established to aid in developing course material, manage the course approval and instructor certification processes, develop services and policies appropriate for online course delivery, and leverage resources for greater efficiency. KSU will increase courses delivered in an online format by at least 8% per year for the next 3 years.
Transforming RemediationKSU has been experimenting with stretch format courses with co-requisite supplemental instruction support for students entering KSU with a mathematics learning support requirement. In the past 5 years we have offered, through our Early Start Bridge Academy (ESBA), remedial math (MATH 0099) for students entering with a learning support requirement and credit-bearing math (MATH 1111) for those entering without a learning support requirement but who opt for additional help in a 19-week stretch format that involves 4 weeks in the summer followed by the 15-week fall semester. The stretch format is coupled with SI sessions and individualized tutoring. Diagnostic quizzes are used to determine which areas of mathematics need to be emphasized. In addition, the math courses are part of a two-course learning community in which the second course is a section of our nationally recognized first-year seminar. In the first-year seminar course, students are presented with strategies for academic success (time management, study skills, note-taking skills, etc.) during the 4-week summer "early start" period so that when fall semester begins and students add other courses, they are better prepared for the increased demand on their time and intellectual capacity. The cumulative results from this program were recently presented at the International Conference on the First-Year Experience in Vancouver, BC. Results are somewhat mixed in that the D,F,W rate was not significantly different for program participants as compared to students taking the MATH courses in the normal 15-week format. However, students participating in the program progressed at a more rapid rate (i.e. they accumulated more credit-hours) and were retained at a significantly higher rate. The latter was particularly pronounced at the 2nd-to-3rd year retention level where program participants were retained at a rate of 68% vs. 45% for the control group. Reflection papers also indicated that student self-confidence and satisfaction with their academic experience was higher for program participants. Beginning in the summer of 2013 KSU will modify this format for traditional-aged students entering with a learning support requirement by placing them into an ESBA learning community consisting of the first-year seminar and credit-bearing MATH 1111 instead of the remedial MATH 0099. The D,F,W rate, grade distribution, retention and progression data, as well as reported self-efficacy will be determined over a two year period. If successful, we will move to serve all traditional age students with a math learning support requirement with this format, thereby eliminating the need for a separate remedial math course for these students and allow them to exit their learning support requirement and at the same time satisfy the core curriculum math requirement.
A similar approach is proposed for students entering with a learning support requirement in English beginning in fall, 2014 with a pilot cohort of 26 students. Initially, we will not use the stretch format but
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will provide additional support via tutors and SI-like workshops. We currently employ this approach with students who do not pass English Composition (KSU's Regents requirement in lieu of the Regents Exam). We will use the same approach for students entering with a learning support English requirement at their first attempt at ENGL 1101. Successful exit from the course with a grade of C or better will be the metric by which we measure success of the program. If successful, additional sections will be added each year with the goal of serving all students with an English learning support requirement in this way within 3 years of initiating this approach
Part III: Planning and Implementation The KSU CCGA Campus Plan was developed by the KSU CCGA Leadership Team (Appendix G) with input from across campus. This input included faculty, staff and students on the strategic planning committee. It also included nearly 250 "program coordinators," throughout campus, who participated in a survey (inventory) of current and recommended practices and programs that impact RPG and degree completion.
Through meetings and a reporting process, President Daniel S. Papp was actively involved with the team in developing the plan. This team, along with President Papp, will also be responsible for implementing the plan.
As noted in Part II, some strategies have already been successful in specific, relatively small, target populations as measured by D,F,W rates (e.g. supplemental instruction) retention rates and mean GPA, (e.g. Peer Leaders/Peer Advisors, graduation coaches, stretch formats for remedial courses), and retention of HOPE support (graduation coaches). These strategies are ready for investment of additional resources to expand and enlarge the impact in the first and second years of plan implementation. Other strategies (e.g. graduation coaches for "at-risk" students; stretch format for non-remedial courses; early alert and intervention; and the use of transfer advocates on the campuses of feeder institutions) must be tested with the specific, intended target population(s) before deciding if they are worth more investment. Still other strategies (e.g. transfer liaisons, PLA as defined by the Adult learning Consortium) are largely untested at KSU and must be piloted before determining whether to redirect substantial funding to them. All pilots will require at least a two-year implementation to determine retention and progression effects. At the conclusion of each pilot (run simultaneously or in overlapping timeframes), the data will be analyzed and success or failure determined, as measured by a set of metrics including, but not limited to, some combination of year-to-year retention, mean GPA, grade distribution, progression toward degree completion (credit hour accumulation) and student reported self-efficacy. The Leadership Team will then determine the impact of each strategy and with the approval of the President and his Cabinet will redirect resources to scale up the most effective or cost-effective programs.
The major strategies discussed in Part II are presented in the table on the next 2 pages. Each is categorized by CCGA Goal with references the KSU Strategic Plan, targets for determining success, a timeline for implementation and the unit responsible for implementation and for monitoring the success of the strategy.
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IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

Goal 1: Increase the college readiness of students enrolling at KSU through external partnerships with TCSG institutions and K12 schools.

Strategy K-12 Pre-College Programs
Dual Enrollment TCSG Institutions

KSU Strategic Plan Goal
2

Target Assess Existing Programs

Implement New Programs

2

Increase enrollment by 5%

per year

1,2

Implement Transfer MOU

Utilize Space available at

CTC for KSU Classes

2012-13

2013-14

X
Plan & Design
X
X Spring 2013

X Implement
X
X

2014-15
X Assess
X
X

ResponsibleUnit
Academic College where program resides University College
University College
Enrollment Services Academic Affairs

Goal 2: Enhance academic and non-academic support services for targeted subgroups of students.

Strategy
Military Learners Veterans Students with Disabilities
Hispanic/ Latino RRPG Student Athletes Various Targeted Populations
Transfer Students
At-Risk Students

KSU Strategic Plan Goal
2 2 1,2
2

Target
Implement ACE Guidelines for Transfer Credit Submit Veterans Upward Bound grant proposal New Assistant Director & Program Coordinator New Coaches Faculty Training Assess Impact

2

Implement Leadership

Development Program

2

Implement ID Tags in

Banner to more readily

assess impact

2

Implement

Recommendations from

Foundations of Excellence

Self Study

2

Implement Early Alert/

Early Intervention Software

2012-13

2013-14

X

X

X

Implement if

funded

X

X

X

X

X

X

Implement Program Implement & Assess

Assess Impact Assess

Implement w/ existing personnel
Identify& Purchase software

Continue implementation
with new personnel Implement for select courses

2014-15

ResponsibleUnit

X
X X X Assess

Enrollment Services
Student Success
Student Success
Student Success Student Success Academic Affairs
University College
Academic Affairs

Full

Student Success, Enrollment Services,

Implementation University College

Full

Academic Affairs Each College

Implementation

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Goal 3: Promote excellence and innovation in education to aid student progression to graduation.

Strategy Shorten Time to Degree Maintenance of Financial Aid Eligibility Manage Course Availability Expand Supplemental Instruction Restructuring Course Delivery
Transform Remediation

KSU Strategic Plan Goal
2 2 2 2 1,2
1,2

Target
Pilot Project with Graduation Coaches for AtRisk Students
Implement new SAP Procedures Relieve Bottlenecks
Increase Courses and Students Served by 5% each year Develop Targeted First-Year Seminars (1-3 per year)
Increase Use of Peer Leaders/ Peer Advisors by 5% per year Prior Learning Assessment
Increase Online Course Offerings by 8% each year Design & Implement Stretch Formats and Tutorial Help to place Learning Support Students in Credit-Bearing Courses

2012-13
Identify AtRisk
students for Fall 2013
X
Purchase Ad-Astra Software
X
X Leadership for Athletes
X
Implement ACE
Guidelines for Military
Learners
X
Design Curriculum
& Approach and Obtain
any Necessary Curriculum Approvals

2013-14
Hire 2 coaches and begin
implementation
X
Use Ad-Astra &DegreeWorks
to Analyze Bottlenecks
X
X
X
Examine feasibility of PLA through
the Adult Learning Consortium
X
Implement for those needing
Learning Support in
Math

2014-15
Assess impact on GPA, retention &
progression X Full
Implementation
X
X
X
Implement PLA if feasible
X Implement for those needing Learning Support
in English

ResponsibleUnit University College
Enrollment Services Enrollment Services and Academic Colleges University College University College University College Academic Affairs via each Academic College
Academic Affairs University College

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Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation Purpose of the Evaluation: Kennesaw State University has incorporated applicable strategic priorities into the CCGA plan to promote synergy around this initiative. In addition, connecting selected strategies that have a history of demonstrated success and establishing new successful strategies through pilot projects provide a solid foundation to build on as the CCGA plan, goals, objectives and strategies are put in place throughout the institution. KSU is committed to continuous improvement and will implement the following evaluation plan to assess the extent to which goals are being met, to identify actions or course corrections for improvement, and to systematically and regularly gather feedback from constituents.
Evaluation Team: The KSU CCGA Leadership Team will serve as the implementation oversight team and as the evaluation team for this initiative, thereby providing continuity and focus to the overall initiative. Additional members may be added to the implementation and evaluation team as needed. Data analysis will be conducted by a combination of units that includes The Center for Statistical Analysis, Enterprise Information Management and assessment coordinators located within the divisions of Student Success and Academic Affairs.
Evaluation Methods: A mixed method evaluation approach will be used including the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Strategies included in this plan are based on either demonstrated evidence of success or high estimated probability of success (based on limited pilot studies and/or success at other institutions) that will contribute to meeting the three CCGA goals. As a result, each strategy selected for this initiative will have an associated evaluation plan, developed in FY 13, that will establish specific objectives, target results, select or develop measures for determining the extent to which the objectives are being met, establish data analysis methods, and promote continuous improvement. Each strategy has been assigned to a specific unit that will be responsible for design, implementation and assessment. Timelines (a minimum of one year from implementation) will be established for data collection, analysis, reflection and projected improvements. The Leadership Team will receive and evaluate all assessment reports and will also conduct an annual survey of constituents to determine the status of performance and to identify emerging best practices and/or research that could be incorporated into the campus plan.
Evaluation Timeline: Each strategy in this plan will submit an annual evaluation plan (including a timeline for delivering assessment reports) by May 15 each year to the CCGA Leadership Team. The team will review the results of the strategies and objectives and submit a comprehensive evaluation report of the threeCCGA goals to the President and Cabinet by July 1 each year. The Leadership Team will also be responsible for making recommendations regarding plan revisions or implementation strategies that need to be considered to ensure the campus plan achieves intermediate results in time to achieve its goals for degree completions by 2020. The President and Cabinet will be responsible for reviewing the annual evaluation report and recommendations for improvement and for identifying which recommendations will be implemented as well as identifying the resources available for implementation.
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Appendix A.1 KSU Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Traditional-Age and Nontraditional-Age Students for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

% of Bachelor Degrees

KSU Awards More Bachelor's Degrees to Traditional-Age Students, but Nontraditional-Age Students Still Represent a Significant Population
60%

50%

40%

30%

Nontraditional-Age Degree

Completers (>= 25 Years of Age)

20%

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (<

25 Years of Age)

10%

0% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Fiscal Year is Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters

Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

43% 46% 46% 50% 52% 51%

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age) 57% 54% 54% 50% 48% 49%

Total Percentage of Degrees

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

2010 56% 44%
100%

2011 56% 44%
100%

Number of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

778 877 1,018 1,244 1,477 1,554

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age) 1,023 1,031 1,187 1,261 1,377 1,475

Total Number of Degrees

1,801 1,908 2,205 2,505 2,854 3,029

2010 1,759 1,374 3,133

2011 1,862 1,457 3,319

NOTE(S): Traditional-age graduates are defined to be 24 or younger under the assumption that the traditional high school graduates are typically 18 years of age, remain continuously enrolled in educational pursuits, and typically take 4-to-6 years to complete a bachelor's degree (using the Federal Department of Education 6-year graduation rate).

SOURCE: University System of Georgia Data Warehouse

IMPLICATIONS: Although KSU's traditional-age students have increased by 13% over the last eight years, 44% of KSU's bachelor degree completers are nontraditional-age students who are still not taken into account in the federally-defined calculation of KSU's 6-year graduation rate. With the advent of campus housing enabling the undergraduate KSU student body to gravitate toward becoming more traditional, it will still be a number of years before traditional-age students and graduates vastly outnumber the nontraditional students and graduates. Only 41% of the bachelor's degrees awarded in AY 2011 were received by students in the traditional first-time, full-Time freshmen cohorts used to calculate the federally defined 6-year graduation rate.

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Appendix A.2 KSU Bachelors' Degrees Awarded for Traditional-Age Subgroups and Nontraditional-Age Students for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011
Nearly Two Out of Five Bachelor's Graduates at KSU Complete Their Degrees within Four Years

44%
FY 2011

26%
19% 11%

Traditional 4-Year Graduates (<= 22 Years of Age)
Traditional 5-Year Graduate (23 Years of Age)
Traditional 6-Year Graduate (24 Years of Age)
Nontraditional-Age Graduates (>= 25 Years of Age)

Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Traditional 4-Year Graduates (<= 22 Years of Age)

15% 15% 18% 21% 22% 20%

Traditional 5-Year Graduate (23 Years of Age)

15% 18% 16% 17% 18% 20%

Traditional 6-Year Graduate (24 Years of Age)

13% 13% 13% 12% 12% 11%

Nontraditional-Age Graduates (>= 25 Years of Age)

57% 54% 54% 50% 48% 49%

Total Percentage of Degrees

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

2010 25% 19% 12% 44%
100%

2011 26% 19% 11% 44%
100%

Number of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Traditional 4-Year Graduates (<= 22 Years of Age)

272 293 391 518 615 617

Traditional 5-Year Graduate (23 Years of Age)

272 340 351 431 520 601

Traditional 6-Year Graduate (24 Years of Age)

234 244 276 295 342 336

Nontraditional-Age Graduates (>= 25 Years of Age)

1,023 1,031 1,187 1,261 1,377 1,475

Total Number of Degrees

1,801 1,908 2,205 2,505 2,854 3,029

2010 787 599 373
1,374 3,133

2011 857 637 368
1,457 3,319

NOTE(S): These traditional-age graduate classifications assume that the traditional high school graduate is 18 years of age and that the traditional 4-year graduate is 22 or younger; the traditional 5-year graduate is 23; the traditional 6-year graduate is 24, and nontraditional-age graduate is 25 or older.

SOURCE: University System of Georgia Data Warehouse

IMPLICATIONS: The percentages of traditional-age 4, 5, and 6-year degree completers have increased somewhat over the past eight years. The traditional-age 4-year degree completers had the most appreciable growth at 11%, as the younger students appear to be reaching their educational goals in 5-years or less. KSU is establishing a solid traditional-age population of students because of the onset of oncampus housing and stringent admission standards.

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Appendix A.3 KSU Bachelors' Degrees Awarded by Traditional-Age and Nontraditional-Age Students by Student Type for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

% of Bachelor Degrees

KSU Awards More Bachelor's Degrees to TraditionalAge First-time Freshmen, but Traditional-Age Transfer
Students Remain Constant

40%

35%

30%

25%

Traditional-Age First-time

20%

Freshmen Graduates (< 25 Years of

Age)

15%

Traditional-Age Transfer Degree

10%

Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

5%

0% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Fiscal Year is Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters

Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Matriculated as First-time Freshmen

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

17% 22% 25% 28% 30% 28%

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age)

2%

5%

7%

8%

8% 10%

Matriculated as a Transfer Student and Other

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

26% 24% 21% 22% 21% 23%

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age) 55% 49% 47% 42% 40% 39%

Total Percentage of Degrees

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

2010
34% 9%
23% 35% 100%

2011
35% 9%
21% 35% 100%

Number of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Year 2004 to 2011

Types of Degree Completers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Matriculated as First-time Freshmen

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

302

424

554

696

865

861

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age)

41

88

144

207

225

295

Matriculated as a Transfer Student and Other

Traditional-Age Degree Completers (< 25 Years of Age)

476

453

464

548

612

693

Nontraditional-Age Degree Completers (>= 25 Years of Age)

982

943 1,043 1,054 1,152 1,180

Total Number of Degrees

1,801 1,908 2,205 2,505 2,854 3,029

2010
1,050 272
709 1,102 3,133

2011
1,149 302
713 1,155 3,319

NOTE(S): Traditional-age graduates are defined to be 24 or younger under the assumption that the traditional high school graduates are typically 18 years of age, remain continuously enrolled in educational pursuits, and typically take 4-to-6 years to complete a bachelor's degree (using the Federal Department of Education 6-year graduation rate). Both the first-time freshmen and transfer students includes the full and part time students. The first-time freshmen graduates are those students in the federally defined fall cohort (i.e., the IPEDS First-time Freshmen cohort).

SOURCE: University System of Georgia Data Warehouse

IMPLICATIONS: The percentage of traditional-age students who matriculated as first-time freshmen have increased by 12% over the last eight years, while nontraditional-age students that matriculated as transfer or other students have remained relatively constant. The increase in the traditional-age first-time freshmen can be attributed to the advent of on-campus housing in 2002 that has enabled the undergraduate KSU student body to gravitate toward becoming more traditional. Nontraditional-age transfer and other students consisted of 35% of all degree completers in AY 2010-11 which were not included in any federal or state metrics as of 2012.

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Appendix B.1 KSU Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Race and Etnicity for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

The Representation of Minority and Majority Groups Among Those Earning Bachelor's Degrees at KSU Closely Matches Their Representation in the Undergraduate Student Body

White Undeclared Multiracial
Hispanic Asian Black 0%

4% 3%
3% 3%
6% 6%
4% 4%

14% 12%

10%

20%

30%

% of Fall 2010 Student Body

40%

50%

60%

% of Undergraduate Degree Completers FY 2011

69% 72%

70%

80%

Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Minority and Majority Groups Black

% of UG Degree Completers
11%

% of Fall % of UG

2003

Degree

Student Completers

Body

11% 11%

% of Fall % of UG

2004

Degree

Student Completers

Body

10%

9%

% of Fall % of UG

2005

Degree

Student Completers

Body

10% 10%

% of Fall % of UG

2006

Degree

Student Completers

Body

10% 10%

% of Fall % of UG

2007

Degree

Student Completers

Body

10% 10%

% of Fall % of UG

2008

Degree

Student Completers

Body

10% 11%

% of Fall % of UG

2009

Degree

Student Completers

Body

13% 12%

% of Fall 2010
Student Body
14%

Asian

4%

5%

4%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

3%

4%

3%

3%

3%

4%

4%

Hispanic

2%

8%

3%

3%

3%

4%

3%

4%

3%

4%

4%

4%

6%

6%

6%

6%

Multiracial

2%

4%

2%

2%

1%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

1%

2%

2%

3%

3%

Native American

0%

1%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

1%

0%

Native Hawaiian

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

Undeclared

0%

6%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

7%

4%

5%

3%

4%

Subtotal: Minority

19% 28% 20% 19% 18% 19% 18% 19% 18% 19% 21% 19% 22% 25% 25% 27%

White

81% 81% 80% 81% 82% 81% 82% 81% 82% 81% 79% 74% 74% 70% 72% 69%

Total Number of Degrees

100% 115% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Number of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2011

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

# of UG
Minority and Majority Groups Degree
Completers

# of Fall 2003
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2004
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2005
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2006
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2007
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2008
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2009
Student Body

# of UG Degree Completers

# of Fall 2010
Student Body

Black

201 1,638

211 1,627

199 1,678

256 1,795

272 1,809

301 1,971

341 2,710

395 3,070

Asian

64 494

68 523

76 562

68 598

104 603

135 624

99 695

136

779

Hispanic

40 486

56 542

73 658

69 663

87 748

129 775

181 1,151

201 1,283

Multiracial

34 300

41 265

32 275

45 284

52 301

46 235

54 458

85

546

Native American

3

40

2

47

9

55

5

58

9

65

15

69

7

82

19

78

Native Hawaiian

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

33

4

33

Undeclared

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

15 1,406

137 924

90

918

Subtotal: Minority

342 2,958

378 3,004

389 3,228

443 3,398

524 3,526

626 3,674

688 5,129

840 5,789

White

1,459 12,631 1,530 13,075 1,816 13,511 2,062 14,310 2,330 14,746 2,388 14,091 2,308 14,251 2,389 14,760

Total Number of Degrees

1,801 15,589 1,908 16,079 2,205 16,739 2,505 17,708 2,854 18,272 3,029 19,171 3,133 20,304 3,319 21,467

NOTE(S): Small percentage differences are statistically insignificant. These numbers include all undergraduate students and all bachelor's degrees awarded annually as well as nontraditional and traditional students (unlike the six-year graduation rates that are calculated only for first-time, full-time freshmen cohorts).

SOURCE: University System of Georgia Data Warehouse
IMPLICATIONS: The consistency of these closely matches between minority and majority group representations in the student body, and the graduating class from year to year suggests that progression and graduation rates for majority and minority students are basically equivalent at KSU.

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Appendix B.2 KSU Bachelor's Degrees Awarded (Percent Change) by Race, Ethnicity and Gender between Fiscal Years 1999 and 2009
KSU's Percentage Growth in Bachelor's Degrees Awarded was Substantially Greater than the Nation's in Virtually Every Gender and Ethnicity/Race Classification Over The Last Ten Years, Especially for Women

International: Female International: Male
American Indian: Female American Indian: Male
Asian/Pacific Islander: Female Asian/Pacific Islander: Male Hispanic: Female Hispanic: Male African American: Female African American: Male White: Female White: Male 0%

50%

100% KSU

150% N ati onal

200%

250%

300%

350%

Demographic Subgroups
Bachelor's Male Female White Male Female African American Male Female Hispanic Male Female Asian/Pacific Islander Male Female American Indian/Alaska Native Male Female Nonresident alien (International) Male Female

Degrees Awarded
National % Change,
199899 to 200809 33% 32% 34% 26% 27% 26% 53% 53% 53% 85% 77% 90% 52% 48% 55% 45% 46% 45% 20% 8% 35%

KSU's % Change, 199899 to 200809
62% 59% 64% 52% 47% 56% 92% 132% 78% 224% 130% 309% 200% 250% 167% 80% 200% 50% 134% 114% 148%

KSU's Bachelor's Awarded
199899 1,757 642 1,115 1,520 563 957 128 34 94 21 10 11 30 12 18 5 1 4 53 22 31

KSU's Bachelor's Awarded
200809 2,854 1,020 1,834 2,317 826 1,491 246 79 167 68 23 45 90 42 48 9 3 6 124 47 77

NOTE(S): The data for this analysis can be found in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Data Center at http://nces.ed.gov/, and were extracted using the "Download custom data files" feature. In addition, data was extracted from The Condition of Education 2011 report on the IPEDS website. Caution is advised when interpreting percentages based on small numbers of graduates.

SOURCE: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Completions data for 1998-99 and 2008-09
IMPLICATIONS: KSU's growth for all gender and ethnicity/race categories of graduates over the last ten years was over twice the national growth. African American male graduates at KSU grew more than three times the national rate. At KSU, and across the nation, growth in the number of women graduates continued, but at a substantially slower pace than between 1993-94 and 2003-04.

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Appendix C First-Year Attrition and Six-Year Graduation Rate for Full/Part-time Beginning Freshmen for Combined Fiscal Year

KSU Beginning Freshmen First-Year Attrition and Six-Year Graduation Rates for Fiscal Years 2001 through 2005

Fiscal Year # Students # Non- % Non- # Graduated % Graduated

returning returning 6-Years

6-Years

2001

2,017

367

18%

534

26%

2002

2,598

454

17%

779

30%

2003

2,759

487

18%

931

34%

2004

2,239

411

18%

788

35%

2005

2,641

520

20%

961

36%

NOTE(S): The # of beginning freshmen is an unduplicated headcount that combines Summer, Fall, and Spring terms within the fiscal year for both full and parttime students.
The purpose of this analysis is to provide KSU an overall aggreegate view of beginning freshmen throughout the fiscal year, not just a single term cohort view.
Due to data management practices within Banner at KSU the beginning freshmen cohort contains learning support and nontraditional-age students that does not necessarily represent college ready students that remain continously enrolled out of high school.
SOURCE: University System of Georgia (USG) Data Warehouse (USG123).

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Appendix D First-Year Attrition and Six-Year Graduation Rate for Full/Part-time Transfer Students for Combined Fiscal Year

KSU Transfer Student First-Year Attribution and Six-Year Graduation Rates for Fiscal Years 2001 through 2005

Fiscal Year # Students # Non- % Non- # Graduated % Graduated

returning returning 6-Years 6-Years

2001

2,359

504

21%

1,005

43%

2002

2,886

600

21%

1,239

43%

2003

2,993

631

21%

1,290

43%

2004

2,979

605

20%

1,319

44%

2005

3,138

588

19%

1,490

47%

NOTE(S): KSU utilizes an unduplicated headcount progression model that uses the students first-term of matriculation as the starting point.

SOURCE: University System of Georgia (USG) Data Warehouse (USG123).

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Appendix E Inventory of Current and Recommended Practices and Programs that Impact Retention, Progression to Graduation, and Degree Completion for KSU Students

Functional Categories Pre-College Programs
Adult Learners
Academic Advising
Mentoring/Peer Mentoring
Tutoring
Cohort Model
Campus Visits
Early Intervention System Testing General Education
Reading Day Employment Rates Experiential Education Veterans Plagiarism Instruction

Practices and Programs
Summer Bridge Program; Stretch Courses for Learning Support Students (under development); Target first generation students before they start (recommended); Pre-College programs for underrepresented youth or subject area driven; Develop a program like the East Paulding Pre-College Writing Program at other schools in the county (recommended); tutoring/mentoring at the K-12 level by current students, staff, administrators, faculty, etc.; encourage outreach to K-12 school by various offices in addition to admissions; Science and math targeted programs for women and girls (recommended); online college prep classes (recommended); Dual Enrollment Honors Program Adult Learner Consortium (recommended); Kennesaw College for Working Adults (recommended); Adult Access Initiative (recommended); Partnerships with child care and preschool programs (recommended); Link key programs to Parent & Family association (recommended); programming which promotes a sense of family at KSU (recommended); online course delivery Effective academic advising website with detailed and streamlined information; Transfer student academic advising center (recommended); centralized resource for academic advising (recommended); staff member who specializes in transfer student advising (recommended); university-wide advising program (recommended); advising day for student who could not attend orientation (recommended); more resources for advising (recommended); campus-wide academic advisor training Graduation Coaches; Big Brother/Big Sister type program for higher education (recommended); peer life coaches (recommended); Mandatory mentoring for incoming students in the first semester (recommended); staff and student mentoring (recommended); Peer leaders/Peer Advisors in First-Year Seminars English/Writing tutoring; private tutoring for returning students; Tutoring program with structured study time including study skills and time management, etc. (recommended); Math Tutoring Lab; Supplemental Instruction Program; ESL Study and Tutorial Center Cohort type model for students (learning communities for first-year students); plan for students to follow which guarantees graduation within 4 years (under development for each academic major); continue the cohort model past the first year into sophomore and junior years (recommended) Invite school counselors to KSU to help educate them on the various offices and open lines of communication; Sponsor day long field trips for middle and high school students to expose them to the various aspects of college (recommended) System which identifies students by certain factors and allows early intervention by staff example MAP-Works, Beacon, Grades-First, Starfish Retention Solutions (funds have been identified and bid documents being prepared). Central location for testing services; information session about CLEP (recommended) Increase flexibility in general education where students can choose from a variety of courses to fit requirements; decrease number of required general education courses and increase electives (recommended) Incorporate a reading day prior to the start of finals evidence was provided on how this is effective on other campuses (recommended) Collect data on employment rates in various majors and programs (recommended) Connecting in-class curriculum with career application
Relocate Veterans Certifying Individual to Veterans Resource Center; allow veterans to have priority registration (recommended) Create a workshop on "How to Avoid Plagiarism" not a course on citation styles, but specifically providing information on what counts as plagiarism and how to avoid violating it (recommended)
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Appendix F: Recommendations from the KSU Foundations of Excellence Self-Study 1. Create a Transfer Advisory Council (TAC)
Functioning as a planning and implementation group, this committee will be composed of 6-9 members and will be charged with the following tasks: a. To create a transfer philosophy statement b. To examine the KSU web and make recommendations about the design and development of
a Transfer Student Portal of Information c. To create (and subsequently update) a transfer student "guide" d. To consult with transfer students by organizing "focus groups" and surveys e. To explore better ways to communicate with transfer students f. To research and propose co-curricular programming designed for transfer students to
constitute a "transfer-year experience." 2. Create a Transfer Advocate Office
This office will be responsible for serving as a point of contact for incoming transfer students. Initial staffing of 3-4 individuals should include a transfer student advocate, two transfer liaisons (one dedicated to technical schools and one dedicated to two-year institutions/state colleges) and an administrative support person. 3. Institute mandatory transfer orientation Do this, in conjunction with a thorough review and assessment of the current transfer orientation 4. Generate a DegreeWorks audit that will be sent, upon acceptance to KSU, to all incoming transfer students prior to their attendance at an on-campus orientation program 5. Continue examination of transfer students demographic. Enrollment decisions and success metrics Historical demographics; course registration patterns, especially as they impact enrollment decisions; success metrics (i.e., retention, GPA, graduation rates, time-to-completion)
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Appendix G: KSU Complete College Georgia Leadership Team W. Ken Harmon Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Jerome Ratchford Vice President for Student Success Ralph J. Rascati Associate Vice President for Advising, Retention & Graduation Initiatives Dean of University College Erik Bowe Executive Director, Enterprise Information Management (EIM) Chief Data Officer Leigh Funk Special Assistant to the President for Accreditation Kim West Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services
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MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE COMPLETE COLLEGE GEORGIA PLAN

History and Characteristics
Effective January 8, 2013, Middle Georgia State College (MGSC) will be formed from the consolidation of two Level II COC-accredited colleges in the University System of Georgia, Macon State College (MSC) and Middle Georgia College (MGC). The mission of MGSC is to serve the educational needs of a diverse population through high quality programs connected to community needs in a global context and to serve as a leader for the intellectual, economic, and cultural life of the region. MGSC will be a Level II public 4-year college in the University System of Georgia with its main campus in Macon and satellite campuses in Cochran, Warner Robins, Dublin, and Eastman along with the Robins Residence Center at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. The consolidated educational programs of MGSC will include a broad array of bachelor's and associate's degrees as well as certificate programs. The primary service area for the new institution will be the combined territories in the Central/Middle Georgia region that were previously served by MSC in Macon and MGC in Cochran which is about 50 miles southeast of the main campus. MGSC's student body of approximately 10,000 students will be comprised of military personnel, early enrollment students, and traditional and non-traditional residential and commuter undergraduates from urban and rural environments. Admission to MCSC will follow the minimum standards established by the University System of Georgia and policies of the institution. Regular admission is based on students possessing a 2.0 academic core GPA and zero college preparatory deficiencies or a 2.2 GPA with college preparatory deficiencies, or passing GED scores.

Gender Female Male

Fall 2011 Student Profile
# 5,585 3,541

% 61.2% 38.8%

Ethnicity White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaskan Native 2 or more Unknown

# 5,212 3,128 289 203
24
201 69

% 57.1% 34.3% 3.2% 2.2%
0.3%
2.2% 0.8%

Enrollment Status Full-Time Part-Time

# 5,596 3,530

% 61.3% 38.7%

Residency

#

Georgia

8,426

Out of State

545

Out of Country

155

Total Enrollment

9,126

Source: MSC/MGC Offices of Institutional Research

% 92.3% 6.0% 1.7% 100%

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The early work at both colleges laid the foundation for the retention, progression, and graduation initiatives of the new institution. As part of this plan, we have included promising programs from both institutions that were started as early as 2010. In addition, we expanded and prioritized our efforts and strategically aligned personnel and financial resources with the mission of the new institution. In its first year of operation, the new institution will be engaged in building a strategic plan based on input from faculty, staff, students, and the surrounding communities. The MGSC Complete College Georgia Plan will be a critical component of this endeavor. As we go forward, we will monitor similar programs initiated at each institution and follow best practices as MGSC evolves.

Regional Economic Outlook
MGSC serves 17 counties in central Georgia. The following major employers by counties were identified using the Georgia Department of Labor (2011) and area Chambers of Commerce.

County Bibb Houston
Bleckley Dodge Laurens Monroe Jones Crawford
Peach Twiggs
Pulaski
Wilcox Telfair
Wheeler

Medical Center of Central GA Robins Air Force Base
Acuity Brands/ Lighting Boys and Girls Club Laurens County Schools, Gov. GA Dept. of Corrections Tri-County Electric Dickey Farms
Peach County School System Twiggs County School System
GA Dept. of Corrections
Wilcox County School System Telfair County School System
Wheeler County School System

Major Employers

GEICO

Bibb County

City of Macon

School District

Houston County Perdue Farms Frito-Lay

Schools and

Govt.

Middle GA

Bleckley County

College

School District

Dodge County GA Dept. of

Heart of GA

Hospital

Corrections

Dynamics

VA Medical

Fairview Park City of Dublin

Center

Hospital

School District

GA Power

Monroe County Monroe County

Company

School System Hospital

Reeves

Ethica Health & Jones County

Construction

Retirement

School System

Crawford

Hammock-Wicks TT&E

County School Timber

Enterprises

District

(electricians)

Blue Bird

Fort Valley State Peach Medical

University

Center

Kamin Holding Epps Bros.

W& S

Co.

(construction) Enterprises

(Huddle House)

Pulaski County Taylor Regional Hollingsworth

School System Hospital

and Vose

(engineered

papers)

GA Department Doster

Upson Service

of Corrections Warehouse

Center

GA Department Coca-Cola

North GA

of Corrections Bottling

Detention

Center

Lower Oconee North GA

BP Timber Co

Community

Detention

Hospital

Center

Coliseum Health Systems Houston Medical Center
Graphic Packaging Int.'l YKK AP America Local Govt. Local Govt. Local Govt.
Local Govt. Local Govt.
Local Govt.
Local Govt. Local Govt.
Local Govt.

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County Treutlen
Johnson

Treutlen County School System Johnson County School System

GA Department of Corrections Bryan County Health & Rehab

Major Employers

Dennard Inc.

General Fibers

(drug co.)

and Fabric

Community

Electro-Mech

Health Care Sys. Scoreboards

Local Govt. Local Govt.

The top five employment industries in the new MGSC service area include: health care and social assistance, local government, retail trade, federal government, and accommodation and food services. One of the strengths of the new college is our active involvement with our local businesses and local governments. One particularly noteworthy example of industrial partnerships is the Aviation Industry Advisory Committee which composed of representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Airlines/ExpressJet Airlines, Gulfstream Aerospace, Robins Air Force Base, Lockheed Martin Aerospace Company, and other local aerospace partners. The representatives from these organizations review our various curricula for relevance to industry, and provide guidance on certain academics such as course knowledge content. Over time they have provided scholarship funds, internships, "bridge" programs for employment of graduates, and/or other forms of financial or in-kind support. We are currently working with one of our partners, to raise funds for a $1.5 million flight simulator/training device.

Part I: Goals and Data Analysis
Whenever possible, historical data from MSC and MGC have been combined for analysis. When not possible, separate analyses from the two institutions will be utilized.

Goal 1: Increase certificate, associate, and bachelor degree completion.

Degrees and Awards Conferred, FY 2007-FY2012

Award Level FY2007

FY2008

FY2009

FY2010

FY2011

FY2012

Bachelor's

330

346

442

453

547

625

Associate's

686

687

607

693

702

755

Certificates

75

168

119

96

102

137

Source: USG Degrees Conferred Report, except for FY2012, which is preliminary data from MSC/MGC Offices of Institutional Research

Using linear regression on the historical data above, the projected number of bachelor's degrees for FY2015 is 708 (r2=.9741), this would represent a 13.3% increase over FY2012. The growth in associate
and certificate degrees is projected to increase, but not as significantly as the rate in bachelor's degrees. This is due to the sharp decline in the number of associate degrees and certificates awarded by MSC as
more students enrolled in the increased number of baccalaureate programs.

Goal 2: Develop an institutional infrastructure to support retention, progression, and graduation.

MGSC will continue to recognize the importance of improving retention, progression, and graduation rates. Key combined baseline metrics are depicted below.

One-Year System-Wide Retention Rates

Cohort Year Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Cohort Group

#

%

#

%

#

%

FTFTF All Degree Types 1,220 62.9 1,162 58.0 1,089 61.4

Source: USG Retention Rate Reports

3-Year Average 60.7%

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Three-Year Associate Degree System-Wide Graduation Rates

Cohort Year Fall 2006

Fall 2007

Fall 2008 3-Year Average

Cohort Group FTFTF
Source: USG Graduation Rate Reports

#

%

#

%

#

%

133 8.1 119 7.1 143 8.4

7.9%

Six-Year Bachelor's Degree System-Wide Graduation Rates

Cohort Year Fall 2003

Fall 2004

Fall 2005 3-Year Average

Cohort Group FTFTF
Source: USG Graduation Rate Reports

#

%

#

%

#

%

16 22.5 16 23.5 23 30.7

25.7%

Combined course completion ratios can be found under Goal 4 and historical data regarding retention rates, graduation rates and course completion ratios are located in Appendices B and C (USG Metrics Working Group Recommended Metrics).

Goal 3: Increase student success, especially for diverse learners and underrepresented groups (i.e., minorities, military, adult learners, low income, first generation, students with disabilities).

Number and Percent of Enrollment for Underrepresented Groups

Student

Fall 2007

Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Population

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

Minorities

4,397 44.4 4,279 43.4 4,494 43.9 4,196 43.1

Adult Learners 4,513 45.5 4,314 43.7 4,472 43.7 4,314 44.3

Pell Eligible

4,447 44.9 4,423 44.8 5,091 49.8 5,218 53.6

Students w/Disabilities*

335

3.4

293

3.0

371 3.6 399 4.1

*Disability data is for the academic year. Source: MSC/MGC Offices of Institutional Research

Fall 2011

#

%

3,856 42.3

4,171 45.7

4,989 54.7

417 4.6

Enrollment trends, course completion ratios, retention rates, and graduation rates will be collected for underrepresented groups as Blackboard Analytics is implemented across the new Banner system ("Banner C") in March 2013 after the consolidation has been completed. Data on first generation and military students have not been available in the past but steps are being taken to identify these students in the future.

Goal 4: Implement specific strategies that support student success throughout a college career.

Student success will be supported by new strategies, such as the use of professional advisors in the Mathematics Academic Resource Center (MARC), and will be measured by retention, course completion, progression, and graduation. Combined course completion ratios for all students and all courses are as follows:

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Course Completion Ratio (Credit Hours Earned vs. Credit Hours Attempted), Fall 2009 Fall 2011

Term

Earned Hours Attempted Hours

Ratio

3-year average

Fall 2011

73,270

97,402

75.2%

73.8%

Fall 2010

77,041

103,011

74.8%

Fall 2009

76,620

107,033

71.6%

Source: MSC/MGC Offices of Institutional Research

Campus Strengths, Areas for Improvement, and Key Gaps

1. Campus strengths: 17 professional baccalaureate degrees strategically aligned to the Middle Georgia region Aviation, Business, Education, GAMES, IT, and Nursing programs Student Success Center and programs for at-risk students like the Early Alert system and African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) Strong administrative and faculty commitment to retention, progression, and graduation An effective, stable, sustainable, and robust data system (i.e., Blackboard Analytics)

2. Areas for improvement: Ensuring that all units work together for student success and that more students succeed in completing a certificate or degree program Developing community partners to maintain connections to the region Creating faculty and staff development opportunities and providing resources to assist faculty in understanding and using data analytics to improve programs, implementing new classroom pedagogies, implementing early assessments and early warning systems, and making referrals to professional advisors and career counseling

3. Key gaps:
Accuracy of data in Banner Tracking changes in majors Use of metrics across all units of the college for decision making and planning new
strategies for improving recruitment, admissions, testing, financial aid, orientation, advising, and retention

Information Needs Graduate employment data Military and first generation student data Transfer rates within and outside the USG, broken down by age, race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, and veteran status
It is difficult at this time to anticipate all of the future information needs of Middle Georgia State College. The resources at Macon State College (SLPM and Blackboard Analytics) will support the new institution at no additional costs. However, integration of data collection will not happen until the new Banner C is implemented in March 2013. Some funding for personnel is needed to produce data reports.

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Part II: Strategies and Objectives

Strategy 1: Partnerships with K-12

Objective 1: Increase Dual Enrollment Student Population Description of Initiative: Dual enrollment/dual credit programs in Georgia are available for eligible 11th and 12th grade students on a part-time or full-time basis.

Target Group: High School Students

Alignment to CCGA

Increase numbers and access

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

1.1 Reallocate personnel in Enrollment Management to lead dual enrollment

efforts

1.2 Develop and implement academic planning for all dual enrollment students

1.3 Develop a detailed plan of action to increase the enrollment and retention of

dual enrollment students

Key Performance

Number of dual enrollment students in the general education core

Indicators/Metrics

Course success rates of dual enrolled students

(KPIs)

Number of dual enrolled students who obtain any certificate or degree from

any institution

Successful transition of economically disadvantaged dual enrolled students into

full-time degree-seeking students

Baseline Data &

Fall Enrollment of Dual Enrolled Students

Projection

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

179

165

154

220

209

Using linear regression based on this historical data, the projected number of dual enrolled students is 254 (r2=.4136) for Fall 2015. This represents a 21.5% increase

over Fall 2011.

Planning and

We have a variety of outreach initiatives involving K-12 and these will increase as

Implementation

the new institution evolves. The Coordinator of Enrollment Support and Retention

will be housed at the Warner Robins campus and will serve all campuses of Middle

Georgia State College.

Ongoing

This set of strategies and accountability metrics will be the responsibility of the Vice

Feedback/Evaluation President of Enrollment Management and the Dean of Admissions. They will create

a strategic plan and present it to the President's Cabinet for review and approval.

An end of semester report, including metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics

and other data analytics), and additional resource needs/budget implications, will

be presented at a bi-annual meeting of the CCGA planning team and the

President's Cabinet.

Objective 2: Expand high quality GAMES program

Description of Initiative: Georgia Academy of Aviation, Mathematics, Engineering, and Sciences (GAMES) is a

dual enrollment, residential program for high school students. Students in this program complete the

requirements of their high school diploma and an Associate's degree program at the college simultaneously.

Target Group: High achieving high school students who

have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in academic core courses and are on an

accelerated College Preparatory Curriculum

have a SAT math/critical reading aggregate score of 1100 with a minimum math score of 560 and

minimum critical reading score of 530 or have an ACT score of 24 including a minimum math score of

24 and a minimum English score of 23

Alignment to CCGA

Increase numbers and access

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

2.1 Strengthen GAMES recruitment strategies

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2.2 Improve social support structure for GAMES students

2.3 Provide additional academic opportunities like undergraduate research

projects, seminars, field trips, science club activities, etc.

2.4 Expand community project involvement to include service learning,

volunteerism, community-based learning for GAMES students

2.5 Increase need-based funding

2.6 Increase participation of under-represented populations

KPIs

Number of students enrolled in the GAMES program

Number of GAMES students who earn associate degrees

Number of GAMES students retained in USG and in other institutions of higher

education

Number of GAMES students who graduate with an associate's degree in 2 or 3

years and a bachelor's degree in 4, 5 and 6 years

Baseline Data

Fall Enrollment of GAMES Students

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

90

68

75

69

62

77

Institution-specific retention rates for GAMES students can be found in Appendix A.

Planning and

Enhance recruitment efforts at the high schools by participating in college fairs,

Implementation

providing information on the college through brochures and flyers, sending emails

and links to the website to potential students. Expand the number of high schools

visited by the recruiters. Strengthen the GAMES program by adding additional

experiences and opportunities for students.

Ongoing

The GAMES Director, GAMES Advisor, Dean of Science and Math, Dean of

Feedback/Evaluation Admissions, the VPSA and the VPAA will study data drawn from Blackboard

Analytics to define and evaluate the initiatives planned for the program in the

future.

Objective 3: Increase access to high school students

Description of Initiative: Encourage high school students to apply to the college through increased

recruitment efforts.

Target Group: High school students

Alignment to CCGA

Increase numbers

Increase quality

Initiatives

3.1 Offer the COMPASS exam in high schools

3.2 Participate in Apply to College Month

3.3 Host summer camps for elementary, middle, and high school students

3.4 Participate in "Partners in Excellence" program in elementary schools

KPIs

Offer the COMPASS exam in two additional high schools every year

Participate in Apply to College Month every year

Plan and develop summer programs for Elementary and Middle school

students by 2014

Expand the Reading, Awards, and Mentoring program to primary/elementary

schools in nearby counties

Baseline Data

COMPASS exam was offered in 2 High Schools in the service area in Spring

2012.

MGC participated in "Apply to College Month" in Fall 2009, 2010 and 2011.

MGSC plans to continue to do so every November.

During summer 2012, MGC hosted a Science camp for Elementary School

students and had 40 students participate. MGC also hosted an Aviation camp

for Middle School students and had 43 students participate.

In 2010-11, 8 faculty members participated and 1 served as substitute reader in

a Reading, Awards, and Mentoring program with a Primary School while in

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Planning and Implementation
Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

2011-12, 8 faculty members participated. Faculty read for 30 minutes to students in Kindergarten or Grade I.
Student Affairs will expand the COMPASS offering in High Schools in collaboration with the HS counselors. The College will continue to participate in the "Apply to College Month".
An outreach committee will be formed to plan and organize summer programs at different campuses.
The Reading, Awards, and Mentoring program will be expanded to include additional primary and elementary schools in the service area.
Student Affairs will maintain records of the number of students taking the COMPASS exam in high schools. This data will help design strategies for future inclusion of high schools in this program.
The number of students applying to MGSC through the "Apply to College Month" initiative will be recorded. This data will be analyzed to determine how it impacts enrollment.
Records of the number of summer programs offered at different campuses and the number of students participating in each program will be maintained.
Schools participating in the "Partners in Excellence" program will be surveyed on an annual basis for improvement and satisfaction.

Strategy 2: Improving Access and Completion for Traditionally Underserved Students

Objective 1: Increase access and success (progression) of underprepared and underserved students

Method 1

Description of initiative: An intense immersion intervention educational experience for underprepared

students.

Target Group: Students who have been placed in Learning Support or on academic suspension and students

who do not meet entrance requirements.

Alignment to CCGA

Increase access

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

1.1 Prep Academy - A six week long Prep Academy was organized for Summer

2012 as remediation for students who have not been able to exit LS English,

Reading, or Math in previous semesters; students who have tested into all

three LS courses; or students who are on one- or three-year academic

suspension. Such students would be ineligible to gain admission into MGSC

without participating in the Academy. The Prep Academy will provide a

learning experience for students by using new, innovative, and creative

methods of instruction to motivate students to perform better.

1.2 Redesign courses with low success rates (e.g., LS Math and Math curriculum

review).

1.3 Emphasize retention, progression, and graduation as a campus-wide

initiative by including it in the promotion and tenure review.

1.4 Increase need-based scholarships.

1.5 Align degrees so students can transition smoothly from a certificate to an

associate to a baccalaureate degree program at this institution or to another

institution.

1.6 Developmental advising.

KPIs

Exit learning support (COMPASS Test)

Success in entry-level college courses

Alternate educational pathways with the TCSG or other career fields for

students with extended academic challenges.

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Baseline Data

Summer 2012 - 43 students participating in the Prep Academy

24 out of 32 (75%) students passed LS Math

7 out of 17 (44%) students passed LS Reading

12 out of 15 (80%) students passed LS English

2 students in all 3 LS classes exited

Planning and

The Prep Academy committee will be expanded to include different stakeholders

Implementation

to work out the implementation of the program. There will be a frequent review

of the curriculum based on student performance. The scholarship committee will

be expanded.

Ongoing

Each student's performance at the end of the Academy will be evaluated and

Feedback/Evaluation

placement into collegiate courses in the Fall semester will be tracked. Student

success in collegiate courses will be monitored and retention and graduation

rates for this group will be analyzed.

Method 2

Description of Initiative: Decentralized advising with professional advisors in each academic school. Replace

semester to semester student planning with long-term academic planning, with a view towards graduation.

Target Group: Part-time and full-time freshman and sophomore students

Alignment to CCGA

Increased efficiencies

Increased quality

Initiatives

1.1 Improve the advising process using Degree Works

1.2 Track student success with Blackboard Analytics

KPIs

Retention

Hours to degree for Bachelor's

Hours to degree for Associate's

Hours to degree for Certificates

Award/degree attainment at Certificate, Associate and Bachelor levels

Baseline Data

Baseline data for the intentional advising intervention will be the exit profile of first

time full time students and transfers for academic years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

This intervention will be evaluated using the same data fields and a follow-up

survey of students who leave MGSC.

Planning and

In 2011-2012, Academic Deans were given the autonomy to design an advising

Implementation

model that was in the best interest of their students. Professional Advisors

previously assigned to a centralized academic advising center were reassigned to

each school. There are five distinct academic advising models presently in

operation. Concurrent with this change in administrative structure is a shift in

advising practices. Academic advising will no longer function as a registration

service but will instead serve as a teaching and learning experience that spans the

student's academic career. Implementation of the advising software program

Degree Works is planned for 2013. To ensure consistency in following Board of

Regents and MGSC policies and procedures across the advising models,

Professional Advisors meet regularly to discuss common concerns and to create

common documents (e.g., an advising syllabi). A shared web portal is being created

for archiving and sharing their individual work. To date, this has been through

email listserv. Professional development activities have been scheduled by the

Vice President for Student Success, Office of the Provost, on recurring themes for

the 2012-2013 AY.

Ongoing

The Assistant VP of Student Success (Office of the Provost), the Academic Deans,

Feedback/Evaluation and the Office of IR work in concert to review and evaluate the professional

advising model using data analytics, feedback from the professional advisors, and

evaluations by students to make needed changes. An end of semester report,

including metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics and other data analytics),

and additional resource needs/budget implications, will be presented at a bi-annual

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meeting of the CCGA planning team and the President's Cabinet.

Method 3

Description of Initiative: Implement student success initiatives to promote retention and graduation

Target Group: Minorities, first generation students, students with disabilities, low income students, adult and

military students

Alignment to CCGA

Increased efficiencies

Increased numbers

Improve quality

Initiatives

1.1 Cohort approach

1.2 Early Alert Warning System

1.3 Supplemental Instruction

1.4 African-American Male Initiative (AAMI)

1.5 Developmental Advising

1.6 Learning Communities

1.7 Mentoring

1.8 Tutoring

1.9 Career Planning

KPIs

Retention rates

Certificate and degree attainment

Exit rates for LS students

Core course success rates

Baseline Data

The AAMI organized 33 events/meetings with a total attendance of over 530

students during AY12. These included sessions on such topics as study skills,

Georgia Career Information Systems, stress management, race and healthy

relationships, financial seminars, and dining etiquette.

Refer to Appendix A for baseline data and Appendix B for historical data.

Planning and

Student success initiatives will be strengthened by involving representatives from

Implementation

all disciplines and other non-academic areas. A director will be hired to supervise

Supplemental Instruction. More funds will be acquired for AAMI, and the program

will be modified to include female minority students. Student use of tutoring

facilities will be monitored via "Tutor Track." A peer mentoring system will be

established.

Ongoing

The VPAA, the VPSA, the Academic Deans, and the Office of IR work in concert to

Feedback/Evaluation review and evaluate the student success data using data analytics, feedback from

the professional advisors, and evaluations by students to make needed changes. An

end of semester report, including metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics

and qualitative analysis), and additional resource needs/budget implications, will be

presented at a bi-annual meeting of the CCGA planning team and the President's

Cabinet.

Objective 2: Increase access and success (progression) of adult learners

Description of Initiative: Expand the Center for Adult Learners (CAL) - The mission of CAL is to support degree

completion and career advancement of adults. The center's goals are to promote more successful transitions

to college and to increase graduation rates. CAL will centralize resources adult students need to make a

seamless transition to a postsecondary degree. Adult learners will be assisted through E.A.S.E. (Enhanced

Advising in a Supportive Environment), making educational opportunities more easily accessible.

Target Group: Part-time adult learners in the education program (pilot)

Alignment to CCGA

Increase access/numbers

Increase efficiencies

Initiative

2.1 Seek System funding

2.2 Create infrastructure

KPIs

% of PT adult learners retained one year

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Baseline Data Planning and Implementation
Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

% of PT Pell adult learners retained one year
% of part time students achieving bachelor degrees in 4,5,6, and 8 years TBD will establish baseline in Fall 2012 This proposal was presented to and approved by the Provost's Office in June 2012. The pilot program will be implemented with the new part-time working adult cohort seeking a bachelor degree in ECE/SPED. This cohort will begin Fall, 2012. The School of Education will develop an ongoing feedback/evaluation process with the support of the Office of Institutional Research. An end of semester report, including metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics and other data analytics), and additional resource needs/budget implications, will be presented at a bi-annual meeting of the CCGA planning team and the President's Cabinet.

Strategy 3: Shorten Time to Degree

Objective 1: Increase opportunities for USG and TCSG students to transfer seamlessly into MGSC.

Description of Initiative: Articulation agreements between MGSC and TCSG, for example, the School of

Information Technology has partnered with 6 Technical Colleges, 3 USG state colleges, and an international

program in Serbia are in effect.

Target Group: Working adults, military students, technical college graduates, international students

Alignment to CCGA

Increase efficiencies

Increase quality

Initiatives

1.1 Dedicate a recruiter to establish a bridge to MGSC for TCSG students

1.2 Develop a marketing strategy

1.3 Increase opportunities for seamless transfer of students into other MGSC

degree programs

KPIs

Number of transfer students from target articulation institutions

Number of hours to degree

Bachelor degree attainment

Baseline Data

Transfer students enrolled since articulations n= 19

Current transfer students eligible to take advantage of this n=50

Planning and

The Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs is reallocating

Implementation

one of the full time recruiters to focus on our technical school partners in Fall 2012.

A faculty advisor works closely with technical school students who articulate to

MGSC in order to facilitate their acclimation to the campus and progression

through the curriculum.

Ongoing

Each School is responsible for annual program evaluation which includes the use of

Feedback/Evaluation data analytics, course evaluations, and feedback from the professional community

advisory board. An end of semester report, including metrics, targets (utilizing

Blackboard Analytics and other data analytics), and additional resource

needs/budget implications, will be presented at a bi-annual meeting of the CCGA

planning team and the President's Cabinet.

Objective 2: Increase opportunities for students to use Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) and alternative

course examinations (AP, CLEP, DANTES)

Method 1

Description of Initiative: To use nationally recognized assessments to support students who come to college

with extensive work experience/knowledge.

Target Group: Working Adults, Military Students, Underrepresented, low income students

Alignment to CCGA

Increase access and numbers

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

2.1 Establish baseline data

2.2 Maintain membership in the Adult Learning Consortium (ALC)

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2.3 Develop an awareness campaign to market PLA, AP, CLEP, and DANTES

KPIs

College certificate and degree attainment of the target group

Hours to completion

Baseline Data

None initial stage of development

Planning and

Macon State College was awarded the Georgia's College Access Challenge Grant

Implementation

(CACG) in January 2012. The School of Information Technology (SOIT) is

spearheading this initiative. The faculty in the SOIT and the faculty senate

approved the PLA course in Spring 2012. Faculty will be trained to assess PLA

portfolios in 2012-2013. In addition, our testing center is recognized as an

approved DANTES testing site.

Ongoing

The School of Information Technology, Enrollment Services, and the Office of the

Feedback/Evaluation Provost will establish a work plan for the 2012-13 year and concentrate efforts on

outreach and enrollment of students who can take advantage of PLA as well as

other alternatives (CLEP, DANTES, AP credit). An end of semester report, including

metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics and other data analytics), and

additional resource needs/budget implications, will be presented at a bi-annual

meeting of the CCGA planning team and the President's Cabinet.

Method 2

Description of Initiative:

1. Implement Student Success initiatives.

2. Increase the online offerings.

3. Continue to offer credit for AP/IB/CLEP courses.

4. PLA credit

Target Group: Working adults, military students, underrepresented, low income students, first generation

students

Alignment to CCGA

Increase efficiencies

Increase numbers

Increase quality

Initiatives

3.1 Developmental advising, tutoring, mentoring and workshops

3.2 Use of Degree works

3.3 Additional online courses and degree programs

KPIs

Number of students using services provided by the Student Success Center

Number of courses and degrees offered online and via IP teleconferencing

Use of GA TRACS and Degree Works

Retention rates of target group

Credit hours to degree completion for target group

Graduation rates for target group

Baseline Data

Baseline retention rate, graduation rate, and credit hours to completion data can

be found in Appendices B and C. Other baseline data to be determined.

Planning and

Establish a Student Progress Committee to study data derived from these

Implementation

initiatives. Use Tutor Tracks to record student use of tutoring facilities. Put

procedures and metrics in place to grant credit by using PLA.

Strengthen the online degree and course development initiative. Migrate to Desire

to Learn by 2012-13 academic year. Provide frequent faculty professional

development workshops for these initiatives.

Ongoing

Data will be collected each semester and evaluated by the Student Progress

Feedback/Evaluation Committee to make modifications in the programs as needed. Blackboard Analytics

and Degree Works will be used to collect data. We will continue credit granting

opportunities, which will continue to be assessed.

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Strategy 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery

Objective 1: To increase and improve quality of alternative delivery modes of instruction

Description of Initiative: Provide opportunities to employed adults in the fields of education and nursing to further their education attainment. Target Group: Employed adults in the fields of education and nursing

Alignment to CCGA

Increase access and numbers

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

1.1 Establish baseline data 1.2 Implement R.N. to B.S.N. Online Program 1.3 Implement hybrid, part-time education program (flipped classrooms) 1.4 Recruit students

KPIs

Number of enrolled students

Retention

Graduation

Baseline Data

None initial stage of development

Planning and Implementation

Currently in the planning phase with each program starting in Fall 2012. Both programs will provide an avenue for working adults to complete a Bachelor's degree. Macon State College received special initiative funding to grow the nursing

faculty in order to develop and expand the nursing cohorts.

Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

The Schools of Education and Nursing will completing an end of semester report, including metrics, targets (utilizing Blackboard Analytics and other data analytics),

and additional resource needs/budget implications, to be presented at a bi-annual meeting of the CCGA planning team and the President's Cabinet.

Objective 2: Improve core curriculum pedagogy

Method 1

Description of Initiative: Prior to consolidation, MSC has been engaged in core redesign in Math 1101 and Math

1111 due to the high D, W, F rates. This year, MSC received approximately $400,000 in special initiative funding for new faculty lines in order to develop a "Core Teaching Faculty Fellows" program. Target Group: Freshmen and Sophomore students (all subgroups)

Alignment to CCGA

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

2.1 Core instructional redesign 2.2 Implement "Core Teaching Faculty Fellows" program

KPIs

Success rates in Math 1101* (A, B, C)

Success rates in Math 1111* (A, B, C)

Withdrawal rates and success rates by subgroups.

Baseline Data

Prior to Implementation - success rates

FY2009

FY2010

FY2011

FY2012

MATH 1101

55.0%

61.2%

68.0%

69.2%

MATH 1111

57.6%

56.4%

59.0%

58.2%

After- implementation success rates are currently unavailable. Revised LS courses (now MATH 0098 and MATH 0105) were only fully implemented in AY 2012. Data will be available going forward. See additional report in Appendix A.

Planning and

A team of mathematics professors submitted a proposal to the Office of the

Implementation

Provost for special funding monies to redesign Math 1101. The team was awarded $8,000 dollars for the redesign work. The program was first piloted in Fall 2010 and

fully implemented in Fall 2012. They are continuing to refine the redesign.

Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

The Department of Mathematics meets at the end of the semester with the faculty to review the data and continuously make adjustments to the courses. The

redesign started in Fall 2010 with selected sections. Now all sections are utilizing the redesigned model. (See Appendix A)

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Method 2

Description of Initiative: Prior to consolidation, Middle Georgia College implemented new techniques to

provide instruction in courses with lower success rates by redesigning, offering online courses, courses linked

through learning communities (LC), and supplemental instruction (SI).

Target Group: Minority students, adult learners, military students, underrepresented students, low income

students, and first generation students

Alignment to CCGA:

Increase efficiencies

Increase numbers

Increase quality

Initiatives

2.1 Modularization of content in Math courses.

2.2 Introduction of a lab component in Math gateway courses like Algebra.

2.3 Increase the number of courses and degrees offered online and via IP

teleconferencing by 10% through 2014.

2.4 Offer courses linked through learning communities in each discipline by 2014.

2.5 Offer Supplemental Instruction for students earning D, W, F, and I grades

starting in Fall 2012.

KPIs

Success rates in LS Math and in Math gateway courses

Number of courses and degrees offered online and via IP teleconferences

Number of courses linked through learning communities in each discipline

Amount of SI offered to students earning D, W, F, and I grades

Baseline Data

Number of online courses offered at MGC are as follows:

Spring 2012- 94; Summer 2012-92; Fall 2012-93

14 Degrees and 2 Certificates are offered completely online

See additional report in Appendix A. Success rates in all courses can be found in

Appendix B.

Planning and

A Math redesign committee will be established. The online degree and course

Implementation

development initiative will be strengthened and the program will migrate to Desire

to Learn by 2012-13 academic year. An LC committee will be established to

redesign LC courses. An SI committee will be established to support SI use and

expansion.

Ongoing

Data will be collected and evaluated on an annual basis using Blackboard Analytics

Feedback/Evaluation and Degree Works. Student success in LC courses and in courses that include SI will

be measured via Blackboard Analytics.

Strategy 5: Transforming Remediation

Objective 1: Increase student success rates in Learning Support courses.

Method 1

Description of Initiative: Prior to consolidation, Middle Georgia College decentralized Learning Support (LS),

implemented new techniques to provide instruction in LS courses, launched the Prep Academy to improve

preparation of underprepared students, began providing Supplemental Instruction, and expanded student

success initiatives.

Target Group: Students in remedial courses.

Alignment to CCGA

Increase efficiencies

Increase numbers

Increase quality

Initiatives

1.1 Redesign math, English and reading learning support (LS) courses by 2014

1.2 Offer Prep Academy every summer

1.3 Expand student success initiatives at each campus to include advising,

mentoring, workshops, and tutoring

1.4 Offer Supplemental Instruction for students earning D, W, F, and I grades

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starting in Fall 2012.

KPIs

Student success rates in passing LS courses/COMPASS exam

Enrollment in student success programs

Amount of SI offered for students earning D, W, F, and I grades

Prep Academy data

Baseline Data

Summer 2012 - 43 students participating in the Prep Academy

24 out of 32 (75%) students passed LS Math

7 out of 17 (44%) students passed LS Reading

12 out of 15 (80%) students passed LS English

2 students in all 3 LS classes exited

Initial LS Math redesign data and LS cohort retention rates can be found in

Appendix A. Additional baseline data will be established as programs are

implemented.

Planning and

An LS committee will be set up to redesign courses. The campus-wide Prep

Implementation

Academy committee will be expanded to include representatives from different

academic areas and campuses. A Student Success Center will be established at

each campus. SI use and expansion will be supported.

Ongoing

Data will be evaluated on an annual basis using Blackboard Analytics. Academic

Feedback/Evaluation success patterns for Prep Academy students in collegiate courses will be studied.

Student success in courses that include SI will be analyzed. Data will be evaluated

on an annual basis using Blackboard Analytics.

Method 2

Description of Initiative: Redesign of learning support (see Appendix A). In the two years prior to

consolidation, Macon State College has undergone an extensive redesign of Learning Support, moving from a

centralized division of learning support to a decentralized model for learning support. We continue to evaluate

and improve the program.

Target Group: Underprepared students with 1 or 2 learning support requirements

Alignment to CCGA

Increase efficiencies

Initiatives

2.1 LS Faculty realigned with the academic units (English, Math)

2.2 Co-teams (LS faculty and content faculty) redesigned the courses to strengthen

the content and to align with the academic core content class immediately

following exit of learning support.

2.3 New LS courses in English, Math, Reading

KPIs

Success rates in LS courses by subgroups

Compass pass rates (exit)

Success rates in core content course (English 1101, Math 1101 or Math 1111)

Baseline Data

LS Course Success Rates Before and After Redesign

COURSE

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

ENGL 99

47.2%

48.2%

ENGL 99A 79.8%

ENGL 99B 75.6%

READ 99

45.1%

51.2%

READ 99A 79.8%

READ 99B 75.6%

MATH 97

59.6%

57.0%

MATH 98 42.0%

MATH 99

51.4%

60.1%

MATH 105 59.4%

Planning and

Planning took place in 2010-2011 and changes were implemented for the first time

Implementation

in Fall 2011.

Ongoing

The Department of Mathematics and the Department of English review success

Feedback/Evaluation rates, withdrawal rates and unsuccessful rates at the end of each semester. Each

department makes adjustments as needed.

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Part III: Planning and Implementation

The process for planning and implementation is included in the above section for each strategy. Where MSC and MGC have the same objectives with different methods (such as redesign of Learning Support programs), best practices will be followed as we go forward as Middle Georgia State College.

Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation

The MGSC Complete College Georgia Team is tasked with monitoring the effectiveness of CCG initiatives, sharing program information with the college community, and providing leadership in continuous quality improvement. Members of the MGSC CCGA Team are as follows:

Team Member Dr. John Black Dr. Michael Stoy Dr. Martha Venn Dr. Mary Lou Frank Dr. Deepa Arora Dr. Mary Wearn Dr. Alex Koohang Dr. Stephen Svonavec Dr. Jeff Stewart Ms. Jennifer Brannon Dr. John Trimboli
Ms. Michele Swafford

Title Interim President President Provost and VPAA Interim VPAA Interim AVPAA Provost's Leadership Fellow Dean, School of Information Technology Director, Dublin Campus Interim VP SA and EM Interim VP of Student and Public Affairs Institutional Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Mathematics Director of Institutional Research

Institution MSC MGC MSC MGC MGC MSC MSC MGC MSC MGC MSC
MGC

Working closely with the Office of Institutional Research, the Complete College Georgia Team will collect and evaluate program data and provide a yearly assessment report to all key constituents across the college. After careful review of internal program data, data from peer institutions, and key constituency feedback, the CCG team will recommend appropriate program modifications, establishing new measures of success as needed.

In order to assure timely and transparent dissemination of program data across the college and to promote the Complete College Georgia mission, the CCG Team will partner with the MGSC Office of Communication. The Office of Communication will advertise CCG initiatives and provide updates through media channels such as campus email, websites, and newsletters, and community sources.

More specific feedback and evaluation processes are articulated for each strategy in the "Strategies and Objectives" section of this report.

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APPENDIX A
Supporting Documentation from
Strategies and Objectives

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Strategy 1: Partnerships with K-12 Objective 2: Expand high quality GAMES program

MGC Institution-Specific Retention Rates: GAMES Students vs. FTFTF All Degree Types

FTFTF Fall to

GAMES Fall to FTFTF Fall to Fall GAMES Fall to Fall

Semester

Spring Retention Spring Retention

Retention

Retention

Fall 2006

88.86%

95.83%

60.31%

79.17%

Fall 2007

86.22%

78.85%

56.96%

53.85%

Fall 2008

83.09%

90.24%

53.45%

78.05%

Fall 2009

85.20%

95.45%

53.14%

84.09%

Fall 2010

87.63%

92.75%

60.02%

75.36%

Sources: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Retention Rate Report/MGC Office of Institutional Research Banner Reports

Strategy 2: Improving Access and Completion for Traditionally Underserved Students Objective 1: Increase Access and Success (progression) of Underprepared and Underserved Students Method 3
Student Success Initiatives: a) Mentoring: During Fall 2011, 18 mentors from the Student Success Center (SSC) were assigned a total of 85 students who were Learning Support cohort and GPA presidential exception students. Mentors were able to successfully contact and mentor 32 of these students with each student receiving from one to seven mentoring sessions for a total of 97 mentoring sessions for the term. Mentees also participated in two campus events. In Spring 2012, neither Learning Support cohort students nor GPA presidential exception students were required to meet with mentors. An invitation was sent via email to get students interested in selecting a mentor. This resulted in 11 mentors meeting with 19 students for a total of 42 mentoring sessions for the term. Mentees participated in four community service events and two campus events.
Assigning mentors to at-risk students and having the mentor initiate contact results in more students getting the help they need to succeed. We plan to continue this model in Fall 2013.
b) Student Success Advising: 92 students across all at-risk categories (LS or Presidential Exception Cohorts, Early Alert, Academic Appeal) were seen by the SSC in Fall 2011 for a total of 446 advising sessions.
c) Career Planning: In Spring 2012, the SSC emailed all freshmen to invite them to mandatory career planning sessions. 241 students responded for a total of 645 career planning sessions being held.
d) Tutoring: The SSC provided almost 456 hours of tutoring to students in Spring 2012.

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Strategy 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Objective 2: Improve Core Curriculum Pedagogy Method 1
Submitted by Dr. John Trimboli, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Institutional Research Fellow in the Office of the Provost

Note: success ratio is usually defined as the number of students receiving A, B, C, P, or S grades
the number of students receiving A, B, C, P, S, D, F, U, W, or WF grades

MATH 0098 (Algebraic Concepts & Applications) Only data currently available is AY2012

Fall 2011 success ratio: 139 = 42.0%
331

Spring 2012 success ratio: 105 = 41.8%
251

AY2012 success ratio: 279 = 42.3%
660

Summer 2012 success ratio: 35 = 44.9%
78

Note: We consider an IP grade in MATH 0098 as a success. This is because the student has made successful progress in completing a previous two semester sequence in a single semester.

MATH 0105 (Bridge to College Mathematics) Only data currently available is AY2012

Fall 2011 success ratio: 19 = 59.4%
32

Spring 2012 success ratio: 60 = 60.6%
99

AY2012 success ratio: 97 = 60.2%
161

Summer 2012 success ratio: 18 = 60.0%
30

Note: Of particular interest, for both fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters, no statistical association existed between one's grade in MATH 0098 and their Compass Entrance Exam Score, at the .05 level of significance.

MATH 1101 (Introduction to Mathematical Modeling) FY2009 success ratio: 842 = 55.0%
1530
FY2010 success ratio: 962 = 61.2%
1573
FY2011 success ratio: 979 = 68.0%
1440
FY2012 success ratio: 817 = 69.2%
1180
MATH 1101 Three-Year Average = 2758 = 65.8%
4193

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Notes:
MATH 1101 Grades and Gender are statistically independent variables ( 2 = 1.019, P-value = .907). That
is, no statistical association exists between one's 1101 Grade and one's gender.

MATH 1101 Grades and Race are statistically dependent variables ( 2 = 71.330, P-value = .000). That is,
a statistical association exists between one's 1101 Grade and one's Race. In general, Caucasians tend to be over-represented in the higher grades, as well as under-represented in the lower grades, when compared to African Americans. There is no statistical difference between the average MATH 1101 grade for white males and white females, nor between black males and black females. However, on average, both white males and white females tend to outperform both black males and black females (Tukey HSD Test, P-value = .000). Lastly, the average MATH 1101 grade for students under age 25 is statistically higher than the average grade for students at least age 25 (t = 3.355, P-value = .000).

MATH 1111 (College Algebra) FY2009 success ratio: 348 = 57.6%
604
FY2010 success ratio: 326 = 56.4%
578
FY2011 success ratio: 314 = 59.0%
532
FY2012 success ratio: 336 = 58.2%
577
MATH 1111 Three-Year Average = 976 = 57.9%
1687

Notes:
MATH 1111 Grades and Gender are statistically independent variables ( 2 = 1.027, P-value = .906). That
is, no statistical association exists between one's 1111 Grade and one's gender.

MATH 1111 Grades and Race are statistically dependent variables ( 2 = 47.374, P-value = .000). That is,
a statistical association exists between one's 1111 Grade and one's Race. In general, Caucasians tend to be over-represented in the higher grades, as well as under-represented in the lower grades, when compared to African Americans.

There is no statistical difference between the average MATH 1111 grade for white males and white females, nor between black males and black females. However, on average, both white males and white females tend to outperform both black males and black females (Tukey HSD Test, P-value = .000). Lastly, the average MATH 1111 grade for students under age 25 is statistically higher than the average grade for students at least age 25 (t = 2.046, P-value = .021).

Conclusions: Starting with the fall semester of 2011, the Learning Support mathematics curriculum has undergone some major changes. Two 4-hour courses, MATH 0097 (Introductory Algebra) and MATH 0099 (Intermediate Algebra), were changed into a single 4-hour course, MATH 0098. Under the old model, all students who would have entered into MATH 0097 would have had to have taken at least 2 semesters

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to complete MATH 0097 and MATH 0099. That is, those students who would have been placed in MATH 0097 under the old model were expected to take 2 semesters to complete MATH 0098. We therefore expect, to some degree, an initial low success rate in MATH 0098.
As a result of these and other changes, like the addition of our new MATH 0105 course, the percent withdrawal rate has gone down in MATH 1101 from 19.3% in 2010 to 14.9% in 2012. Also, the average grade in MATH 1101 has increased in each of the last three years, from 2.1 in 2009 to 2.4 in 2012. We have gone from a traditional lecture mode format in MATH 1111 to a computer aided instruction mode of learning using the software ALEKS. As a result, we have seen a statistically significant drop off in student withdrawal counts. In the fall semester of 2010, 35 females and 20 males withdrew from MATH 1111. These numbers fell to 22 females and 14 males in fall semester of 2011. From analyzing this data, we understand a need for improving the success of our African American students, as well as our adult learners, if we are to move the needle forward in the overall mathematical performances of our students.
Our newly developed MATH 0098 course still has a very low success ratio. The Mathematics Department is currently looking into these statistics, in an attempt to make further improvements that will significantly increase our success ratio.
Proposal for an Alternative Statistical Track in Learning Support and Core Level Mathematics (as a response to the immediately aforementioned empirical statistical analyses)
Submitted by Barry J. Monk, Ph.D., Chair of MSC Mathematics Department and Associate Professor of Mathematics
Background Unfortunately, many students see Mathematics Learning Support as a barrier one that potentially may end their college aspirations. This is a problem not only in Georgia, but across the nation (Bailey, 2009). Part of the problem is that many students do not see mathematics as an essential part of their lives. The current algebra-based curriculum does little to engage students and show them how mathematics is relevant. The current curriculum is appropriate for students who intend to major in STEM disciplines because the path for those students is fairly evident: Algebra to Precalculus to Calculus, and beyond. However, the skills necessary in the non-STEM professions are more closely aligned to quantitative and statistical reasoning (Byrk & Treisman, 2010).
Proposal Implement a Mathematics Learning Support track for non-STEM majors that focuses on quantitative and statistical reasoning while integrating developmental mathematics concepts as necessary. This track continues through Areas A & D with the inclusion of two new courses that are statistical in nature. The non-STEM statistical track includes two four-credit hour courses at the developmental level (MATH 0091: Developing Numeracy through Data Analysis I, MATH 0092: Developing Numeracy through Data Analysis II), followed by a three-credit hour course, MATH 1202: Principles of Statistics with Applications in Area A, and a three-credit hour course, MATH 1205: Statistical Inference, in Area D. Effectively, this creates two paths through Mathematics Learning Support, an algebra-based track (for STEM majors) and a quantitative and statistical reasoning track. There would also be two paths for continuation into Areas A and D that could equally apply for non-STEM majors.

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All courses will adhere to guidelines for statistical instruction as stated by the American Statistical Association (http://www.amstat.org/education/gaise/). This track will be applicable to non-STEM degree programs whose mathematical requirements do not go beyond those stated in the core.

Courses MATH 0091 Developing Numeracy through Data Analysis I Credit: 4 hours Description: This course focuses on developing numeracy, linear relationships, and multiple representations of functions within a statistical context. Topics include statistical studies, sampling, graphical summaries of data, numerical summaries of data, comparing distributions, and reasoning about bivariate data. Lab/Lecture Hours: Four lecture hours per week

MATH 0092 Developing Numeracy through Data Analysis II Credit: 4 hours Description: This course focuses on developing numeracy, linear and nonlinear relationships, representations of functions, and mathematical modeling within a statistical context. Topics include correlation, linear regression, nonlinear regression, modeling with data, and reasoning with probability. Lab/Lecture Hours: Four lecture hours per week

MATH 1202 Principles of Statistics with Applications Description: This course focuses on using data in the real world. Topics include data organization, data description, probability, normal distributions, and sampling distributions. Lecture/Lab Hours: Three lecture hours per week

MATH 1205 Statistical Inference Credit: 3 hours
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Description: This is a continuation of the principles of statistics with applications. Topics may include confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, inference with two samples, tests with qualitative data, inference in linear models, multiple regression, and analysis of variance. Lab/Lecture Hours: Three lecture hours per week

Implementation Upon approval, MATH 0091 will begin in fall 2013. Following courses will be offered according to the schedule:

Semester Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Summer 2014 Fall 2014 Spring 2015 Summer 2015

MATH 0091 X X X X X X

MATH 0092
X X X X X

MATH 1202
X X X X

MATH 1205
X X X

References Bailey, Thomas (2009). Challenge and opportunity: Rethinking the role and function of developmental education in community college. New Directions for Community Colleges, Volume 2009, Issue 145,11-30.

Bryk, A. & Treisman, U. (2010, April 18) Make math a gateway, not a gatekeeper. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Progress Metric 2: Success in Remedial Education (Fall 2010; Pre-redesign)

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Percent in Each Cohort

Total

Math Only

#

%

#

%

895 100.0% 388

43.4%

English Only

#

%

75

8.4%

Reading Only

#

%

41

4.6%

Math & English

#

%

95

10.6%

Math & Reading Engl & Reading

#

%

#

%

74

8.3% 51

5.7%

Math, English,

& Reading

#

%

171

19.1%

Success in Remediation 777

Male

284

53.3% 252 31.7% 124

64.9% 54 32.0% 28

72.0% 25 37.3% 13

70.0% 109 31.7% 26

57.4% 81 27.4% 20

54.7% 47 27.0% 24

46.1% 209 47.1% 49

40.7% 28.7%

Black American Indian Native Hawaiian Asian Hispanic Multi-racial Unknown

481

53.7% 173

44.6% 31

4

0.4% 1

0.3% 1

1

0.1% 0

0.0% 0

22

2.5% 2

0.5% 9

26

2.9% 8

2.1% 1

30

3.4% 13

3.4% 6

5

0.6% 3

0.8% 1

41.3% 22 1.3% 0 0.0% 0 12.0% 2 1.3% 2 8.0% 3 1.3% 0

53.7% 51 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 4.9% 1 4.9% 3 7.3% 0 0.0% 1

53.7% 50

0.0%

1

0.0%

0

1.1%

0

3.2%

3

0.0%

0

1.1%

0

67.6% 31

1.4%

1

0.0%

0

0.0%

5

4.1%

3

0.0%

4

0.0%

0

60.8% 123 2.0% 0 0.0% 1 9.8% 3 5.9% 6 7.8% 4 0.0% 0

71.9% 0.0% 0.6% 1.8% 3.5% 2.3% 0.0%

20-24 25+

175

19.6% 83

21.4% 13

306

34.2% 169

43.6% 14

*Success rate defined as an individual passing with a grade of A-C. *Note: Please see below chart to reflect success rates for above cohorts.

17.3% 7 18.7% 9

17.1% 17 22.0% 34

17.9% 14 35.8% 23

18.9% 13 31.1% 11

25.5% 28 21.6% 46

16.4% 26.9%

Total Math Only English Only Reading Only Math & English Math & Reading English & Reading Math, English, & Reading

# of Success
777 252 54 25 109 81 47 209

# of Grades 1457
388 75 41 190 148 102 513

*LS Classes include: English 99, Math 97/99, Reading 99

Overall Success Rates for Learning Support

English Math

Reading

Cohort

#

%

Cohort

#

%

Cohort

#

Total Number in Each Coh 392

188

48.0%

728

418

57.4%

337

171

% 50.7%

Male

127

58

45.7%

219

112

51.1%

106

53

50.0%

Black

236

American Indian/Alaska Na 2

Native Hawaiian/Other Pa 1

Asian

18

Hispanic

13

Multi-racial

14

Unknown

2

80

33.9%

397

1

50.0%

2

1

100.0%

1

14

77.8%

6

8

61.5%

20

8

57.1%

17

2

100.0%

4

190

47.9%

226

2

100.0%

2

1

100.0%

1

5

83.3%

10

12

60.0%

14

9

52.9%

11

4

100.0%

0

89

39.4%

2

100.0%

1

100.0%

8

80.0%

9

64.3%

6

54.5%

0

0.0%

20-24 25+

71

32

45.1%

142

77

54.2%

62

105

43

41.0%

272

139

51.1%

89

28

45.2%

36

40.4%

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Strategy 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Objective 2: Improve Core Curriculum Pedagogy Method 2

Percentage of "Unsuccessful" Completion of Select Courses

Enrollment > 200 students AND Unsuccessful Rate > 40%

Course

Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

ENGL 0099

58.89%

63.37%

68.52%

72.80%

60.67%

MATH 0097

26.98%

40.93%

53.33%

45.25%

60.56%

MATH 0099

48.85%

63.05%

68.23%

62.96%

59.29%

READ 0099

46.53%

48.91%

55.81%

60.80%

60.15%

Source: MGC Institutional Research Department Banner Reports Note: Successful completion is defined as earning a grade of A, B, C, or S.

Fall 2011 61.54% 58.56% 64.03% 63.60%

"Select" Courses - with Enrollment > 200 and an Unsuccessful Rate > 40%

Fall 2007

Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Learning Support English II Learning Support English II Learning Support English II Learning Support English II

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

(Foundations of Algebra II) (Foundations of Algebra II) (Foundations of Algebra II) (Foundations of Algebra II)

Learning Support Reading Learning Support Reading Learning Support Reading Learning Support Reading

II

II

II

II

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

Learning Support Math

(Foundations of Algebra I) (Foundations of Algebra I) (Foundations of Algebra I) (Foundations of Algebra I)

Anatomy & Physiology I Anatomy & Physiology I Anatomy & Physiology I Anatomy & Physiology I

United States History I

United States History I

United States History II

American Government

College Algebra

College Algebra

Introduction to

Psychology

Principles of Biology I

Principles of Biology I

Introduction to

Psychology

Plane Trigonometry

American Government

Source: MGC Institutional Research Department Banner Reports Note: Successful completion is defined as earning a grade of A, B, C, or S.

Strategy 5: Transforming Remediation Objective 1: Increase Student Success Rates in Learning Support Courses Method 1

LS Math Redesign: a) Math 98 pilot: A Math 98 course was developed to include the content covered in both Math 97 and Math 99. The section was limited to students who had declared one of the STEM areas as their major, who had to exit only LS Math and tested into Math 97, and who had just graduated from high school. Students who did not perform well had the option of dropping down to the regular Math 97 course. Once the semester was over, students who did pass the course could be placed either into Math 97 or Math 99 based on their performance. The traditional teaching method was followed supplemented with MyMathLab (MML) for

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assigning homework and for practice. Help sessions were offered outside of class time for one hour twice a week.

Math 98 Pilot Results

#

% of Total

Fall 2011 Math 98 Pilot Cohort

15

100%

Passed Department Math 99 Final Exam

3

20%

Students recommended to take the COMPASS

9

60%

Students who passed the COMPASS

9

60%

Note: 100% of students who were recommended to take the COMPASS exam passed the COMPASS exam.

Observation: Out of the 6 students who did not exit Learning Support, 2 passed the Math 97 portion and were placed into Math 99 the following semester; the remaining 4 were placed back into Math 97. Therefore, while 60% of the Math 98 cohort exited Learning Support, another 13.33% passed Math 97 bringing the overall success rate to 73.33%.

b) Modularization of content: The Math 99 content was provided in the form of modules with built-in practice and assessment procedures. The course was not taught in the traditional way but was facilitated by an instructor in a computer lab. The grades for this course were compared to those from another section of Math 99 taught during the same term and using the traditional approach (lectures and MML).

Fall 2011 Math 99 Pilot Grades vs. Traditional Math 99 Grades

Traditional Math 99

Redesigned Math 99

Final Grade

n=33

n=22

#

%

#

%

A

3

9.1%

1

4.5%

B

4

12.1%

7

31.9%

C

9

27.3%

3

13.6%

IP

3

9.1%

11

50.0%

F

14

42.4%

0

0%

COMPASS Pass Rate

48.5%

50.0%

Observation: The passing rates in both sections does not seem to be significantly different, however, the number of `F' grades in the redesigned course is zero as compared to 14 (42.4%) in the traditional class.

One-Year Retention Rates for FTFTF w/No Learning Support Requirements

Returned

Cohort No LS

Following

Fall to Spring

Returned

Fall to Fall

Semester

Classes

Spring

Retention Rate Following Fall Retention Rate

Fall 2006

377

346

91.78%

239

63.40%

Fall 2007

414

361

87.20%

252

60.87%

Fall 2008

495

431

87.07%

303

61.21%

Fall 2009

540

482

89.26%

343

63.52%

Source: MGC Institutional Research Department Banner Reports

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One-Year Retention Rates for FTFTF for the Learning Support Cohort

Returned

Returned

LS % of Overall Following Fall to Spring Following

Semester Cohort FTFT Cohort Spring Retention Rate

Fall

Fall 2006

539

58.84%

468

86.83%

315

Fall 2007

544

56.78%

465

85.48%

286

Fall 2008

540

52.17%

429

79.44%

246

Fall 2009

576

51.61%

472

81.94%

253

Source: MGC Institutional Research Department Banner Reports

Fall to Fall Retention
Rate 58.44% 52.57% 45.56% 43.92%

One-Year Retention Rates of Learning Support for FTFTF (Fall to Fall)

All

No LS One LS Two LS Three LS MATH 0097* or

Semester FTFTF Req.

Req.

Req.

Req.

MATH 0099*

Fall 2006 60.48% 63.40% 55.51% 63.64% 58.65%

58.26%

Fall 2007 56.16% 60.87% 51.39% 56.00% 51.05%

49.78%

Fall 2008 53.04% 61.21% 48.83% 46.24% 36.94%

44.69%

Source: MGC Institutional Research Department Banner Reports *Rates for the students enrolled in Math 0097 and Math 0099 are regardless of other Learning Support requirements.

LS ENGL and/or LS READ only
59.34% 67.44% 50.63%

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Appendix B
Middle Georgia College
USG Metrics Working Group Recommended Metrics

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I. Increased Efficiencies A. Graduation Rates

Middle Georgia College Three-Year System-Wide Graduation Rates

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 3-Year Average

Associate's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 12.14% 9.26% 12.23%

11.21%

FTFT Freshmen 12.35% 9.78% 12.56%

11.56%

FTPT Freshmen 10.28% 3.49% 8.33%

7.37%

Note: Students are counted if they graduated from MGC or any other System institution within the noted timeframe. Source: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Graduation Rate Reports

Two-Year System-Wide Graduation Rates

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 3-Year Average

Associate's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 5.06% 4.92% 4.39%

4.79%

FTFT Freshmen 5.31% 5.26% 4.78%

5.12%

FTPT Freshmen 2.80% 1.16%

0.0%

1.32%

Note: Students are counted if they graduated from MGC or any other System institution within the noted timeframe. Source: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Graduation Rate Reports

Four-Year System-Wide Graduation Rates

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 3-Year Average

Associate's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 16.14% 15.36% 12.15%

14.55%

FTFT Freshmen 16.71% 15.71% 12.51%

14.98%

FTPT Freshmen 10.39% 12.15% 8.14%

10.23%

Note: Students are counted if they graduated from MGC or any other System institution within the noted timeframe. Source: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Graduation Rate Reports

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One-Year System-Wide* Retention Rates

Cohort Year

Degree Level/Student Type

Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 3-Year Average

All Degree Types

All First-Time Freshmen 61.67% 58.48% 64.31%

61.49%

FTFT Freshmen 62.41% 59.59% 65.48%

62.49%

FTPT Freshmen 52.81% 47.27% 50.62%

50.23%

LS* 46.53% 43.92% 53.01%

47.82%

Pell* 51.30% 50.14% 59.04%

53.49%

Bachelor's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 77.61% 77.78% 80.00%

78.46%

FTFT Freshmen 77.61% 79.41% 80.00%

79.01%

FTPT Freshmen N/A

NR**

N/A

N/A

LS* 80.00% NR**

NR**

N/A

Pell* 70.83% 73.33% 71.43%

71.86%

Associate's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 61.32% 58.65% 65.38%

61.78%

FTFT Freshmen 61.99% 59.67% 66.40%

62.69%

FTPT Freshmen 53.57% 47.92% 52.68%

51.39%

LS* 44.89% 42.99% 53.09%

46.99%

Pell* 50.28% 50.00% 59.19%

53.16%

Note: Students are counted as retained if they were retained or graduated by MGC or any other System institution prior to the following Fall term. * Retention rates for LS and Pell include FTFTF students retained at MGC, not students retained System-wide. **NR means that the number of students in the total beginning cohort is less than or equal to 10 and is not reported. Sources: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Retention Rate Report/MGC Office of Institutional Research Banner Reports

B. Credit Hours at Time of Completion

Credit Hours Earned at Time of Completion

Degree Level

FY 2010

FY 2011

FY2012

All Bachelor's

153.82

148.74

142.75

Native Freshmen

184.47*

147.74

140.63

Transfer Students

148.24

150.49

146.73

All Associate's

84.53

85.87

84.66

Native Freshmen

78.78

78.73

77.83

Transfer Students

95.94

99.75

98.52

Note: Students earning more than one degree within a FY have been removed from calculations. *Only two students included in this average. Source: MGC Office of Institutional Research Banner Reports

3-Year Average 148.44
157.61 148.49 85.02
78.45 98.07

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C. Course Completion Ratio Ratio of Credit Hours Successfully Completed to Credit Hours Attempted*

Course Type/Student Type** Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 3-Year Average

All Courses

All Students 69.05% 71.75% 70.41%

70.40%

FTFT Freshmen 65.87% 65.58% 68.93%

66.79%

FTPT Freshmen 60.00% 55.35% 48.21%

54.52%

FTFT Transfers 73.29% 77.88% 70.06%

73.74%

FTPT Transfers 74.52% 70.03% 64.65%

69.73%

FT Other 69.61% 74.89% 71.89%

72.13%

PT Other 74.34% 74.31% 71.04%

73.23%

Non-Learning Support Courses

All Students 69.54% 72.78% 71.63%

71.32%

FTFT Freshmen 65.73% 66.73% 69.90%

67.45%

FTPT Freshmen 64.45% 56.75% 53.95%

58.38%

FTFT Transfers 73.65% 78.77% 71.54%

74.65%

FTPT Transfers 74.11% 70.12% 67.28%

70.50%

FT Other 70.08% 75.36% 72.75%

72.73%

PT Other 74.75% 74.86% 72.10%

73.90%

Learning Support Courses

All Students 63.04% 58.03% 57.42%

59.50%

FTFT Freshmen 66.67% 58.69% 64.98%

63.45%

FTPT Freshmen 50.62% 53.34% 39.13%

47.70%

FTFT Transfers 64.52% FTPT Transfers 81.82%

54.17% 68.75%

55.10% 47.62%

57.93% 66.06%

FT Other 54.07% 57.99% 44.12%

52.06%

PT Other 59.57% 56.14% 63.33%

59.68%

* Grades of A, B, C, S were counted as successful; grades other than A, B, C, D, F, S, U, W, WF were removed from calculations.
**Student Type based on IPEDS definition. Includes only 11 students in Fall 2009, 16 students in Fall 2010, and 21 students in Fall 2011.
Source: MGC Office of Institutional Research Banner Reports

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II. Increased Numbers A. Degrees Conferred Annually Degrees and Awards Conferred

Degree Level

FY 2009 FY 2010

All Degree Levels

337

435

Bachelor's* N/A

11

Associate's 263

335

Certificate 74

89

* MGC did not have Bachelor's graduates prior to FY10; average is for two years. Source: USG Office of Research and Policy Analysis Degrees and Awards Conferred Reports

B. Increased Access

Number of Students Enrolled

FY2011
502 29 384 89

3-Year Average
425 20 327 84

Student Characteristic

Fall 2009

Total Enrollment

3,614

#

%

First Generation* -

-

Pell Eligible 1,944 53.79%

Adult Learners (age 25+) 781 21.61%

*Unable to determine `First Generation' status at this time. Source: MGC Office of Institutional Research Banner Reports

Fall 2010

3,496

#

%

-

-

2,028 58.01%

824 23.57%

Fall 2011

3,424

#

%

-

-

2,104 61.45%

868 25.35%

3-Year Average

3,511

#

%

-

-

2,025 57.75%

824 23.51%

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Appendix C
Macon State College
USG Metrics Working Group Recommended Metrics

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I.

Increased Efficiencies

Graduation Rates- Macon State College

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2006

Associate's Degree (3 years) All First-Time Freshmen 2.51% FTFT Freshmen 2.59% FTPT Freshmen 2.27%
Source: USG/ Academic Data Mart, rates reflect system-wide data

Fall 2007
3.07% 3.64% 1.01%

Fall 2008
2.87% 2.97% 2.54%

3-Year Average
2.82% 3.07% 1.94%

Learning Support Students

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2006 Fall 2007

Associate's Degree (3 years)

All First-Time Freshmen 0.4%

0.0%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner & IPEDS files

Fall 2008 0.6%

3-Year Average 0.3%

Federal Financial Aid Recipients

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2006 Fall 2007

Associate's Degree

All First-Time Freshmen 1.3%

0.9%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner & IPEDS files

Fall 2008 1.8%

3-Year Average 1.3%

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2003

Bachelor's Degree (4-6 years) All First-Time Freshmen 19.77% FTFT Freshmen 22.54% FTPT Freshmen 6.67%
Source: USG/ Academic Data Mart, rates reflect system-wide data

Fall 2004
19.28% 23.53% 0.00%

Fall 2005
24.73% 30.67% 0.00%

6-Year Average
21.26% 25.58% 2.22%

Learning Support Students

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005

Bachelor's Degree (4-6 years) All First-Time Freshmen 7.2%
Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner & IPEDS files

9.5%

11.4%

3-Year Average 9.4%

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Federal Financial Aid Recipients

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2003 Fall 2004

Bachelor's Degree (4-6 years)

All First-Time Freshmen 9.4%

10.7%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner & IPEDS files

Fall 2005 12.2%

3-Year Average 10.8%

Retention Rates- Macon State College

One-Year System-Wide Retention Rates

Cohort Year

Degree Level/Student Type

Fall 2008

Bachelor's Degree FTFT Freshmen 65.12% FTPT Freshmen 51.72%
Associate's Degree FTFT Freshmen 63.11% FTPT Freshmen 53.39%
Source: USG/ Academic Data Mart, rates reflect system-wide data

Fall 2009
70.15% 52.38%
54.97% 32.78%

Fall 2010
78.38% 55.56%
66.40% 36.16%

3-Year Average
71.22% 53.22%
61.49% 40.78%

Learning Support Students

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Bachelor's Degree

All First Time Freshmen 77%

74%

Associate's Degree

All First Time Freshmen 45%

35%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner, SIRS, & IPEDS files

Fall 2010 70% 33%

3-Year Average 74% 38%

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Federal Financial Aid

Cohort Year

Student Type

Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Bachelor's Degree

All First Time Freshmen 75%

75%

Associate's Degree

All First Time Freshmen 46%

36%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner, SIRS, & IPEDS files

Fall 2010 76% 32%

3-Year Average 75% 38%

Credit Hours at Time of Completion

Credit Hours Earned at Time of Completion (Unduplicated)

Degree Level

FY 2010 FY 2011 FY2012 3-Year Average

All Bachelor's

Native Freshmen 140.1

142.6

142.3

141.7

Transfer Students 151.6

160.5

156.8

156.3

All Associate's

Native Freshmen 104.8

103.6

97.8

102.1

Transfer Students 131.0

127.9

123.1

127.3

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner Originally there were 2,320 unduplicated graduates for FY10-12; however, 182 graduates were removed due to duplication (received more than one degree from MSC). These graduates account for 7.8% of the total graduating population.

Course Completion Ratio

Earned Hours Attempted Hours

Fall 2011

46,540

59,440

Fall 2010

48,394

63,087

Fall 2009

48,755

66,676

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner

II. Increased Numbers

Ratio 78% 77% 73%

3-Year Average 76%

A. Degrees Conferred Annually Degrees and Awards Conferred

Degree Level

All Degree Levels
Source: MSC Registrar's Office

Bachelor's Associate's Certificate

FY 2010
807 442 358
7

FY 2011
849 518 318 13

FY 2012
874 559 311
4

3-Year Average
843 506 329
8

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Degree Production by Discipline (2011-2012)

Arts,

Humanities,

Social Sciences Business Education

Associate 86

28% 60 19% 20

6%

Degrees

Bachelor 122

22% 150 27% 88 16%

Degrees

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Banner

STEM

35

11%

84

15%

Health (includes nursing) 110 35%
115 21%

Total 311
559

B. Increased Access

Number of Students Enrolled

Student Characteristic

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Total Enrollment

6615

6232

#

%

#

%

First Generation* 3184 48% 3010 48%

Pell Eligible 3147 48% 3190 51%

Adult Learners (age 25+) 2910 44% 2666 43%

Source: MSC Office of Institutional Research & Planning, Admissions, and Financial Aid

Fall 2011

5702

#

%

2764 48%

2885 51%

2435 43%

3-Year Average

#

%

2986 48%

3074 50%

2670 43%

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Complete College Georgia
University of North Georgia
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Executive Summary
Gainesville State College (GCS) and North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) are currently engaged in the consolidation of two vibrant institutions with distinctly different missions and cultures into the new University of North Georgia. The mission of the University of North Georgia, grounded in the historic missions of GCS and NGCSU, emphasizes academic excellence, a student-focused environment, and broad access, while it continues NGCSU's role as The Military College of Georgia. With four campuses located across the northern region of the state, and through partnerships with local educational agencies, government, and industry, the new university is strategically situated to address the critical need for an educated workforce for economic growth in the region. The Complete College Georgia (CCG) plan submitted for the University of North Georgia (UNG) builds on a history of previous initiatives at each institution aimed at improving student success and our retention, progression, and graduation. This plan comprises the combined effort of a team drawn from key stakeholders at both institutions and has been fully integrated with the process of consolidation.
The University System of Georgia (USG) has proposed five strategies to fulfill Governor Deal's Complete College Georgia plan. These strategies are:
Strategy 1: Enhance Partnerships with K-12 Strategy 2: Improve Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved Strategy 3: Improve Time to Degree Completion Strategy 4: Restructure Instructional Delivery Strategy 5: Transform Remediation
In analyzing our various data sources, the CCG team has identified four themes which influence how we have approached setting goals to meet the five strategies identified by the USG.
A. Too many students are coming out of K-12 not academically prepared for college and requiring academic support.
B. At-risk populations need better preparation for connecting to, engaging in, and navigating college.
C. A high number of students, especially Hispanic and non-traditional, accrue substantially more hours at the time of degree completion than required.
D. Financial reasons are a significant contributor to student drop-out/stop-out.
The themes we have identified align perfectly with the five strategies proposed by the USG. Thus, themes A and B shaped the goals we have set for Strategy 1. Themes B and D shaped the goals we have set for Strategy 2. Themes B and C have influenced our goals for Strategy 3. Data themes A, B, and C guided the setting of goals for Strategy 4. And finally, themes A, B and C have informed the setting of goals for Strategy 5. Overall, we have set twelve goals. We have detailed the tactics we will use to achieve them. Furthermore, we have identified methods of assessing the impact of each of these tactics so that we can monitor our progress toward these goals on a yearly basis.
Grounded in the successes and strengths of the past and inspired by the potential of the new University of North Georgia, the UNG Complete College Georgia plan seeks to transform educational attainment in the northern part of the state, making the regions of Northeast Georgia and Georgia Mountains one of the most vibrant and dynamic areas in Georgia and the Southeast.
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Our Context
The University of North Georgia (UNG) is uniquely positioned as a regional state university with a substantial access mission to make significant strides in supporting the Complete College Georgia Initiative. Located in the northeast Georgia economic development region spanning Georgia Department of Community Affairs Regions 2 (Georgia Mountains) and 5 (Northeast Georgia), the University maximizes the complementary capabilities of Gainesville State College (GSC) and North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) to address the critical need for degree attainment necessary to create an educated workforce, the development of which will spur crucial economic growth in the region. UNG's Complete College Georgia (CCG) plan focuses on broadening access to higher education and raising the level of degree completion, while our regional scope and strategic planning process will provide a new level of responsiveness to the workforce development needs of the region.
Drawing on the historic missions of NGCSU and GSC, the mission for the new University of North Georgia states:
The University of North Georgia, a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college, provides a culture of academic excellence in a student-focused environment that includes quality education, service, inquiry and creativity. This is accomplished through broad access to comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia.
This mission, with its focus on academic excellence, a student-focused environment, broad access, multiple campuses, and continuing the long military tradition of NGCSU, has guided this plan's creation.
The CCG plan submitted for UNG is the collaborative effort of a team of individuals at NGCSU and GSC who represent the broad spectrum of stakeholders in this initiative and who are intimately involved in the work of consolidating these two institutions. The plan proposed by this group builds on initiatives that pre-existed at each institution respectively, as well as on the strengths and opportunities evident from our analysis of various data sources. Since November 2010, Gainesville State College has been a member of the Adult Learning Consortium, and GSC received a Soldiers 2 Scholars grant in spring of 2011. In the process of writing and implementing these grants, both of which address the needs of
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adult learners and the military, extensive involvement across the campus was attained through the following: consultation with student life, the counseling center, admissions, financial aid, the registrar's office, disability affairs, testing services, Deans' Council, and the President's Executive Council.
The faculty of GSC also formally approved offering credit through portfolio assessment of prior learning. A task force was convened by the VPAA, Dr. Al Panu, in the fall of 2011 to study the needs of evening and weekend students, a group primarily composed of adult learners and parttime students. The task force surveyed students, inventoried current student services and academic programs, and examined model programs at other institutions in order to justifiably recommend the NOW (Nights, Online and Weekends) program, complete with advertising and recruiting plan. Similarly, for Soldiers 2 Scholars, a military advisory group was formed. It includes student representatives who are veterans and representation from all offices serving veterans to make recommendations for improving service to veterans and removing barriers to their academic success. In the areas of partnership with K-12 and transforming remediation, we have also built on such past successful grant-funded programs and pilots as the Roadmap Grant focusing on high-impact practices, the Near Peer program, and the Quantway grant.
North Georgia College & State University has invested significant resources in developing delivery structures that support the growth of high impact practices such as undergraduate research, study abroad programs, and service learning. The Center for Global Engagement (CGE), the Cadet Undergraduate Language Program (CULP), and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) model this vision and commitment. The campus internationalization plan for NGCSU, a recently completed five year plan, received recognition for its excellence with a University System of Georgia award for best practices. The office of Regional Engagement, with its emphasis on engaging the university with agencies, communities, and industry in the region, has an extensive network of contacts from which to identify partners for undergraduate research and service learning. Additionally, through its teacher preparation program offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and its work with the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE) and other local education agencies, NGCSU brings significant experience and strengths to the strategy of enhancing partnerships with K-12 for the new University of North Georgia. As the Military College of Georgia, NGCSU has played a key role in developing military friendly guidelines and best practices for the University System of Georgia.
Although the number of complete degree programs available online at NGCSU is limited, the institution has a history of active participation in the development and delivery of several USG collaborative degree initiatives. The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence provides faculty support for the development of online courses as well as ensuring their quality through the Quality Matters evaluation system. The experience and knowledge gained through these programs and initiatives at both institutions have shaped the strategies adopted for the CCG
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plan in the areas of distance education, shortening time to degree, restructuring instructional delivery, and improving access and completion for traditionally underserved students.
Since the announcement of consolidation in January 2012, in addition to sending a joint team to the Complete College Georgia summit, NGCSU and GSC sent a joint team of twenty-four participants to the Summer Institute for the Adult Learning Consortium in June, and we have sent joint representation to the USG Military Education Workgroup. The representation at these meetings includes members of the team drafting the CCG plan. These activities, along with the work of our consolidation work groups and the Executive Planning Team, has resulted in broad collaboration on all levels and has informed the work of the CCG team.
The successful implementation of the University of North Georgia Complete College Georgia plan will require active participation and coordination of efforts of many units across UNG. The institutions base this plan's implementation on three critical assumptions. First, adequate resources will be available to support implementation. Second, the consolidation between Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University will be complete in January 2013. Finally, the new university will be successful in building significant networks and relationships with regional partners.
Key Data Themes
In approaching the goal of raising the level of degree completion, the two institutions start from positions of academic strength and excellence. North Georgia College & State University maintains the second highest system wide graduation and retention rate in the comprehensive
university sector of the University System of Georgia. Gainesville State College ranks slightly above average in associates degree completion or matriculation to a baccalaureate program and is second in its sector for system wide retention performance. It also holds one of the system's most successful transfer rates to comprehensive, regional, and research universities in the state college sector. However, the university can clearly improve on these strengths. In reviewing the consolidated data for NGCSU and GSC and other institutional data sources, four key themes emerged.
Theme 1: Too many students coming out of K-12 not academically prepared for college and requiring academic support
Locally, as well as regionally, students continue to graduate from high school without sufficient academic preparation for college. The average SAT scores for almost half of the high schools in the UNG service area fell below the state average (Appendix C).
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Percent

This lack of preparation requires varying degrees of academic support; however, remediation has met with mixed success. In the 2007 consolidated data provided by USG, 36.6% of all firsttime students required remediation. The percentages were higher for Hispanic students (55.9%), Black students (65.7%), and students who are 25+ years (75.9%) and 20-24 years (64%) (Table 1).

Table 1. Percent of 2007 GSC and NGCSU Students Requiring Remediation, USG CCG data

100.0% 50.0%

GSC and NGCSU 2007 First Time Students, Percent Requring Remediation

36.6%

55.9%

64.0%

65.7%

75.9%

0.0%

All first-time

Hispanic

20-24 yrs Student Category

Black

25+ yrs

Just over half (56%) of the students requiring Math remediation actually completed it. Pell students (47%) and males (48%) had lower than average rates of completion, while Hispanic students (60%) had a higher rate of completion. Students with multiple learning support requirements also had substantially lower course completion rates.

Theme 2: At-risk populations needed better preparation for connecting to, engaging in, and navigating college

These academically underprepared students become at-risk populations once enrolled. They require better preparation for connecting to, engaging in, and navigating college in order to remain enrolled and reach their academic goals. In general, one semester retention rates were high for the 2003 full-time cohort, with the greatest loss occurring after the first year (77% retained) (Table 2). The populations falling below this rate were Black students (67% retained), students 25+ years (51% retained), students 20-25 years (52% retained), and students with LS requirements (64%). By the end of two years, retention had stabilized. Attrition occurred more dramatically for part-time students but also stabilized at the end of two years. Consequently, students requiring remediation and non-traditional students were among those with substantially lower graduation rates. The lower retention rate for 20-25 year old students was unexpected and more information is needed to determine the factors affecting retention in this age group.

Table 2. 2003 GSC and NGCSU Cohort, One Semester Retention Rates

Full-time cohort

Black 25+ years 20-25 years

LS requirements

77%

67% 51%

52%

64%

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2011 CCSSE data for GSC continued to support the need for these types of programs and services with a slightly lower institutional score on "Support for Learners" than the large college and overall cohort groups (Table 3).

Score

Table 3. 2011 CCSSE GSC, Large College, and Cohort Scores by Area

2011 CCSSE GSC, Large College, and Cohort Scores by Area

60
55 53.4
49.5 50
50

52.3 49.4 50

50.949.7 50

55.4 49.3 50

48.749.1 50

45

40

35

30 Active and Collaborative
Learning

Academic Challenge CCSSE Area

Support for Learners

GSC
Large Colleges Cohort

Theme 3: A high number of students, especially Hispanic and nontraditional, accrued substantially more hours at time of degree completion than required
One of the more disturbing trends identified in the data was the accrual of excess curricular hours at the time of degree completion. The average credits to degree for a FT associate degree seeking student was 78.86 credits. Already a high average, both Hispanic students (85.89) and adult learners (86.11) exceeded these hours. Unsurprisingly, this trend continues into the baccalaureate levels as well, with FT baccalaureate degree seeking students averaging 136.42 hours. Again, both Hispanic students (140.67) and adult learners (141.77) exceeded this average. These trends with Hispanic students were especially significant given that Hispanic full-time enrollment has increased 212% from FY2004 to FY2009 compared to an overall full-time enrollment increase of 64%.
Theme 4: Financial reasons were a significant contributor to student drop-out/stop-out
A 2010 phone survey conducted by the GSC Advising Center identified financial restrictions as one of the primary reasons students did not return. Students relying on Pell have increased 95%, and in fall 2011, 78% of GSC first-term freshmen were offered financial aid of some amount. In 2009, GSC's student loan default data indicated that 96% of the defaulters had withdrawn. In addition, 72% of defaulters had been freshmen and 56% had been enrolled in at least one learning support program. 2011 CCSSE data also indicated a large population who felt the college was unable to offer them sufficient financial support.
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Strategies, Goals, and Tactics
The University of North Georgia's Complete College Georgia proposal addresses the five major strategies identified by the University System of Georgia: improve college readiness through K12 partnerships; expand access and completion, especially for underserved populations; shorten time to degree, restructure instructional delivery; and transform remediation. The goals and tactics presented below for each strategy are derived from University System metrics and the key themes identified in the consolidated data. This five year plan devotes the initial year primarily to implementation of restructuring based upon consolidation of the two institutions. This restructuring and the Complete College Georgia plan will feed into the new strategic planning process, which will commence in September 2012. Measures for each strategy, goal, and tactic can be found in the Strategy Metrics Section of this report.
Strategy One: Enhance Partnerships with K-12
A significant element of success in the University of North Georgia's College Completion plan is the increase in the high school to college pipeline, particularly for underserved populations. Both North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College have numerous and mutually valuable partnerships with regional K-12, but two of our key themes point to a significant gap in college readiness. Too many students come to us, particularly through GSC's access mission, requiring academic support in the form of remediation in English, Reading, and/or Math. In the 2007 consolidated data, 36.6% of all first-time students required remediation; for GSC's population, 49.4% of all first-time students did so. GSC's data on students directly from high school indicates that 46% arrive in need of remediation. While work must be done to improve the poor success rates of the student population requiring remediation, better preparation is also necessary for all students entering college. Regional data indicates a general lack of college preparedness for students in the region, as indicated by the SAT scores and graduation rates for regional schools. Additionally, 11 of the 21 districts in our Regional Education Service Areas (RESA) did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards for graduation (85%). Graduation rates for those 11 districts ranged from very near AYP (>83%) in 3 cases to well below (<75%) in 4 cases, with one as low as 69.6%. (Appendix C)
Clearly, much work needs to be done in support of raising educational attainment and opportunity in the region. Rates for historically disadvantaged groups are even more distressing, falling as low as 55.6% for Black students and 46.2% for Hispanic students. In order to see a greater degree of attainment in the region, partnerships with K-12 to increase the pipeline of
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students who are college ready is essential, particularly so for minority populations. Each of the programs will target student populations from at risk environments seeking to raise their college aspirations.
Goal 1.1: Expand Efforts to Increase the Regional College Participation for Underserved Populations
Consolidated institutional data clearly demonstrated key indicators of the need to work with K12 in the increase of these pipelines. Despite an increase of 212% in the Hispanic population of students, data showed Hispanic students to be only 5% of the total population for the consolidated institution, though the Hispanic population in Georgia is about 9%. Similarly, the consolidated institution in 2008-2009 served a black population of less than 5%, though the black population in Georgia is 31%. Further, though the consolidated institution has seen a substantial increase of Pell-eligible students at 95%, GSC alone saw a 126% increase in Pelleligibility between 2003-2004 and 2008-2009. Census data from 2010 shows UNG's service area to have had a rate of bachelor's degree holders in the population that was slightly above the average for Georgia in the same period, but still below 30% of all residents. The poverty rate for the counties, per the 2010 Census, is around 14%, which is almost identical with the state, but individual counties range from 6% to 33.5%.
Tactic 1.1.1: Develop Targeted Intervention Outreach Service Learning Program
Both NGCSU and GSC have highly successful education degree programs with excellent teacher candidates. Students from NGCSU graduate with certification in special education, and both part-time and full-time GSC students complete with ESOL and Reading certifications that are embedded in their education coursework. Each of these programs contributes to a comprehensive regional strategy in support of transforming the relationship between higher education and K-12, particularly as the students actually enter the K-12 classrooms during their education. With the combined strengths of our consolidated education programs in partnership with the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE), we will target groups we know to have a high degree of remediation need, groups including Hispanic, black, and low-income K-12 students. In particular, we will develop a targeted early intervention outreach program for high school students not meeting readiness standards through `Near Peer' servicelearning mentorships and Pre-Education student summer tutoring programs.
Tactic 1.1.2: Institute Collaborative K-12/Higher Education Regional Summit
The need for better prepared students coming to higher education from K-12 requires that each group have a clear understanding of each other's context. The focus of these regional summits will be collaborative education. In order to assure that the teacher candidates sent out into the school reflect the needs of the region, including the need for minority recruitment, these summits will also function as focus groups for the College of Education (CoE). The university, through the CoE, will collaborate with RESA in an annual Summit between high school and UNG teachers focused on improving communication and student college preparation.
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Tactic 1.1.3: Develop Roadmaps for Student Success from New DOE Career Concentrations into and Through Higher Education
As a part of the Summit, UNG will work with Local Education Agencies to develop degree roadmaps to respond to and clarify the relationships between new DOE career concentrations and higher education. The University will use these roadmaps as outreach to parents and students, including those students who initially require remediation, regarding the pathways available to students in the various career concentrations.
Tactic 1.1.4: Develop Comprehensive Summer Strategy in Partnership with K12
UNG will develop a comprehensive summer program strategy in support of creating student pipelines, targeting a variety of student groups: high-performing, those from atrisk environments, and English Language Learners (ELL). The University will combine GSC's successful Summer Scholars and Steps to College programs, which support students from at-risk environments and ELL students from seventh through twelfth grades, allowing them to earn Carnegie credits toward high school completion in the case of the latter, and NGCSU's successful Summer Language Academies and Summer Honors Program. UNG will use the synergy of these academic transition and transformation summer programs for high school students to form a pipeline to higher education. The summer programs also serve to mitigate the loss of learning that can occur during the summer months, particularly in the cases of language learners. This plan will include the Tactic outlined for a Summer Bridge program in Tactic 5.2.1.

Strategy Two: Improve Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved

Underserved populations in the

region represent human potential

that requires opportunity in order to

be fully realized. This population

includes

underrepresented

minorities and the economically

disadvantaged, as well as adult

learners. Review of our consolidated

institutional data indicates that,

while the average FT enrollment has

increased 64% from FY 2004 to FY

2009, students relying on Pell have

increased 95% and the percent

enrolled in remediation has

increased 77%. Further review of the

consolidated data shows that

populations with substantially lower

graduation rates included males,

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students requiring remediation, and adult learners. Despite the dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic students, very few have reached degree completion. Creating access involves mitigating financial constraints and ensuring that students have the information needed to enter college and be successful in their pursuit of a degree.
Thus, in order to address access and completion for traditionally underserved students, we must actively recruit these populations, mitigate the financial and bureaucratic barriers to their admission, and provide them with support once they are matriculated.
Goal 2.1: Improve Access for the Economically Disadvantaged By Increasing the Number of Pell Eligible Students Who Apply To College
The North Georgia region is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission service area. The regional unemployment and poverty rates are above the national and state average. Economically disadvantaged populations have significantly lower college attendance and completion rates due to a host of factors, including lack of means and such "cultural capital" issues as awareness of opportunities and access to information. Conversely, this lack of access perpetuates the cycle of unemployment and poverty. One of the key themes that emerged from the analysis of our consolidated data was the importance of financial aid in students' ability to go to, and stay in, college. We are committed to maintaining our access mission with affordable tuition as part of the consolidated University of North Georgia. And, we are committed to GACHE's role in educating and encouraging students in the region's local school systems, as well as their communities, as to the access paths to higher education. We must also help students take full advantage of the financial resources available to them.
Tactic 2.1.1: Adopt a Tuition and Fees Model for the New Consolidated Institution That Preserves Accessibility
One key element of the Complete College Georgia plan for the consolidated institution's moving forward is to adopt a tuition model that preserves the accessibility of education. We will do so by having admission to an associates degree at the state college tuition rate on three of the four campuses, along with direct admission to the Baccalaureate degree programs at the state university tuition rate. Complementary to the two tier tuition model is the requirement to carefully manage tuition and fees so as to preclude developing an unintended economic filter to access. The cost of attendance must be kept to levels that do not exceed Pell limits and that do not result in a significant debt burden upon students' graduation. This requirement is essential for maintaining and increasing the number of students from traditionally underserved populations that matriculate to UNG.
Tactic 2.1.2: Implement Financial Aid Workshops
Eliminating financial barriers for these students is a priority that requires informing them and their parents of funding strategies and opportunities and, in some cases, educating them in financial management. Continuing Education will lead this effort externally.
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Tactic 2.1.3: Expand Alternative Needs-Based Funding for Students
UNG will create additional funding opportunities for students through both an aggressive scholarship fundraising strategy and the development of student employment opportunities with the university or with local government and business.
Goal 2.2: Increase the Number of Students in Each Underserved Population (African American, Hispanic, Asian, Veteran and Military Personnel, and Adult Learners) Through Targeted Recruiting
The university student population does not currently represent the national or state ethnic makeup. Approximately 19% of the North Georgia region's population over the age of 23 has some college but no degree. Additionally, the region is home to over 65,000 veterans. This number represents a significant group that can be engaged to meet CCG goals.
Tactic 2.2.1: Actively Recruit Minority Students
GSC has been relatively successful at increasing the number of Hispanic students enrolled. Although regional demographics are certainly a factor, we believe this success is due also to the type of services and support that we provide. We will use existing scholarship and leadership programs on both campuses, such as the Goizueta scholars and the African American Male initiative. We will also use information about such student associations as the Latino Student Association, Asian Student Association, Black Student Association and information about the academic and student support programs we provide to produce recruitment materials and create outreach opportunities in the area high schools in order to target these populations. This tactic will serve as a starting point while the comprehensive diversity plan is being developed (see Tactic 2.2.4).
Tactic 2.2.2: Streamlining Admissions for Military and Adult Learners
The new institution will not only reaffirm its membership in the University System of Georgia Adult Learning Consortium and in Service members Opportunity Colleges but also continue to adhere to the policies and best practices promulgated by these consortiums. Structural changes associated with consolidation will expand the Center for Adult Learners & Military (CALM), piloted in spring 2012 at GSC. The Center will function as an important component in the push to reach this underserved population. Outreach will be extended to regional business and industry groups with the intent to provide targeted service delivery to meet their workforce needs as well as deliver these services on site or proximate to the workplace where possible.
Tactic 2.2.3: Actively Recruit Adult and Veteran Students
Reaching out to this important constituency requires a marketing strategy that provides awareness and creates interest and that focuses both on the prospective student and on regional employers. We will align this plan with the College Access Challenge Grant and include the following: A night, online, and weekend (NOW) program website targeted at working adults; linkage to the Complete College Georgia website; and information about flexible programming options, financing strategies, and student success support
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structures, especially for those students requiring remediation. We will promote our programs and resources through the USG GOAL website. A similar outreach strategy through Regional Engagement will focus on engaging employers in adult education initiatives as a means to greater productivity.
Tactic 2.2.4: Develop a Comprehensive UNG Diversity Plan
Improving access and completion for underrepresented minorities will require a significant effort. Planning for this component is beyond the scope of this document except in general terms. The university goal will be to achieve, at a minimum, an ethnically diverse student body reflective of national demographics: 13% Black, 16% Hispanic, and 3% Asian. This goal will require us to develop a separate minority recruiting campaign and a comprehensive university diversity plan that also includes minority representation in the faculty and staff. These major efforts will follow completion of consolidation in January and serve as a concurrent effort with strategic planning for the new university.
Goal 2.3: Provide Support for Completion to Underserved Populations
One of the key trends in our data analysis was that traditionally underserved students need more support in connecting to and navigating college, as well as preparing to do collegiate-level work. We plan to provide this support through a combination of curricular programs such as First-Year Experience, as discussed in Strategy 4, and co-curricular initiatives.
Tactic 2.3.1: Provide Financial Management Workshops to Matriculated Students
Financial difficulties are the single most frequent reason cited by students for dropping out, stopping out, or moving to part-time status. Financial difficulties create added pressure for students, often forcing them to work longer hours, which has a profound impact on their studies. Through the newly-established Student Money Management Center, UNG will empower students to make smarter financial choices; additionally, we will emphasize the connection between academic success and maintaining financial aid.
Tactic 2.3.2: Support for Military and Adult Learners
GSC piloted CALM, the Center for Adult Learners and Military, as a "one-stop shop" for veteran and adult learners. The Center serves as an advocate for the student, providing assistance with navigating VA benefits, initial evaluation of prior learning, and various support services that coordinates with financial aid, counseling services, tutoring services, academic advising, and student life. As part of our CCG plan, we will promote these services to students via print and websites, and expand not only the range of services available but also the campuses served.
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Strategy Three: Improve Time to Degree Completion
Review of our consolidated institutional data indicates a 25% increase in baccalaureate degree awards over the past 5 years. It further reveals that four groups see substantially lower than average degree completion rates: males, students requiring remediation, Hispanic students-- even in a period with a significant increase in population--and non-traditional students. Of these groups, both Hispanic students and non-traditional students also significantly exceed the average credits-to-degree for the associates (78.86 for all populations) at 85.89 and 86.11 credits respectively, thus suggesting that the time and credits-to-degree may be part of what impedes completion for these two groups. As noted above, the high credits-to-degree trend continues into the baccalaureate levels as well, with FT baccalaureate degree seeking students averaging 136.42 hours. While some of this data can be attributed to the high number of education graduates from both institutions, a discipline which typically requires more than 120 credits, education majors cannot alone account for these numbers. Again, both Hispanic students (140.67) and adult learners (141.77) exceeded this average. Clarification regarding whether or not the institutional data provided by USG counts Learning Support and/or English as a Second Language courses in the credits-to-degree is necessary, as both Hispanic and Adult Learners have high placement rates into Learning Support and/or ESL, and including either would increase credit hours substantially, given the access mission of the University of North Georgia.
Additional completion nuances are the rates at which students complete their Math and English requirements. In 2007, before the USG Core Curriculum was revised, instituting new rules regarding progress through Area A's Essential Skills courses in Math and English, 61.9 % of all students in the consolidated data completed one math and one English course within the first two years. Several populations fell below this mark, including black students (47%), adult learners (37%), and students 2024 years (38%). This last group is particularly troubling, in no small measure because it came as a surprise to both institutions, and the group clearly needs assistance. The percentage of students 20-24 years requiring remediation (64%) is somewhat better than the same measure for adult learners (75.9%), and their one-year retention rate is virtually identical to adult learners at 52%; nevertheless, their remediation completion rates (42.6%) are substantially lower than the average student and lower than adult learners (44.3%). While the reasons for this group's struggles are presently unclear, it appears that students in this age group either do not sufficiently identify with traditional and adult learner groups--that is, the typical target groups to be assisted by the programming encompassing their age group-- or they simply aren't being reached by these programs. The Office of Academic Enrichment will engage focus groups during 2012-13 to examine this population and better target resources to encourage retention and completion.
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Goal 3.1: Identify and Eliminate Barriers to Completion
A key theme that emerged from the analysis of the consolidated data was the excess of credits to degree across all populations at the associates and baccalaureate levels and for part-time and adult learners, in particular. Our shared commitment to both access and excellence demands we ensure that our own policies and procedures do not present needless barriers for students in their paths toward degree completion. In addition to the work outlined below, further efforts in support of this goal are present in Goal 4.1 in the expansion of online courses and programs.
Tactic 3.1.1: Identify and Update Policies that are Barriers to Completion
UNG will review policies at the institution to ensure that they are appropriate for our student and mission context and that they do not impede completion. For instance, examining the consolidated data regarding the IB, AP, CLEP, and DSST scores for which credit is granted reveals that GSC and NGCSU have significant differences that we will need to address in the process of consolidation; however, neither institution currently follows ACE guidelines for all areas. In order to reduce the time to completion, particularly for adult learners, the University will review ACE guidelines and adopt them through the appropriate channels. The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students will be responsible for reviewing the Transfer Credit Policies. Policies slated for review include:
Credit Award Cut Scores for IB, CLEP, AP, and DSST Transfer Credit Policies, including required courses in Area F Credit Award Limits for all Prior Learning Assessment SAT Score Requirement for Dual Enrollment
Tactic 3.1.2: Expand Prior Learning Assessment
Since 2010, GSC has been a part of the Adult Learning Consortium and Soldiers 2 Scholars, both of which are deeply invested in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) options for students. PLA offers numerous benefits to students, including reduced time to degree. Through the Center for Adult Learners and Military (CALM), UNG seeks to ensure that students who might benefit from PLA options ranging from departmental and national standardized testing to portfolio assessment are provided with those options at the earliest point in the admissions process possible. Such measures target the adult learner population in particular, which is one of the populations most at risk for failure to complete.
Tactic 3.1.3: Publish Guaranteed Three-Year Evening Course Schedule
In 2006, a survey to identify reasons for delayed graduation was administered to students at GSC who were enrolled more than three years. The majority (70%) attributed the delay to their part-time student status, while half (51%) indicated that they had skipped one or more semesters. Additional reasons included the following: work schedule (41%), Learning Support requirements (39%), changing majors (20%), taking classes outside of major without changing major (13%), and academic difficulty resulting in not making progress (13%). When asked which factor contributed most to
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delay, students identified part-time status, insufficient time, and course selection. As the majority of GSC students work, institutional data reflects the difficulties they face in creating appropriate schedules, particularly in the evening, on their preferred campus that will ensure timely progress toward degree completion. GSC's highly successful evening, part-time Early Childhood Education degree (which shows a 98.2% retention rate) will serve as a model for structuring the evening programming. Further, instead of receiving a schedule designed to engage and support transition of new freshmen from high school to college, students must accept a schedule based solely on course availability. This necessity affects students' ability to progress in a timely manner. To rectify this gap, the consolidated institution proposes to publish a three-year schedule for evening classes as a part of the Night, Online, and Weekend (NOW) Program in order to allow students to plan their schedules according to availability and so avoid taking unnecessary courses out of their major.
Goal 3.2: Decrease Excess Credits Earned at Degree Completion through Enhanced Early Intervention Protocols
An additional key theme that emerged in the consolidated data regarded the excess credits that students had at the point of the associates degree. Because excess credits reflect both time and money that may not be leading students to their goal, the institution is prepared to create a support system based on the success of the Advising Center; this system will ensure students who are not progressing toward degree or who are unlikely to be able to complete the degree currently sought are identified, counseled, and provided with appropriate alternatives at the earliest possible point. GSC's Advising Center has already seen dramatic improvements for students in targeted advising populations, particularly those not in good academic standing. This intentional support for students who are on probation, that is, the Academic Success Plan (ASP), has been exceptionally successful for participating students. The one semester retention for the fall 2010 cohort of probation students yielded 61% retention for ASP students versus 39% for the students who did not participate. The one-year persistence rate for the same cohort was 47% for ASP students and 36% for on-ASP students; also, the average GPA for the ASP students increased approximately .25 points.
Tactic 3.2.1: Targeted Advising for Students in Highly-Competitive Majors
UNG will analyze the highly-competitive majors to identify key courses as well as freshman GPA targets for highly competitive majors at UNG, in order to target advisement and resources to those students in highly-competitive majors who are not meeting their predictive targets. It is essential to identify such students early in their college careers so that we may connect them to such academic support resources as Supplemental Instruction (SI) or so that they may change their majors to those the students are more likely to have the opportunity of completing. Students in the second group will also be connected to such student support services as career counseling.
Tactic 3.2.2: Targeted Advising for Students who are Not Progressing
Again using methods similar to the targeted advising for ASP students, UNG will identify key indicators for students who are likely to fail to persist and complete. Given the 2007 consolidated data regarding completion of one English and one Math in two years, UNG
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will first examine the data regarding the progress toward completion of the Area A Essential Skills courses since the change in the USG Core Curriculum policies approved in 2009.Whether or not this baseline data shows improvement, we will seek to identify student populations who are not meeting the Area A 30-hour standard and deploy targeted advising and success plans to ensure that students meet this very important objective.
Strategy Four: Restructure Instructional Delivery
Analysis of data from pilot projects, student surveys and institutional data indicate three primary areas to address in restructuring instructional delivery for GSC and NGCSU as they consolidate.
The intent of restructuring instructional delivery is 1) to increase learning through the use of high impact practices; 2) to provide access to those who are unable to attend traditional instruction, particularly working adults; and 3) to use innovative pedagogies and support to target those courses with high DWF rates, particularly in the sciences and gateway courses.
Goal 4.1 Expand Online Courses and Programs
A survey of GSC evening and weekend students in 2011 indicated that the availability of courses and integrating them into the students' work schedules was one of the main barriers to completion of degree programs. The recommendations of the Adult Learning Consortium and the USG's military friendly initiatives similarly point to the importance of online courses and shortened semesters in degree completion for these populations. These, along with the tactics in Goal 3.1, are intended to facilitate a decrease in time to completion, as well as in credits to degree.
Tactic 4.1.1: Join eCore as Soon as Possible After Consolidation
If eCore courses were available to the students of the University of North Georgia, they would be able to fill in gaps in their program of study when a course was already full or only offered at times that conflicted with their personal commitments. This tactic also appropriately leverages University System of Georgia resources to support students.
Tactic 4.1.2: Develop Online Courses and Degree Programs that are High Demand for Adult Learners and Military Programs
Academic Affairs must conduct a comprehensive gap analysis to identify the following: course "bottlenecks" to credentialing; "cyclic" shortages in availability, that is, shortages occurring every other year; high need course offerings, those in coordination with regional employers; and high demand or niche capability online degree programs. Preliminary analysis of current online offerings, student demand, and feedback from the members of the Adult Learning Consortium seems to indicate these priorities for online
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course development: upper level business courses, and area F for psychology, sociology, and criminal justice. Courses in area F for psychology, sociology, and criminal justice would feed into the proposed eMajor under development at the USG level, and also support GSC's bachelor's program in Human Services and Delivery Administration, a popular degree with our veteran students and returning adults.
Goal 4.2: Expand the Use of Supplemental Instruction, Particularly in STEM and Gateway Courses to Improve Completion
In 2007, GSC began offering Supplemental Instruction (SI) in select courses with D-F-W-WF rates of over 30%. The SI program has been especially effective with MATH 1450, BIOL 1107, BIOL 1108, HIST 2111, HIST 2112, and ACCT 2101. A lack of resources has slowed the growth of the program.
Tactic 4.2.1: Increase the Number of Sections in STEM Courses that Include SI
UNG plans to offer supplemental instruction on all campuses and expand both the number of sections available and the courses open to supplemental instruction. NGCSU is piloting its first course with supplemental instruction, BIOL 1107K, this fall. Although SI has been used with CHEM 1211 at GSC, the results from the most recent semester were inconsistent with other courses in the program. The SI director is reviewing that course to determine the causes for this discrepancy and make the necessary adjustments.
Tactic 4.2.2: Expand the Number of Gateway Courses for Which We Offer Supplemental Instruction
This fall, GSC is piloting the use of SI in ENGL 1101, MATH 0097, MATH 1111, and READ 0099. While these courses may not be considered traditional gateway courses, they do represent key areas for improvement. Our consolidated data indicated that, on average, 61.9% of fall 2007 students completed one math and one English within the first two years. For certain populations, the percentage was even lower. Evaluation of the pilot results will determine if SI is effective at improving completion rates in these courses.
Goal 4.3: Expand the Implementation of High Impact Practices
High impact practices include undergraduate research, service-learning, and study abroad. These programs already exist to one degree or another in both consolidating institutions. However, the level of student and faculty involvement varies. UNG will undertake major efforts to identify opportunities for expansion and to develop revised university wide plans to operationalize these initiatives. Precise goals in this area are to be determined based upon further analysis. Consolidated, as well as campus-specific, data to support determining goals is not yet available.
Tactic 4.3.1: Expand Current Undergraduate Research Opportunities
The institution will build on the existing Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities at NGCSU, as well as the undergraduate Conference for Innovation, Research and the Creative Arts begun last year at GSC, in order to expand the opportunities for undergraduate research across the new university. The Center for
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Teaching, Learning and Leadership will provide faculty development to support this initiative.
Tactic 4.3.2: Expand Current Service-Learning Opportunities
Prior to consolidation, NGCSU had developed strategic plans for a Center for ServiceLearning, providing structure to support the growth of service-learning initiatives, and GSC had integrated service learning heavily into the School of Social Sciences programs. These programs provide a starting point for the development of an institution-wide program.
Tactic 4.3.3: Expand Student and Faculty Participation in Study Abroad
NGCSU has robust participation of students and faculty and a well-developed support system for study abroad. GSC has had limited participation and few institutionally sponsored programs. The combined resources of the institutions, and a future student body of approximately 15,000 students, create an opportunity for expanding these activities.
Tactic 4.3.4: Implement First Year Experience across UNG
The institution will review and adapt the first year experience to enhance learning outcomes and retention. This revision will include the following: examining new student orientation; reviewing UNIV 1000 (Freshman Experience) and UNIV 1001 (Career Planning); and taking into consideration the needs of traditionally underserved populations and the fact that three of the campuses in the new institution will be commuter campuses. UNG will conduct a similar review regarding freshman learning communities and programs designed to enhance advising.
Strategy Five: Transform Remediation
Based on 2007 consolidated data, 36.6% of all first-time students required remediation; at GSC this number was 49.4%. In either case, the percentage represents a considerable number of students who arrive to college in need of remediation. Unfortunately, both the one-year retention and degree completion rates for these students fall well below average. Of this population, 57.5% actually completes remediation. Comprising such a large percentage of our population within our access mission, any efforts to improve their completion must carefully examine the policies, processes, and habits of the Learning Support programming. Our consolidated data also indicates that students on Pell, Hispanic students, black students, adult learners, and students aged 20-24 have learning support requirements at far higher rates than average at 42.3% 55.9 %, 65.7 %, 75.9%, and 64% respectively. At GSC alone, where the majority of remediation has historically taken place,
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those same populations required remediation at 54%, 63.1%, 73.6 %, 82.8%, and 68.5%, respectively. Asian and Hispanic students complete learning support requirements for the consolidated institution at a far higher rate than the average, but Pell, Black, adults, and 20-24 years students complete remediation at a far lower rate than their peers. Since students in remediation, and particularly Black students, adult learners, and students aged 20-24, are among those least likely to complete, it is imperative that programming and institutional support be attuned to the needs of these students. Institutional data also demonstrates that students with multiple learning support requirements are far less likely to persist and complete than their peers. While many of the remediation tactics focus on the population that was formerly Gainesville State College's alone, many tactics will also support the remediation efforts underway for students who were North Georgia College & State University's, particularly by transforming pedagogy, since national and institutional data suggests much need for such. We must do a better job.
Goal 5.1: Identify and Eliminate Barriers to Remediation Completion
GSC's institutional data reflect that the grade of a remediation course is a better predictor of success in subsequent courses than is the COMPASS score. Each semester, we are faced with students having to repeat courses they have already passed when it is only the COMPASS score that prevents "completion" of the learning support requirement. Again, our shared commitment to both access and excellence demands that we ensure that our own policies and procedures do not present needless barriers for students in their paths toward degree completion.
Tactic 5.1.1: Elimination of COMPASS Exit Exam
We will begin with the pilot courses outlined in Tactic 5.3.2 with the eventual goal of eliminating the COMPASS exit requirement for all students. In order to ensure continued student success, UNG will closely monitor the success data for all students who complete remediation without the COMPASS as compared to their peers in courses that still require COMPASS. Success for those students omitting COMPASS will be defined by their success in subsequent courses; the success of the tactic itself will be in the reduction of a population of students needlessly barred from completion due to the exit exam requirement.
Goal 5.2: Established Enhanced Non-Credit Remediation Programs
Through the proposed office of University Affairs, in partnership with Continuing Education, the University will create a series of short-term remediation and course refresher programs to augment the already extant COMPASS preparation online tools currently available through GSC's Office of Academic Enrichment. Since remediation requirements themselves appear to be a barrier to completion--however necessary these requirements may be--the University thus seeks to provide opportunities for students to engage in highly-supportive non-credit courses to better prepare them to take the COMPASS exam and/or to begin college.
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Tactic 5.2.1: Create a Summer Bridge Program for Students who Place into Remediation
As a portion of the Summer Strategy outlined in Tactic 1.1.4, UNG will create a Summer Bridge Program to help reduce the need for remediation for at-risk populations and to better prepare students for transition to college. UNG's Bridge Program will target the most at-risk populations, beginning with Hispanic students, who place into learning support in high numbers, and who have a high LS completion rate, but a very low degree completion rate.
Tactic 5.2.2: Short-Term Refresher Courses
The majority of adult students, many of whom also work, would unlikely benefit from the summer intensive bridge program, even if we offer evening sessions (though that too is a possibility). In order to assist working students, UNG will offer refresher courses in key learning areas, such as Math, English, and Reading in order to target populations, including returning veterans. These courses will not attempt to replicate the learning support course work; rather, they will prepare students to enroll in the University, including COMPASS preparation. They will be short-term and offered year-round in order to allow flexibility to adult learners regarding when they begin on their path toward degree completion.
Goal 5.3: Provide Multiple and Flexible Pathways to Satisfy Remediation Requirements
In order to better support the multifaceted needs of our students, UNG seeks to create multiple pathways through remediation, including alternative, accelerated, and stretched courses. At the Complete College Georgia summit, as well as the AAC&U Student Success Conference and the Adult Learning Consortium's Summer Institute, speakers oftentimes presented data on the failure of remediation on college campuses. While the future UNG has seen great success in remediation, particularly at GSC, where the faculty who teach learning support courses also teach the subsequent courses, we have considerable room for improvement, especially with targeted populations. The wide variety of need within our student body, including the needs of both commuter and residential populations, insists that we develop pathways toward and out of remediation that are more responsive to the needs of students, particularly adult learners.
Tactic 5.3.1: Required Skills Course for Students in READ 0099 and/or MATH 0097
Institutional data suggests that students placing into READ 0099 and/or MATH 0097 are the student populations who struggle most visibly with remediation completion and are most likely to stop or drop out. Several semesters of data have been collected on the performance of students with learning support requirements who are also required to take a study skills course. This course, proposed as a one-credit-hour, would be available to all students with remediation requirements.
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Tactic 5.3.2: Expansion of Quantway Math for Students not in STEM or Business majors
Despite the fact that not all students require College Algebra, the traditional MATH 0097/0099 pathway is designed to lead students to that course, which can be a barrier for students who struggle with algebraic concepts. In spring 2012, GSC launched a pilot course, MLCS 0099, through its participation in the Carnegie funded Quantway grant; this course sought to create pathways through remediation, in this case, a course for students placing into MATH 0097 or MATH 0099 and who do not intend to pursue a degree requiring College Algebra. As Math demonstrably has a higher placement percentage and a lower completion percentage than does English, in both the consolidated data and GSC's alone, intervention in this area clearly represents a significant need in order to assure degree completion. Initial indicators suggest a high degree of success in the course itself, and the first cohort is currently enrolled in the subsequent college-level math course.
Tactic 5.3.3: Pilot Accelerated Learning Support Courses
In reviewing the material presented at the Complete College Georgia Summit and elsewhere, faculty have proposed a number of innovative accelerated configurations for learning support courses, including combined ENGL/READ 0099 and a "laboratory" model ENGL 0099 to be taken concurrently with ENGL 1101. Each of these courses, and particularly the latter, would allow students the opportunity to progress more quickly. We anticipate beginning the courses with the population of students who are placed into ENGL 0099 by the institutional writing sample, but who otherwise passed the COMPASS exam.
Tactic 5.3.4: Pilot Stretched Courses for Students in Final LS Attempt
Though the MLCS pathway has constituted a considerable investment of time by the math faculty, the CCG, Accelerated Learning Program, and other conferences have presented a number of options for students requiring remediation in math that may be particularly profitable in terms of the likelihood of completion. One such model is a "stretched" math course for students who require more time in math remediation but who are otherwise progressing well; such a course would neither require students to use an attempt in order to continue on in the next semester, nor would it require students to repeat an entire course in order to gain understanding of a few concepts.
Tactic 5.3.5: Enhanced Intervention Protocols for Students in Final Learning Support Attempt
Using similar methods of targeted advising for Academic Success Plans referenced in Goal 3.2, UNG will create an intrusive and intensive support system for students in the final learning support attempt, particularly for those who find passing the courses to be the most significant challenge. Academic support may include required tutoring, student success modules, and career and transfer counseling, including information about the programs available at the TCSG schools.
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Implementation Plan
The successful implementation of the University of North Georgia Complete College Georgia plan will require active participation and coordination of efforts of many units across the entire institution. As such, the office of University Affairs, led by Dr. Al Panu, will be responsible for leading and coordinating the overall CCG plan. As a first step, the Office of Executive Affairs, which is responsible for leading the development of the institution's strategic plan, will work closely with University Affairs to ensure that the proposed CCG plan is well integrated into UNG's strategic plan. We will thoroughly consider and embed the following: the timeframe for implementing the CCG plan; the resources needed; the training that must be provided; and the networking, communication, and accountability vital to the success of this endeavor.
As part of this plan, every major activity proposed for the purpose of achieving stated goals will be assigned to a specific unit of the institution. A designated leader within the unit will coordinate and be responsible for conducting the activity, collecting data where needed, and reporting periodically on the progress or results of the activity to the Office of University Affairs. The Office of University Affairs will be responsible for keeping the entire university community and community stakeholders informed on the status and progress of the institutional CCG plan.
The CCG Planning Team, headed by University Affairs, will meet quarterly; at least three times a year, it will report to the President and the Implementation Team on the status of the CCG plan's implementation. The Implementation Team will steer the process and interact with the Regional Education and Economic Development Task Force whose membership will reflect key stakeholders and regional partners in the success of the CCG plan. The Implementation Team will meet a minimum of once a semester (including summer) to review progress with the Planning Team. The Implementation Team will review reports from various units responsible for activities designed to accomplish the goals of the plan, assess the measure of progress achieved toward accomplishing the plan against carefully chosen benchmarks, and recommend to the unit necessary changes for improvement where warranted. This team will also review input from the "field" semiannually solicited from faculty, staff, and students and from the Education and Economic Development Task Force.
Collection of appropriate, accurate, and timely data throughout the many activities associated with the CCG plan is essential for thoughtful and insightful data analysis, its refinement, and its overall success. The Office of University Affairs will work closely with the offices of Institutional Research and Institutional Effectiveness to identify, for all major activities associated with the CCG plan, the key metrics for which data must be collected, the timing and the frequency of data collection, and the plan for imbedding such data collection into the activities. Special efforts will be made to connect the metrics selected to the overall goal of degree completions. Our goal is to be able to pinpoint where needed changes in programs, policies, processes, and procedures could lead to performance indicators for increasing access, retention, progression, and graduation.
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Evaluating Our Progress

To ensure the success of the CCG initiatives and provide continued support for improvement, CCG has been incorporated into four layers of data collection, assessment, and strategic planning at the consolidated institution. This incorporation ensures that assessing these initiatives is embedded in the systematic and ongoing data collection and analysis processes, allocating appropriate resources, and maintaining a clear relationship with the strategic planning process. The metrics tables included in the appendix focus mainly on the programmatic and campus levels of assessment.

Programmatic Level

The first layer of data occurs at the level of the program and focuses on measuring access and effectiveness. It includes the implementation of a new card system that monitors participation in programs such as Supplemental Instruction and tutoring, along with demographic and academic performance data in Banner. This system enables the institution to monitor the relationship between degree of participation and student outcomes, based on demographics and levels of academic preparation and performance. Banner data also allow us to track participation in new, revised, and co-requisite courses included in the CCG initiatives and compare student academic outcomes between participation groups. Both process and outcomes measures can be tracked at this level. Academic Affairs, University Affairs, and the office of Institutional Effectiveness will collaborate on this layer.

Campus Level

Within the institution, the multifaceted mission and varying population needs necessitate the delivery of different programs on different campuses. The second set of data comprises a subset of CCG metrics combined with other variables needed to monitor the indicators related to retention, progression, and graduation as well as the success of select programs at the campus level. These data are the baseline measures on which the CCG strategies expect to have an impact. This data collection will be conducted through Institutional Research within the office of Institutional Effectiveness. These metrics include, but are not limited to, the following:

UNIV ID DOB First Name Middle Name Last Name Gender Race Ethnicity State Of Origin Full-time/Part-time PellAward Credit Hour Attempted Credit Hour Earned Math Remedial Enroll

English Remedial Enroll Math Remedial Complete English Remedial Complete Math Enroll (Post remedial enroll) English Enroll (Post remedial enroll) Math Complete (Post remedial enroll) English Complete (Post remedial enroll) Year one Fall to Fall retained (1/0) Year two Fall to Fall retained (1/0) Major Code Minor Code Graduation date Degree Code Degree Type

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Institutional Level
USG provides the third level that contains the CCG metrics for the institution as a whole. These data enable UNG to identify issues that are relevant across the institution and for the majority of subpopulations. These data also define the long-term measures of retention, progression, and graduation ultimately impacted by the collective efforts of the CCG strategies.
Regional Level
Finally, although they do not necessarily reflect the success of the UNG CCG initiatives, regional data identify trends, support programmatic decisions, and identify future opportunities. The following organizations and data areas represent a rich source of information to develop and guide the CCG initiatives.
(1) Trends in Workforce Education Requirements. (a) Department of Labor Forecasts. (b) Employment Demand and Opportunities. (c) Regional Workforce Requirements by Degree.
(2) Higher Education Demographics and Performance. (a) Regional Demographics. (b) Access to Post-Secondary Education. (c) Instructional Delivery. (d) Remediation Efforts.
(3) Regional K-12 Demographics and Performance. (a) K-12 Academic Performance and College Preparation Indicators. (b) Post-Secondary Attendance Rates and College Selection.
(4) Other Regional Post-Secondary Institutions and Resources. (a) Georgia Department of Education. (b) Georgia Department of Community Affairs. (c) Pioneer Regional Education Services Agency (RESA). (d) Northeast Georgia Regional Services Agency. (e) Appalachian Regional Commission. (f) Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education. (g) Georgia Department of Economic Development. (h) Georgia Mountains Regional Commission. (i) Northeast Georgia Regional Commission.
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Concluding Remarks
The University of North Georgia represents a new and exciting educational asset for the region. Building on the existing strengths of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College, the Complete College Georgia plan for the new institution harnesses the synergies created through consolidation and the resulting full range of higher education capabilities that provide a flexibility found in no other institution in the state. Its complementary partnership with other institutions and K-12 local education entities as well as with regional employers and government officials will energize workforce and economic development in North Georgia. At the end state, the Northeast Georgia region and the Georgia Mountains region together will become one of the most dynamic and vibrant areas in Georgia and the Southeast.
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Appendix A: Planning and Implementation Team
Leadership
Leadership plays a key role in further development and implementation of the university's plan. Beyond the Planning Team, the Implementation Team will play a leading role in anticipating and adapting to regional requirements and opportunities. This team will meet a minimum of once each semester to review progress and to make adjustments to plans and priorities. The Planning Team will be responsible for preparing these meetings so that they are of maximum benefit and are supported with the critical information requirements necessary to make decisions. This team will also be responsible for providing connectivity with the strategic planning process scheduled to begin in September. In addition to the implementation team, the university will establish a Regional Education and Economic Development Task Force. This task force will support not only Complete College Georgia, but serve as a task force to help better serve the region through participation in the strategic planning process.
Communications
The Planning Team will establish a web site to support the regional Complete College Georgia effort. This site will serve as the project management tool for the institution and for the implementation committee and task force, providing information updates as they become available, maintaining "dashboard" data from university units charged with collection tasks and serving a scheduling function for necessary meetings and related events. Informal communications linkages will be established throughout the region with chambers of commerce, civic organizations and local governments through a leadership engagement plan developed by the Executive Director of Regional Engagement.
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NAME Dr. Al Panu Dr. Chaudron Gille Dr. Kristen Roney Dr. Tom Walter Betsy Cantrell
Dr. Richard Oates Dr. Irene Kokkala Alyson Paul Sean Mullins
COL (Ret.) Tom Palmer COL (Ret.) Billy Wells

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA PLANNING TEAM

UNG POSITION

RESPONSIBILITY

EMAIL

Sr. VP Univ Affairs

Chair

apanu@gsc.edu

Associate VP University

Advising and military outreach

cgille@gsc.edu

Affairs and Academic Services

Assoc VP and Dean of

Learning Support

kroney@gsc.edu

University College

VP Student Affairs

Recruiting and Admissions

twalter@gsc.edu

Director, Accreditation and Assessment Assoc Provost for Administrative Services Director, Distance Ed and Technology Integration Dean of Students Institutional Research Professional Commandant of Cadets

Research Academic Programs Distance Education Residence Life Research Military Students

bcantrell@gsc.edu roates@northgeorgia.edu ikokkala@northgeorgia.edu arpaul@northgeorgia.edu smmullins@northgeorgia.edu tpalmer@northgeorgia.edu

VP Executive Affairs

Regional Engagement

bewells@northgeorgia.edu

PHONE 678-717-3835 678-717-3835
706-310-6295
678-717-3877
678-717-3941
706-864-1840
706-864-1862
706-864-1902 706-867-3299
706-864-1786
706-864-1630

27
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NAME Dr. Pat Donat Dr. Al Panu Dr. Tom Walter Dr. Margaret Venable Dr. Sherm Day
Mr. Mac McConnell Dr. Andy Leavitt COL (Ret.) Billy Wells Mrs. Kate Maine
Dr. Denise Young
Betsy Cantrell
Dr. Mike Bodri
Dr. Chris Jespersen
Dr. Donna Mayo
Dr. Bob Michael Vacant

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

UNG POSITION

RESPONSIBILITY

EMAIL (Current)

Provost

Chair

pldonat@northgeorgia.edu

Sr. VP Univ Affairs

Co-Chair

apanu@gsc.edu

VP Student Affairs

Recruiting and Admissions

twalter@gsc.edu

VP/CEO, Oconee Campus Oconee Campus

mvenable@gsc.edu

Executive Director, Cumming Center VP Business & Finance

Cumming-Forsyth Campus Financial Planning

sday@northgeorgia.edu mmcconnell@northgeorgia.edu

VP Advancement VP Executive Affairs
Director, University Relations Assistant VP for Institutional Effectiveness Director, Accreditation & Assessment Dean, College of Sciences and Mathematics Dean, College of Arts & Letters Dean, Mike Cottrell College of Business Dean, College of Education Dean, College of Health Professions

Foundation Support Education and Economic Development Media and Marketing
Research and Accreditation Support Assessment and Accreditation Support Academic Program Support
Academic Program Support
Academic Program Support
Academic Program Support Academic Program Support

ajleavitt@northgeorgia.edu bewells@northgeorgia.edu
kmaine@northgeorgia.edu
dyoung@northgeorgia.edu
bcantrell@gsc.edu
msbodri@northgeorgia.edu
tcjespersen@northgeorgia.edu
dtmayo@northgeorgia.edu
bmichael@northgeorgia.edu TBD. Temporarily housed in Education pending dean selection.

PHONE 706-864-1602 678-717-3835 678-717-3877 706-310-6219
770-205-3446
706-864-1606
706-864-1544 706-864-1630
706-864-1950
706-867-3281
678-717-3941
706-864-1958
706-867-1771
706-864-1459
706-864-1998 TBD

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REGIONAL EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA

Executive Affairs

COL (Ret.) Billy Wells (Chair)

bewells@northgeorgia.edu

Executive Affairs

Mary Transue (Associate VP, Co-Chair) mtransue@gsc.edu

Regional Engagement

Dr. Donna Gessell, Executive Director dgessell@northgeorgia.edu

Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education Shirley Davis, Director

sdavis@northgeorgia.edu

Public Services

Jane O'Gorman

jogorman@northgeorgia.edu

Continuing Education

Wendy Thellman

wthellman@gsc.edu

College of Education

Dr. Bob Michael, Dean

bmichael@northgeorgia.edu

Mike Cottrell College of Business

Dr. Donna Mayo

dtmayo@northgeorgia.edu

Center for the Future of North Georgia

Dr. Ruben Boling, Director

rboling@northgeorgia.edu

BOARD OF REGENTS PARTICIPANTS

ORGANIZATION

NAME

EMAIL

Board of Regents (At Large) Board of Regents (9th District)

Philip A. Wilheit, Sr. James R. Jolly

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Program Specialist, World Languages and International Education

Jon Valentine

jvalentine@doe.k12.ga.us

ACCEL Program Manager

Patrick Blenke

ablenke@doe.k12.ga.us

College Readiness Program Manager

Becky Chambers

aking@doe.k12.ga.us

ESOL Program Manager

Cori Alston

calston@doe.k12.ga.us

REGIONAL PARTICIPANTS

Appalachian Regional Commission

James Thompson, State Program Manager

James.thompson@dca.ga.gov

Pioneer RESA

Dr. Sandy Addis, Executive Director

saddis@pioneerresa.org

Northeast Georgia RESA

Dr. Russell Cook, Director

russ.cook@negaresa.org

Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Jim Dove, Executive Director

jdove@negrc.org

Georgia Mountains Regional Commission Danny Lewis, Executive Director

dlewis@gmrc.ga.gov

Georgia Dept of Community Affairs

John VanBrunt, Economic Dev Field Service Rep John.vanbrunt@dca.ga.gov

Georgia Dept of Economic Development Suzanne Browne, Project Manager Region 2

sbrowne@dca.ga.gov

Georgia Dept of Economic Development Susie Haggard, Project Manager Region 5

shaggard@georgia.org

REGIONAL INSTITUTION PARTNERS

Lanier Tech

Dr. Linda Barrow, Vice President, Academic Affairs

lbarro@laniertech.edu

North Georgia Tech

Dr. Rex Bishop, Vice President, Academic Affairs

rbishop@northgatech.edu

Piedmont College

Dr. James Mellichamp, Provost/ VP Academic Affairs, Interim Pres. president@piedmont.edu

29

706-864-1630 678-717-3410 706-864-1528 706-864-1995 706-867-2814 678-717-3845 706-864-1998 706-864-1459 706-864-1614
PHONE 770-532-4421 706-226-2317
404-463-0601 404-463-1765 404-463-5098 404-463-0505
404-679-1584 706-865-2141 706-742-8292 706-369-5650 770-538-2606 706-825-1356 770.538.2757 706-552-4455
770-531-6331 706-779-8105 706-778-0110

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Truett McConnell College Dr. Brad Reynolds, Vice President, Academic Services

breynolds@truett.edu

Brenau University

Dr. Nancy Krippel, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs

nkrippel@brenau.edu

Toccoa Falls College

Dr. Brian Shelton, Vice President Academic Affairs

bshelton@tfc.edu

Emanuel College

Dr. Joyce De Leo. Vice President, Academic Affairs

deleoj@emmanuel.edu

REGIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY INVITED PARTICIPANTS

DISTRICT NAME

RELATED COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS

EMAIL

H-8

Stephen Allison

Appropriations; Economic Development &

stephen-allison@house-ga-gov

R-Blairsville

Tourism; Higher Education

H-9

TBD (formerly Amos

TBD

TBD

Amerson)

H-10

Terry Rogers

Defense & Veterans Affairs; Economic

terry.rogers@house.ga.gov

R-Clarkesville

Development & Tourism

H-23

Mark Hamilton

Appropriations; Energy, Utilities, & Industrial mark-hamilton@house-ga-gov

R-Cumming

Relations

H-24

Mike Dudgeon

Education

mike-dudgeon@house-ga-gov

R-Suwanee

H-26

Carl Rogers

Appropriations; Higher Education (Chair)

carl-rogers@house-ga-gov

R-Gainesville

H-27

Doug Collins

Appropriations; Defense & Veterans Affairs doug-collins@house-ga-gov

R-Gainesville

(Vice Chair)

H-29

Alan Powell

Appropriations; Special Committee on Small alanpowell23@hotmail-com

R-Hartwell

Business Development & Job Creation (Sectry)

H-31

Tommy Benton

Education (Secretary)

tommy-benton@house-ga-gov

R-Jefferson

H-108 Terry England

Appropriations (Chair); Education; Industrial englandhomeport2@windstream-net

R-Auburn

Relations

H-113 Chuck Williams

Children & Youth; Higher Education

chuck-williams@house-ga-gov

R-Watkinsville

H-115 Doug McKillip

Appropriations; Industrial Relations

doug@dougmckillip-com

R-Athens

S-17

Rick Jeffares (R)

Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security

rick-jeffares@senate-ga-gov

S-24

Bill Jackson (R)

S-25

Johnny Grant (R)

Appropriations; Economic Development (Vice Chair); Education & Youth (Ex-Officio); Appropriations; Higher Education (Vice Chair)
30

bill-jackson@senate-ga-gov johnny-grant@senate-ga-gov

706-865-2134 770-534-6215 706-886-5279 617-735-9958
PHONE 404-656-0188 706-781-3929 TBD
404-656-0325 706-754-0706 404-656-5132 770-844-6768 404-656-0298
404-656-5146 770-535-0994 404-651-7737
404-656-0202 706-376-4422 404-656-0213
404-463-2247
404-656-0254
404-656-0177 706-613-1900 404-656-0503 678-432-7676 404-651-7738 706-863-5818 404-656-0082

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S-27

Jack Murphy (R)

S-46

Bill Cowsert (R)

S-49

Butch Miller (R)

S-50

John Wilkinson (R)

S-51

Steve Gooch (R)

Deputy Whip

Appropriations Appropriations; Higher Education
Economic Development (Secretary)
Economic Development; Education & Youth
Economic Development

jack-murphy@senate-ga-gov bill-cowsert@senate-ga-gov
butch.miller@senate.ga.gov
john-wilkinson@senate-ga-gov steve-gooch@senate-ga-gov

404-656-7127 404-463-1383 706-543-7700 404-651-7738 678-989-5301 404-463-5257 706- 886-1898 404-656-9221

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Appendix B: Strategy Metrics

Complete College Georgia, Goals and Metrics

Strategy 1: Enhance partnerships with K-12

Goal 1.1: Expand efforts to increase the regional college participation for underserved populations

Tactics

Measure

Assessment Method

Reporting Frequency Year

1.1.1

Develop targeted intervention outreach
service learning program

# of HS students not meeting
readiness standards participating in service learning program

Compare change in the number of HS students not meeting readiness standards
participating in service learning program from fall 2013 baseline

Annual

AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16

1.1.2

Institute collaborative K-12/Higher
Educational Regional Summit

1.1.3

Develop roadmaps for student success from
new DOE career concentrations in and
through higher education

# of institutions participating in
summit
# of roadmaps developed

Compare change in the number of institutions
participating in annual summit from fall 2013
baseline
Completed development of all ten roadmaps based
on DOE career concentrations

Annual Monthly

AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16 AY2013-14
AY2014-15 AY2015-16 AY2013-14

1.1.4

Develop Comprehensive Summer Strategy

Plan Developed

# increase of students enrolled in summer
courses

Annual

AY2014-15 AY2015-16

32

Target

Responsible Party

Notes

Baseline 6% increase

College of Education

ICW University
Affairs

8% increase

Baseline 6% increase 8% increase

University Affairs

ICW CoE and Academic Affairs

Y/N
NA NA Baseline 6%
8%

Director of Academic Transitions
University College ICW Center for
Global Engagement & Honors/Gradua
te Studies

ICW AA

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Complete College Georgia, Goals and Metrics

Strategy 2: Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved

Goal 2.1: Mitigate financial barriers to admission by increasing the number of Pell eligible students who apply to college

Tactics 2.1.1

Adopt a tuition model for the new
consolidated institution that
preserves accessibility

Measure
# of Hispanic, Black, and non-traditional
students

Assessment Method Compare change in
the number of Hispanic, Black, and
non-traditional students who apply, those accepted, and those enrolled from
Fall2012 baseline

Reporting Frequency
Annual

Year AY2013-
14 AY2014-
15

Target 4% increase
6% increase

AY201516

8% increase

2.1.2

Implement FAFSA completion workshops

# of completed FAFSA forms

Compare change in the number of
completed FAFSA forms by enrolled UNG students from Fall2012 baseline

Annual

AY201314
AY201415
AY201516

4% increase 6% increase 8% increase

Responsible Party
Financial Aid
FA ICW CE

Notes
metrics will be tracked through FA
records
FA will track metrics, CE will work with UA to deliver workshops

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Goal 2.2: Increase the number of students in each underserved population (African American, Hispanic, Asian, veteran and military personnel, and adult learners)

through targeted recruiting.

Reporting

Responsible

Tactics

Measure

Assessment Method Frequency

Year

Target

Party

Notes

Compare change in the number of

AY201314

4% increase

2.2.1

Actively recruit minority students

# of Hispanic, Black, and Asian students

Hispanic, Black, and Asian students who
apply, those

Annual

AY201415

6% increase

Student Affairs

accepted, and those enrolled from

AY201516

8% increase

Fall2012 baseline

Streamlining admissions for

# of military and

Compare change in the number of

AY201314

4% increase

2.2.2

military and adult learners and

adults learners applying as well as

military and adult learners applying

Annual

AY201415

6% increase

Student Affairs ICW CALM

supporting their martriculation

number of accepts

and accepts from Fall2012 baseline

AY201516

8% increase

2.2.3

Actively recruit adult and veteran
students

# of military and adults learners applying as well as number of accepts

Compare change in the number of
military and adult learners applying and accepts from Fall2012 baseline

Annual

AY201314
AY201415
AY201516

4% increase 6% increase 8% increase

Student Affairs ICW CALM

2.2.4

Develop a Comprehensive UNG Diversity Plan

Plan Created

% departments engaged in the plan

Annual

AY201314
AY201415
AY201516

50% 75% 100%

Director, Diversity Initatives & Intercultural Relations

ICW Executive Affairs, Academic Affairs, University Affairs, and Student
Affairs

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Goal 2.3: Provide support for completion to underserved populations

Tactic s
2.3.1

Provide financial management workshops to matriculated students

Measure
% of students with FA reaching financial
probation status during first year

Assessment Method Compare % of FA students reaching
financial probation in first year for those who participated in workshops with those who did not

Reporting Frequency
Annual

2.3.2

Deliver CALM (support for military and adult learners)

% of military students/dependant
s utilizing services provided by CALM

Compare change in utilization of CALM services from fall
2012 baseline

Annual

Year AY2013-
14 AY2014-
15
AY201516
AY201314
AY201415
AY201516

Target 6%
decrease 8%
decrease
10% decrease

Responsible Party
Student Affairs

8% increase

10% increase
12% increase

CALM

Notes

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Complete College Georgia, Goals and Metrics
Strategy 3: Improve Time to Degree Completion Goal 3.1: Identify and eliminate barriers to completion

Tactics 3.1.1

Identify and update policies that are barriers to completion

Measure
% of identified policies updated

3.1.2

Expand Prior Learning
Assessment options

# of adult learners earning credit through PLA

3.1.3

Publish guaranteed three-year evening
course schedule

Published three-year evening schedule

Assessment Method
% of identified policies updated
Compare change in the number of students
earning credit through PLA from Fall2012 baseline
Published three-year evening schedule

Reporting Frequency
Annual
Annual

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16 AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Each semester

AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16

Target 100%
NA NA 4% increase 6% increase
8% increase
Y/N NA NA

Responsible Party
Academic Affairs
CALM
Academic Affairs

Notes ICW UA

Goal 3.2: Decrease accel credits earned by degree completion through enhanced early intervention protocols

Reporting

Tactics

Measure

Assessment Method Frequency

Year

3.2.1

Implement targeted advising for
students in highlycompetitive majors

% of students in competitive majors
receiving developmental
advising

Change in the percent of students in competitive
majors receiving developmental advising from fall 2012 baseline

Each semester

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

3.2.2

Implement targeted advising for
students who are not progressing

% of students who have not completed at least one English and one Math upon reaching 30 credit
hours

Compare change in the % of students who have not completed at least
one English and one Math upon reaching 30
credit hours from Fall2012 baseline

Annual

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Target 6% increase 8% increase 10% increase
6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

Responsible Party
Advising
Advising

36

Notes
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Complete College Georgia, Goals and Metrics
Strategy 4: Restructuring instructional delivery Goal 4.1: Expand online courses and programs

Tactics

Measure

4.1.1

Join eCore as soon as
possible after consolidation

# of students participating in
eCore

4.1.2

Develop online courses
and degree programs for adult learners and military
students

# of adult learners and military students participating in
online courses/programs

Assessment Method Change in number of students
participating in eCore from fall 2013 baseline
Change in number of adult
learners and military students participating in
online courses/program
from fall 2013 baseline

Reporting Frequency
Each semester
Annual

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Target Baseline 6% increase
8% increase

Responsible Party
Academic Affairs

AY2013-14 AY2014-15

4% increase 6% increase

AY2015-16

8% increase

University Affairs

Notes

Goal 4.2: Expand the use of supplemental instruction, particularly in STEM and gateway courses

Assessment

Reporting

Tactics

Measure

Method

Frequency

Year

Increase the

Change in

AY2013-14

4.2.1

number of sections in STEM courses

# of SI STEM sections

number of SI STEM sections from fall 2012

Annual

AY2014-15 AY2015-16

that include SI

baseline

4.2.2

Expand the number of gateway courses for which we offer
SI

# of SI sections in ENGL1101, MATH0097, MATH1111, READ0099

Change in number of SI gateway course sections from
fall 2012 baseline

Annual

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

37

Target 4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Responsible Party
Director of Supplemental
Instruction

4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Director of Supplemental
Instruction

Notes
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Goal 4.3: Expand implementation of high impact practices

Assessment

Tactics

Measure

Method

4.3.1

Expand current undergraduate research opportunities

# of opportunities for
undergraduate research

Change in number of opportunities in undergraduate research from 2012 baseline

Change in

4.3.2

Expand current service
learning opportunities

# of service learning
opportunities

number of service learning opportunities from fall 2012

baseline

Change in

4.3.3

Expand student and
faculty participation
in study abroad

# of faculty and students
participating in study abroad
programs

number of faculty and students participating in study abroad programs from
fall 2012

baseline

Difference in

One semester

retention of

Implement a

and one year

students

4.3.4

FYE program across the

retention for students

participating in FYE from those

new university participating in not participating

FYE

(esp for high-risk

groups)

Reporting Frequency
Annual Annual
Annual
Annual

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Target 4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Responsible Party
Director, CURCA

Notes
Collect through
CTLL

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Director, CTL

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Executive Director, Center for Global Engagement

AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

4% increase 6% increase
8% increase

Dean, University
College

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Complete College Georgia, Goals and Metrics
Strategy 5: Transforming remediation Goal 5.1: Identify and eliminate barriers to remediation completion

Tactics

5.1.1

Elimination of COMPASS exit
exam

Measure
# of students repeating a LS course
based solely on COMPASS exit exam
score

Assessment Method
Change in number of students repeating a LS course based solely on COMPASS exit exam score from fall 2013 baseline

Reporting Frequency
Each semester

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Target Baseline 10% decrease
20% decrease

Responsible Party

Notes

University College

Goal 5.2: Establish enhanced non-credit remediation programs

Tactics 5.2.1
5.2.2

Create a Summer Bridge Program for student who
place into remediation Create yearround refresher courses in Math, English, Reading, and COMPASS preparation

Measure # of students who place into remediation and participate in a
summer bridge program
# of students who participate in an English, Math, Reading, or COMPASS prep refresher course

Assessment Method Change in number of remediation students participating in summer bridge program from fall
2013 baseline
Change in number of students participating in refresher course from fall
2013 baseline

Reporting Frequency
Annual
Annual

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16
AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

Target Baseline 6% increase
8% increase
Baseline 6% increase
8% increase

39

Responsible Party

Notes

University College

University College

ICW CE

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Goal 5.3: Provide multiple and flexible pathways with support to satisfy remediation requirements

Tactics 5.3.1 5.3.2 5.3.3 5.3.4 5.3.5

Implement a required skills
course for students in READ0097
and/or MATH0097
Expand Quantway Math enrollment for students not in
STEM or Business majors
Pilot accelerated learning
programs in English
Pilot stretched courses for
students in final LS attempt
Deliver enhanced intervention protocols for students in final learning support attempt

Measure Completion and retention rates for students enrolled in READ0097 and/or MATH0097 who participated in skills course with those who
did not
# of students enrolled in MLCS0099
ENGL1101 completion rates (grade of C or higher) for students co-enrolled in a combined ENGL/READ0099
MATH1001/1101/1111 completion rates
(grade of C or higher) for students enrolled in a stretched math
course
% of students passing final LS attempt

Assessment Method
Compare completion and retention rates for
students participating in skills class (beginning fall 2013) with those who did
not in fall 2012
Compare enrollment in MLCS0099 with fall 2012
baseline
Comparison of ENGL1101 completion rates
between students coenrolled in
ENGL/READ0099 and those not
Comparison of MATH1001/1101/1111 completion rates (grade of C or higher) and course
grades for students enrolled in a stretched math course with those LS students who were not
Comparison of LS grade at final attempt for student
receiving enhanced intervention protocol with those who did not

Reporting Frequency
Each semester
Each semester
Each semester
Each semester
Each semester

Year AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16
AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16 AY2013-14 AY2014-15 AY2015-16 AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16
AY2013-14 AY2014-15
AY2015-16

40

Target 6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

Responsible Party

Notes

Coordinator of University and General Studies

6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

Learning Support Director

6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

English Dept. ICW LS director

6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

Math Dept ICW LS Director

6% increase 8% increase
10% increase

University College

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Appendix C: Supporting Data

Table 1: REGIONAL GRADUATION RATES BELOW STATE AVERAGE

RESA

DISTRICT

ALL (%)

Black

Franklin

74.9

68.6

Gainesville City

84.5

89.3

PIONEER RESA

Habersham

81

81.8

Hall

82.1

70.4

Hart

81.3

NORTHEAST GEORGIA RESA

Jackson Walton Clarke Madison Oglethorpe Elbert

83.7

83.3

84.8

76.5

70.8

65.6

78.8

67.3

73.5

55.6

69.6

71.2

Hispanic 46.2 76.7 79.2 75.5
85.4 89.7 73.4
78.6

White 76.7 91.3 80.3 86 84.8
82.5 86.3 81.1 79.8 78.7 67.9

Economically Disadvantaged 63.2 83 70.6 77.1 72.4
75.9 77.9 73.7 72.1 67 69.2

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Table 2: REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SAT AVERAGES BELOW STATE AVERAGE 2010

District

School

Franklin

Franklin Co HS

Gainesville City

Gainesville HS

Habersham

Habersham Central HS

Hall

East Hall HS

Hall

Johnson HS

Hall

West Hall HS

Hart

Hart Co HS

Rabun

Rabun Co HS

Stephens

Stephens Co HS

Towns

Towns Co HS

Jackson

E. Jackson HS

Barrow

Winder-Barrow HS

Walton

Loganville HS

Clarke

Cedar Shoals HS

Clarke

Clarke Central HS

Madison

Madison Co HS

Elbert

Elbert Co HS

Georgia

Total 1416 1401 1424 1359 1419 1466 1374 1416 1421 1379 1402 1411 1431 1387 1377 1391 1347 1453

Reading 482 469 483 451 479 490 464 477 483 468 478 473 481 464 460 476 447

Math 472 478 478 469 480 502 461 479 479 445 470 471 487 475 471 457 460

Writing 462 454 463 439 460 474 449 460 459 466 454 467 463 448 446 458 440

2010 Rank 155 169 146 219 153 104 201 155 149 193 167 160 143 187 195 183 242

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University of North Georgia 82 College Circle, Dahlonega GA 30597 706-864-1400 www.northgeorgia.edu

P.O. Box 5032, Dahlonega GA 30587 706.864.1556 www.upng.org

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SSU Campus Completion | 1
SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY CCG Plan
22 August 2012
Institutional Context: Savannah State University (SSU) is the oldest historically black public institution in the state of Georgia and the first institution of higher learning within the city of Savannah. As one of the three open access institutions in the University System of Georgia (USG), SSU educates students who may not have met regular admission requirements and would otherwise attend a community college. However, with no community college within a 50 mile radius of SSU, the University has been charged to serve a large number of entering students in need of remediation. Over the past decade, enrollment at SSU has doubled and grew by an impressive 11.6 percent this past academic year with an enrollment of 4,552 students for Fall 2011 semester (an all-time record high for SSU).
Under the Complete College Georgia (CCG) plan, SSU aims to increase the recruitment, retention and graduation of non-traditional students and military students. Recently a part-time military liaison was hired and this position will be increased to full-time by Fall 2012. Strategies will include increasing the number of evening and weekend courses, increasing distance learning, evaluating and revising existing policies, and applying for affiliate membership in the USG Adult Learning Consortium in Fall 2012. In order to attract and retain high achieving students, SSU will implement an honors program to begin Fall, 2012. A faculty committee has completed development of a curriculum that meets the needs of these talented students.
An experienced, visionary administrator has been hired as the vice president for academic affairs and his role will include the implementation of SSU's Complete College Plan and the restructuring of academic affairs to better respond to the academic strategic priorities. SSU new strategic planning process will be aligned with Complete College Georgia's goals and strategies.
Demographics: SSU's Fall 2011 student population of 4,500 includes a high percentage of underrepresented students: Black (93%), Pell-eligible students (74%), and Title IV funding recipients (90%). Our student body (55% female) includes a number of adult learners (15%), military (3%) and other Americans (4%). In Fall 2011, SSU hosted 167 international students (3.6% of the student body) and 449 students (10%) from out-of-state. Among in-state students, approximately 40% of SSU's student body comes from the Atlanta Metro area and 30% from the immediate Chatham County area. Last fall, 14% of SSU's undergraduates attended part-time (carrying fewer than 12 credits or 4 classes) while 57% carried fewer than 15 credits--either pattern which, if continued, necessarily extends time to degree beyond 4 and 5 years.
Meanwhile, as a designated "access institution", SSU is privileged to serve students whose prior academic preparation has left them with less than college-level skills in many areas. In recent years, the freshman cohort has arrived with a composite mean SAT score in the 800's. Thus, in Fall, 2011, 760 students (17% of the student body) were enrolled in pre-college learning support courses. Under the terms of the access program, these students complete their basic studies courses before moving on to take their college level coursework. Furthermore, according to SSU's freshman survey, about half the entering students typically report they expect to work part-time to pay for college while 15% report they expect to work full-time while attending college. Over a third report they are first generation students and 35% report coming from single-
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parent homes. Significant numbers report having childcare duties at home--though the number of hours devoted to these duties vary considerably by student types and year of matriculation. Slightly more than half of SSU's student body resides in student housing while 60% participate in student clubs and organizations and 250 (6%) participate in SSU's NCAA Division 1 athletics program.
Given this student population, with financial, academic, family, and schedule challenges, fairly consistent over recent years, SSU has successfully retained 70-72% of its entering freshmen to the succeeding year--a retention rate comparable to all state Universities in USG (71.9% for the 2010 transfer rate). SSU has herself graduated recent cohorts of entering full-time freshman at a rate of 30-35% within six years of matriculation--a graduation rate that does not trail by much that of all USG state universities (most of which do not serve the access function).
The overarching vision of SSU's plan is to increase degree attainment by specifically addressing the challenges to our students and to the institution through focus on these five priority areas: 1. Enhanced partnerships with K-12 community to improve college readiness and strengthen
the pipeline of students. 2. Increase access for underserved students specifically non-traditional and military. 3. Shorten the time to degree by revamping academic advising, early alert systems and
implementing DegreeWorks. 4. Restructure instructional delivery specifically increasing distance learning. 5. Transform remediation to enable students to matriculate into academic credit courses faster.
PART I: GOALS AND DATA ANALYSIS
Goal: The overall goal of SSU's Complete College Georgia (CCG) plan is to increase access, retention and efficient progress through the curricula which impacts the graduation rates. By 2020, SSU will increase its six-year graduation rate by 15% (34% to 49%) with an emphasis on increasing SSU's four-year graduation rate by 16% (10% to 26%). The most recent Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) results shows that SSU's first-time, full time freshman retention rate is below its peers, as is the six-year graduation rate. Given the high number academically unprepared students matriculating at SSU, a consequence is that students who enter through access will have difficulty completing their collegiate studies within a sixyear timeline. In order to increase the odds of SSU student success, this plan targets strategies and interventions to attract more varied students, improve remediation where necessary, and assist students' progress through the curriculum more efficiently (2011 IPEDS Report).
Data Analysis: On average, over the past decade, approximately 71% of all entering freshmen returned a second year; 52% returned a third year; 44% returned a fourth year; 35% returned a fifth year; 14% returned a sixth year; 6% returned a seventh year; and 4% returned in the eighth year. Meanwhile, among these, 1.6% graduated in 3 years, 15% in 4 years, 10% in 5 years, 4% in 6 years, and 2.7% in 7 or 8 years. Generally, the accumulated 4-year rate is comparable to USG's state universities (16.5%). Approximately 33% of all SSU's entering freshmen graduate from the institution within 8 years. SSU's CCG Plan is designed to significantly increase this completion rate. (See Appendix B)
For the Fall 2007 cohort of the 218 incoming students entering into learning support (33.9% of new students), 71.1% successfully completed remediation, with 27% successfully completing the
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first core course in their learning support area(s) over succeeding terms ending FY 2010. Students who were in both math and English were less successful (approximately 20%). Students who were only in MATH 0099 were more successful in MATH 1111 (52%), while students only in English 0099 were less successful in ENGL 1101 (28%).
For academic year 2011, graduates earning bachelors' degrees earned an average of 140 credit hours. This may be the result of changing majors, repeating courses, and taking unnecessary courses. In addition, over the last five years, students have successfully completed an average of 71% of their attempted course hours, decreasing the efficiency with which they progress through the curriculum. For 2010, the most recent year in which data has been tabulated, 65.9% of firstyear students were in good academic standing (i.e. not on academic warning, probation or suspension), while 84.9% of sophomores, 89.6% of juniors, and 96% of seniors were in good academic standing. According to a 2010 student satisfaction survey, 83% of respondents had received help less than five times from tutorial and support services; 49% had never utilized these services.
Goal Setting Process: An SSU team was appointed by the SSU President to develop the CCG Plan. The team attended the CCG Summit in March 2012, where the details of the initiative were discussed and marshaled representative subcommittees to develop components of the plan (See Appendix C). Once the team returned, a campus wide meeting was held, where the initiative was presented to the campus community. The team reviewed the data and outlined strategies appropriate to accomplishing the CCG goals. In developing the CCG campus plan, multiple stakeholders across 12 academic and 13 administrative units were involved. These stakeholders included faculty, staff, students, and administrators who were apportioned among four teams. Each strategy was assigned to a specific team for development of the objectives with representation from alumni, administration, faculty, staff and the student body. These teams met and discussed the various components of the process, researched data and formulated the plan. Throughout the process, several campus wide meetings were held where the various components of the plan were discussed and modified based on input from the various groups. With respect to external stakeholders, President Dozier has engaged alumni, community organizations, and elected officials in continuing discussions concerning the plan through her numerous speaking engagements and visits to alumni chapters.
The details of our campus completion plan supports SSU's mission: "...to develop productive members of a global society through high quality instruction, scholarship, research, service and community involvement. The University fosters engaged learning and personal growth in a student-centered environment that celebrates the African American legacy while nurturing a diverse student body."
Relevance to regional and local needs: SSU is positioned to be a major partner in the City of Savannah revitalization efforts. The immediate region includes the 3rd largest container port on the east coast, two major military bases, along with numerous governmental, healthcare, and other business organizations. SSU continues to contribute to the various needs of the local and regional sectors of the economic workforce through such degree programs as Marine Science, Business, Political Science, Engineering Technology, Homeland Security, Criminal Justice, and Mass Communications. Through collaborations with the public and private sectors (i.e. Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), local chamber of commerce, the city and county governments) SSU is preparing students to fulfill workforce needs within this region and state. In addition, the Board of Regents (BoR) recently approved teacher education programs in STEM
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(Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and the path breaking newly added program in Homeland Security help fulfill significant educational needs in the region and state
Ongoing structure for analyzing and utilizing data: SSU will continue to use data-driven strategies, metrics, and the performance measure results compiled during and at the end of each semester to inform our planning and decision-making. To this end, SSU has recently installed Degree Works to assist with student tracking, advising, and course scheduling; and Digital Measures to assist in faculty development and program assessment. Additionally, a revised process for informing campus constituents of program and process results is under development by IRPA that is expected to dramatically improve constituent knowledge and understanding of outcomes.
Strengths and Resources: As an access institution, SSU currently serves a high number of traditionally underrepresented students. Recent improvements to campus infrastructure (i.e. new student housing, student union and athletics fields) have increased student satisfaction. SSU has high quality, nationally accredited academic programs. And most importantly, SSU has one of the most diverse faculties in the state with 48% Black, 26% White, 21% Asian, and 6% other ethnicities embracing and engaging our students. The wide variety of faculty backgrounds provides a rich environment in which students learn from multiple cultures.
The institution has state-of-the-art technology and support, as well as a rich set of co-curricular opportunities for students. Specifically in the areas of remediation, the federal Department of Education's Title III Program recently funded the upgrading of six computer labs in two academic buildings; the renovation of space to create an athletic computer lab and study-hall tutorial center; and the creation of a training/study lab in the campus radio station heavily used by students in the mass communications degree program. Also through Title III funds, SSU was able to provide academic intervention programs such as tutorial services, advisement, testing, and a study hall for athletes. During the 2011 2012 period, approximately 2,000 students received services in tutoring, advisement, and study hall. In the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), Title III has provided funding to support precollegiate initiatives for surrounding K-12 schools in which SSU undergraduate students participate in outreach, a summer camp program, and on-campus workshops. SSU will continue its strong partnerships with the K-12 community to insure that a better prepared pipelines of college ready students.
SSU has had a long and continuous military history through its Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) and Army ROTC programs. The forty-year-old NROTC has produced over 230 Navy and Marine Corps officers. These relationships will strengthen our outreach to the military.
As we enhance our articulation agreements with Savannah Technical College, plans are to develop joint programs and a more seamless transition of students from Savannah Technical College to SSU and exploring the possibility of some SSU students' learning support needs being met at Savannah Technical College.
Limitations: Students have reported the need for improvement in areas of academic advising and the freshman year experience course in order to decrease time to degree completion. Many of our faculty would benefit from professional development to better enable them to teach and develop online courses. More focus needs to be placed on addressing the learning needs of non-
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traditional part-time and full-time students matriculating at SSU. SSU will centralize its data sources so that data can better inform decisions during CCG plan implementation.
Gaps and Measures: A small percentage of SSU students are identified as military personnel and/or their families. SSU is in the process of creating a Veterans Affairs Office and support services to serve the needs of veterans and their families. In order to increase the percentage of military and adult learning students SSU plans to increase the number of evening, weekend and on-line course offerings.
To address the low percentage of enrolled Hispanic students, SSU is developing a marketing and recruitment plan that includes hiring bilingual staff and translating materials into Spanish. SSU is a partner with Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah Technical College and the Lumina Foundation to enhance the recruitment of and services to Hispanic students. Under this grant, SSU will be funded to hire a graduate assistant to assist in these efforts.
More information is needed regarding students who transfer out from SSU annually. Accordingly, an in-depth study is scheduled to begin during Fall 2012 to explore various dimensions of the transfer phenomenon, including:
Do transferring students seek majors not available at SSU? If so, what are they? Do transferring students seek more or less rigorous programs than they find at
SSU? Do transferring students seek more convenient class schedules than they find at
SSU? Do financial or family pressures lead students to transfer? Are transferring students avoiding particular irritants at SSU? Is so, what are
they? Are transferring students attracted elsewhere by particular institutional attributes?
If so, what are they?
PART II: STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES
The strategies and objectives identified below will achieve the goal to increase SSU's four-year graduation rate from 10% to 26% and the six-year graduation rate from 34% to 49% to significantly contribute to the initiative of CCG by the year 2020. Each strategy and objective has been specifically selected because of its relevance to SSU's access mission, the results of the data analysis and its consistency with core components of Complete College Georgia and Complete College America.
STRATEGY ONE: Enhanced partnerships with the K-12 community to improve College Readiness and strengthen the pipeline of students
Objective 1.1: Increase the number of dual-enrollment students. Objective 1.2: Increase academic support and partnership with Savannah-Chatham
County Public School System (SCCPSS).
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Objective 1.3: Expand STEM, Early College and other initiatives to increase K-12 participation.
Metrics and Goal Alignment: Savannah State University has a long-standing record of initiatives with the SCCPSS. Early College currently serves 80 students each year. Other initiatives aim to increase the awareness of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines as career options to elementary, middle, and high school students. Since its inception in 2009, STEM 360 (Title III funded program) has impacted over 1200 students and over 100 teachers through service delivery.
Also, one of the TRIO Programs, Assuring Commitment Continuity & Excellence in Student Success (ACCESS) programs, encompasses Upward Bound, Gear-UP, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services. These units within ACCESS at SSU have been partners with Savannah Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) and local community for a generation. (See Appendix D)
SSU and SCCPSS representatives meet regularly to discuss potential and ongoing partnerships that enhance awareness and content delivery within the K-12 classroom. The one goal in collaboration between SSU and the SCCPSS is to increase the capability of teachers to deliver STEM content to students and increase the number of students that are aware of STEM disciplines as career options in secondary education.
Target Student Population(s): high school students and first generation students.
Strategy Two: Increase access for underserved non-traditional, military, Hispanic and learning support students as an access institution.
Objective 2.1: Increase recruitment, retention and graduation of adult learners and military students.
Objective 2.2: Increase recruitment, retention and graduation of Hispanic and other diverse students.
Initiatives to Improve Access: To improve service to SSU's underserved, non-traditional students, the University will increase class offerings and support services (including registration and admissions processes) available at non-traditional times (i.e.: weekends and evenings) and non-traditional locations (e.g. military bases, job sites, churches, etc.). The university will seek other community venues and occasions to offer classes and serve non-traditional student in groups of varying sizes. The university will advertise and communicate these services widely to the external community, using Spanish language materials where useful.
Support Strategies: SSU will pursue opportunities for foundation funding to support Hispanic initiatives (Goizueta, Lumina, etc.). In order to support these populations of students through degree completion, we will develop service strategies that meet their diverse needs. These needs include: expanded evening and weekend operating hours for campus offices and facilities; recruitment of multilingual personnel in key service areas; a special section of FYE dedicated to adult learners; intensive mentoring and individualized advising; and a program to help students obtain computers at low or no cost. SSU will also encourage the creation or reinvigoration of student
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organizations attractive to these diverse populations. Current Title III funds are committed to hire additional academic advisor in the Center for Academic Success. We will seek to hire bilingual/bi-cultural staff to serve in this capacity. In addition, SSU will recruit in the Office of Admissions and Enrollment a recruiter also fluent in Spanish who will also develop bilingual recruiting and admissions materials. Further support will include the creation of a military services center and expand student organizations to include these interest groups. SSU is also in the process of developing a VA awareness day to support our military population in the community.
Moreover, SSU will expand its Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) capabilities, which will include opportunities for military and adult learners to earn college level credit for demonstrated proficiency in an area of study. These PLA capabilities will include issuance of college level credit based on the CLEP or DSST examinations.
Metrics and Goal Alignment: SSU's current student population includes a relatively low number of adult learners (15%), military (3%) and Hispanic and other ethnicities and nationalities (4%).
Target student population(s): Military, adult learners, Hispanics and other ethnicities and nationalities.
STRATEGY THREE: Shorten the time to degree by revamping academic advising, early alert systems and implementing DegreeWorks.
Objective 3.1: Increase the average percentage of attempted credit hours successfully completed.
Objective 3.2: Increase the overall and year-to-year student retention and graduation rates.
Objective 3.3 Establish policies and processes for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
Objective 3.4 Establish new degrees that meet student needs to exit with meaningful and useful degrees.
Strategies to Shorten Time to Degree: SSU has instituted a streamlined registration process by providing incoming students with pre-set schedules and centralized, professional advising for all first and second year students. This process will ensure that all departments provide students with complete "roadmaps" or scheduling pathways to timely degree completion. The implementation of a new student-tracking system, Degree Works, (being completed in July, 2012) will permit students and their advisors to easily track progress towards degrees, enable reviewing "what if" scenarios for considering alternative curricula and scheduling on the fly, and permit academic departments to develop demand-based course schedules to meet exact student scheduling needs. It is expected that students and their advisors will be able to develop more efficient routs to program completion by use of this technology--thus reducing the incidence of students engaging courses superfluous to their programs and shortening time to degree.
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SSU will seek approval to develop an Associate degree in General Studies that allows students, who leave the university in good standing, to exit with a degree that enables them to pursue meaningful and valuable employment. It provides a path to complete the baccalaureate at a later time when life circumstances allow. The university will also seek approval for the Bachelor in General Studies as another avenue to degree completion. It will benefit adult learners as well as traditional students and community college transfers.
Support Strategies: A structured mentoring program including defined mentor selection criteria has been implemented at SSU. Beginning Fall 2012, training will be provided for upper-division students, faculty and staff to serve as mentors to new students. Activities and events for mentors/mentees and evaluation and assessment of the program will be ongoing. A campus-wide swipe-card system to track student utilization of support services is in preliminary planning stages. Savannah State University will seek membership in the University System of Georgia's Adult Learning Consortium (ALC) to enhance knowledge and facilitate the expansion of PLA capabilities. Military and adult learners will be able to obtain college degrees in a shorter period of time if they can receive credit for demonstrated proficiencies associated with college level courses. Savannah State University will put in place an early alert system for students that are showing signs of academic struggle. Coupled with intensive professional advisement, the early alert system will lessen number of students underperforming academically, who eventually do not persist and graduate or who take a longer time than normal to complete their degree.
Metrics and Goal Alignment: Graduates earning bachelors' degrees earned an average of 140 credit hours. This may be the result of changing majors, repeating courses, and taking unnecessary courses. In addition, over the last five years, students have successfully completed an average of 71% of their attempted course hours. For recent cohorts of incoming freshman, the retention rate is approximately 70 75%.
Target student population(s): All students.
STRATEGY FOUR: Restructuring Instructional Delivery Objective 4.1: Increase the number of online courses. Objective 4.2: Increase the number of faculty trained to deliver online courses. Objective 4.3: Increase the number of night, weekend classes, and alternative scheduling models Objective 4.4: Enhance the campus climate to support and promote online instruction.
Strategies to Restructure Instruction: The Online Education Taskforce recently developed guidelines for online learning at SSU with plans implementation within the next academic year. There are plans to develop at least one fully online degree program within three years. The university is also developing alternative delivery methods for mini-semester classes and exploring the creation of weekend intensive courses.
Courses that are a barrier to student progress will be identified and examined for restructuring. Specific faculty in these disciplines will be identified to participate in the National Center for Academic Transformation initiative to redesign curricula and learning environments. Student
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success in these courses will also be supported by expanded tutorial services and new supplemental instruction. This will include embedding tutors within specific sections of a "highrisk" course, allowing each tutor to sit in class with the students and then provide dedicated, course-specific tutoring outside of class in direct consultation with the instructor.
Support Strategies: SSU is in the process of becoming an eCore member institution. eCore is the University System of Georgia's electronic core-curriculum, supported cooperatively by faculty from all USG institutions and managed centrally. In addition to providing faculty development opportunities at SSU to increase the number of faculty trained in online pedagogy, the university will also hire one or more instructional designers to aid faculty in online course development. These strategies aim not only to create a corps of faculty fully trained to develop and deliver online courses, but also to support a campus culture that is supportive of online teaching and learning.
Target student population(s): All students.
STRATEGY FIVE: Transform remediation to enable students to matriculate into academic credit courses faster.
Objective 5.1: Decrease the number of students who enter into ENGL 0099, READ 0099, and MATH 0099.
Objective 5.2: Increase the number of students who have successfully completed the core course in their LS area(s) by the end of their first year at SSU.
Objective 5.3: Increase retention and graduation rates for LS students.
Strategies to Transform Remediation: The top 25% or "upper tier" of learning support students who did not earn the required minimum score to pass the COMPASS exam will be placed in the first core class with the co-requisite skills workshop/class and will receive enhanced tutorial support in order to promote success in college-level coursework, decrease time to degree, and ensure that they develop the foundational skills necessary to succeed in subsequent courses.
A faculty committee also will be established to determine whether current remedial course meet student need and to develop diagnostics and new courses for reading and mathematics, where necessary. Results of the diagnostics will be used for placement of students with SAT/ACT scores below threshold into appropriately designed courses.
Restructured learning support offerings will decrease time in learning support for "middle-tier" learning support students and increase their readiness for the first core course. In addition, academic units will cooperate to ease scheduling the 8-week learning support sections and corresponding core classes each semester so that students can complete both learning support and the first core class in the same term. The institution is pursuing a partnership with Savannah Technical College for delivery of remediation to "lower-tier" learning support students.
Support Strategies: SSU will develop and implement selection and training practices for student peer tutors and faculty in the learning support area. Implementing a proposal to allow non-science majors to take
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MATH 1001 - Mathematical Modeling instead of MATH 1111 - College Algebra as an Area A core option will facilitate the transition from learning support to core curriculum courses.
The university recognizes that requiring students with insufficient preparation to take the COMPASS, to repeat the exam unsuccessfully is a major barrier to progression and that alternative approaches are much needed. The university will participate in the recently-convened USG working groups to explore placement options other than the COMPASS.
PART III: PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATON
STRATEGY ONE: Enhance Partnerships with K-12
Objective 1.1:Increase the number of dual-enrollment students. Currently there are 70-80 students in the Early College Program. The University's goal is to increase the enrollment of Early College students by 50 percent over a five-year period.
Objective 1.2:Increase academic support and partnership with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools System (SCCPSS).
The current partnership with the SCCPSS includes TRIO programs such as Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services and SSU hosting Early College on its campus. Under the direction of the new Vice President for Academic Affairs, SSU plans to expand the partnership with SCCPSS and other service area K-12 School Systems.
Objective 1.3:Expand STEM initiatives to increase K-12 participation. Currently, through the STEM's initiative, SSU has served over 1,200 K-12 students and 200 teachers. Under the leadership of the new dean for the College of Sciences and Technology, SSU plans to increase the number of STEM and STEM 360 students by 15 percent over a fiveyear period.
Timeline: Five years Benchmarks: (1.1) Current average is 80 dual enrollment students; (1.2) Programs currently serve 1635 students; (1.3) On average STEM now serves 400 students/year and approximately 65 teachers/year
Outcomes: (1.1) Increase the number of dual enrollment students by at least 14 students per year for a total of >150 dual enrollment students; (1.2) Expand the partnership with SCCPSS and other service area K-12 School Systems; (1.3) Increase the number of STEM students and teachers by 15 percent over a five-year period.
STRATEGY TWO: Increase Access and Completion for Students Traditionally Underserved
Objective 2.1:Increase recruitment, retention and graduation of adult learners and military students.
SSU will expand current recruitment plan to target adult learners and military students. Military liaison has been hired and a veterans' service center will be established.
Objective 2.2:Increase recruitment, retention and graduation of Hispanic and other American students.
The Office of Admissions and Recruitment is in the process of developing a recruitment plan targeting Hispanic students and other ethnicities and nationalities.
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To successfully achieve the objectives above, the office of University Advancement will work collaboratively with the Offices of Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management to develop effective marketing materials and enhancing Public Relations. The office of Enrollment Management will develop recruitment plans to directly connect with each of these targeted groups. SSU will hire in the Office of Admissions and Recruitment a recruiter also fluent in Spanish.
Timeline: Five years Benchmarks: Current population is 15% adult learners, 3% military, >1% Hispanic,
45% male Outcomes: Increase to 25% adult learners, 10% military, 5% Hispanic, 50% male
STRATEGY THREE: Shortening Time to Degree
Objective 3.1: Increase the average percentage of attempted credit hours successfully completed.
SSU is implementing an enhanced advising system to ensure that students remain on track for their curriculum plans and receive necessary and timely academic support.
Objective 3.2: Increase the overall and year-to-year student retention rate. SSU is establishing an early alert system for at-risk first year students with intensive weekly advising. It is currently in the developmental stage. Centralized advisement and mentoring will be established in Fall 2012.
Timeline: Five years Benchmarks: Current four-year graduation rate is 15%; five-year graduation rate is 25%;
six-year graduation rate is 30% Outcomes: Increase four-year graduation rate to 30%; five-year graduation rate to 50%;
and six-year graduation rate to 65%
STRATEGY FOUR: Restructure instructional delivery specifically increasing distance learning.
Objective 4.1: Increase the number of online courses. SSU plans to join the e-Core system and establish online degree programs, including one currently in the approval stage for the bachelor's degree in business. SSU plans to identify courses in need of restructuring and will engage faculty in innovating course design and delivery that meets the needs of its students.
Objective 4.2: Increase the number of faculty trained to deliver online courses. The Task Force for Online Education has proposed guidelines for certifying faculty for online teaching and approaches for encouraging more faculty to pursue appropriate training and to develop online courses.
Objective 4.3: Increase the number of night, weekend classes, and alternative scheduling and modes (online) of delivery.
To assist adult learners, SSU will explore the option to provide weekend classes and alternative scheduling models.
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Timeline: Five years
Benchmarks: Currently SSU offers no fully online degree programs; an average of 50 course sections online per term; and approximately $400 per year per full-time faculty for professional development
Outcomes: Develop at least three fully online degree programs; offer 20% of courses per semester partially or fully online; provide at least $2,000 per year per full-time faculty for professional development
STRATEGY FIVE: Transforming Remediation
Objective 5.1: Decrease the number of students who enter into ENGL 0099, READ 0099, and MATH 0099.
SSU has decreased the number of "university college" admits (students lacking qualifications for normal college-level work) by 90% and will work with Savannah Technical College to serve the needs of Learning Support (LS) students.
Objective 5.2: Increase the number of students who have successfully completed the core courses in their LS area(s) by the end of their first year at SSU.
SSU will establish a program to allow LS students in the top 25% to enroll in core courses along with the LS courses and provide additional support.
Objective 5.3: Increase retention and graduation rates for LS students. SSU is establishing a system of professional advisors, peer tutors, and faculty to support LS students.
Timeline: Five years
Benchmarks: Fall 2007 data shows 33.9% of new students entering learning support; 27% of learning support students who successfully complete the first core course in their learning support area by the end of their first year
Outcomes: Reduce the number of students who enter into learning support by 50%; increase the number of students who successfully complete the first core course in their learning support area by the end of their first year by 50%.
PART IV: ONGOING FEEDBACK/EVALUATION
I. A Description of SSU's data/feedback/evaluation system
Appendix F (SSU CCG Research Tracking) provides a model guiding the overall development of the institution's new data feedback/evaluation system for communicating the effectiveness of the CCG plan to stakeholders. The system now under development will serve the institution in lieu of a full-fledged data mart to enable stakeholders to both receive and have open on-going access to timely reports related to all aspects of the CCG implementation and outcome.
This system will focus on each student "identity" category (e.g.: veteran, adult, sex, ethnic) and track each cohort's matriculation, retention, and progression through the collegiate experience to one of the four possible outcomes Graduation, Transfer, Continuing, or Dropout--dropout from higher education being the assumed final
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SSU Campus Completion | 13 outcome for students who cannot be identified belonging to one of the other categories within eight years of matriculation (unless still continuing at SSU).
The system will track students' involvement in SSU experiences and/or interventions, as measured by individual performance indicators (noted in the model), ranging from basic skills & core curriculum through various academic programs, co-curricular activities, and support services. At maturation, the system will develop correlations between experiences and interventions with the outcomes, controlling for other factors, while providing a complete tracking model for student success at SSU. As the CCG program and new Advising Center mature, various other student attributes will also be included as further control variables in the model's design--as illustrated in the guiding model. The model will be operationalized using Multivariate non-linear regression (MNLR) --the most appropriate statistical tool for analyzing categorical outcomes of this type. The process will result in the ability to calculate probabilities of each outcome for different `types' of students undergoing different sets of "experiences." Using the model, the institution will be able to identify those specific experiences contributing to student success for particular types of students.
II. Plans for sharing Information about Access, Retention, and Completion at SSU SSU practices total transparency with campus plans, operations, and effectiveness assessment. Accordingly, information arising from research, planning, assessment, and accreditation has long been posted to the web with access open to interested stakeholders, internal and external, without password protection. http://irp.savannahstate.edu/
The new tracking system will improve upon this past process by delivering just-intime automated periodic reports distributed automatically (via e-mail attachments managed through Crystal Reports) to key constituencies (Chairs, Deans, Directors, Vice Presidents, & others) and archived in a central file server indexed and accessible through the IRPA web site. Reports will reflect both effectiveness and efficiency measures for discrete campus operations influencing students' successful completion. (It is anticipated, however, that to protect individuals' privacy, findings where n<10 will be uniformly redacted.).
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SSU Campus Completion | 14 Appendix A: SSU Enrollment by Ethnicity and Sex: Fall, 2011 Undergraduates

Native American Asian Black Hispanic White Multiracial Unknown Total

Female
5 12 2203
6 91 6 65 2388

Male
3 8 1811 4 127 2 52 2007

Total
8 20 4014 10 218
8 117 4395

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SSU Campus Completion | 15

Appendix B: Most Current Graduation Rates: USG
SSU Institution System
State University Average Institution System
Regional University Average Institution System
Research University Average Institution System

F, 2007 F, 2006 F,2005 4 years 5 years 6 years

8.35 23.24 30.15 9.98 26.54 36.60

16.25 18.65

31.56 38.58

37.44 46.31

21.70 24.25

39.95 47.79

45.32 57.36

43.15 44.54

68.47 71.35

72.65 76.82

SSU Growth Targets:

Acad YR Logic

Yr 1

reach 50% state univ avg

Yr 2

reach state univ avg

yr 3

mid-way state to regional univ.

yr 4

reach regional univ avg

yr 5

pass GA average rate (47.5%)

Yr 6

pass national average (55.5)

(Focus on 6 year average) Targets
34% 37% 40% 45% 50% 56%

Why focus on 6 year average: SSU students, given access mission, require remediation (delaying graduation beyond timing for non-remediation students) SSU students, given income/wealth levels, require work part time or stop/out terms unrealistic to expect extensive 4 & 5 year completions

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SSU Campus Completion | 16
Appendix C

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Team Leader:

Improving Access & Completion
TIMOTHY CRANFORD

Office of the VPAA Jonathan Lambright

College Dean

Faculty

Ken Jordan Cecil Jones

Support Specialists
Admissions

Katrina Ransome (Athletics) Tara Aikens (Testing) Teri Clay (Adult Learners) Hope Cranford (P-16) Emmanuel Naniuzeyi (Int'l) Brian Dawsey Shameka Cisco (Recruiter)

SSU's CCG Plan - Subcommittees

Shortening Time to Degree

Restructuring Instructional Delivery

MO SARHAN

JONATHAN LAMBRIGHT

Amelia Jenkins Alice White

Michael Schroeder Derrek Dunn Reginald Leseane Elazer Barnette

Bill Dowling Sametria McFall-Dickerson Adrienne Anderson

Lillian Reddick Emily Bentley

Mary Ann Goldwire (Advising) Nat Hardy (Honors)

Rosalyn Tharpe (FYE) Estee Snowden (Tutoring) Mary Jo Fayoyin (Distance Learning) Arora Anshu (Online) Michael Lewis (Online) Ijaz Awan (Online)

Transforming Remediation APRIL GENTRY
Dorothy Gardner-Martin Bernard Bongang Mohamed Mustafa Rose Metts Johnnie Myers Lawrence Simmons (Learning Support) Vivien Harris-Murphy (Learning Support - English) Phat Hong (Learning Support - Math) Gary Guillory (Student Support Services) Amelia Castilian-Moore (Disability)

Registrar
SSU Student Advancement
Business & Financial Affairs
Total Committee Members:

Mac Baldwin (Military)
Military Student: Benjamin Green Louise Haaker
Ed Jolley Adrienne Brown Syreeta Monroe
17

Janice Bing (Degree Audit)
SGA: ?
Terri Phillips (Fibnancial Aid) Janice Johnson (Bursar) JeanAnn Caywood (Swipe cards)
13

Student Tutor: ?? Nontraditional Student: Jasmine Miller
Shammah Blaloch 15

Learning Support Student: ?? 11

Report Part
I. Goals & Data Analysis II. Strategies & Objectives
III. Planning & Implementation III. Ongoing Feedback & Evaluation

Point Person Mike Crow Irvin Clark
Mo Sarhan Reginald Leseane

Additional Support Lauren McClain Lisa Yount
Maliece Whately Jerry Wright

INSTITUTIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS

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SSU Campus Completion | 17
Appendix D Upward Bound Program (High School Program) $3.025 Million (2012-2018) Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education Target Population: Students must be first generation and/or low income and enrolled in a college preparatory curriculum in high school. Students must also show evidence of an academic need. The goal is to provide services to increase high school retention keeping students "on-track" toward graduation from secondary school. The program also assists in ensuring enrollment and degree attainment from postsecondary institutions. Eligibility Criteria: Students ages 13-19 who attend targeted public Savannah-Chatham County School in a combination of two thirds low income and first generation while the other one-third may be first generation or low income. Funded to Serve: 135 Participants Services Provided: Supplemental instruction/tutorial, financial aid assistance, financial literacy education, test taking/study skills, work/study experiences, academic/personal counseling, cultural/college visits, Saturday sessions, residential summer program, Parental Involvement
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SSU Campus Completion | 18
Educational Talent Search (Middle and High School Program)
$2.2 Million (2011-2016)
The Talent Search program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The program provides academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school and continue on to and complete their postsecondary education. The program publicizes the availability of financial aid and assist participant with the postsecondary application process. Talent Search also encourages persons who have not completed education programs at the secondary or postsecondary level to enter or reenter and complete postsecondary education. The goal of Talent Search is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in and complete their postsecondary education. Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education Target Population Students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. Students must be enrolled in target area middle and high schools in SavannahChatham County. Eligibility Criteria: Two-thirds of the participants served during the project must be low-income and first generation students. Funded to Serve: 900 Project Participants
Services Provided: Academic, financial, career counseling including advice on entry or re-entry to secondary or postsecondary programs; Career exploration; Information on postsecondary education; Exposure to college campuses; Assistance in completing college admissions and financial aid applications; Assistance in preparing for college entrance exams; Mentoring programs; Special activities for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders; Workshops for the families of participants; Cultural Enrichment
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SSU Campus Completion | 19
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (Middle and High School Program) $2.8 Million (2012-2018) GEAR UP is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to lowincome students. Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education Target Population: Fifth and sixth grade students at DeRenne Middle School Eligibility Criteria: Students must be in the grade levels served in DeRenne Middle School Funded to Serve: 400 Participants Services Provided: Study Skills, Tutoring, Saturday Sessions, Summer Programs, Academic Advisement, Personal/Social Counseling, Mentoring/Job Shadowing, Educational/Cultural Fieldtrips, College Campus Visits, Parental Involvement Activities, College Application Assistance, and Financial Aid Workshops, Financial Literacy Education
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SSU Campus Completion | 20 Student Support Services (Undergraduate College Program) $1.5 Million (2010-2015) Student Support Services provides opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. Student Support Services (SSS) projects also may provide grant aid to current SSS participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants (# 84.063). The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants.
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education Target Population: SSU students who identify with at least 1 of 3 risk factors: (a) low-income, (b) firstgeneration college student, or (c) student with disability. Eligibility Criteria: At least two-thirds (66%) of the participants served during the project should be low-income and first-generation, students with disabilities, or students with disabilities who are low- income. Disability Criteria: At-least one-third (33%) of students with disabilities served by the program should be low-income. Funded to Serve: 175 Project Participants Services Provided: Academic Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, Early Alert Academic Intervention, Course Selection Advising, Grant Aid Issuance, Financial Literacy Education, Graduate/Professional School Exploration and Application Assistance, Financial Aid Education and Application Assistance, Cultural Enrichment, etc.
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SSU Campus Completion | 21 Appendix E

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SSU Campus Completion | 22 Appendix F
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Revised Campus Completion Plan for South Georgia College/Waycross College Contact Person: Dr. Carl B. McDonald, SGC VPAA, carl.mcdonald@sgc.edu
August 22, 2012 Part I: Goals and Data Analysis

Key Findings from Data Sources: The merged Complete College America data for South Georgia College (SGC) and Waycross College (WC) shows that during the 2008-2009 academic year 46% of students were eligible for the federal Pell grant, 35% were members of minority groups, and 28% were age 25 and over. The data set also identifies patterns of student success while also revealing gaps in performance and data collection. "Traditional" 17-19 year old students demonstrate the greatest success in outcome and progress metrics. On the other hand, cohorts of the underserved populations of Black non-Hispanic students and non-traditional students are less successful in outcome and progress metrics. Significantly, available data also demonstrate that retention, course completion, time to degree, and graduation rates are adversely affected by student placement and performance in learning support courses. By studying gaps among subgroups and points in the education continuum where students fail, SGC/WC will focus efforts on strategies in a consolidated campus completion plan that will increase efficiencies, enhance quality, and grow numbers of graduates.

Analysis of SGC/WC Complete College Georgia Data:

Retention/Graduation/Transfer Table 1 first shows the percentage of full-time and part-time students broken down by categories relevant to the College's student population (race, age, and Pell Grant recipients) in the fall semester 2005 Cohort who were either retained or transferred through spring semester 2007.

Table 1: Fall 2005 Cohort Retention/Transfer Rates through Spring Semester 2007

Fall 2005 Cohort
Black, nonHispanic White, nonHispanic Pell Grant Recipients *Non-Traditional *Age 25 and over

Spring 06

Full- Part-Time

Time

82%

77%

80%

64%

77%

74%

72%

64%

Fall 06

Spring 07

Full-Time Part-Time Full-Time Part-Time

61%

0%

50%

0%

61%

36%

57%

36%

58%

42%

52%

40%

0%

39%

0%

42%

Table 2 on the following page then shows the percentage of full-time and part-time students in that same cohort broken down by categories relevant to SGC/WC's student population (race, age, and Pell Grant recipients) who were retained, transferred, or graduated from fall semester 2007 through spring semester 2009.

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Table 2: Fall 2005 Cohort Retention/Transfer/Graduation Rates through Fall Semester 2008

Fall 2005 Cohort
Black, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Pell Grant Recipients Non-Traditional

Fall 07 Full- PartTime Time 46% 0% 52% 22% 45% 26%
0% 0%

Spring 08 Full- PartTime Time 39% 0% 51% 24% 43% 32%
0% 0%

Fall 08

Full- Part-

Time Time

40%

0%

50% 37%

44% 30%

0%

0%

Spring 09 Full- PartTime Time 40% 0% 50% 35% 42% 19%

0%

0%

Table 1 shows a marked decline of students retained in the USG from fall semester 2005 to spring 2007. By way of comparison, Table 2 shows a more gradual decline for students remaining in the USG.

Remediation In the area of remediation, 63% of SGC/WC's Fall 2007 Cohort enrolled in learning support, and of these students, 50% successfully completed learning support courses. Also for the Fall 2007 Cohort, 10% of students completed at least one college-level math and English course within two academic years of entry. In Table 3 below, learning support and initial college course completion data are presented for the Fall 2007 Cohort broken down by categories relevant to SGC/WC's student population (race, age, and Pell Grant recipients).

Table 3: Fall 2007 Cohort Remediation Success Rates

Fall 2007 Cohort
Black, non-Hispanic Pell Grant Recipients Non-Traditional White, non-Hispanic

Remediation Required
84% 72% 69% 52%

Remediation Successful
42% 50% 26% 55%

Completed Math/English
0% 5% 0% 10%

Table 3 indicates that White non-Hispanic students perform better in remediation than Black nonHispanic students, students receiving Pell Grants, and non-traditional students. In addition, for the Fall 2007 Cohort, 36% of full-time students completed 24 credit hours within their first academic year, while 29% of part-time students completed 12 credit hours within their first academic year.
Student Cohort Targets: To assess SGC/WC's progress toward achieving its institutional goals, annual targets for the CCA metrics are presented in Appendix A for the following four most significant student demographic cohorts that SGC/WC serves.
Black non-Hispanic White non-Hispanic Non-Traditional Pell Grant Recipients
The Office of Research and Policy Analysis in the office of the University System of Georgia provided merged data for South Georgia College and Waycross College to serve as baseline data for annual targets for the CCA metrics. The targets are expressed as three-year rolling averages as recommended by the USG Metrics Working Group. These annual percentage targets will be used to

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assess the achievement of the SGC/WC institutional goals. The annual evaluation of SGC/WC's progress toward meeting its targets will include analysis of full-time versus part-time status and campus location.
Goals for the Consolidated Campus Completion Plan for the New College and Process for Setting Goals: The South Georgia College/Waycross College Summit Committee, consisting of administrators, faculty, and staff from both institutions, shared with SGC/WC personnel what was learned at the Completion Summit 2012. A one-page CCG prospectus was developed from that experience and from USG webinars on CCG. In April 2012 the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs at both institutions distributed and discussed the one-page prospectus with faculty and with the SGC/WC Consolidation Working Group Committee on Academic Affairs.
Simultaneously, the New College (for the purpose of the consolidation, SGC/WC refers to what will be the consolidated institution as the "New College" until a name has been approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia) Transition Team Working Group Subcommittee for the New Mission Statement, which is made up of personnel from SGC and WC, conducted a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of both institutions. The results of the analysis provided input for a mission statement for the consolidated college. The Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG) approved the new mission on May 8, 2012.
At a June 7, 2012, SGC/WC Leadership Retreat the SGC/WC committee charged with developing the mission statement and the draft of institutional goals for the New College presented their work to retreat participants. Key mission statement words to drive the development of institutional goals were identified. These key words were then aligned with University System of Georgia strategic goals. The next step in this process involved selecting strategic foci for the New College that were parallel to the USG goals and the Complete College Georgia categories of strategies. This exercise resulted in five strategic foci: Innovative Teaching & Learning, Learning Environment, Access, High-Quality Academic Programs, and Multi-Campus. The first four foci derive from the Complete College Georgia categories for strategies. Next, the participants developed assessable institutional goals for each strategic focus based on the USG Complete College America (CCA) metrics. This review of the USG CCA metrics reinforced what the participants heard during guest speaker Dr. Tim Renik's (Georgia State University Associate Vice Provost) presentation, which took place at the retreat just prior to this strategic planning exercise.
Below is the mission statement for the New College; the bold-faced areas are the terms that participants at the leadership retreat chose as the key words that they used to translate the mission statement into institutional goals.
Mission for the New College New College, a state college of the University System of Georgia, is a multi-campus, studentcentered institution offering high-quality associate and select baccalaureate degree programs. The institution provides innovative teaching and learning experiences, a rich array of student activities and athletic programs, access to unique ecological sites, and residential options to create a diverse, globally-focused, and supportive learning environment.
Table 1 on the following page is a matrix that illustrates the alignment of key words from the New College's mission statement, USG goals, strategic foci & institutional goals for the New College, CCA Metrics, and Annual Targets for the CCA Metrics.
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Table 1 Alignment of Mission Statement Key Words, USG Goals,
Strategic Foci & Institutional Goals, CCA Metrics, & Annual Targets for CCA Metrics

Key Words from Mission
innovative teaching and
learning experiences access to unique ecological sites
supportive learning environment
a state college of the University System of Georgia
high-quality associate and
select baccalaureate degree programs access to unique ecological sites
Multi-campus

USG Goals Goals One, Three, and Six Excellence in undergraduate education; Research across disciplines; Increase efficiency Goal Six Increase efficiency
Goals Two and Four
Enrollment capacity; Increase efficiency
Goal One Excellence in undergraduate
education
Goal Six Increase efficiency

Strategic Foci & Institutional Goals Innovative Teaching & Learning 1. Advance teaching and learning experiences through the increased use of pedagogical approaches fostering deep learning, student engagement, and application of knowledge to solve real world problems.

CCA Metrics Increase Efficiencies -graduation rates -retention rates -credit hours at time of completion -course completion ratio

Learning Environment 2. Foster an environment that supports education through the integration and interdependence of living and learning provided by cost-effective college-wide support services.
Access 3. Enhance the quality and enrich the composition of the student body through recruitment and selection methods as well as dedicated commitment to increase persistence and retention.
High-Quality Academic Programs
4. Promote academic excellence by providing high-quality educational programs.
Multi-Campus Operation 5. Ensure that the institution is fiscally responsible.

Increase Numbers -degrees conferred annually -number of students enrolled who are a)first generation, b) Pell eligible, and c) adult learners
Quality -assessment of SLOs in all core courses & academic degree programs -curriculum review & approval -evaluations of instructors and course content -academic program review -program-review by accrediting bodies -SACSCOC accreditation & reaffirmation

Annual Targets for CCA Metrics
Appendix A
Appendix A
Appendix A
Appendix A

The New College institutional goals illustrated in Table 1 demonstrate the institution's commitment to increase efficiencies, enhance quality and increase the number of graduates. These goals build on the performance of both institutions to date and take into consideration the particular needs of the

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students and the region. The first four institutional goals for the New College will serve as the goals for the consolidated campus completion plan.
Part II: Strategies Goals one and two of the consolidated campus completion plan for the New College follow, setting the context for increasing efficiencies.
Goal 1: The New College will advance teaching and learning experiences through the increased use of pedagogical approaches fostering deep learning, student engagement, and application of knowledge to solve real world problems.
Elements of the plan to increase efficiencies through Goal One are restructuring delivery and remediation to shorten time to completion. The first strategy for accomplishing this goal is to increase the number of students who move in one semester through Learning Support into collegelevel courses in math through continued implementation of the Carnegie Foundation's Quantway initiative. Quantway is a new developmental mathematics course for non-STEM majors.
Secondly, students with minimal academic deficiencies will be diverted from traditional remediation into customized programs integrated into their programs of study. These students will be placed directly into college-level courses and provided Learning Support courses as a co-requisite rather than as a pre-requisite. In line with this strategy, the New College is proposing to pilot instructional changes as part of its consolidated campus completion plan that would deliver Learning Support English, ENGL 099, as a co-requisite to English 1101, Composition I.
In addition, the New College will implement student self-paced instructional modules in certain Learning Support courses. These modules will be available for students with minimal academic deficiencies and allow students to progress through the material at their own pace. Students can complete their course work in their own time frame.
An additional strategy for increasing efficiencies through redelivery of instruction will be to offer supplemental instruction (embedded support) in gateway courses with high DFW rates, as well as early intervention grade monitoring and required academic counseling. Betsy Q. Griffin and Betsy O. Barefoot with the Gardner Institute define courses with DFW rates of 30% or higher as "killers" because these courses "kill" a student's GPA, motivation, academic progress, scholarship eligibility and interest in remaining in college.
To further address high DFW courses, as well as to benefit all courses and instructors, faculty development in teaching/learning best practices, together with course and program learning outcome assessment to achieve continuous teaching/course improvement, will be a priority. Instructors of a high DFW course will be required to offer one lab session for all their sections of the same course after the first or second class but before students complete even one assignment. The purpose is to ensure that students understand what is expected before they attempt the first test. The lab session will be optional for students to attend but required of faculty to offer.
Other strategies for shortening time to degree and restructuring instructional delivery will be to offer more blended courses and academic programs featuring online instruction to complement in-person instruction. More non-traditional students and military students are seeking educational opportunities and expecting alternative modes of curriculum delivery. Students, especially older, non-traditional ones seek course delivery through distance education formats such as online or
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videoconferencing that meet the needs of their lifestyle that includes career, family and other responsibilities.
Lastly, a systematic undergraduate research program and the inclusion of the first-year experience program will promote the achievement of Goal One.
Goal Two: The New College will foster an environment that supports education through the integration and interdependence of living and learning provided by college-wide support services.
A strategy to increase efficiencies through Goal Two is to redesign the delivery of higher education to fit more seamlessly into students' lives. The first step in this direction will be to implement an early intervention grade monitoring system. The intervention will take place after the first exam and/or before midterm. Students will be identified during early intervention based on grade reports indicating a D or F in at least one course or a report of a high number of absences from any one class. Academic Support (tutoring) centers on SGC/WC campuses will intervene and work with students to build awareness of their grade status, suggest paths to seeking help, and monitor progress.
The problem of excessive time to degree has a number of causes, including students lacking direction and guidance on what path to take to a credential, leading to excessive courses and unnecessary delay. Through academic advising, advisors will encourage students to enroll in a single, coherent program (e.g., Nursing ASN, RN-BSN or a transfer program) with prescribed sets of courses and a default schedule. Academic advisors will also redirect "General Studies" majors to programs of study during orientation and advising sessions. Additionally, advisors will assist students in aligning math requirements with students' credential goals. For students placed into a learning support math course, advisors will review degree programs with the students and determine the actual math requirements needed in a program the student is interested in and then align remedial requirements accordingly. Academic advising on both campuses will be strengthened, and the Waycross campus will be the site of an "Advising Center" pilot initiative beginning fall 2012.
Goal Three will guide the New College in increasing numbers.
Goal 3: The New College will enhance the quality and enrich the composition of the student body through recruitment and selection methods as well as dedicated commitment to increase persistence and retention.
The purpose of Goal Three for the New College is to recruit, retain, and graduate an increasing number of students with high educational and career aspirations through a broad variety of degree programs and support services. The New College will actively recruit and provide admission to students who are prepared for higher education (measured by the New College's admission standards). The New College's admission standards will include the new USG Learning Support policies that are being implemented for fall semester 2012. In order to familiarize applicants with the new policy and to assist them with the COMPASS exam, a Learning Support Advocacy Task Force (LSATF) has been formed. This task force is charged with reducing the number of students who would be required to matriculate as "limited admissions" students because of COMPASS placement test scores. The Task Force provides counseling on the nature and importance of the test, clarification of test instructions, test-taking strategies, tutorial software and website material prior to retesting, and test score/placement interpretation and counseling.
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Also, the New College will expand dual enrollment and ACCEL programs to increase efficiencies for the consolidated college since 17-19 year olds have the highest rate of student success at SGC/WC. Currently, SGC has one dual enrollment/ACCEL program, and WC has two such programs. Additional K-12 partnerships already include or will include education summits involving K-12, New College, and technical college partnerships; school, business and industry partnerships; collaborative STEM workshops; and information sessions involving middle and high school students and teachers.
A third strategy for enhancing the quality and enriching the composition of the student body at the consolidated college is through the Adult Learning Consortium. This Consortium is enabling the University System of Georgia and its partners to target the two-thirds of adult Georgians who do not hold a college degree. The goal is to galvanize these individuals to change their situation, thereby boosting the state's economic growth. The grant seeks to enforce institutions to produce programs that will target its enrollment efforts with adult learners by using such forces as Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) and military outreach. Waycross College entered into a sub-award agreement for capacity building to hopefully gain full participation with the program beginning spring semester 2013. Throughout this past year, Waycross College staff members have attended Winter and Spring Institutes and Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Training to prepare for the upcoming program.
To further promote Goal Three the consolidated college will hire an ACCEL/VA Specialist. The ACCEL/VA Specialist will serve as the initial contact for secondary educational entities and military agencies wishing to align programs with the institution and act as the liaison for the institution to outside secondary and military constituents.
Additionally, the New College will support Goal Three through workforce development by way of the Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (RN-BSN program). As a four-year college, South Georgia College started the RN-BSN program during fall semester 2013. This program fosters workforce development because the purpose of it is to provide career mobility for professional nurses in this regional area.
Goal 4: The New College will promote academic excellence by providing high-quality educational programs.
To foster an environment of continuous improvement in student learning the New College will evaluate the effectiveness of its educational programs through the use of active, ongoing, and constructive assessments. The New College will offer the four educational program options listed below.
The Associate of Arts Degree The Associate of Science Degree The Associate of Science in Nursing Degree The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree
The New College administration and faculty, with approval by the Board of Regents of the University System Georgia, will adopt eight General Education student learning outcomes (SLOs) which serve as the foundation for its core curriculum and General Education coursework. The General Education outcomes serve as A.A./A.S. program outcomes. Assessment of the General Education outcomes is measured through performance results in core curriculum courses, course success rates for general Education courses that assess the SLOs, test results from the California
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Critical Thinking Skills Tests, and the results to questions from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement.

The same process developed and implemented to assess the General Education outcomes is utilized to assess the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree programs. The ASN and the RN-BSN program will follow the evaluation plan established by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).

Part III: Planning and Implementation The proposed implementation timeline addresses the five categories of strategies: transform remediation, restructure instructional delivery, shorten time to degree, access, and quality. All implementation of the proposed strategies will be completed by spring semester 2014, the end of the two-year timeline for the implementation of the project. For the two-year implementation timeline, see Table 2.

Table 2

Campus Completion Two-Year Implementation Timeline

Activity
Quantway (Douglas campus, Waycross campus)

Fall 2012 S

Spring 2013 Fall 2013

S, T

S, PI

Spring 2014 S, C

Transform Remediation

co-requisites ENGL 099/1101

T

PI

I

C

Restructure Instructiona
l Delivery

Student self-paced instructional

T

PI

I

C

modules

Supplemental instruction in gateway

T

PI

I

C

courses with high D/F/W rates

Blended courses featuring online

I

C

S

S

instruction to complement in-person

instruction

Early intervention grade monitoring

PI

I

C

S

Shorten Time to Degree

Academic advising

S, PL

S, T

S, PI

S, I

(Douglas campus, Waycross campus)

SGCO 1000

S

S

S

S

Undergraduate Research Symposium

I

C

S

S

USG New Learning Support Policy

I

C

C

C

Work of the Learning Support

S

S

S

S

Advocacy Task Force

Expand Dual enrollment/ACCEL

S

S

S

S

programs

Collaborative STEM workshops in

PL

T

PI

I

high schools

Participate in regional education

C

C

C

C

summit

RN-BSN Program

I

C

S

S

Access

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Quality

Build and sustain effective teaching

S

S

S

S

and instructor/course/program

assessment tools

Strengthen program and student

S

S

S

S

learning outcome assessment

Provide faculty development

S

S

S

S

opportunities

PL=Plan, T=Train Faculty/Staff, PI=Pilot, I=Implement, C=Continue, S=Strengthen Current Practices

Note: South Georgia College and Waycross College are currently undergoing consolidation, a very time-consuming and intensive task that will not be complete until well into the spring semester 2013. The planning and implementation timeline above will be adjusted to a more ambitious accomplishment of completion tasks once the institutional consolidation is complete and an evaluation is made to determine which college completion strategies can be accelerated.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation The New College will evaluate its progress using both outcomes for strategies (See Table 3, pages 910) and annual targets for the CCA metrics (see Table 1, page 3). Having outcomes for the strategies will allow the college to determine whether sufficient progress is being made in implementation and evaluate program effectiveness. Annual targets for the CCA metrics will provide measures at the institution-level.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness will track student data for each group of students to assess (1) whether students complete the learning support courses and persist in college-level work, (2) the time it takes for students to accelerate through the learning support sequence and earn a degree, and (3) whether students transfer to a four-year institution.
Finally, the metrics for tracking the success of students once they transfer from SGC/WC will include retention (if they are enrolled at another postsecondary education institution), completion of an associate degree (if they complete 60 credit hours inclusive of Areas A-E), and completion of a bachelor's degree. For the purposes of SGC/WC's tracking of the effectiveness of entry programs, the consolidated college will consider the GPAs of students at transfer institutions.

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Table 3

Campus Completion Implementation Assessment Plan

Goals

USG Categories of Strategies

SGC/WC Strategies

*Outcomes

1. Advance teaching and learning experiences through the increased use of pedagogical approaches fostering deep learning, student engagement, and application of knowledge to solve real world problems.

Transform Remediation
Restructure Instructional Delivery

Carnegie Foundation's Quantway Initiative
Co-requisite courses such as Learning Support courses and college-level courses (ENGL 099 & 1101) Student self-paced instructional modules Supplemental instruction in college-level courses with high D, F, W rates
Blended courses featuring online instruction to complement in-person instruction

FA12: Train 1 WC faculty member. Offer 3 sections at SGC. SP13: Offer 1 section at WC. Offer 3 sections at SGC. FA13-SP14: Continue with offering Quantway courses at the New College (NC). Course SLO: Students must be able to do the following:
Use arithmetic operations to represent real-world operations (e.g., putting together, comparing, distributing equally) and use real-number arithmetic to solve stated problems.
Use graphical representations on a number line to demonstrate fluency in interpreting interval notation, ordering numbers, representing operations (i.e., addition, subtraction, doubling, halving, averaging), and representing decimal numbers (including negative numbers). FA12: Train 1 faculty member at SGC & WC. SP13: Pilot 1 section at SGC & WC. FA13: Implement 1-3 sections at the NC. SP14: Continue w/ offering sections at the NC. FA12: Train 1 faculty member at SGC & WC. SP13: Pilot 1LS course w/ modules at SGC & WC. FA13: Implement 1-3 LS courses w/ modules at the NC. SP14: Continue w/ offering courses at the NC. FA12: Collect data at SGC & WC. Train supplemental instructors (SI). SP13: Pilot SI in 1 college-level course w/ high DFW rate at SGC & WC. FA13: Implement SI in college-level courses w/high DFW courses at the NC. SP14: Continue offering SI in college-level courses w/ high DFW rates at the NC. FA12: Train 1 faculty member at SGC & WC. SP13: Pilot 1 blended course at SGC & WC. FA13: Implement blended courses at the NC. SP14: Continue offering blended courses at the NC.

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Goals 2. Foster an environment that supports education through the integration and interdependence of living and learning provided by collegewide support services.
3. Enhance the quality and enrich the composition of the student body through recruitment and selection methods as well as dedicated commitment to increase persistence and retention.
4. Promote academic excellence by providing highquality educational programs.

USG Categories of Strategies Shorten
Time to Degree Access
Quality

SGC/WC Strategies Early intervention grade monitoring
Academic counseling
Implement USG New Learning Support Policy Work of the LSATF
Strengthen/Develop K-12 Partnerships Dual enrollment ACCEL programs Collaborative STEM workshops Information sessions involving middle and high school students and teachers Regional Education Summit
Build and Sustain Effective Teaching and Instructor/Course/Program Assessment Tools

*Outcomes
FA12-SP13: Continue early intervention grade monitoring at SGC & WC. FA13-SP14: Continue early intervention grade monitoring at the NC. FA12-SP13: Continue academic advising enhancement efforts at SGC & WC. FA13-SP14: Continue academic advising enhancement efforts at the NC. FA12: Implement USG New LS Policy at SGC & WC. SP13: Continue w/ USG LS Policy at SGC & WC. FA13-SP14: Continue w/ USG LS Policy at the NC.
To decrease the number of new students needing "Limited Admissions" (LA) status for fall 2012. The number of students needing "Limited Admissions" status will be less than those allowed by the USG for SGC.
40% of the students initially classified as "Limited Admissions" status will clear all LS requirements. 60% of the students initially classified as "LA" status will gain regular admission status w/ no more than 2 LS requirements. FA12: Continue the work of the LSATF at SGC. SP13: Continue the work of the LSATF at SGC and expand the work to WC. FA13-SP14: Continue the work of the LSATF at the NC. FA12: Implement dual enrollment/ACCEL program at Citizen Christian Academy and in Brantley county. Continue established programs. Establish schedule of STEM workshops and information sessions in middle and high schools in Coffee and Ware counties. Continue involvement in regional Education Summit. SP13-SP14: Continue dual enrollment/ACCEL programs, STEM workshops, information sessions, and involvement in regional Education Summit. FA12-SP14: Continue to build and sustain effective teaching and instructor/course/program assessment tools at SGC & WC, then the NC.

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Strengthen Program and Student Learning Outcome Assessment o Faculty Development Opportunities

FA12-SP14: Continue supporting, promoting, and offering faculty development opportunities to strengthen program and student learning outcomes at SGC & WC, then the NC.

*Exact number of course sessions and student learning outcomes (SLOs) will be determined when training and piloting are completed.

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Appendix A

Table A1: Average Total Hours Earned upon Graduation (AA/AS degree) Full-Time

2008 Student Baseline 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Black, non-

76

76

75

73

71

69

67

66

65

Hispanic

White, non-

72

72

71

70

69

68

67

66

65

Hispanic

Pell Grant

72

73

71

70

69

68

67

66

65

Recipients

Age 25 and

78

78

76

74

72

70

68

66

65

over

Table A2: Average Total Hours Earned Upon Graduation (AA/AS degree) Part-Time

2008 Student Baseline 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

*Black, non- >10

Hispanic

White, non-

74

74

72

70

68

66

65

65

65

Hispanic

*Pell Grant

>10

Recipients

Age 25 and

75

75

73

71

69

67

65

65

65

over

*Further assistance from the Office of Research and Policy Analysis is needed to set annual targets.

Table A3: Three-Year Graduation Rate Full-Time

2005 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015

Black, non- 11%

11% 13% 15% 17%

Hispanic

White, non- 22% Hispanic

22% 24% 26% 28%

Pell Grant 17% Recipients

17% 19% 21% 23%

Age 25 and 0% over

0% 2% 4% 6%

2014 2016 19%
30%
25%
8%

2015 2017 21%

2016 2018 23%

32% 34%

27% 29%

10% 12%

2017 2019 25%
36%
31%
14%

Table A4: One-Year Retention Rate Full-Time

2005 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014

Black, non- 61%

61% 63% 65%

Hispanic

White, non- 61% Hispanic

61% 63% 65%

Pell Grant

58%

Recipients

58% 60% 62%

Age 25 and 0% over

0% 2% 4%

2013 2015 67%
67%
64%
6%

2014 2016 69%

2015 2017 71%

69% 71%

66% 68%

8% 10%

2016 2018 73%

2017 2019 75%

73% 75%

70% 72%

12% 14%

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Table A5: One-Year Retention Rate Part-Time

2005 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Black, non- 0%

0% 2% 4%

6%

8% 10% 12% 14%

Hispanic

White, non- 36% Hispanic

36% 38% 40% 42% 44% 46% 48% 50%

Pell Grant

40%

Recipients

40% 42% 44% 46% 48% 50% 52% 54%

Age 25 and 40% over

40% 42% 44% 46% 48% 50% 52% 54%

Table A6: Course Completion

2008 Student Baseline 2010 2011 2012

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014

Full-Time

78%

78% 79% 80%

Part-Time

81%

81% 82% 83%

Transfer

78%

78% 79% 80%

2013 2015 81%
84%
81%

2014 2016 82%

2015 2017 83%

85% 86%

82% 83%

2016 2018 84%

2017 2019 85%

87% 88%

84% 85%

Table A7: Credit Accumulation Part-Time

2007 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015

Black, non- 31%

31% 33% 35% 37%

Hispanic

White, non- 26%

26% 28% 30% 32%

Hispanic

Pell Grant

27%

27% 29% 31% 33%

Recipients

Age 25 and

31%

31% 33% 35% 37%

over

2014 2016 39%

2015 2017 41%

34% 36%

35% 37%

39% 36%

2016 2018 43%

2017 2019 45%

38% 40%

39% 41%

38% 40%

Table A8: Credit Accumulation Full-Time

2007 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015

Black, non- 18%

18% 20% 22% 24%

Hispanic

White, non- 45%

45% 47% 49% 51%

Hispanic

Pell Grant

26%

Recipients

26% 28% 30% 32%

Age 25 and

30%

over

30% 32% 34% 36%

2014 2016 26%

2015 2017 28%

53% 55%

34% 36%

38% 40%

2016 2018 30%

2017 2019 32%

57% 59%

38% 40%

42% 44%

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Table A9: Completion of First Math & English Gateway Courses in Two Academic Years

2007 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Black, non- 24%

24% 26% 28% 30% 32% 34% 36% 38%

Hispanic

White, non- 48%

48% 50% 52% 54% 56% 58% 60% 62%

Hispanic

Pell Grant

31%

31% 33% 35% 37% 39% 41% 43% 45%

Recipients

Age 25 and

17%

17% 19% 21% 23% 25% 27% 29% 31%

over

Table A10: Degree Production

2008 Student Baseline

2010 2011 2012 2013

Cohort

Data

2012 2013 2014 2015

Black, non- 48

48

50

52

54

Hispanic

White, non- 268

268 270 272 274

Hispanic

Age 25 and

152

152 154 156 158

over

2014 2016 56

2015 2017 58

276 278

160 162

2016 2018 60

2017 2019 62

280 280

164 166

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COMPLETE COLLEGE GEORGIA PLAN
FOR
SOUTHERN POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY 22 AUGUST 2012
Revised
The Pipeline Model for Student Success

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PART I: GOALS AND DATA ANALYSIS
Introduction Improving graduation and retention rates while maintaining high academic quality are central elements of Southern Polytechnic State University's strategic plan; this plan broadens the university's focus from curriculum and enrollment to the larger goal of student success, both for enrolled students and graduates in their professional careers. The strategic plan guides SPSU's participation in the Complete College Georgia (CCG) Initiative. A broad spectrum of individuals participated in the development of the strategic plan, including more than 50 members of the University community (senior staff, deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and students). The university's participation in CCG is based on the strategic plan and has been led by a core leadership group, chaired by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
SPSU's CCG plan is based on a pipeline model (see cover page), focused on recruiting new students (inflow) and retaining students by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks and leaks (flow-through). These efforts will result in increases in both graduation rates and number of graduates (outflow). The pipeline segments correspond to the various steps students pass through from becoming aware of SPSU to being engaged alumni. Each segment has one or more areas of the university as its "champion" and is associated with specific goals and metrics.
How data informed our strategy development To better understand how students progress toward graduation, the CCG working group identified five original metrics (see Appendix) that academic departments use to analyze student performance. Additional metrics analyze admission and conversion rates (by gender, ethnicity, etc.) and enrollment data (by level and major) to determine capacity needs for SPSU's enrollment growth and student diversity strategies. Metrics help identify and analyze bottlenecks and leaks in the pipeline model that directly affect retention, progression, and graduation rates.
For example, some segments and gates in the pipeline model relate to critical gateway courses. The associated metrics (WRPG 0100 and 0104) measure firsttime, repeat, and ultimate success rates in individual courses. Academic programs can use these metrics to identify bottleneck courses that delay student graduation, enabling them to develop new strategies for student success. The metrics have helped identify gateway courses that most affect each major and progress toward graduation overall (CCG Metric 7).
Key findings SPSU is a comprehensive university with a mission focus on science, technology, engineering, architecture, and related fields. Enrollment has grown by 52% since 2005, from 3,807 students (Fall 2005) to 5,784 (Fall 2011). The student population is diverse, with 24.3% African-American students, 6.7% Hispanic, 10.3% Asian, and 2.6% multiracial. The American Society for Engineering Education ranks SPSU #1 in the U.S. for the number of African-American students (male and female) who earn



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degrees in engineering-related technologies, #3 for Asian-American male students, and #2 in the number of women earning bachelors degrees in these fields. In 201112, approximately 25% of new students were adults (defined as students above 25 years of age). Also in 2011-12, 34.2% were first-generation college students and 71.8% were Pell-Grant eligible.
The applied polytechnic nature of the curriculum is a hallmark of an SPSU education. All degree programs have a technological focus, and graduates are well known for being able to "hit the ground running" in fields that are critical to Georgia's economy. One measure of academic quality is program accreditation; 13 (43.3%) of the undergraduate programs are professionally accredited, 7 (23.3%) are either currently under accreditation review or will be as soon as they are eligible (for new programs), and 8 (26.7%) are in areas for which professional accreditation or certification does not currently exist. SPSU's academic programs are also considered rigorous. In March 2010, GradeInflation.com listed SPSU among the country's "Sweet Sixteen of Tough Graders" the hardest schools in the country to earn an "A." The author, a former Duke University professor, described Southern Polytechnic this way: "Another hard-nosed science and engineering school. Its state rival Georgia Tech is no piece of cake either, but SPSU gets the nod for a Sweet Sixteen seed this year."
Graduation rates at SPSU are a major area of focus. They have historically been low, but these rates have improved over the past seven years. For first-time full-time (FTFT) freshmen, the six-year graduation rate for the 1999 cohort was 23.1% and 31.2% for the 2005 cohort (USG data tables report these as 25.08 and 33.67%, respectively). Projected rates for the 2006 and 2007 cohorts are 32.3% and 38.8%, respectively. Sixyear graduation rates are predictably higher for transfer students; these rates have improved from 41.1% for the 1999 cohort to 44.9% for the 2005 cohort. Projected rates for the 2006 and 2007 cohorts are 48.2% and 52.2 %, respectively.
Retention rates are stronger and also show recent improvements. Full-time students are retained at greater than 90% for one semester (three-year averages of 94.36% for FTFT freshmen and 92.2% for FT transfer students) and more than 75% for one year (74.63% FTFT, 77.92% FT transfer). Part-time students are retained at far lower rates. The three-year rolling average is 76.32% for first-time part-time students and 75.78% for part-time transfer students; the one-year retention rate is 55% (53.16% FTPT, 60.29% PT transfer). Learning support is not a retention consideration, because SPSU does not offer learning-support programs.
Missing information Seven new web reports are being developed to provide data for the metrics needed for the Complete College Georgia plan. These reports provide overall data about our student population; we are still verifying the accuracy of the reports and plan to expand them to provide disaggregated data (by gender, ethnicity, etc.) in the future. Additional modifications will align the data with Complete College Georgia metrics.
Other data that will be incorporated in the future include the following:



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Including students who begin at SPSU and complete their education at another university (USG or otherwise) in calculating graduation rates and numbers of degrees conferred;
Identifying first-generation students individually, rather than extrapolating from student information on FAFSA forms to the overall student population, and
Correlating retention and graduation rates with financial aid and financial need.
In addition, SPSU is changing the data-reporting structure to support the CCG initiative. The CIO at SPSU is implementing a strategy to move from "pulled" data, which must be individually requested each time reports are needed, to "pushed data," with reports produced and distributed on a regular schedule.
Goals Based on SPSU's strategic plan and the key findings outlined above, the following major goals have been identified as part of our CCG Initiative.
Enrollment goals Increase enrollment at SPSU from 5,784 (Fall 2011) to 6,765 (Fall 2015), i.e. by 4% per year. The final goal for Fall 2020 is 8,000. Increase the number of women students on campus from 1,194 (20.7% in Fall 2011) to 1,550 (23% in Fall 2015). The final goal for Fall 2020 is 2,000 (25%). Increase the percentage of Hispanic students on campus from 6.7% to 8% by 2015.
Retention- and graduation-rate goals Increase success rates (A-C) in chemistry, mathematics, and physics gateway courses from current values (see Metric 7) to 70% in chemistry and 65% in mathematics and physics by 2015. The final goal for 2020 is 75% success rate in chemistry and 70% in mathematics and physics. Increase the percentage of courses taught in online or converged modality from 24.2% to 33%. Increase the one-year retention rate from 75% to 84% for full-time students and from 55% to 65% for part-time students by 2015. Increase FTFT six-year graduation rate from 31.2% to 44% for 2012 entering cohort. The goal for the 2014 entering cohort (graduating in 2020) is 50%. For full-time transfer students, increase graduation rates to 55% (2012 entering cohort) and 60% (2014 entering cohort), respectively.
Program accreditation Increase percentage of professionally accredited programs from 43.3% to 70% through accreditation of newest degree programs by 2017. Achieve AACSB accreditation for business administration program by 2020.
Program support Raise $1 million in endowments for academic schools by 2014. The final goal for 2020 is $4 million in school endowments.



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Increase external funding of academic grants and contracts to $5 million annually by 2014. The ultimate goal for 2020 is $7.5 million annually.
Number of Graduates Increase the number of degrees conferred per academic year from 987 to 1,250 in 2015. The final goal for 2020 is 1,750 graduates per year.

PARTS II AND III: STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES; PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
Objective 1: Increasing middle and high school students' awareness of science and engineering careers and STEM programs at SPSU.
Strategy 1: K-12 STEM career awareness for underserved populations Aligned with our mission, partnerships with K-12 generally focus on expanding science and engineering career awareness of middle and high school students and providing support for these students in the areas of mathematics and science. Our K12 partners provide us with critical guidance and information on how best to offer these programs and how well they are working, as well as access to their facilities and students.
Primary metrics addressed: Increased Access; Retention Rates.
Implementation: SPSU will continue to sponsor major outreach activities to promote STEM-career awareness, such as FIRST Robotics, BEST Robotics, Science Olympiad, Future Cities, and other programs. These activities involve hundreds of middle and high school participants each year. Examples of these activities include the following:
Students in SPSU's Honors Program, Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PSLSAMP), and African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) are required to perform public service, including as tutors and mentors to promote STEM and SPSU -- awareness. This public service is performed at area middle and high schools with high-minority enrollments. PSLSAMP students also act as "big brothers/sisters" to incoming AAMI students.
Games-For-Learning is an initiative of the computer game design and development program; students work with K-12 students and teachers to develop educational games that address STEM concepts identified as challenging by the teachers.
Physics At Early Stage is an initiative to build interest in physics among elementary and middle school students by introducing required Georgia Performance Standards concepts through mini-workshops. An additional goal is to develop linkages between SPSU and local schools to sustain student engagement.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of Advising, Tutoring, Testing, and International Center (ATTIC); Director of PSLSAMP; Director of Honors Program; academic deans.
Effectiveness: By improving familiarity with STEM career choices and by improving math/science skills in the target audience, this strategy's primary effect will be on



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increasing enrollments and ultimately, degrees conferred, especially among female, Hispanic, African-American, first generation, and low-income students. While this strategy will not have any significant effect until after 2020 (because most students affected are in middle school), this strategy is important in building an access pipeline in economically critical STEM areas and increases engagement of current students.
Strategy 2: K-12 outreach through science-education programs
Primary metrics addressed: Retention Rates; Degrees Conferred; Success Rates in Gateway Courses.
Implementation: SPSU has begun offering degree programs in biology education, chemistry education, mathematics education, and physics education. As a requirement at all levels within the programs, students engage in praxis activities at local public and private middle and high schools; students will serve as student teachers and tutors in local public and private schools. Science teachers are in high demand, and graduates will easily find placements in area schools, further expanding awareness of SPSU's programs.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of Teacher Education Program.
Effectiveness: This strategy will help supply Georgia with high school teachers in critically needed STEM areas. SPSU is part of the national UTeach replication program, which results in high rates of teacher retention. Our goal is to produce 60 mathematics and science teachers annually by 2017 and 80 by 2020. By improving student familiarity with STEM career choices and strengthening their math/science skills, pursuing this strategy will ultimately increase degrees conferred. Through supporting better science and mathematics skills in K-12 education, this strategy is expected to ultimately improve retention rates and success in gateway courses in college.
Objective 2: Improving access for underserved students
Strategy 3: Articulation programs with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
Primary Metrics Addressed: Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: SPSU will continue to play a leading role in expanding access to higher education for Georgia students and promoting statewide economic development through statewide articulation programs with the TCSG. Four B.A.S. programs and three new B.S. programs in engineering technology are offered in articulation with all SACS-accredited units of the TCSG. The SPSU courses in this program are offered in converged or multiple modality format (see Strategy 10 for details). This allows TCSG graduates (many of whom are rural, adult, and/or firstgeneration students) to continue their education without disrupting their families or



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leaving their jobs or homes and to earn degrees in critical STEM areas. Additional subject areas for articulation will be explored if sufficient demand exists.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs; academic deans and department chairs.
Effectiveness: Total enrollment in articulation programs is currently 225, with a goal to increase to 500 by 2015. Expanding access for rural students promotes statewide economic development. This strategy is expected to have a strong impact on overall degrees conferred.
Strategy 4: Improving access for adult learners
Primary metrics addressed: Degrees Conferred; Increased Access.
Implementation: SPSU has been designated as an Adult Learner Friendly Institution by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), and the university is an active participant in the USG's Adult Learning Consortium. We are developing a conservative, course-outcome-based prior-learning-assessment (PLA) program, following CAEL principles that enable adult students to shorten their path to graduation and be awarded credit for demonstrated prior learning. Currently, students are awarded credit for sufficiently high scores on AP and IB courses or by passing CLEP exams. Depending on departmental policies, students may also be awarded credit by passing departmental challenge exams or by preparing a portfolio demonstrating their prior learning for faculty evaluation. A proposal to implement this PLA program will be presented to the general faculty in Fall 2012. The program will target adults who have left college due to life issues; the program will help these students develop an academic plan that best meets their needs. The university will also review and revise support services to address the needs of this target population. We are developing an online course to train faculty (at SPSU and for the Adult Learning Consortium state-wide) in PLA methods. By offering more courses in a converged format, SPSU's programs will be increasingly attractive to adult, parttime, and working students.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Academic Affairs; Director of Faculty Growth and Development; SPSU Adult Learning Committee; Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services.
Effectiveness: The number of adult students in our entering classes has risen from 377 (21.13% in 2008-09) to 566 (27.40% in 2011-12). Our goal is to maintain about 25% of each incoming class as adult students, with an increase to 680 by the 201415 academic year.
Strategy 5: Improving access for military learners
Primary metrics addressed: Increased Access.



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Implementation: SPSU plans to develop support programs for active military, veteran, and reserve students. SPSU is a member of the USG's Soldier 2 Scholar (S2S) consortium and the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) and has been designated a Military Friendly Institution by G.I. Jobs. Our military support programs and the Active Military Personnel and Veterans Organization help veterans and reservists transition from the life of a soldier to that of a civilian through obtaining of a high-quality education. Our first step will be to gather more accurate information about the number of veterans (and G.I. Bill-eligible family members) present on campus and to create a supportive environment relative to veterans concerns. In addition, by offering more courses online in a converged format (see Strategy 10), SPSU will be increasingly attractive to active military, veterans, and reservists.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Academic Affairs; Director of Faculty Growth and Development; SPSU's Adult Learning Committee; Director of Financial Aid; Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services.
Effectiveness: This strategy will have a moderate impact on increasing enrollments and degrees conferred overall. The university first needs to understand the numbers and needs of veteran, active duty, and reserve students. SPSU application forms will be updated to collect accurate data about current numbers and demographics of military students. Specific support strategies for military students will be developed by Fall 2013 and implemented by Fall 2014. Discussions to identify a space for a Military Center are currently underway. Specific strategies for recruiting and supporting military learners will be developed by Fall 2013.
Objective 3: Restructuring instructional delivery and support
Strategy 6: Creating engaged learning communities
Primary Metrics Addressed: Retention Rates; Degrees Conferred; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: As part of SPSU's SACS-approved Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) project, SPSU will establish learning communities of first-year students based on their majors. First-year students will block register into learning communities; cohorts take College Writing I (ENGL 1101), the first course in their major sequence, and SPSU 1001 (an orientation course to the university). Students in each learning community take classes together and participate in the University's first-year studies program and extracurricular activities. Among the outcomes of the SPSU 1001 course is each student developing an individual graduation plan.
Responsibility for implementation: Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness.
Effectiveness: Results at other universities indicate that implementation of this strategy will impact retention and, ultimately, degrees conferred and graduation rates.



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Nearly all (95%) new FTFT students and half of new transfer students will participate in a learning community and prepare a graduation plan; all transfer students with GPA's between 2.0 and 2.3 will be required to participate in a learning community.
Strategy 7: Enhanced advising, tutoring, and counseling services
Primary Metrics Addressed: Retention; Degrees Conferred; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: SPSU plans to provide a stronger "safety net" for students through enhanced advising, tutoring, and counseling services. Professional academic advisors play a critical role in helping students select courses, deal with the complexities of the curriculum, and address necessary areas of student academic weakness. These advisors enable faculty to provide critical mentoring and advising on professional and disciplinary activities. Advisors also help ensure that academic policies (prerequisites, maximum number of credits taken, etc.) are followed, and they assist students in using DegreeWorks. Three additional advisors were hired just prior to Fall 2011, joining two professional advisors already at the university and bringing the total to one in each academic school. Collectively, these five engaged in more than 2,100 "live" student interactions in Fall 2011 (an increase from 750 for the entire 2010-11 year), with additional interactions occurring via telephone and email.
Use of university tutoring services increased from 4,621 individual visits in 2010 to 5,175 in 2011, an increase of 12% (compared to a 5% increase in enrollment). Individual counseling center visits increased from 168 (Fall 2009) to 309 (Fall 2011). The Career and Counseling Center provides additional career counseling and job placement services as students near graduation, and the center collects expanded job placement and salary data for SPSU graduates.
Note: SPSU does not offer learning support programs or remedial courses.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of the Advising, Testing, Tutoring and International Center; academic deans; Director of Career and Counseling Center.
Effectiveness: This strategy will have a strong impact on retention and ultimately on degrees conferred and graduation rates. As resources permit, SPSU plans to increase the number of professional advisors on campus from 1 per 1,200 students to 1 per 600 students.
Strategy 8: Improving success rates in gateway courses
Primary metrics addressed: Success Rates in Gateway Courses; Retention; Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: Given SPSU's curricular focus on STEM fields, the following gateway courses were selected for focused assessment: General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 1211-1212K), College Writing (ENGL 1101-1102), College Algebra (MATH



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1111), Pre-Calculus (MATH 1113), Calculus I and II (MATH 2253-2254), Differential Equations (MATH 2306), Physics I and II (algebra-based, PHYS 1111-1112K), and Physics I and II (calculus-based, PHYS 2211-2212K). Additional gateway courses will be analyzed and monitored by individual departments. Success is defined as earning a grade of A, B, or C, consistent with the USG's campus completion plan template.
Initial data indicate that gateway English courses generally have success rates above 80% and thus are not a significant roadblock to student success. The results are somewhat lower in gateway chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses, with most having average success rates of 64-69%. A positive exception is in MATH 1113, where the average success rate is above 70%. On the other hand, MATH 2254 has an average success rate of 54.63%, and PHYS 1111 averages 52.92%.
The Mathematics Department has added faculty-led recitation sections to all sections of MATH 1111. Some sections of MATH 1113 are now offered in a five-day-perweek format, and students who are having difficulty are advised to enroll in these sections. In chemistry and physics, recitation sections have been added to CHEM 1211, PHYS 1111, and PHYS 2211. Additional similar strategies involving course redesign, stronger/mandatory pre-gateway course advising, and enhanced student support will be developed, implemented, and evaluated for each gateway course with an average success rate below 70%. The appropriateness of the 70% standard will also be assessed as more data are collected.
Responsibility for implementation: Dean of Arts and Sciences, department chairs and faculty in chemistry, mathematics, and physics.
Effectiveness: The goal is 65% success rates in gateway mathematics and physics courses (70% in chemistry) by 2015 and 70% success rates in these areas (75% in chemistry) by 2020, which is expected to have a positive impact on retention and degrees awarded.
Strategy 9: Enhance the Early-Warning System
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Success Rates in Gateway Courses.
Implementation: To identify students in academic trouble early in the semester, faculty assess engagement in all undergraduate courses. These assessments indicate whether students are "engaged" (attending classes, participating, submitting required assignments), "not engaged" (attending at least some classes, but not otherwise performing at appropriate levels), or "not present." (Students identified as "not present" in all classes are dropped from the university's rolls, and any financial aid awards are cancelled.) Students identified as "not engaged" in one or more courses receive a letter from the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services, encouraging them to meet with the appropriate faculty member, to see their advisor, and to take advantage of the various support services (such as tutoring and



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counseling) that are available. Results will also be sent to the school advisors, so that they can initiate contact with unengaged students. Faculty have begun using engagement as a proactive measure to inform students that strong early performance is critical to success. Faculty involvement in this effort is an important step in developing a culture of student success.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services; Registrar.
Effectiveness: All full-time SPSU faculty members submitted their engagement reports in the Early-Warning System within 24 hours of the scheduled deadline in Fall 2011. We anticipated that the engagement reports would result in a decline in the percentage of students earning D, F, or W grades. These rates have indeed dropped from 32% (prior to the Early-Warning System) to 24% (Fall 2010). As noted in Strategy 7, students are using advising, tutoring, and counseling services at significantly higher levels, partially as a result of the Early-Warning System.
Strategy 10: Implementation of alternative delivery methods
Primary metrics addressed: Fraction of Courses Taught in Hybrid and Online Formats; Increased Access; Enrollment; Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: SPSU plans to expand courses offered in a high-quality format that are cost-effective and meet the needs of diverse learners. Converged courses are offered simultaneously in face-to-face, hybrid, synchronous online, and asynchronous online formats. A student registers for the course (not the modality) and can participate in an asynchronous online discussion one day, switch to a face-to-face lecture another day, and participate in a synchronous discussion another day as required by work, home, health, or learning considerations. Laboratories are offered through simulation, remote access, or bundled in groups of three or four on several Saturdays during a semester to minimize the need to travel to campus. This format allows students to align their particular learning style to the modality of presentation that best suits them for a particular activity. All learning objects and course materials are available in classroom and interactive online modes, as well as through synchronous webcasts and asynchronous podcasts, thereby enhancing the learning experience of all students. A variety of hardware and software (such as Echo 360 and Camtasia) is used in offering converged courses.
Offering courses in multiple or converged modalities was tested in 2011-12 by SPSU's Information Technology, Industrial Engineering Technology, and Electrical Engineering Technology departments, and this format will be implemented in additional programs starting in 2012-13. We have expanded the number of classrooms equipped to offer converged courses to 16 in Fall 2012. Online orientations have been developed, and all supported online courses are rigorously assessed by outside evaluators.



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Responsibility for implementation: Director of Educational Support and Online Learning; Director of Instructional Design; academic deans.
Effectiveness: Increasing the percentage of converged and online courses is part of the strategy to support articulation with the TCSG and enhance access for adult and military learners. Our goal is to increase the percentage of converged and online courses from the current 24.2% to 33% by 2015.
Strategy 11: Expand curricular offerings
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: Relative to most comprehensive universities, SPSU offers a limited range of degree programs. Historically, this has negatively impacted our retention rates, because a student who discovered that his/her interests lie outside engineering and technology had limited alternative choices. Over the past several years, SPSU has pursued a strategy of becoming more comprehensive, with each program still having a strong technological focus. In addition to engineering majors, SPSU has added programs in new media arts, psychology (focus on industrial psychology), computer game design and development, accounting, political science (focus on analytics), chemistry, and science education. We plan to continue this strategy by adding programs in the environmental, biomedical, and biotechnology fields.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; academic deans; Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services; Director of Admissions.
Effectiveness: This strategy will provide our students with additional programmatic pathways to graduation, which will improve institutional retention rates and graduation rates. Individual targets for enrollment and degrees conferred will be set for each new academic program.
Objective 4. Shorten time to degree completion
Strategy 12: Implement permanent schedules for course offerings
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: All SPSU academic departments will implement permanent schedules to allow students to plan their course sequences more effectively. Departments will also develop sample schedules (including use of summer terms) that will allow students to graduate in 3 to 3.5 years.
Responsibility for implementation: Academic deans; department chairs.
Effectiveness: In concert with this effort, strategies 3, 4, and 5 also shorten time-todegree for transfer students from the TCSG, adult students, and military students,



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respectively. In all cases, enhanced access will result in shorter times to graduation, even when the number of required credits remains the same.
This strategy will reduce the cost and length of time required to get a degree, as well as reduce the cost of instruction because the number of sections that need to be offered can be planned with greater accuracy. This strategy will also shift some demand to times when greater capacity is available, such as in the summer session. This strategy is expected to have a moderate effect on improving retention and graduation rates.
Objective 5. Increase support for academic quality
Strategy 13: Utilizing program accreditation as an indicator of quality
Primary metrics addressed: Professional Accreditation; Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: Currently, all engineering technology programs, as well as programs in construction engineering, architecture, computer science, information technology, and construction management, are accredited at the highest levels possible in their disciplines. Of all programs offered at SPSU, 43.3% are currently professionally accredited; 23.3% are too new to be eligible for accreditation. SPSU will continue its policy of securing the highest accreditation level available for all academic programs. Sufficient resources will be allocated to unaccredited academic programs to allow application for accreditation.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs, academic deans.
Effectiveness: SPSU's goal is to have 70% of programs accredited at the highest level by professional accrediting bodies by 2020. [Note: For about a quarter of our programs, no accreditation is available.]
Objective 6. Expand other forms of support for student success
Strategy 14: Continue improving customer service
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: SPSU will continue improving how services are delivered in support areas such as the business, financial aid, admissions, and registrar's offices, to reduce barriers to enrollment and to student progress. Improvement will be informed by survey results obtained from both NSSE and ACT. SPSU will also remain active in the USG Customer Service Initiative, reviewing existing processes for improvement using Six Sigma methodologies. Academic departments will also proactively support newly accepted students to assist in their transition to SPSU.



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Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services; Director of Admissions; Director of Financial Aid; Registrar; Dean of Students; Controller; Vice President of Academic Affairs, academic department chairs.
Effectiveness: This strategy is expected to improve retention and graduation rates.
Strategy 15: Increase financial support
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates; Program Quality.
Implementation: As articulated in the strategic plan, SPSU will raise additional scholarship funding, especially for students who have financial need that is not met with federal aid or HOPE scholarships. Exit surveys of students who leave SPSU indicate that the most frequent reason is lack of family resources to cover the cost of their education. Funds will also be raised to create departmental endowments. Additional grant and contract funding will be sought to support academic programs.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for University Advancement; Vice President of Academic Affairs; academic deans.
Effectiveness: SPSU will increase the number of endowed student scholarships to 30 by 2014 and to 60 by 2020. Each endowed student scholarship supports up to 35 students, and these endowed scholarships benefit both recruitment and retention. For examples, the Goizueta Scholarships have helped increase SPSU's Hispanic student population over the past eight years, and endowed scholarships in Architecture have allowed students to complete their degrees. Funds will also be raised to create school-based endowments of $1 million by 2014 and $4 million by 2020. We will Increase annual external funding of academic grants and contracts from the current level of $2.3 million to $5 million by 2014; the ultimate goal for 2020 is $7.5 million. This strategy is expected to have a positive effect on retention and graduation rates.
PART IV: ONGOING FEEDBACK/EVALUATION
Implementation of SPSU's Complete College Georgia plan will be assessed each semester by the University Institutional Effectiveness Council, which comprises the senior administration, all academic deans, and representative faculty, staff, and students. The Council is chaired by the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, and the Council will make recommendations to other groups on campus to ensure that the goals of the Complete College Georgia plan are met.
Demographic, retention, progression, and graduation data will be gathered and analyzed for the university as a whole by the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, the Director of the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment, and the Coordinator of Assessment, with a report issued each semester for review by the effectiveness council. Course and department-based data will be analyzed by department chairs as part of their annual reports, which are compiled by the deans for each academic



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school. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will produce an annual report by for review by the Council, whose report will be shared with the entire university community; this report will also be distributed to industry/business leaders and relevant community members by the President, who will solicit and share their comments with the Council.
To track progress on this plan more consistently, SPSU is implementing a strategy to move from "pulled" data (individually obtained each time it is needed) to "pushed data" (calculated at predetermined times, and automatically sent to those who need it).



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APPENDIX ON USG AND SPSU METRICS

Original SPSU Metrics WRPG 0100 Success Rate for a Course (complex analysis, with SATs, MAT exam, etc.) WRPG 0101 Graduation Rates by Category (FT, Transfer), School, Department, and
Program WRPG 0102 Student Tracker by Initial Major, Based on Entry Term
Indicates # credits completed, GPA, and major each term from entry term WRPG 0103 Student Tracker by Final Major, Based on Graduation Term
Indicates # credits completed, GPA, and major each term backwards from graduation term WRPG 0104 Success Rates for Courses within a Department or School (1st, 2nd, 3rd attempts)

A report, by department and/or school, of these five metrics is being compiled and will be available Fall 2012.

Complete College Georgia Metrics

Metric 1: WCCG 0100 Graduation rates (4-, 6-, and 8-year) by category (FT, Transfer)

Metric 2: WCCG 0300 Retention rates (term-by-term, three years) by category (FT,

Transfer)

Metric 3: WCCG 0200 Average credit hours at time of completion (Native, Transfer)

Metric 4: WCCG 0400 Course completion ratios (All students in a term, all graduating

students)

Metric 5: WCCG 0700 Number of degrees conferred (Undergraduate, Certificate,

Metric 6: Metric 7:

Graduate, Graduate Certificate) WCCG 0600 Increased access (Adult Students, 1st Generation, Pell Grant) WCCG 0500 Success rates in gateway courses (1st time, Ultimate)

Metric 8: Professional accreditation of academic programs

Metric 9: Fraction of unique courses taught in online or hybrid formats

Metric 10: WSHR 2100 Access through transfers from TCSG

Metric 11: WSHR 2110 Credit granted for prior learning

Other Metrics Related to Quality Assessment of learning outcomes Assessment of faculty Annual survey of faculty about their assessment of curricular and student quality

The recent data for the Complete College Georgia Metrics and for the Other Metrics Related to Quality appear on the following pages.

General note on metrics: Some results for the WCCG metrics differ slightly from data reported in various USG reports. We are working to reduce (or eliminate) any differences.



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Correlation Table for Goals, Metrics and Strategies

Strategy #

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Goal Relevant Metric

5, 6 1, 2, 4, 5 5, 6

1 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 5, 2, 7 4, 5, 1, 2

1, 2

1, 2, 7

1, 2

1, 2

5, 7

5

5

7

6

Increase

M S

SS M

S S

M S

M

enrollment

Increase # female M S

S

S S

Increase #

M S

M

M M

Hispanic students

Improve gateway

M

S S S M

course success

rates

Increase # online

SS S

S

and converged

courses

Increase retention

M

S S S MMS M M S

rates

Increase

S S S MMS M M M

graduation rates

Increase

S

percentage of

accredited

programs

AACSB

S

accreditation in

Business Admin.

Increase

S

endowment

Increase funding

S

from

grants/contracts

Increase # of

M M SS M S S S M S S M M M

M

graduates



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I. Increased efficiencies

Metric 1: Graduation rates--SPSU graduation only (Source: WCCG 0100)

Year, Fall
# Yrs in Grad Rate 1st Time FT
Transfer FT 1st Time PT
Transfer PT
Learning Support
Federal Fin. Aid

2002

2003

2004

4 6 8 4 6 8 4 6 8

6.09 29.36 35.73 5.96 27.98 32.56 7.81 32.64 38.39

35.97 55.02 57.14 26.94 41.09 43.83 36.59 50.64 53.61

0 23.33 30.00 6.06 9.09 18.18 0 12.50 20.83

12.19 20.32 25.20 19.72 29.93 29.93 18.42 28.94 34.86

SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind.

Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.

1st Time FT Transfer FT 1st Time PT Transfer PT Learning Support Federal Fin. Aid

3-year average 4 6 8 6.62 29.99 35.56 33.17 49.83 51.53 2.02 14.97 23.00 16.78 26.40 30.00 SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind. Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.

Metric 2: Retention rates--at SPSU only (Source: WCCG 0300)

Year, Fall
# Yrs in Grad Rate 1st Time FT
Transfer FT 1st Time PT
Transfer PT
Learning Support
Federal Fin. Aid

2009

2010

2011

0.5 1 2 0.5 1 2 0.5 1 2

94.98 72.97 56.37 94.03 76.28 -- 94.08 -- --

92.51 76.58 69.79 93.78 79.26 -- 90.31

64.71 47.06 23.53 81.48 59.26 -- 82.76

79.73 63.51 51.35 75.88 57.06 -- 71.72

SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind.

Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.



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Metric 3: Average credit hours at time of completion (Source: WCCG 0200)

Year Graduated

2009-10

Native Transfer

BAS Management

135.7

BAS Information Tech

136.4

BAS Supply Chain

BA English/Prof. Comm. 128.0 138.3

BA New Media Arts

B.S. Accounting

B. Apparel + Textiles

135.4

B. Architecture

162.3 195.0

B.S. Biology

122.8 143.8

B.S. Business Admin.

129.2 147.9

B.S. Chemistry

B.S. Civil Engineering

B.S. Civil Engineering Tech. 140.4 159.5

B.S. Computer Eng. Tech. 148.6 160.3

B.S. Computer Game Design

B.S. Computer Science

131.4 136.4

B.S. Construction Eng.

163.0 170.3

B.S. Construction Mgt.

146.9 157.0

B.S. Electrical Engineering

B.S. Electrical Eng. Tech 143.9 162.6

B.S. Industrial Eng. Tech. 141.3 158.0

B.S. Information Tech.

126.4 149.2

B.S. Inform. Tech. (Web) 152.3

B.S. International Studies 122.0 146.3

B.S. Mathematics

132.0 152.3

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

B.S. Mechanical Eng. Tech. 135.2 155.0

B.S. Mechatronics Eng.

B.S. Physics

137.0

B.S. Psychology

118.0 208.7

B.S. Software Engineering 134.6 156.8

B.S. Surveying and Mapping 141.0

B.S. Technical Communic. 132.0 130.0

B.S. Telecomm. Eng. Tech. 144.3 154.9

2010-2011 Native Transfer
159.4 147.6
126.0 127.7
153.0 160.0 129.3 142.3 159.6 186.0 139.3 156.6 135.3 144.2 120.0 179.5
136.6 157.9 143.8 165.9 131.5 132.5 136.2 157.9 174.7 147.4 157.1
145.7 157.4 134.4 154.0 127.5 142.1
135.0 133.4 140.5 153.1
136.0 151.4 154.8 166.7 131.0 135.0 133.8 142.7 159.5 130.0 174.4 137.5 136.4 137.0 160.3

2011-2012 Native Transfer
140.4 145.4 148.3 124.0 129.5 156.0 127.0 177.4 145.9 146.7 160.2 185.4 177.4 143.6 132.3 134.0 145.0 165.7 142.7 168.2 135.0 176.2 130.0 130.9 142.6 144.0 182.6 145.3 157.6 179.5 147.0 165.6 138.2 155.9 128.6 147.4 144.0 143.0 130.8 134.0 139.7
139.1 156.2 149.5 195.1
164.7 125.7 145.3 134.7 154.6 143.0 127.0 136.8
147.0



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Metric 4: Course completion ratio (Source WCCG 0420)

All Students

2009

2010

Sum Fall Spring

A--C 80.46 73.76 74.02

A--D 86.39 80.57 81.28

A 31.41 26.82 26.94

B 29.37 27.84 27.85

C 19.48 18.78 19.06

D

5.93 6.82 7.26

F

5.82 8.67 7.80

I

0.47 0.58 0.45

S

0.20 0.31 0.16

U

0.14 0.18 0.06

V

0.02 0.06 1.03

W 7.11 9.94 9.31

2011 Sum Fall Spring 75.33 74.52 74.59 81.39 80.69 81.45 30.07 27.09 28.45 28.33 28.53 27.49 16.77 18.75 18.55 6.06 6.17 6.86 6.54 8.05 8.48 0.79 0.55 0.60 0.15 0.14 0.01 0.25 0.01 2.89 0.85 0.97 8.11 9.79 8.49

2012 Sum Fall Spring 76.07 73.03 73.93 81.77 80.37 80.02 30.24 27.73 26.82 26.53 27.45 27.94 16.99 17.68 18.92 5.70 7.34 6.99 7.66 9.07 8.55 0.78 0.64 0.67 2.31 0.18 0.25 0.08 0.01 1.08 0.01 1.44 8.64 9.38 8.39

Students Who Graduated in Given Term

2009

2010

Sum Fall Spring

A--C 80.48 81.21 84.09

A--D 85.68 87.02 88.70

A 32.24 31.97 34.17

B 30.55 30.93 31.33

C 17.26 18.29 17.32

D

5.07 5.69 4.69

F

4.39 3.47 3.31

I

0.69 0.29 0.49

S

0.53 0.63 0.47

U

0.51 0.25 0.24

V

1.67 1.78 2.33

W 7.08 6.70 5.62

2011 Sum Fall Spring 79.82 83.10 84.34 84.87 87.41 88.68 30.23 36.02 37.17 30.48 30.08 29.90 19.14 16.45 17.13 5.30 4.19 4.39 3.62 3.50 3.15 0.43 0.28 0.29 0.34 0.49 0.30 0.14 0.18 0.13 1.96 2.21 1.35 8.37 6.62 6.17

2012 Sum Fall Spring 79.29 81.93 82.64 85.22 87.49 87.12 30.47 33.47 36.35 29.02 30.92 29.55 20.26 17.63 16.30 5.89 5.51 4.51 4.94 4.17 4.08 0.33 0.39 0.41 0.42 0.32 0.52 0.13 0.21 0.10 1.54 1.56 1.65 7.00 5.82 6.54



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2. Increased numbers of graduates

Metric 5: Number of degrees conferred (Source: WCCG 0700)

Undergrad 2009-2010 596 2009 Summer 138 2009 Fall 189 2010 Spring 269

Undergrad Cert 28
3 4 21

Grad 166 39 67 60

Grad Cert 12 2 5 5

Total 802 182 265 355

2010-2011 723

11

2010 Summer 161

1

2010 Fall 235

4

2011 Spring 327

6

200

14

948

63

4

229

63

6

308

74

4

411

2011-2012 728

6

2011 Summer 142

4

2011 Fall 242

1

2012 Spring 344

1

229

24

987

46

4

196

83

6

332

100

14

459

Three-Year Average:

912.33

Note: This does not include students who complete the equivalent of an associates degree (60 hours) and do not graduate. It also does not include students who graduate from another USG institution.



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Metric 6: Increased access (Source: WCCG 0600)

N 2007-2008 1556 2007 Summer 188 2007 Fall 1041 2008 Spring 327

# Adults % 371 23.84
75 39.89 171 16.43 125 38.23

#1st Gen* % 471 30.27 53 28.40 310 29.78 108 33.18

# Pell % 914 58.74 49 26.06 704 67.63 161 49.24

2008-2009 1784 2008 Summer 209 2008 Fall 1202 2009 Spring 373

377 21.13 66 31.58 170 14.14 141 37.80

504 28.25 47 22.61 338 28.14 119 31.93

1067 63 820 184

59.81 30.14 68.22 49.33

2009-2010 1797 2009 Summer 247 2009 Fall 1183 2010 Spring 367

415 23.09 97 39.27 185 15.64 133 36.24

551 30.66 70 28.23 362 30.60 119 32.54

1141 77 847 217

63.49 31.17 71.60 59.13

2010-2011 1918 2010 Summer 237 2010 Fall 1286 2011 Spring 395

462 24.09 92 38.82 218 16.95 152 38.48

619 32.27 75 31.76 398 30.95 146 37.05

1329 116 960 253

69.29 48.95 74.65 64.05

2011-2012 2066 2011 Summer 253 2011 Fall 1236 2012 Spring 577

566 27.40 97 34.39 229 18.53
240 41.59

706 34.17 72 28.33 398 32.22 236 40.95

1483 136 965 382

71.78 53.75 78.07 66.20

2012 Summer 322

187 48.76

90 28.07

162 50.31

*Assumption to estimate number of first-generation students: Overall percentage of firstgeneration students at SPSU is that same percentage as those who indicated they are firstgeneration on a FAFSA.



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3. Quality

Metric 7: First-time and ultimate student success rates in gateway courses (Source: WCCG 0500)

CHEM 1211K CHEM 1212K ENGL 1101 ENGL 1102 MATH 1111 MATH 1113 MATH 2253 MATH 2254 MATH 2306 PHYS 1111K PHYS 1112K PHYS 2211K PHYS 2212K

2009

2010

Sum

Fall

Spr

Sum

Fall

1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult

79.1 81.4 69.9 78.4 62.6 71.8 78.4 83.8 76.2 82.0

82.1 92.9 57.1 64.3 73.8 76.2 66.7 80.0 71.1 77.8

68.4 78.9 85.1 91.4 80.9 83.8 97.1 100 88.2 90.7

84.2 86.8 80.4 87.4 86.2 90.6 83.3 83.3 77.4 85.6

63.2 78.9 72.5 80.4 58.4 75.3 67.9 71.4 78.2 82.0

73.9 87.0 75.9 83.3 74.4 82.6 78.7 93.6 70.6 81.4

68.1 79.7 64.1 80.4 67.3 79.4 70.3 84.4 67.6 76.5

65.0 80.0 47.8 68.6 70.7 81.0 37.5 71.2 56.5 69.9

90.7 92.6 65.1 82.0 76.4 87.4 81.8 92.7 65.4 77.6

62.3 71.7 53.3 62.0 57.9 67.3 57.4 61.1 42.1 51.2

42.9 64.3 64.7 68.6 62.2 66.7 80.0 80.0 76.3 81.6

67.7 77.4 64.3 71.4 60.3 70.9 61.2 82.1 68.4 71.9

86.4 93.9 70.1 80.4 71.4 78.2 78.9 86.0 71.1 77.2

CHEM 1211K CHEM 1212K ENGL 1101 ENGL 1102 MATH 1111 MATH 1113 MATH 2253 MATH 2254 MATH 2306 PHYS 1111K PHYS 1112K PHYS 2211K PHYS 2212K

2011

2012

Spr

Sum

Fall

Spr

1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st

63.6 71.1 51.1 60.0 63.6 67.2 66.3

55.7 69.3 81.8 81.8 62.9 68.6 78.2

76.0 78.8 91.7 91.7 82.6 87.2 83.3

87.5 90.9 69.8 76.7 77.8 81.3 83.8

68.5 71.7 44.8 51.7 63.5 68.1 63.2

75.9 81.4 52.8 65.3 71.3 75.2 63.2

67.8 74.7 62.1 69.7 61.6 65.3 62.7

56.6 66.4 44.6 55.4 44.0 52.4 52.2

65.6 72.5 63.5 75.0 71.2 73.3 70.0

62.5 65.4 59.5 59.5 50.5 53.5 51.2

65.9 68.3 66.7 66.7 61.9 69.0 69.3

64.4 70.2 54.8 61.6 61.4 66.3 68.9

71.1 76.3 70.8 77.1 67.0 73.8 58.4



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Metric 8: Professional accreditation of academic programs

Program Accounting
Architecture Biology Business Administration Chemistry Civil Engineering Civil Engineering Tech. Computer Eng. Tech. Computer Science Construction Engineering Construction Management Education Electrical Engineering Electrical Engineering Tech English + Prof. Comm. Industrial Eng. Tech. Information Technology International Studies Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Eng. Tech. Mechatronics Engineering Physics Political Science Psychology Software Engineering Surveying and Mapping Systems Engineering Technical Communication Telecom. Eng. Tech.

Agency ACBSP

Currently Accred? In progress

NAAB

Yes

None Avail. No

ACBSP

Yes

ACS*

No

ABET

No (New Program)

ABET

Yes

ABET

Yes

ABET

Yes

ABET

Yes

ACCE

Yes

PSC, NCATE No (New Program)

ABET

No (New Program)

ABET

Yes

None Avail. No

ABET

Yes

ABET

Yes

None Avail. No

None Avail. No

ABET

No (New Program)

ABET

Yes

ABET

No (New Program)

None Avail. No

None Avail. No

None Avail. No

ABET

No

ABET

Yes

ABET

No (New Program)

None Avail. No

ABET

Yes

Status of Accreditation ACBSP in 2013 AACSB by 2020 Currently at Highest Level None AACSB by 2017 ACS by 2017 Apply ABET 2013 Currently at Highest Level Currently at Highest Level Currently at Highest Level Currently at Highest Level Currently at Highest Level PSC by 2014 Apply ABET by 2013 Currently at Highest Level None Currently at Highest Level Currently at Highest Level None None Apply ABET by 2013 Currently at Highest Level Applied for ABET 2012 None None None Expected 2013 Currently at Highest Level Apply ABET by 2013 None Currently at Highest Level

Number of undergraduate programs: 30 Number currently professionally accredited: 13 Number of programs too new to be accredited: 7 Number of programs where no accreditation exists: 8

% Accredited: 43.3%

% New Program: 23.3% % No Accred. Exists: 26.7%

[Note: programs marked No (New Program) in the accreditation column were approved too

recently to be able to apply for accreditation yet; these programs will apply for accreditation

at the earliest opportunity]

*The American Chemical Society (ACS) certifies (rather than accredits) chemistry programs.



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4. Other Metrics

Metric 9: Fraction of unique courses taught in online and hybrid formats

Summer 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2012 Summer 2012

# Unique Courses # Hybrid % # Online %

302

68

22.5 80

26.4

583

62

10.6 138

23.6

607

61

10.0 151

24.8

297

73

24.5 95

31.9

Note: Courses in which multiple sections are taught count as one unique course.

Metric 10: Access through transfers from Technical College System of Georgia

# Students # Cr. Hrs. transferred

2009-10 201
6,478

2010-11 275
10,488

2011-12 335
12,970

By Semester:

2009

2010

2011

2012

Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring

# Students % of Transfer

30 101 70 44 135 96 61 153 121 25.2 17.6 26.54 37.92 22.53 33.79 48.02 28.95 38.78

# Cr. Hrs. transferred 1009 2940 2529 1643 5053 3792 2117 5949 4904 % of Transfer Cr. Hrs 13.75 9.09 17.44 24.39 13.87 20.48 25.19 19.17 25.09



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Metric 11: Access: Credit granted for prior learning

2009

2010

2011

2012

Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring

AP, Students AP, Credit Hrs.

3 138 5 10 168 5 18 185 28 43 1693 89 155 2208 67 241 2576 334

CLEP, Students

2 10 2 2 13

CLEP, Credit Hrs. 13 53 9 12 68

11 7 44 45

Military, Students

2 11 8 3

74 8

9 1

Military, Credit Hrs. 16 161 75 26 142 86 184 103 21

CBE*, Students

26 130 49 25 138 52 28 132 100

CBE, Credit Hrs. 162 737 240 155 696 328 191 710 495

IB**, Students

1

IB, Credit Hrs.

3

3 2 30 12

5 1 33 11

Total, Students

33 290 64 40 329 63 54 342 137

Total, Credit Hrs. 234 2647 413 348 3144 493 616 3466 906

*CBE = Credit by Exam or by portfolio analysis **IB = International Baccalaureate

Other Metrics Related to Quality

Assessment of learning outcomes Core Courses Academic Degree Programs

Yes. All courses evaluated in 3-year cycle Yes. All courses evaluated in 3-year cycle

Assessment of faculty Type Annual Review Reappointment Review
Pre-Tenure Review Tenure Review Post-Tenure Review Promotion Review

Who All Faculty Temporary Untenured Lecturers Senior Lect. Untenured Untenured Tenured All Faculty

When Every Year Every Year Year 1, 2, 4, 5 Every Year Every 5 years Year 3 Year 6 Every 5 years As applied for

By Whom C C P, C, D, V P, C, D, V P, C, S, D, V P, C, S, D, V P, C, S, D, V, Pr P, C, S, D, V P, C, S, D, V, Pr

C = Chair, P = Peer Committee, D = Dean, S = School Committee, V = VPAA, Pr = President



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University of Georgia Complete College Plan: A Focus on Continued Success

Executive Summary

The University of Georgia has a strong, established culture of student success. U.S. News & World Report
annually ranks more than 1,400 colleges and universities by measuring up to 15 indicators of academic quality. UGA has moved up 26 places in the graduation and retention ranking since 2004, up to 47th overall in
the 2012 rankings. These results place UGA at the top of all Georgia public universities and above the mid--
point of its peer comparator institutions. According to the 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement
results, more than 90% of UGA students reported that their entire educational experience at the institution
was either good or excellent. In addition, 83% of UGA seniors indicated that UGA courses are offered in a
way that allows them to get the recommended sequence and complete their degrees "in a timely manner."
The most compelling evidence of student success is our consistently strong retention and graduation rates.
The current (AY 2010--2011) first--year retention rate is 94.3%, and the six--year completion rate is 83.3%.

For the last 10 years, UGA has put into place several initiatives that address barriers to access and increasing the rates of retention and graduation. UGA's overarching goal is to sustain high retention and graduation rates and use institutional data to make improvements in targeted areas while, at the same time, maintaining academic excellence. These initiatives will be aligned with the goals set forth in UGA's Complete College Georgia implementation plan:

Goal 1: Increase graduation rates to the mean of our aspirational peer institutions

Carefully focused studies will help us better understand factors related to retention, progression and graduation rates at UGA. Building on university strengths, and the commitment to high--impact educational practices, UGA recently implemented the First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program. In an effort to recruit and retain students with financial need, the university will launch the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign. UGA will enhance instructional delivery by a primary focus on existing undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives and the creation of an Office of Online Learning. Implementation of DegreeWorks will improve time to degree completion. The new Intensive Multi-- Component Program will restructure learning support. These initiatives will contribute to an increase in six-- year graduation rates to the average of our aspirational peer institutions while maintaining academic excellence.

Goal 2: Increase scholarship funding for student financial support

A dramatic increase has taken place in the number of UGA students seeking Pell Grants (102% increase since 2007--2008). Of students who were accepted but did not enroll, nearly half said the availability of merit--based and/or need--based aid was very important in selecting where they chose to attend college. More than one--

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third of all UGA students who responded to the NSSE in 2011 (42% of freshmen and 35% of seniors) indicated that, "after all financial aid is taken into consideration, I still have unmet financial need that makes pursuing a degree difficult." Our data tell us that students with financial need have a lower six--year graduation rate than those not receiving Pell Grants or Federal Direct Student Loans. The launch of the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign will address these financial needs by increasing scholarship funding for students.



Goal 3: Support college readiness

UGA has a strong tradition of outreach and partnerships with the K--12 community. These partnerships include pre--collegiate programs aimed at college readiness, teacher preparation programs and STEM initiatives that make science and mathematics teacher production a high priority in order to address Georgia's severe shortage of teachers in STEM areas. UGA will continue pre--collegiate outreach with an emphasis on diverse populations and production of K--12 teachers, with an emphasis on preparing teachers in the STEM areas as part of our completion plan.



The University of Georgia has a strong commitment to support student success across many areas. This commitment ensures that UGA is able to sustain our initiatives to meet the needs of our students academically and financially. UGA's Complete College Georgia plan will further enable the university to meet its goals.





























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Alignment with University of Georgia Mission, Vision and Goals

The University of Georgia's motto, "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things," reflects the
university's integral and unique role in the conservation and enhancement of the state's and the nation's
intellectual, cultural and environmental heritage. As noted in the university mission, there is "...a commitment
to excellence in a teaching/learning environment dedicated to serve a diverse and well--prepared student
body, to promote high levels of student achievement, and to provide appropriate academic support services."

U.S. News & World Report annually ranks more than 1,400 colleges and universities by measuring up to 15 indicators of academic quality. UGA has moved up 26 places in the graduation and retention ranking since 2004, up to 47th overall in the 2012 rankings. These results place UGA at the top of all Georgia public universities and above the mid--point of its peer comparator institutions (See Figures 1 and 2). In addition, since 1996 UGA has produced seven Rhodes scholars, five Marshall, 10 Truman, five Gates Cambridge, and 41 Goldwater scholars. These scholarship awards provide another indication of academic quality at UGA. The 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) showed that UGA is maintaining the gains seen in previous survey administrations and, from the national perspective, continues to fare well in comparison to respondents from Carnegie Class and UGA Peer Group schools in terms of overall student engagement. For example, UGA students reported ongoing satisfaction with their educational experiences. According to the 2011 NSSE results, more than 90% of UGA students reported that their entire educational experience at the institution was either good or excellent. In addition, 83% of UGA seniors indicated that UGA courses are offered in a way that allows them to get the recommended sequence and complete their degrees "in a timely manner."

These achievements are the result of teamwork. Faculty, staff, students and administrators work collaboratively to establish, implement and attain strategic goals. A commitment to strategic planning and ongoing assessment of progress toward goals is part of the academic culture at UGA that leads to success. The most compelling evidence of this success is our consistently strong retention and graduation rates and our rankings on indicators of academic quality. The current (AY 2010--2011) first--year retention rate is 94.3%, and the six--year completion rate is 83.3%. A priority in the UGA 2000--2010 Strategic Plan was building the new learning environment. Facilities and a number of new programs were put in place to integrate in--class and out--of--class experiences. The university expanded its academic presence in the residence halls to include more classrooms, stronger academic support services, innovative cultural programs and state--of--the--art computing environments. Also, the university placed emphasis on actively and vigorously supporting teaching and sought to focus on the importance of excellent instructional faculty and quality instruction. These strategic actions contributed to a sustained increase in student retention and completion rates.

The UGA 2020 Strategic Plan continues the focus on the learning environment, with a continued emphasis on "building excellence in undergraduate education." Improving and expanding this excellence will require continued investments in faculty, existing programs and infrastructure as well as new investments in strategic areas. The First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program (SACS QEP plan), designed to enhance the first--year student experience, is an example of the investment being made to improve undergraduate education.

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Four--Year Average RetenOon Rate
UGA Comparator Peer InsFtuFons

100

95

90 85 80 75 70

96

94

94

93

91

91

90 87.8 85

85

85

84

80

79

65

60

55

50

Percent

Figure 1. Four--Year Average Retention Rate Compared to UGA Peer Institutions
Six--Year GraduaOon Rate
UGA Comparator Peer InsFtuFons
84 84 82 81 78 77 71.9 71 70 70 69 61 60 58

Percent 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90

Figure 2. Six--Year Graduation Rate Compared to UGA Peer Institutions
Note: First--time, Full--time Freshmen Retention Rate (4--year average, Fall 2006--2009 Cohorts) & Graduation Rate (Fall 2004 Cohort). Source: 2012 U.S. News and World Report Rankings
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PART I: Data Analysis and Observations

A Focus on Continued Success
UGA has established a strong culture of student success. We will continue to work as a campus community to address barriers to access and increase retention and graduation rates. This section focuses on key findings from our institutional and Complete College America data and an analysis of our campus strengths and directions for the future.
In fall 2011, the undergraduate population numbered 26,373 students. Ninety--four percent were full--time, and 90% were in--state residents. Twelve percent were from underrepresented groups (Black/Hispanic), and 4.6% were adult learners (25 years or older). Twenty--seven percent received Pell Grants. Of the Pell Grant recipients, 40% were from underrepresented groups and 28% were considered first generation as indicated on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The 2011 first--year class was one of the strongest academic classes to enroll at UGA with an average high school GPA of 3.8 and a mean SAT score of 1860. Nearly 95% of these students completed Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in high school, and the average first--year student earned nearly a full semester's worth of UGA credit based on performance on AP or IB tests. In summary, our undergraduate students are academically strong traditional college--aged students predominantly from Georgia and studying full time at UGA.

Students attending UGA are academically strong students. They are well prepared for a rigorous undergraduate educational experience.

Retention and Graduation Results
The university uses a variety of data collection and assessment methods to identify the types of challenges that must be addressed in achieving optimal retention and graduation rates (Appendix A). Freshman cohorts are the population most studied with respect to these academic indicators. Cohorts are defined as first--time students who entered in the respective summer or fall terms and were full--time students in the cohort--year fall term (consistent with federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [IPEDS] and Board of Regents definitions). UGA tracks completion rates as defined by IPEDS: graduation with a bachelor's degree or matriculation into a professional program (e.g., Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine) prior to receiving a bachelor's degree.
A substantial majority (94%) of the University of Georgia's four most recent freshman classes has returned for their second year. The first--year retention rate has been at least 93% for the past ten years. Our four--year completion rate has risen to 57.7%, while our six--year rate recently reached 83.3% (up from 75% six years ago) (Appendix B). These rates are higher than most of our peer institutions' rates (Figures 1 and 2) and are among the highest in the USG. Recruiting, admitting, and enrolling students who are well prepared for success at UGA are important elements of our success.
UGA's commitment to a diverse campus community has led to high retention among diverse populations. The most recent three--year rolling averages indicate a first--year retention rate of 95.9% for Asian students, 94% for Black/African--American students, 94.7% for Hispanic students, 91.1% for American--Indian students and 93.6% for multi--racial students. These rates are similar, and in many cases higher, than the overall student population

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three--year rolling average of 93.9%. In order to ensure continued access to higher education for all Georgians, the institution has a myriad of initiatives to address student college matriculation and success. For example, the Goizueta Scholarship program, the Coca--Cola First Generation Scholarship program and the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PSLSAMP) program all contribute to a diverse student body.

Of course, some students will experience challenges during their undergraduate careers that may delay their progress toward graduation. Our data tell us that students facing academic difficulty are less likely to be retained and graduate, and students with financial need have a lower six--year graduation rate than those not receiving Pell Grants or Federal Direct Student Loans.

Retention and graduation of students facing academic difficulty. Students who are put on academic probation are significantly less likely to be retained and graduate. Statistically, students who come in with lower academic preparation and students with need--based aid are more likely to go on academic probation at some point. Recent surveys of first--year students placed on probation following their first semester at UGA (n = 126) resulted in identifying a range of reasons for poor performance. Reasons included poor study habits, personal issues, lack of motivation, excessive absences, problems balancing work and school, living arrangements, lack of a major or career focus and financial difficulties.

Retention and graduation of students with financial need. A dramatic increase has taken place in the number of UGA students seeking Pell Grants (102% increase since 2007--2008). During 2011--2012, 7,087 Pell Grant awards were made for almost $28 million. Twenty--seven percent of our undergraduate students received Pell Grants in 2011--2012. Forty--four percent of 2011--2012 undergraduates received Federal Direct Student Loans totaling nearly $72 million. The average loan indebtedness for undergraduate students who graduate with debt is $18,569. More than one--third of all UGA students who responded to the NSSE in 2011 (42% of freshmen and 35% of seniors) indicated that, "after all financial aid is taken into consideration, I still have unmet financial need that makes pursuing a degree difficult." The importance of the HOPE Scholarship should not be underestimated. On the NSSE, 87% of UGA freshmen and 71% of seniors indicated that maintaining the HOPE Scholarship was very important or essential to their continued enrollment at UGA. An eligible student's HOPE Scholarship award totaled $6,363 for the 2011--2012 academic year and covered 67% of the cost of tuition and fees for the year. Seventy--five percent of UGA undergraduate students received a HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship for a total of more than $113 million. The 2011--2012 average financial aid gap after gift assistance for resident undergraduate students was $8,102. Students receiving federally funded Pell Grants and subsidized Federal Direct Loans have a lower graduation rate (8% lower) than students who are not receiving Pell Grants or Federal Direct Student Loans (based on the 2005 Cohort of first--time, full--time freshmen).

Campus Strengths and Future Directions

Strategic actions contributed to an increase in student retention and completion rates. The percentage of UGA first--time, full--time freshmen returning for their second year has risen from 89.9% for the 1999 cohort to at least 94% for the four most recent freshman classes. The six--year completion rate for the 2005 cohort was 83.3%, after reaching 80% for the 2002 cohort. Four--year completion rates have risen from 44.2% for the 1999 cohort to 57.7% for the 2007 cohort, remaining above 50% for the most recent six cohorts (Figure 3). UGA compares very favorably to peer (Figures 1 and 2) and aspirational peer institutions (Appendix B).

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Figure 3. UGA Academic Performance Metrics 1999--2010

Sustaining successful initiatives and integrating new initiatives will help to preserve or even increase our high retention and graduation rates.
The literature on retention shows that student engagement is critical to retention and graduation. Thus, programs have been developed over the last decade that address barriers to increased retention. These programs are designed to provide a meaningful educational experience and increase the level of student engagement. Our data indicate that students who participate in these programs are generally retained at higher rates than students who do not participate. Appendix C describes UGA programs designed to increase retention and graduation. The UGA 2020 strategic plan emphasizes increased student contact with faculty and student engagement in research, service--learning and international experiences.
The higher education literature notes that one of the most important strategies that can be implemented to help students is to foster student--faculty relationships. Students who develop mentoring relationships with university faculty are much more likely to persevere and graduate. Following a reduction in the number of full-- time faculty, UGA hiring initiatives in 2010 and 2011 have begun to increase the number of tenure--track faculty, lecturers and advisors. These hiring initiatives helped to strengthen the faculty and advising ranks that
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are so critical to improving our retention and graduation efforts. Furthermore, a new faculty hiring initiative has been announced for 2012. In addition, a new position has been added to provide leadership, coordination and expertise in developing student academic support programs for minority students. Also, the University of Georgia Foundation (UGAF) created a $250,000 endowment, the Central Advising Support Fund, to support professional development activities for our advisors (professional development conferences, a lunch--and--learn series, and travel to professional meetings, etc.) to make a positive difference for academic advising. The UGAF is providing $10,000 in private support in FY13 for our academic advisors.

Carefully focused studies will help us better understand factors related to retention, progression and graduation rates at UGA. To that end, we plan to collect and analyze additional institutional data related to these areas. For example, studies focused on analysis of time--to--graduation and a range of student characteristics and behaviors are underway. We hope to identify factors that differentiate 4--year completers from 5--year and 6--year completers, as well as identify characteristics of students who leave after the first year. Further analysis of data related to students having academic difficulty is also proposed. Among other factors, this examination will look at unmet financial need, particular needs of first--generation students, and participation in campus initiatives relative to retention and graduation. We want to sustain high retention and graduation rates and use institutional data to make improvements in targeted areas while, at the same time, maintaining academic excellence.


Part II: Goals and Strategies

Description of Goal--Setting Process
A five--member Complete College Georgia Team was appointed by the president and the provost to lead the development of the UGA Complete College Georgia Plan. The team, composed of senior administrators, faculty and staff began meeting at the Completion Summit in March 2012 and continued to meet bi--weekly throughout the spring and summer. The team engaged the UGA Retention, Progression and Graduation Partnership (RPG Partnership) in identifying goals for the plan and current campus initiatives for inclusion in the plan. A range of university offices was contacted to provide data or consultation as the plan evolved. CCG team discussion, planning meetings and dialogue with campus constituents continued throughout the spring semester and early summer. A list of the CCG team members, the RPG Partnership and other key contributors in the planning process is in Appendix D.
Goals, strategies and initiatives for the UGA Complete College Georgia (CCG) plan are based on a review of the Complete College Georgia goals, institutional data, assessment reports, strategic planning documents and planning by the CCG team members and campus constituents. Recommendations from a November 2011 task force report, Efforts to Enhance Retention and Graduation Rates at the University of Georgia: Present and Future Initiatives, were incorporated into this plan. Also, strategic priorities identified in the UGA 2020 Strategic Plan and the Institutional Diversity Plan, Embracing Diversity and Inclusion at UGA, were integrated into our CCG plan.
In keeping with our institutional priority of sustaining high quality undergraduate education and providing an academic environment with opportunities for student engagement across the instruction, research, service

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and international missions of the university, we have set the following goals to support the Complete College Georgia initiative:

Goal 1: Increase graduation rates to the mean of our aspirational peer institutions Goal 2: Increase scholarship funding for student financial support Goal 3: Support college readiness

Five primary strategies will contribute toward achieving CCG goals at UGA: 1) Improving access, opportunity and completion, 2) enhancing instructional delivery, 3) advancing partnerships with K--12, 4) improving time to degree, 5) restructuring learning support.



Overall Approach

Our CCG conceptual model is multifaceted. The model recognizes the contribution of the vision, mission and

goals articulated in the UGA 2020 Strategic Plan and the Institutional Diversity Plan. Also, two new campus

initiatives, ConnectUGA and the Retention, Progression, Graduation (RPG) Partnership, contribute to the

model. ConnectUGA will enhance data analytics and reporting to inform our CCG goals, while the RPG

Partnership will continue to serve as a campus--wide coordination and communication system. Using this

model, specific CCG strategies will be developed and sustained to focus on student access and success.

Figure 4 illustrates our CCG Conceptual model.





Figure 4. Conceptual Framework for UGA's Complete College Georgia Plan
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An inclusive planning process was used to create the UGA 2020 Strategic Plan that involved students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni. The UGA 2020 Strategic Plan recognizes the critical need for an educated citizenry in the state of Georgia. The plan states, "...the University of Georgia is responsive to the evolution of the state's educational, social, and economic needs." A number of strategic priorities articulated in the plan address the goals of CCG. Specific priorities include providing a meaningful first--year experience for all incoming freshmen, offering increased access to the University of Georgia through extended campus educational programs and online education, ensuring diversity is represented in the student body, and offering opportunities for students to engage in international experiences, service--learning, co--curricular activities that support the academic mission, and research and other creative works with faculty (UGA 2020 Strategic Plan).

ConnectUGA is a multi--year initiative to implement an integrated student information system. This initiative will improve business processes and provide greater access to student information for decision--making. As the initiative progresses, the RPG Partnership will collaborate with ConnectUGA teams to ensure that data for student analytics will be available to support access, retention, progression and graduation goals.

The RPG Partnership will continue to co o rdinate existing effo rts related to retentio n, pro gressio n and graduation efforts; collect information regarding the various support services and programs aimed at increasing retention and graduation rates; assess the effectiveness of such services and programs; and make recommendations to university decision--makers. The RPG Partnership and its Steering committee will continue to meet regularly to serve as a campus--wide coordination and communication system.



Complete College Georgia Strategies

To achieve our three goals for Complete College Georgia, we have established five more specific strategies (See Figure 5):

1) Improving Access, Opportunity and Completion 2) Enhancing Instructional Delivery 3) Advancing Partnerships with K--12 4) Improving Time to Degree 5) Restructuring Learning Support

Each strategy will be achieved through academic initiatives on campus. It is our intention to continue supporting these initiatives and monitoring their success as it relates to access, retention and graduation over time. These initiatives derive from existing planning processes and naturally align with CCG goals and strategies. Examples of existing initiatives include the First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program, Undergraduate STEM Initiatives, Pre--Collegiate Outreach Initiatives, K--12 STEM Initiatives and Implementation of DegreeWorks.

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UGA Complete College Georgia Figure 5. Complete College Georgia Strategies

Institutional data and reports provided by the USG indicate a need for additional focused studies to better understand factors related to access, retention and graduation at UGA. To that end, we plan to collect, synthesize and analyze additional institutional data related to these areas. Focused studies will move beyond univariate and classification models to bivariate and multivariate models to help us understand and pinpoint factors that promote student access and success. Studies will provide insight for implementing plans across the key CCG strategy areas: 1) improving access, opportunity and completion; 2) enhancing instructional delivery; 3) advancing partnerships with K--12; 4) improving time to degree; and 5) restructuring learning support. We want to sustain our high retention and graduation rates and use institutional data to make improvements in targeted areas while, at the same time, maintaining academic excellence.

CCG Strategy 1: Improving Access, Opportunity and Completion
The literature on retention shows that student engagement is critical to retention and graduation. The UGA 2020 Strategic Plan emphasizes increased student--faculty interaction and student engagement in research, service--learning and international experiences. Building on university strengths, and the commitment to high--impact educational practices (AAC&U, 2010), UGA recently implemented the First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program. In an effort to recruit and retain students with financial need, the university will launch the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign. Both initiatives will contribute to achieving the CCG goals.
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1. First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program. UGA launched the First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program in fall 2011 to transform student learning by providing all first--year students an academically challenging seminar during their first year of residence at the University of Georgia. The First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program signals a change in how the university introduces its first--year students to the academic life and culture of the university. The program was developed through an inclusive, grass-- roots process spanning three years. Over 30 members drawn from a wide selection of faculty, administrators, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni comprised the team, assembled by university President Michael Adams. This program provides opportunities for first--year students to take a small seminar course to help them understand the centrality of research, instruction and service at UGA. Seminars focus on student--faculty interaction and promote discovery of the campus through attendance at academic and performing arts events. The use of tenured and tenure-- track faculty is a uniqueness that connects students to faculty scholarship at a research university. Program goals will be assessed over the five--year timeframe for this initiative as outlined in the Quality Enhancement Plan approved by SACS. In the inaugural year, we met our goal of 100% participation, with 5,482 first--year students enrolled in more than 380 FYO seminars fall and spring semesters. The OVPI has administrative responsibility for the FYOS program. This campus--wide initiative engages faculty in all schools and colleges in teaching FYO seminars and involves faculty, students and key offices supporting undergraduate instruction in the on--going implementation. The First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program will contribute toward the goal of increasing our graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peer institutions.

2. Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign. The main priority of the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign is to recruit students to UGA and retain them by providing scholarships. UGA surveyed students who were accepted but did not enroll and found that nearly half said the availability of merit-- based and/or need--based aid was very important in selecting where they chose to attend college. Gateway to Georgia will respond to student financial need and the concern expressed by more than one--third of our students that unmet financial needs make it difficult to pursue a degree. Beginning in fall 2011 a broad--based Executive Committee provided leadership for the development of the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign and included leaders from the UGA Foundation and multiple offices in the External Affairs division, including Central Development, Regional Giving, Donor Relations and Stewardship, and from the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, including the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office of Student Financial Aid. Planning for a university--wide capital campaign is underway. Specific funding levels and goals for the Gateway to Georgia Scholarship will be set as part of the university--wide campaign planning process. A Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign Steering Committee will provide leadership for the on--going implementation of the campaign. The Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign will contribute toward the goal of increasing our graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peer institutions and toward the goal of increasing funds for student financial support.

Additional initiatives in the areas of high--impact practices, academic enhancement and advising are underway to improve access, opportunity and completion and are listed in Appendix E.



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CCG Strategy 2: Enhancing Instructional Delivery

UGA has a strong tradition of instructional excellence. The university motto, "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things," reinforces the integral role of instruction in the mission of the university. Well-- established centers and instructional programs are in place to support faculty and encourage instructional innovation and excellence. UGA will enhance instructional delivery by a primary focus on existing undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives and the creation of an Office of Online Learning. Outcomes will be an increase in the number of STEM majors and an increase in the number of undergraduate online courses/programs in high--demand areas. Enhancing instructional delivery will contribute toward the goal of increasing our graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peer
institutions.
1. Undergraduate STEM Initiatives. UGA created the Office of STEM Education (OSE) in 2008 to coordinate the on--campus activities associated with the STEM Initiative. Administratively, the OSE is housed within the Office of the Vice President for Instruction (OVPI). During its first two years, the OSE has fostered collaborative partnerships among STEM faculty at UGA and K--12 school districts; implemented the formation of K--16 STEM Learning Communities; administered the Faculty Small Grants Program that funds innovative projects to improve teaching and student learning in STEM subjects; served as a liaison between UGA and state and national STEM agencies; and assisted UGA faculty seeking external funding related to STEM education. The primary goal of the OSE has been to serve as the campus--wide resource for information about and assistance with STEM teaching and learning. The number of undergraduates majoring in STEM disciplines has risen from 3613 in 2006 to 4578 in 2011.
In an effort to address the ongoing deficit of qualified engineers in the state of Georgia, UGA has made a significant investment in its undergraduate engineering degree programs. From 20072011 the number of students enrolled in various engineering degrees has risen significantly from 231 to 537. Undergraduate degrees in civil engineering, electrical and electronics engineering and mechanical engineering were approved by the Board of Regents in November 2010, and in April 2012 the College of Engineering was unanimously approved by the UGA University Council. Projections for continued increases have the number of enrolled undergraduates in engineering programs more than doubling over the next five years, reaching a high of 1300 by the fall of 2016.

In the past decade UGA has pioneered a new model for Science Education: tenured and tenure--track faculty whose research is in the area of science pedagogy, not classical bench science, are now present in physics, chemistry and biology and focus primarily on the teaching of introductory courses in those disciplines. Science education faculty are developing new instructional methodologies, such as inquiry-- based instruction in the large classroom setting in order to promote critical thinking skills. With an average enrollment of 4,400 students per year, the biological sciences program is impacting virtually every UGA undergraduate. The development of a SCALE--UP (Student--Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) room in physics courses enables students to be engaged in STEM education in new ways. SCALE--UP rooms are in the planning stages for biology and chemistry. We intend to track students who are engaged in these alternative--learning environments to compare their progress and retention in the STEM disciplines to those who receive instruction in a more

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conventional setting. This tracking is an example of the focused studies we propose to learn more about retention and graduation.

The Office of STEM Education, collaborating colleges and schools, and the Center for Teaching and Learning will provide leadership for the Undergraduate STEM Initiatives.

2. Office of Online Learning. Advancing online learning at UGA is a top priority for a number of reasons: 1) UGA's land--grant mission to provide access to high quality instruction for the citizens of Georgia; 2) a commitment to increase graduate education at UGA; 3) a commitment to strengthen our national reputation; and 4) a commitment to embrace and adopt new instructional strategies at UGA. UGA launched the Office of Online Learning in August 2012. The office was a result of recommendations from the 2011 Distance Education Task Force Report and subsequent planning by a Distance Education Advisory Council and Leadership Group to create an operational plan and framework for the office. UGA's strategy for the advancement of online learning is twofold. First, UGA is focusing on select graduate and professional programs with the greatest promise for attracting enrollment from a distance. Second, UGA is evaluating select undergraduate courses and programs that can meet enrollment pressure and revitalize reflection on teaching and learning. Undergraduate courses will be cohort--based and offered during the regular academic terms. The Office of Online Learning will make the UGA learning experience accessible to more of our current and future students, thereby having a positive impact on Georgia's economy. Plans include developing a targeted set of undergraduate courses for delivery in summer 2013 and graduate programs in fall 2013. The Office of Online Learning is administratively housed in the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.
Additional initiatives in the areas of STEM programs for underrepresented students, Desire2Learn adoption, and faculty grants for instructional innovation are underway to enhance instructional delivery and are listed in Appendix E.

CCG Strategy 3: Advancing Partnerships with K--12

UGA has a strong tradition of outreach and partnerships with the K--12 community. These partnerships include pre--collegiate programs aimed at college readiness, teacher preparation programs and STEM initiatives that make science and mathematics teacher production a high priority in order to address Georgia's severe shortage of teachers in STEM areas. UGA will continue pre--collegiate outreach and production of K--12 teachers with an emphasis on preparing teachers in the STEM areas as part of our completion plan. UGA graduates the greatest number of teachers in Georgia. In 2011, 747 new teachers were prepared, 321 advanced degrees were awarded to practicing teachers, and 110 endorsements were given in the areas of Gifted, Reading and ESOL. In addition, UGA offers continuing education programs, such as the Advanced Placement Summer Institute for teachers in biology and environmental science. Two initiatives, Pre--Collegiate Outreach and STEM Partnerships with K--12, will contribute to improving outreach to K--12.
1. Pre--Collegiate Outreach. There are a number of UGA pre--collegiate programs that impact the K--12 community. These include, but are not limited to, academic programs for K--12 students, leadership programs, performing arts programs, programs for middle and high school groups, summer camps and

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other opportunities at UGA. In 2007, the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach began exploring strategies for enhancing institution--wide support for academically--based, pre-- collegiate programming provided by a number of units on campus. Program descriptions are found at https://www.admissions.uga.edu/article/precollegiate--programs.html.

Recognizing the increase in the Latino population in Georgia, an area of focus for a number of pre-- collegiate outreach programs is Latino students. The Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE), an educational research and development center in the College of Education, and similar programs have emerged at UGA. CLASE aims to narrow the achievement gap of Latino students placed at risk due to poverty and language barriers and to improve the level of education of Latino students (PreK--16) statewide. This outreach is achieved through professional development and resources for K--12 educators working with Latinos statewide; outreach support through mentoring/tutoring of Latino students placed at risk; program support in developing a pipeline to post-- secondary education for Latino students; and research to inform teachers and educators on ways to reduce the achievement gap for Latino children, especially in Georgia. For example, CLASE has developed an after--school tutoring model for Elementary English Language Learners (ELLS) in collaboration with local school districts and UGA undergraduate students. Over 150 ELLS who are rising freshmen and sophomores from local high schools have participated in CLASE's Summer Academy for Language Science and Aspirations (SALSA), which was developed and implemented in collaboration with local school districts. Local high school students participate in CLASE's after--school and online college essay writing club for ELL high school students staffed by undergraduate mentors.

Other pre--collegiate programs focused on the Latino population include: Gear Up for College and Leadership Sin Limites, which were developed by the Fanning Institute under the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

2. STEM Partnerships with K--12. The Office of STEM Education has two specific goals focused on K--12 partnerships: 1) advancing the Faculty Work in the Schools Policy (BOR Policy # 8.3.15) among UGA STEM faculty and 2) promoting and developing collaborative partnerships between STEM faculty at UGA and K--12 school districts. For example, Project FOCUS partners UGA students majoring in science-- related disciplines with elementary school teachers in the Athens community to help teach science to children in grades K--5. Now in its tenth year, Project FOCUS has impacted more than 1,000 elementary school classes and nearly 20,000 public school children (http://www.caes.uga.edu/academics/focus/). The FOCUS program aims to improve science education of elementary students in the Athens area. FOCUS students are expected to bring their science backgrounds into the elementary classroom through well--designed, hands--on sciences activities for their students. The FOCUS partner will work closely with the classroom teacher in planning and designing activities that are relevant to the state-- mandated science curriculum for that grade. Over 1,000 students from UGA have partnered with Clarke County elementary school teachers. Students conduct 40 hours of science teaching each semester and with an average class size of 20 students, this translates to over 800,000 pupil--hours of science teaching and learning. Project FOCUS next hopes to expand into the middle and high schools to help public school students improve performance on standardized science tests.


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CCG Strategy 4: Improving Time to Degree

While UGA's time to degree completion rates have continued to increase, there remains some room for improvement. A goal is to increase UGA's six--year graduation rates to the average of our aspirational institutions while maintaining rigorous academic standards. Many factors will influence this outcome, not least among them being an improved degree audit system that will give faculty and administrators improved data with which to make informed policy decisions.
1. Implementation of DegreeWorks. The UGA CCG plan also includes strategies to eliminate barriers to degree completion. For example, the implementation of the new student information system should improve time to degree. The University of Georgia Office of the Registrar has implemented DegreeWorks, a web--based tool to help students and advisors monitor a student's progress toward degree completion in all 14 schools and colleges that provide courses in undergraduate programs.
DegreeWorks, which is replacing the Degree Audit Reporting System, combines the UGA degree requirements and the coursework completed into an easy--to--read worksheet that helps students and advisors see how courses completed count toward degree requirements. When fully implemented in spring 2013, DegreeWorks will allow students and advisors to get timely, relevant, and accurate information regarding degree progress. DegreeWorks helps students understand the range of degree choices available to them. Students will have better information so they will be better prepared to make sound judgments before adding or dropping courses or changing majors. The four--year planning tool in DegreeWorks will help students plan their programs of study and enable the institution to have necessary courses and resources available for students to help them achieve their educational goals. The Office of the Registrar is leading the implementation of DegreeWorks with support from the Office of Curriculum Systems and technology support from EITS. To complement DegreeWorks we are evaluating systems that aid with early intervention of academically at risk students. The implementation of DegreeWorks will contribute toward the goal of increasing our graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peer institutions. An outcome will be improved time to degree through better planning tools for students, faculty and advisors.

CCG Strategy 5: Restructuring Learning Support

The Division of Academic Enhancement will pilot a new Intensive Multi--Component Program (IMP) for Learning
Support Students in fall 2012. The new program aims to 1) avoid creating a situation where students incur
additional costs and delay their graduation as a result of how academic assistance is structured, 2) make it possible to complete the exit requirements in one semester rather than the allotted two semesters, 3) adopt ways to foster early detection of academic--related problems so that immediacy governs the application of any
intervention, and 4) incorporate multiple avenues of learning and academic support into the new program.
1. Pilot the Intensive Multi--Component Program (IMP) for Learning Support Students. The IMP represents an inclusion of previous strategies that were found effective and new strategies not previously utilized. It is important to note that the previous strategies incorporated are modified to better fit the goal of allowing students to acquire the skills needed to exit learning support in one

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semester. IMP has six components which are: 1) enrollment in elective--credit UNIV courses, 2) completion of the MyFoundationLab's individualized learning path, 3) transition information and assistance provided by licensed professional counselors, 4) weekly meetings with a faculty member to assess and assist student progress, 5) bi--weekly electronic updates (i.e., monitor report) of the student's UNIV course performance distributed to those working directly with the student, and 6) bi-- weekly meetings with academic specialists and the student to distribute and discuss individual monitor reports and to make referrals to the counselor or learning support faculty member, as needed.

A restructuring of the learning support program will accomplish several things: allow faculty to provide a stronger foundation of skills for learning support students in a shorter period of time; provide learning support students the opportunity to earn elective credit hours rather than participate in a remedial program; and, due to its intense nature, greatly increases the chance for learning support students to exit the program in one semester. Finally, another outcome is that the program will eliminate the negative stigma experienced by learning support students resulting from enrollment in remedial courses while residing among a large pool of first--year students who often represent the academic elite of their former high schools.

The new program is congruent with a trend occurring in learning support programs at the national level; that is, to move away from the traditional model of using non--credit, remedial classes and move toward a model that is customized to better fit the needs of today's students. Such a model promises to enhance the retention and progression of students who may begin college in learning support, but who will graduate in a timely manner with the same acquired knowledge and set of career--related skills as those students who were regularly admitted. The IMP Program will contribute toward the goal of increasing our graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peer institutions. A specific outcome will be an increase in the number of learning support students completing the program's requirements in one semester.



Part III: Planning and Implementation

Sustaining successful initiatives and integrating new initiatives is central to our plan. Figure 6 illustrates the relationship between our goals, strategies and initiatives. Further detail describing the implementation of our goals, strategies, and initiatives is included in Appendix F.
As described in our CCG conceptual framework, two new campus initiatives, ConnectUGA and the Retention, Progression, Graduation (RPG) Partnership, will support our implementation plan. ConnectUGA will enhance data analytics and reporting to inform our CCG goals, and the RPG Partnership will support and promote campus--wide coordination and communication.
Planning for the ConnectUGA initiative has been underway since fall 2010. The project timeline includes a campus kick--off held in July 2012 with a project end date of June 2015. Milestones include "Go Live" dates for admissions, financial aid, registration and records, and student accounts throughout the three--year project


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Figure 6. UGA's Goals, Strategies and Initiatives
time frame. This initiative provides an opportunity to improve business processes and identify ways to better serve students and campus units by providing greater access to student information for decision--making.
The RPG Partnership was initiated in fall 2011. A steering committee provided guidance on university-- wide membership and initial actions. The RPG Partnership will continue its efforts to coordinate existing retention/graduation efforts; collect information regarding the various support services and programs aimed at increasing retention and graduation rates; assess the effectiveness of such services and programs; and make recommendations to university decision--makers. The partnership will monitor RPG via careful data analysis, refine strategies, and recommend new strategies as appropriate.

Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
The Office of Academic Planning (OAP) provides leadership for evidence--based decision making at UGA. The OAP collaborates with campus units to plan and implement strategies to assess the extent to which the university achieves its mission and strategic goals. The OAP provides the structure and expertise for ongoing studies to meet USG and federal reporting requirements. The Office of Institutional Research (OIR), a unit of OAP, provides ongoing analyses of faculty, staff, student, facilities, course offerings, credit--hours, degrees, majors and a wide variety of other operational data and topics of institutional concern.
Our plan for ongoing data collection, analysis and reporting will integrate with the existing work of the OAP. This system has helped the university achieve its current level of success. The first--year retention rate has been at least 93% for the past ten years. Our four--year completion rate has risen to 57.7%, while our six--year rate recently reached 83.3% (up from 75% six years ago).
Our CCG conceptual model recognizes the contribution of the UGA 2020 Strategic Plan, the Institutional Diversity Plan and two new campus initiatives, ConnectUGA and the RPG Partnership. The implementation of
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the new student information system with leadership from ConnectUGA will enhance the planning and evaluation process by serving as an integrated data source for student information. To monitor our plan, ConnectUGA will support focused analytics and reporting to inform our CCG goals, and the RPG Partnership will support and promote campus--wide coordination and communication. The RPG Partnership members, in collaboration with the OAP, will recommend and conduct focused studies to better understand factors related to access, retention and graduation at UGA.

Communication systems are in place to disseminate data and information about access, retention and completion to the campus community and other stakeholders. OIR distributes institutional data through publications such as The University of Georgia Fact Book, the OIR web site (http://www.oir.uga.edu/) and the periodic release of routine and ad hoc reports. The RPG will promote campus--wide communication using UGA websites and Columns, a faculty and staff weekly newspaper. In addition, we are planning presentations each semester to the University Council, the Provost's Advisory Council, the Diversity Advisory Council and the Academic Advisors Coordinating Council. Student Government Association leaders will participate on the RPG Partnership and provide advice on communication strategies to keep students informed. Faculty engagement will occur via interaction with faculty governance groups such as the University Curriculum Committee and the Educational Affairs Committee as well as through presentations to the Teaching Academy and at the annual Academic Affairs Symposium.


Conclusion

The University of Georgia has a strong, established culture of student success and is at the top of all Georgia public universities and above the mid--point of its peer comparator institutions. We are constantly working as a campus community to address student needs, and we will continue to focus on key findings from our institutional and Complete College America data to support our current goals and establish priorities among future goals.

References

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2010). Five high--impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion, and quality. Washington, DC: Brownell, J.E., & Swaner, L.E.


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Appendix A



UGA Data Collection and Assessment Methods Focused on Retention and Graduation



The university uses a variety of data collection and assessment methods to identify the types of challenges that must be addressed before we can achieve higher levels of retention and graduation. These include:

Yearly retention and graduation tracking reports of new freshmen and transfer students Studies focused on subsets of students
o Students on academic probation o Non--resident students National assessment surveys o National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Freshmen and Seniors o Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) o Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) Freshmen o The Freshmen Survey (CIRP), national study by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA o Educational Benchmarking Inc. (EBI) satisfaction and benchmarking assessments o National College Health Assessment (NCHA) o Core Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs Internal assessments conducted at UGA o Advisor satisfaction survey o Questionnaires from students who withdraw from UGA prior to midpoint of the term o Information from consultations with students who seek or inquire about a hardship withdrawal o Questionnaires completed by students participating in UGA's CARE program o Disability Resource Center Student Profile Report o Student Affairs Student Needs Assessment Profile o Analysis of the impact of UGA's plus/minus grading system o Analysis of the effect of changes to UGA's withdrawal policy o Tracking of previously enrolled students using National Student Clearinghouse data















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Appendix B

UGA Freshmen Retention and Completion Rates

UGA Freshmen Retention Rates





Retention Rates (as of Fall Terms)



Cohort N

1Yr

2Yrs 3Yrs 4Yrs 5Yrs 6Yrs

1999 4375 89.9% 83.4% 81.3% 78.2% 77.1% 77.8%

2000 4203 91.5% 84.9% 82.3% 79.5% 79.2% 79.7%

2001 4454 93.1% 87.3% 84.2% 81.0% 80.4% 81.0%

2002 4281 93.3% 87.5% 85.1% 82.3% 81.4% 82.2%

2003 5156 93.5% 88.3% 85.5% 82.7% 82.2% 83.0%

2004 4500 93.6% 88.1% 85.6% 82.7% 83.0% 83.3%

2005 4654 94.2% 89.2% 87.1% 84.8% 84.3% 84.6%

2006 5059 93.2% 89.0% 87.2% 83.9% 83.8%



2007 4675 93.6% 89.2% 87.7% 84.3%





2008 4778 94.5% 90.5% 87.9%







2009 4675 94.4% 90.4%









2010 4667 94.3%













UGA Freshmen Completion Rates



(Cumulative Completion Rates (through Summer Terms)

Cohort

N

2Yrs

3Yrs

4Yrs

5Yrs

6Yrs

1999 4375

0.8%

2.6% 44.2% 70.1% 74.9%

2000 4203

0.7%

2.5% 46.9% 73.3% 77.3%

2001 4454

0.5%

2.6% 49.2% 74.8% 78.7%

2002 4281

0.9%

3.1% 52.3% 76.6% 80.1%

2003 5156

0.7%

2.9% 51.2% 76.8% 80.8%

2004 4500

0.7%

2.7% 53.6% 78.0% 81.6%

2005 4654

0.7%

2.6% 55.3% 79.4% 83.3%

2006 5059

0.7%

3.0% 55 2% 79.4%



2007 4675

0.8%

3.0% 57.7%





2008 4778

0.8%

3.3%







2009 4675

0.6%











NOTE: Completion is defined as graduating with a bachelor's degree or matriculating into a professional program at UGA (federal IPEDS definition).



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Percent

Four--Year Average RetenOon Rate
UGA AspiraFonal Peer InsFtuFons

100

95

90 85

97

97

97

97

96

96 94.6 94

94

94

93

93

92

89

80

75

70

65

60

55

50


Note: First--time, Full--time Freshmen Retention Rate (4--year average, Fall 2006--2009 Cohorts) Source: 2012 U.S. News and World Report Rankings


Six--Year GraduaOon Rate
UGA AspiraFonal Peer InsFtuFons

100

95

90 85

93

93

91

90

90

90

80 75

85.9 85 84 84 82 81 80

70

65

70

60

55

50

Percent

Note: First--time, Full--time Freshman Graduation Rate (Fall 2004 Cohort) Source: 2012 U.S. News and World Report Rankings

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Appendix C

Sample of UGA Programs Designed to Increase Retention and Graduation



Freshman College Summer Experience (http://freshmancollege.uga.edu) Started in 2001, the Freshman College Summer Experience provides regularly--admitted students the opportunity to enroll during July; complete 6 hours of academic credit; be exposed to a wide range of cultural, academic, and social programs; and become familiar with the expectations of faculty and college life in a living-- learning environment. In 2011 the program was expanded to accommodate 300 students. Data in Table 1 indicate higher first--year retention rates and six--year completion rates among students participating in this program.



Dawg Camp (http://dawgcamp.uga.edu/) This program features a series of summer programs that facilitate the transition from high school to college by providing participants with exposure to student life at UGA before move--in day. Dawg Camp participants are mentored by upper--class student leaders and have the chance to make connections and get a head start on their college careers by learning about leadership, service, and involvement opportunities.
First--Year Odyssey Seminars (http:// fyo.uga.edu) Initiated in 2011, FYOS are required one--credit-- hour courses taught by some of the best faculty members on campus. Seminars are designed to introduce first--year students to the importance of learning and academics and engage them in the academic culture of the university; give first--year students an opportunity for meaningful dialogue with a faculty member to encourage positive, sustained student--faculty interactions; and introduce first--year students to the instruction, research, public service and international missions of the university and how they relate to teaching and learning in and outside the classroom.
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Learning Communities (http://learningcommunities.uga.edu) Learning Communities are groups of 20 students who are interested in the same topic (e.g., Business, Global Engagement, Life Sciences, Family and consumer Sciences, Music and Pre--Law) and who live and study together. Students take a special seminar designed to focus on the group's interests plus two other specified courses. Assessment data indicated that students who participated in the Learning Communities felt a greater connection to campus and were more likely to interact with faculty outside of class and become involved in campus organizations.
Academic Enhancement Initiatives (www.uga.edu/dae)
o Academic Support Services undergraduate and graduate peer tutors, as well as faculty, provide support for students who are taking courses such as math, chemistry, biology, accounting, economics, statistics, and foreign languages. Test review sessions are held for math, chemistry, and statistics. Instruction on study strategies is available for subject areas. Also, specialists are available to assist students with writing theses, projects, papers, and statements of purpose.
o Collaborative Academic and Retention Effort (CARE) an early intervention program that addresses the individual needs of first--year students on academic probation after their first semester of enrollment.
o Early Alert provides a resource for faculty and staff who have academic concerns about a student. Faculty and staff can visit the Division of Academic Enhancement website to submit their concerns in a simple, online form. An academic specialist will contact the student within 48 hours to help the student assess the reasons for his or her academic difficulty.

Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) (http://curo.uga.edu) CURO encourages and supports undergraduate students who want to conduct research with faculty. Through CURO, as early as their first year, undergraduates can pursue faculty--mentored research, regardless of discipline, major or GPA. CURO's purpose is simple: facilitating opportunities for undergraduate students to pursue research with premiere faculty mentors and share their accomplishments with the campus community and beyond.
Coca--Cola First Generation Scholars Program (http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/ccfgs.htm) This program includes up to 50 first--generation students who are provided financial support, a special seminar to facilitate their transition to college, and other academic enhancement opportunities. Data from this group indicated the cumulative (UGA) grade point average was 3.44. Thirteen of the 50 students have cumulative GPAs of 3.7 or above. In addition to their academic accomplishments, the students have participated in a wide range of co--curricular activities, such as the Arch Society, Demosthenian and Phi Kappa Literary Societies, UGA HEROs, Pandora Yearbook, Student Government Association, and the Redcoat Marching Band. In 2011, the Coca--Cola Foundation renewed its support for this program through 2015.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) (http://ctl.uga.edu) This center provides campus--wide leadership on matters relating to instruction by providing training for effective teaching, creative technology, and classroom support.
Honors Program (http://honors.uga.edu) UGA has one of the strongest and most well--established honors programs in the country.





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Appendix D

Leadership for the UGA Complete College Georgia Plan and Key Initiatives



Complete College Georgia Planning Team

CCG Team Members Laura Jolly Michelle Cook Mark Farmer Kyle Tschepikow Tracie Sapp

Ti t le, Department Vice President for Instruction Associate Provost, Institutional Diversity Division Chair, Biological Sciences Director of Assessment and Staff Development, Student Affairs Interim Director, Institutional Research


Retention, Progression, Graduation (RPG) Partnership Initiative Members

RPG Partnership Members Jean Bertrand Alan Campbell Charlie Carabello Michelle Cook Tracie Sapp Earl Ginter Jan Hathcote Glada Horvat Laura Jolly, Chair Eileen Kraemer Fiona Liken Bill McDonald Nancy McDuff Tatiana Nikonov Jill Walton

Title, Department Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, CAES Assistant Vice President, Student Support Associate Director of Enrollment Management Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Interim Director of Institutional Research Director Division of Academic Enhancement Registrar Associate Athletic Director VP for Instruction Associate Dean, Franklin College Director of Curriculum Systems Dean of Students Associate VP for Admissions and Enrollment Management Academic Center Coordinator Director of Undergraduate Student Services and Corporate Relations














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ConnectUGA Project Leadership Team and Project Advisory Team

Project Leadership Team

Team Members



Laura Jolly

Tim Chester

Holley Schramski

Chris Miller

Project Advisory Team

Title, Department Vice President for Instruction Vice President for Information Technology Associate Vice President and Controller Associate Provost for Academic Fiscal Affairs

Team Members Nancy McDuff Bonnie Joerschke Lisa McCleary Ilir Hasko Jan Hathcote Fiona Liken Tracie Sapp George Francisco Maureen Grasso Martha Davis Gollin Bill Vencill Will Burgess Robert Kelly

Title, Department Associate VP for Admissions and Enrollment Management Director Office of Student Financial Aid Bursar Director, EITS Registrar Director of Curriculum Systems Interim Director of Institutional Research Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy Dean of the Graduate School Student Affairs Associate Professor, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Student Government Association President Graduate and Professional Student Association President


UGA Contributors and Consultants to the CCG Plan

Team Members Jane Mann Elizabeth Fuller David Knauft Angela Y. Birkes Dale Threadgill Chuck Kutal
Nancy Vandergrift Alan Campbell Tom Burke Karen Kalivoda T.W. Cauthen

Title, Department Professional Advisor, Biological Sciences Professional Advisor, Biological Sciences Director, Project FOCUS Director, Peach State LSAMP Dean, College of Engineering Associate Dean for Instruction, Franklin Arts & Sciences & Director of the Office of STEM Education Program Coordinator, Office of STEM Education Assistant Vice President, Student Support Associate Vice President, Student Affairs Director, Disability Resource Center Associate Director of Student Life, Center for Leadership and Service


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Appendix E

Additional Initiatives to Meet Selected Complete College Georgia Goals

CCG Strategy 1: Improving Access, Opportunity and Completion

Support for High--Impact Educational Practices. The literature on retention shows that student engagement is critical to retention and graduation (AAC&U 2010). UGA is committed to high--impact educational practices. The UGA 2020 Strategic Plan outlines a commitment to increasing international experiences for our students, opportunities to participate in research, and opportunities for community engagement via service--learning. Students who participate in these programs are generally retained at higher rates than students who do not participate. The Office of International Education, the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, and the Office of Service--Learning have on--going programs to support faculty professional development and student learning using these high--impact educational practices. UGA will continue to support these offices to increase the level of student participation and engagement in high impact practices.

Academic Enhancement Initiatives. The Division of Academic Enhancement (DAE) will continue to provide services to all UGA students. However, emphasis will continue to be placed on supporting students who are placed on warning or academic probation. For example, the Collaborative Academic and Retention Effort (CARE) is an early intervention program that addresses the individual needs of first--year students on academic probation after their first semester of enrollment. Analysis of 2010 data found GPAs for students using these services increased at a statistically significant level (p < .05). In addition, TutorTrac, a computerized scheduling and reporting system for the Division of Academic Enhancement's academic services, was recently implemented. Pre-- and post--tutoring GPAs were compared, and a general student profile was obtained. Data analysis found the GPA increase from pre-- to post-- tutoring was statistically significant (p < .05). Assessment of DAE programs will continue and provide information to improve academic support for students.

Academic Advising Coordinating Council (AACC). The Academic Advising Coordinating Council (AACC), provides leadership and professional development for undergraduate advising at UGA. During 2010, thirty faculty and staff completed the Advising Certificate Program. The program was developed by advisors and is jointly administered by OVPI, the AACC, and Training and Development. The AACC's Professional Development Subcommittee introduced a Lunch and Learn series to initiate dialogue about strategies for successful advising. An annual online Advisor Survey system provides input on student advising experiences. Results of the 2011 NSSE indicated higher ratings for the quality of advising compared to 2008. AACC Programs designed to support academic advisors will continue. Members of the AACC will be kept informed of CCG goals and outcomes and be invited to collaborate in CCG initiatives.

CCG Strategy 2: Enhancing Instructional Delivery

STEM initiatives for underrepresented students. Increasing the number of majors in STEM disciplines and increasing the graduation rate are goals of the CCG plan. The Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PSLSAMP) aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students who earn bachelor's degrees in the STEM disciplines significantly and to encourage more of our degree

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recipients to pursue graduate studies in these fields. Now in its sixth year, the PSLSAMP has supported nearly 260 UGA undergraduates, 66 of whom have earned a bachelor's degree in one of the STEM disciplines (most others are still enrolled at UGA). In 2006 UGA had nearly 400 URMs enrolled in STEM disciplines. By 2011 that number had jumped to more than 700. In 2006 UGA awarded 56 bachelor's degrees in STEM to URM students; in 2010 that number had increased dramatically to 124. UGA serves as the lead institution for PSLSAMP and will continue to provide support for this program. This year the PSLSAMP program instituted better student tracking measures to document the effectiveness of the program in producing URM students with degrees in STEM. The Office of STEM Education will work collaboratively with the PSLSAMP program to increase STEM majors and degrees.

Desire2Learn (D2L) Learning Management System Adoption. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) created a faculty professional development program to encourage adoption of the new Desire2Learn (D2L) Learning Management System. UGA, along with other USG system institutions, will transition to a new learning management system, Desire2Learn (D2L) beginning in fall 2012 and continuing through summer 2013. An early adopter program will begin in fall 2012 to support a small group of faculty (n=200 for the fall and spring semester) interested in beginning to use D2L prior to university--wide adoption. The Center for Teaching and Learning, Enterprise Information Technology Services, and college/unit staff will collaborate with early adopters to adapt and enhance their course content for D2L and provide support. Workshops and events are planned to engage faculty and assist them in creating course sites in Desire2Learn. This D2L Early Adopter program supports UGA's goal of enhancing instructional delivery and encouraging faculty reflection on teaching and learning using instructional technology. Following an assessment of the program and a review of outcomes, other initiatives to support faculty use of instructional technology will be proposed.

Summer Instructional Grants Program. The Office of the Vice President for Instruction provided summer innovative instructional grants for faculty. These grants provide an opportunity for faculty to improve teaching and learning through innovative instructional projects. Proposals focused on improving instruction in high--demand courses (large lecture classes, courses involving multiple sections, general education courses), as well as proposals that integrate instructional technology in courses, were encouraged. Twenty--two proposals were funded in summer 2012. Projects will be completed in FY13. Following a review of the outcomes, a second initiative will be implemented. This grants program supports the CCG goal of enhancing instructional delivery.















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Appendix F

Implementation of Complete College Georgia Strategies

CCG Strategy Improve Access, Opportunity and Completion
Enhancing Instructional Delivery

UGA Initiative

Implementation

Outcomes/Benchmarks

First--Year Odyssey Seminar Program

Initiated Fall 2011 and continuing. Annual report of outcomes. Five--year SACS assessment report in 2016.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peers o Initial target of 86% (6--year graduation rate of aspirational institutions) o Track changes in 6--year graduation rates and compare to aspirational peers



Gateway to Georgia Scholarship Campaign

Initiated Fall 2012 and continuing through duration of capital campaign. Annual report of outcomes.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peers o Initial target of 86% (6--year graduation rate of aspirational institutions) o Track changes in 6--year graduation rates and compare to aspirational peers
Increase scholarship funding for student financial support o Track private funding for scholarships (target to be set during capital campaign) o Track levels of unmet need
Increase the graduation rate of UGA students who are receiving federally funded Pell Grants and subsidized Federal Direct Loans o Initial target of 2% increase in graduation rate

Undergraduate STEM Initiatives

Initiated 2008 and continuing. Annual report of outcomes.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of
aspirational peers Increase the number of majors enrolled in STEM
disciplines o Track number of STEM majors (Initial target
is 5000 STEM majors) o Track number of Engineering majors (Initial
target is 1300 Engineering majors)



Office of Online Learning

Initiated August 2012 and continuing. Annual report of outcomes.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peers o Initial target of 86% (6--year graduation rate of aspirational institutions) o Track changes in 6--year graduation rates and compare to aspirational peers
Increase the number of online undergraduate courses/programs to meet enrollment pressure and revitalize teaching and learning o Track increases in number of new online courses and programs developed o Track student enrollment growth in online courses and programs

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30

CCG Strategy
Advancing Partnerships with K--12

UGA Initiative
Pre--Collegiate Outreach

K--12 STEM Initiatives

Improving Time to Implementation of

Degree

DegreeWorks

Restructuring Learning Support

Intensive Multi-- Component Program

Implementation Outcomes/Benchmarks

Initiated in 2006 and continuing. Annual report of outcomes.

Maintain the number of pre--collegiate programs o Track number of pre--collegiate programs
Increase UGA student involvement in pre-- collegiate programs o Track student involvement in pre--collegiate programs



Initiated in 2008 and continuing. Annual report of outcomes.

Increase UGA student involvement in pre-- collegiate programs o Track student involvement in pre--collegiate programs
Maintain project FOCUS in the Athens Clarke County elementary schools
Expand Project FOCUS into the Athens Clarke County middle and high schools as resources become available



Initiated Fall 2010. All undergraduate colleges/schools participating Fall 2012 and continuing. Quarterly updates and annual report of outcomes.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peers o Initial target of 86% (6--year graduation rate of aspirational institutions) o Track changes in 6--year graduation rates and compare to aspirational peers

Pilot Fall 2012. Initiated Fall 2012. Continuation based on assessment of pilot project.

Increase graduation rate to the mean of aspirational peers o Initial target of 86% (6--year graduation rate of aspirational institutions) o Track changes in 6--year graduation rates and compare to aspirational peers o Track student completion of IMP program





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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 1
Complete College Georgia UWG Campus Plan
Submitted by: Beheruz N. Sethna, President
August 22, 2012 Complete College Georgia UWG Commission Members
Myrna Gantner, Academic Affairs, Co-Chair Scot Lingrell, Student Affairs, Co-Chair Jon Anderson, Academic Affairs Anne Barnhart, Library
David Boldt, Richards College of Business Josh Byrd, College of Arts and Humanities
Melanie Clay, Distance Education Hannes Gerhardt, College of Science and Mathematics
Patrick Hadley, College of Social Sciences Mike Hester, Honors College and Trans-disciplinary Programs
Jason Huett, Distance Education and College of Education Jennifer Jordan, Enrollment Services
Denise Overfield, College of Arts and Humanities Sal Peralta, College of Social Sciences Cheryl Rice, EXCEL Center Ravic Ringlaben, College of Education Helen Steele, First Year Experiences
Scott Sykes, College of Science and Mathematics
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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 2
Introduction

Currently, UWG is undergoing major change. Not only is the physical landscape changing because of a multitude of capital and public/private projects, but we are also undergoing changes to achieve our goal to become a destination university--one that more students choose as their first choice. Although our mission remains the same, through ongoing strategic planning we drafted a revised vision statement that reflects our desire to more fully affect student success. The revised vision statement integrates the concept of a learning-centered institution dedicated to student success within the context of preparing students to be problem solvers.

Stakeholder Involvement in Development of the CCG-UWG Campus Plan

This Complete College Georgia UWG (CCG-UWG) plan closely supports both our institutional mission and revised vision. We formed the CCG-UWG Commission Soon after the March 2012 Complete College Georgia Summit by bringing together 18 influential faculty members, professional staff, and administrators from across the institution. Our goal was to create a coherent, strategic campus plan to affect student success and completion in the new Complete College Georgia framework and expectations. We believe we achieved that goal.

Developed with wide stakeholder input beyond the 18-member Commission, the CC-UWG campus plan builds on the recommendations of the UWG President's Special Commission to Improve Graduation Rates and the UWG Online Degrees Task Force. The President's Special Commission, which evolved from the Board of Regents' Graduation Rate Initiative, involved more than 50 faculty, staff, administrators, and students who analyzed data and developed 60 recommendations to improve student success. These recommendations were vetted at all levels of the institution during 2011-2012, including open Town Hall meetings and input from the Faculty Senate. Although that Commission focused mainly on the first-time, full-time, degree seeking freshman student, many of the 60 recommendations for improvement are relevant for the Complete College Georgia initiative.

The UWG Online Degrees Task Force, formed in early 2011, involved 17 faculty and staff from across campus who developed a white paper that laid out reasons to support the strategic, targeted growth of online programming. The concepts and recommendations presented in the white paper, released for review in early Fall 2011, received a 100% unanimous vote of support by the Faculty Senate in December, 2011, and support by the members of the President's Advisory Council in February, 2012. Ideas and action items from the Online Degrees white paper's recommendations are included in this CCG-UWG campus plan.

It should be noted that UWG has been working on strategies to increase retention and graduation rates since receiving a $350,000 grant from the Board of Regents in 2006. As the University System's initiatives have matured, so has the UWG response. The 2009-2010 Graduation Rate Task Force followed the work of the initial 2006 grant, which was subsequently followed by the formation of the UWG President's Special Commission to Improve Graduation Rates and its report with 60 recommendations to improve student success. The Online Degrees Task Force built on the outstanding work and reputation of the UWG Office of Distance Education and Extended Degree Programs to develop its seven recommendations, which align nicely with the goals of Complete College Georgia to reach underserved populations.

Lastly, we plan to interact with numerous external constituencies as early as October, 2012, regarding the CCUWG agenda. Examples of these groups include employers who work with UWG Career Services and who have a track record of hiring our interns and graduates, the College of Arts and Humanities Development Council, the Richards College of Business Board of Visitors and Accounting Advisory Board, the Community Advisory Committee to the College of Social Sciences, the College of Science and Mathematics Advisory Board, the University Council for Educator Preparation, the Area School District Superintendent Council, and the UTeach Advisory Board.

Improvements with Current Students

The improvements better. Our 6-year

generated by prior efforts are graduation rate has improved

mimoprreetshsiavne,4bpuetrwceenataregenoptosinattsisifniejduswt iftihvethyeemarsa.nEdvse5t9nr4ivmoefo6tro3e6do

Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 3
impressive is the five percentage point increase in the 4-year graduation rate between the Fall 2004 cohort and
the Fall 2007 cohort.

First time, full time four and six year graduation rates

Entering Freshmen

Entered Entered Fall 2000 Fall 2001

Entered Fall 2002

N= 1657

1557

1625

Entered Fall 2003
1728

Entered Fall 2004
1701

Entered Fall 2005
1653

Sixth Year

N= 566
Grad Rate 34.16%

565 36.29%

513

627

587

31.57% 36.28% 34.51%

632 38.23%

Entered Entered

Fall

Fall

2006

2007

Fourth Year

N= 183
Grad Rate 11.04%

184
11.82%

177

208

198

10.89% 12.04% 11.64%

207
12.52%

248

298

14.59% 16.62%

This plan will not reiterate the strategies that have brought us this far; rather, it communicates the strategies and action steps for adding to previous successes by serving the populations identified in the Complete College Georgia initiative. Because the earlier initiatives support the goals of Complete College Georgia, the CCG-UWG Commission drew from and expanded upon their work to create this comprehensive blueprint to meet West Georgia's portion of the Complete College Georgia plan. (Please see the "Matrix" in the Appendix for additional strategies that are not described in the body of this document).

Part I: Goals and Data Analysis

UWG is a campus with a rather traditional population of students. More than 75.5% of our students are full-time and nearly 85% of our undergraduate students are of traditional age (17-24). Therefore, we used the President's Special Commission recommendations as the foundation for strategies to increase graduation with this traditional population. However, with a 15% non-traditional student base, and a CCG emphasis on this underserved population, we also developed strategies to increase access and the success of adult learners. The recommendations of the UWG Online Degrees Task Force guide our strategies for online opportunities, which in turn will serve non-traditional and underserved populations well.

The Complete College UWG goal setting process was rather straightforward. Building on the data analysis generated for the Graduation Rates initiative, we added metrics to reflect the CCG outcome metrics that were developed by the USG Metrics Working Group. These, then, informed our campus plan and guided us in the development of strategies, tactics, and action steps. In earlier efforts to improve RPG and graduation rates we developed a robust set of institutional key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs will be considered along with the CCG Metrics to provide information about our campus progress. The objectives, strategies, and implementation plans in the CCG-UWG plan build on and expand existing initiatives and are grounded in datadriven, research-based approaches as well as best practices shown to enhance student success and degree completion.

This campus plan was developed around the areas identified in both our initial data analysis and analysis of CCG metrics generated after the CCG Summit. Areas of concern were identified and specific strategies were defined to address those deficiencies. Additionally, we know that the success of some strategies will be dependent on deeper work in some areas. For instance, one of our strategies is to implement an Early Alert/Early Intervention system with new students. However, this strategy is dependent on a strong academic advising system. We recognize that our advising system, although excellent in many units, could be strengthened in various ways. Thus, you will read about a strategy to improve our advising system that is broader in scope than typical strategies presented in this plan.
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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 4
Key Actionable Findings
Data, the hub around which all of our efforts revolved, informed each strategy and assumption in our plan. Below we highlight several of the key findings from our ongoing data analyses, although these are only a small portion of those we uncovered when working on earlier initiatives as well as the CCG-UWG plan.
The attrition and academic failure of our students can be predicted from their levels of success in the first term and the first year. On average, more than 25% of first time students leave before the start of their second year, and an additional 15-20% leave prior to their third year. Because this attrition rate is unacceptable, we decided to focus most of our strategies on the first two years.
We learned that entering students in the 20-24 age bracket have the lowest retention rates (45%). This will be a population for which we will develop specific strategies in the near future.
UWG students earn higher DFW rates in core classes than those at our comparator institutions, which leads to lower GPAs in the freshman year. In fact, the first-term GPA of UWG freshmen in 2009 was 2.30 compared to 2.50 for Georgia Southern, 2.79 at Valdosta, and 2.81 at Kennesaw. Many of our strategies and actions are designed to address the high DFW rate.
UWG policies and procedures, at times, create unnecessary barriers to success. For instance, we have very liberal withdraw and retake policies, such that students have unlimited withdraws. Our analysis and investigation of best practices suggest that limiting withdraws will help students make better decisions about when to withdraw and when to put in the effort to succeed in a course in which they are struggling. Changing this and other problematic policies will reduce barriers to student progression and lead to higher graduation rates.
The gaps in our knowledge and data revolve around the disaggregated populations that are represented in the CCG metrics. As a very traditional campus, we have until now focused on the first-time, full-time, degree seeking student. Many of the strategies that we will employ should help both the traditional freshman and the nontraditional populations of students. It is likely that we will need to adjust the delivery of these strategies based on the targeted population.
Campus Strengths and Areas of Improvement
We identified three major strengths at UWG that will help us with our CCG-UWG goals: 1. Strong working relationship between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. The two divisions have worked hand-in-hand to develop campus wide strategies to increase retention and graduation rates. Each division has taken responsibility for the strategies and tactics within their control and created opportunities for collaboration that have become embedded in the culture. All efforts have been cochaired by the Associate VP for Academic Affairs and Associate VP for Student Affairs with institutional support from the President, Provost, and VP for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. 2. Online and distance education evidenced by the success of eCore, fully online degree programs, and online faculty development. This plan relies on UWG's expertise in online learning to help engage and assist the non-traditional student populations that are the focus of Complete College Georgia. 3. Focus on undergraduate student success in Student Affairs initiatives since 2005. We have invested heavily in best practices that produce support services for students (e.g., First Year Experiences; see Appendix for retention data associated with First Year Programming).
Because UWG has focused primarily on the traditional undergraduate, we recognize that we need to develop and improve programs and services for non-traditional and underrepresented populations of students. Additionally, prior to working with this plan, we had not disaggregated data in ways that would allow us to develop specific strategies for these disaggregated populations (e.g., Pell eligible, part-time students, adult learners). However, the strategies included in this plan will help both traditional and non-traditional students in all populations.
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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 5
Part II: Strategies and Objectives and Part III: Planning and Implementation

We took some liberties in developing a functional format for this report by combining Part II Strategies and Objectives with Part III Planning and Implementation, as this configuration seems most beneficial to readers. Eighteen strategies are presented with a brief description, relevant metrics, approximately two action steps (objectives) per strategy, and statement of efficacy/significance. The implementation date follows the first italicized line that names each strategy. Measurement dates in the charts indicate the date of the first round of data analysis performed to determine progress with a strategy. On a final note, please view the Matrix in the Appendix for an overview of all the strategies discussed and planned for our improvement efforts. Only those most directly linked to access and completion are discussed in Part II and Part III.

Partnerships with K-12

Strategy 1 K-12: Promote dual enrollment with K-12 students through eCore and face-to-face campus classes (Fall

2012). UWG serves approximately 30 students from local high schools (mostly Carroll and Coweta Counties)

through face-to-face dual enrollment programs. We expect this number to increase as Local Education

Agencies (LEAs) are rewarded through FTE dollars that are associated with increased scores on their College

Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), the index that replaced Adequate Yearly Progress for determining

K-12 system performance. An additional 80 high school juniors and seniors attend UWG through enrollment in

our Advanced Academy. The Advanced Academy selectively recruits high ability high school juniors and seniors

from across the nation as well as foreign countries.

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Responsible Person

Date

Number of dual enrollment

50%

30 students

Mike Hester

students

Increase

(Fall 11)

Jason Huett

Fall 13

Number of dual enrolled students 25%

who matriculate to the UWG

Increase

13 students

Justin Barlow

Fall 13

Action Step 1: Develop an intentional recruitment initiative to increase the number of dual enrollment students.

Action Step 2: Create a services model that prioritizes dual enrollment students, matriculation at the University,

and a focus on student success.

Efficacy/Significance: Purposeful recruitment and support of high school students for dual enrollment will

increase the number of students and shorten the time to graduation.

Strategy 2 K-12: Develop a K-16 Curriculum Alignment Model to enhance college readiness (Fall 2013). This initiative will be jointly led by the Provost and College of Education Dean, in collaboration with the other academic

deans and the University Council on Educator Preparation (UCEP), the newly reconfigured advisory board that examines educational issues at the broad policy level and makes recommendations at the implementation level. Further, we will lean on our multiple UWG K-12 partnerships established for the Educational Leadership Degree

and Certification Program (Ed.S.), such as those with all school systems in the Northwest Georgia Regional

Education Service Agency (RESA), West Georgia RESA, Northeast Georgia RESA, Griffin RESA; nine county systems (Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Rockdale, Union, Fannin, Douglas); and the Atlanta Public Schools.

Responsible Measurement

Metric

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Number of partnerships

with K-12 schools and Increase by 5 48 systems (Educational Michael Horvath

systems

annually Leadership Partnerships) Dianne Hoff

Fall 2014

Action Step 1: The Provost, Academic Deans, and UCEP meet with local and regional K-12 educators for

discussions that will lead to a K-16 Curriculum Alignment Initiative.

Action Step 2: Build the number of partnerships with K-12 schools and systems that "buy in" to the K-16

Curriculum Model.

Efficacy/Significance: K-16 curriculum alignment will better prepare high school students for college; thus,

enhancing the success rates and timely graduation. The Educational Leadership partnerships are exceptionally

strong and have the working relationships on which to build the K-16 curriculum alignment.

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 6

Strategy 3 K-12: Develop a K-16 Career Exploration/Career Development Model to expand students' knowledge

of potential careers (Fall 2013). This initiative will be jointly led by the UWG Director of Counseling and Career

Development and College of Education Dean, in collaboration with UWG career development counselors and the

University Council on Educator Preparation (UCEP).

Responsible Measurement

Metric

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

48 systems

Number of partnerships with Increase by (Educational Leadership Lisa Adams

K-12 schools and systems 5 annually

partnerships)

Dianne Hoff

Fall 2014

Action Step 1: UCEP meets with local and regional K-12 educators to develop a K-16 Career Exploration Initiative.

Action Step 2: Build the number of partnerships with K-12 schools and systems that "buy in" to the K-16

Curriculum Model.

Efficacy/Significance: Students who participate in integrated career development/exploration programs will

identify majors earlier and select majors that align with their strengths. These students will change majors less

frequently, which will shorten time to graduation.

Access and Completion for Underserved Students

Strategy 4 Access/Completion: Recruit and serve veterans and their families with appropriate support services

(Fall 2012). The number of veterans attending UWG has increased 42% in the last two years, with enrollments of

veterans' family members increasing 150% over the same time period. Support services will include, but not be

limited to creating a new position in Student Affairs to serve the increasing number of veterans and family

members on campus.

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Responsible Person

Date

425

Cheryl Rice, Michael

(250 veterans,

Keim, Disability

Number of veterans and family members enrolled

20%

175 family) Services, Judith Horne,

Increase Spring 2012 data Shirley Lankford

Fall 2013

Success rates of veterans and

Institutional

family members (retention rate, Equal to

Research and

course completion ratio, credits regular

Planning, Enrollment

to degree, graduation rate)

population Fall 2012 data

Management

Fall 2014

Action Step 1: Create targeted marketing through the Go West campaign to attract and recruit veterans and their

family members.

Action 2: Form a Military Student Support Task Force, drawing members who have a special awareness of

military personnel and veterans' needs, to include faculty and staff veterans and student veterans. The task

force will develop the necessary support services to serve veterans and their family members including proper

staffing levels. (Excel Center, Counseling and Career Development, Enrollment Services).

Action Step 3: Develop a UWG-Veterans Administration Educational Partnership with the new VA treatment

facility that will open soon in Carrollton, Georgia.

Efficacy/Significance: Provide enhanced access and support to veterans and their families, which will increase

graduation rates for this subpopulation of underserved adult learners.

Strategy 5 Access/Completion: Strategically increase the number and diversity of distinctive, high quality, online offerings, to include participation in eCore and possibly eMajor, to meet student demand and leverage institutional strengths (Fall 2012). As of July, 2010, the number of fully online programs, certificates, and endorsements stood at nine (graduate and undergraduate). In FY11, that number nearly doubled as a record eight new programs committed to going online, including our first fully online bachelor's degree (B.S. in Criminology). Recognizing that adult populations are underserved, the UWG Online Degrees Task Force (recommendations released in February, 2012) recommended the development of additional 100% online degree programs at the undergraduate level.

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 7

This recommendation was made with the understanding that (1) the market clearly indicates demand from

specific audiences, (2) programs can be delivered effectively through the online format, (3) programs will align

with faculty expertise, and (4) resources will be allocated to meet the instructional demands and professional

development of participating faculty. This strategy is not designed to compete with our high quality face-to-face

programs; rather, the development of targeted, fully online programs will serve adult learners who require the

flexibility afforded through asynchronous online instruction.

Benchmark

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Spring 2012 Data

Person

Date

Number of partially online courses

Increase by 20%

35 UWG Courses 63 UWG Sections

Melanie Clay

(undergraduate only) Number of

annually

Spri6n8g U20W1G2 DCoatuarses

Jason Huett Fall 2013

fully online courses

Increase by 20%

106 UWG Sections

Melanie Clay

(undergraduate only)

annually

Jason Huett Fall 2013

24 eCore Courses

UWG and eCore

111 eCore Sections

Number of 100% online Increase by 1 annually

undergraduate degrees

as appropriate

1

Melanie Clay Jason Huett

Fall 2013

Action Step 1: Strategically increase the number of distinctive, high quality programs focused on adult learners. Action Step 2: Expand the work of the Online Faculty Development Center to build faculty capacity to teach in technology-enhanced learning environments. Include training in pedagogies and tools that serve students with disabilities well. Action Step 4: Develop an incentive system for faculty to encourage participation in the development of online courses and degrees and teaching in those programs. Action Step 5: Address policies, procedures, and services to be more supportive of the fully online population. Action Step 6: Explore the possibility of offering one or more eMajor programs through the Adult Learning Consortium. Efficacy/Significance: High quality online programming, particularly 100% online degrees, will greatly facilitate the completion rates of adult learners. Hybrid online programming (part face-to-face and part online) can shorten time to degree for all students, as asynchronous programming ameliorates course scheduling conflicts and time demands of working adults. This strategy will also affect the "Shorten Time to Degree" and "Restructuring Instructional Delivery" categories, but is not included in those sections for the sake of brevity.

Strategy 6 Access/Completion: Develop a partnership with West Georgia Technical College (2012-2013). This

agreement will facilitate the transfer of students to UWG from the technical college. The agreement will give

students who are not prepared to enter UWG as a first time freshman an opportunity to build knowledge and

skills needed for successful degree completion at UWG. Further, the agreement will allow UWG students

suspended for academic nonperformance to transfer to WGTC, regain good standing while completing an

established course of study, and then transfer back to UWG to earn a Bachelor's degree. The articulation

agreement will be particularly useful to adult students who have been away from school for a number of years

and could benefit from the smaller, supportive environment of the technical college.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Number of transfer students 10% increase

from WGTC;

each year

117 students

Jon Anderson

Fall 2013

Success Rates of transfer

students from WGTC

(retention rate, course

Equal to the

completion ratio, credits to

regular

Cheryl Rice

degree, graduation rate)

population

Fall 2012 data

Excel Center

Fall 2014

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 8
Action Step 1: Create an articulation agreement to facilitate the transfer of credits. Action Step 2: Implement a directed admission program related to the articulation agreement. Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will enhance access and shorten time to degree by ensuring transfer credit.

Strategy 7 Access/Completion: Expand the "Go West" marketing campaign to target the adult learner. The Go

West campaign, which won national awards for branded television commercials and the coveted 2010

Educational Advertising Awards national competition (sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report), has

been extremely successful in raising public awareness of programming at UWG and subsequent enrollments. One

year after the campaign began in Fall 2010, Preview Day attendance was up 24%, freshman applications and

acceptances were up 5.6%, transfers increased by 8%, and financial aid applications rose by 21%. Digital

communications data indicate a 35% increase in visits to the institution's website and an increase of 40% "likes"

on the UWG Facebook page. These data demonstrate the power of the Go West campaign to raise awareness in

the public's eye of educational opportunities at UWG, with subsequent enrollments.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Number of inquiries, Double the number Inquiries equal

applications, and

of inquiries,

501; applications

enrollments from adult applications and 430; enrollments Jami Bower

population

enrollments

231 students

Justin Barlow

Spring 2013

Success rates of adult

Statistically

learners (retention rate,

significant

course completion ratio, improvements over

credits to degree,

current success Current success Academic Affairs

graduation rate)

rates

rates

Student Affairs Spring 2014

Number of readmits from 10% increase in

Justin Barlow

the "stop out" population

readmits

320 students Sherry Robinson Spring 2013

Action Step 1: Conduct a market study to identify specific strategies to attract adult students.

Action Step 2: Secure the resources to produce appropriate publications and advertisement.

Action Step 3: Develop and implement the adult learner campaign.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will enhance access and completion by getting the message out to adult

learners that UWG has outstanding programming and support services to help them complete their degrees.

Strategy 8 Access/Completion: Require enrollment in Summer Transition Program for students whose admissions

scores are in the tenth decile (Freshman Index below 2150) (Summer 2012). The Summer Transition Program is a

four-week session for at-risk students to attend courses in a highly structured, highly supportive environment that

is designed to increase their success rates. Although the program is voluntary this year, it will be required in the

future for students with a low freshman index (high school GPA and test scores), as they will be admitted

provisionally and must successfully complete the Summer Transition Program to move from provisional to regular

admission status.

Responsible

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Percentage of Summer Transition

Program students gaining regular

Data available

admission status

95%

August 2012

Scot Lingrell

Summer 2012

Equal to

Percentage of Summer Transition regular Data available

Program retained

population August 2013

Scot Lingrell

Summer 2013

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 9

Responsible

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Success Rates of Summer

Transition Program students

Equal to

(course completion ratio, credits regular

Will vary by Academic Affairs

to degree, graduation rate)

population

metric

Student Affairs Summer 2013

Action Step 1: Take necessary steps to create and implement the Summer Transition Program.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will improve access and retention rates for students who may not otherwise

have the opportunity to attend UWG. Because test scores and socio-economic status are correlated, this program

should benefit low-income and first generation students in higher proportions than others. Further, it will help

students with learning disabilities.

Shorten time to degree (or credits to degree)

Strategy 9 Shorten Time to Degree: Implement an Early Alert/Early Intervention system (Fall 2012). Our first year

retention data indicate that approximately 27% of FT/FT freshmen do not continue to their sophomore year. This

loss is likely attributed to the fact that 30% of UWG freshman have first term GPAs of less than 2.00, although our

freshman median SAT scores are higher than many of our comparator institutions. Further, our freshman first term

GPA for the Fall 2011 cohort was 2.41.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Percent of First Term

Reduce to 15% of

Academic Affairs

Students with GPA < 2.0

students

30.26%

Student Affairs Spring 2013

Reduce by 5%

2,960 W's Academic Affairs

Course withdraw rate

per year

(Fall 2011) Student Affairs Spring 2013

Increase 1.25%

Academic Affairs

First year retention rate

per year

73%

Student Affairs

Fall 2013

Action Step 1: Identify strategies to identify students at risk of failing or dropping out early in their freshman year.

Action Step 2: Develop intervention strategies to support the retention of identified students.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will enhance student success, increasing retention toward graduation.

Strategy 10 Shorten Time to Degree: Maximize use of Credit by Exam (Fall 2012). Our FT/FT students average

131 credit hours completed when their degree is earned; FT/PT students average 130 hours, and Transfer

students 136 hours. Data from the past four years indicate that on average, only 23 students "CLEPPED" a course

each year; 250 students earned credit through Advanced Placement exams each year, and 240 students earned

credit through placement exams each year.

Metrics

Targets Benchmark

Responsible Person

Measurement Date

Number of students receiving CLEP

25%

Admissions

credit

increase

23

Academic Advising Fall 2013

Number of students receiving AP/IB

10%

Admissions

credit

increase

250

Academic Advising Fall 2013

Number of students receiving credit

10%

Admissions

through Placement Testing

increase

240

Academic Advising Fall 2013

Institutional

Reduce to

Research and

Credit hours at time of completion

126

131

Planning

Fall 2014

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 10
Action Step 1: Communicate opportunities for earning credit by exam to all incoming students. Action Step 2: Provide placement testing prior to enrollment. Efficacy/Significance: The efficient and prudent use of exams for credit will decrease the number of credit hours at the time of completion.

Strategy 11 Shorten Time to Degree: Develop new Withdraw/Retake Campus Policy (Fall 2012). Fall 2005 cohort

data show significant trends in four and six year graduation rates related to the number of course withdrawals,

such that students with fewer withdrawals are more likely to graduate on time than those with larger numbers of

withdrawals. Indeed, almost no students with more than 5-7 course withdrawals graduate in four or six years. Our

current policy permits unlimited opportunities to withdraw from a course and retake a course with grade

replacement. This produces unintended, negative consequences. Rather than encouraging students to perform

better, the policy actually incentivizes students to "give up," rather than put forth the effort to succeed. Anecdotal

data indicate that students who seek admission to highly competitive programs (e.g., nursing), withdraw from a

course if they are making a B, because they need the A for the competitive advantage for program admission.

Further, students who withdraw from courses have taken seats that could have been used by others, delaying

progress toward graduation for themselves and those who did not have the opportunity to gain the seats.

Responsible

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

2,960 W's Academic Affairs

Course withdraw rate

Reduce by 5%

(Fall 2011)

Excel Center

Spring 2013

78.3%

Academic Affairs

Course Completion Ratio

85%

Fall 2011)

Excel Center

Spring 2013

Action Step 1: Work with Academic Policies (Faculty Senate Standing Committee) and the President's Special

Commission Withdraw/Retake Committee to develop a new policy.

Action Step 2: Create a Banner report to identify students withdrawing from a course.

Action Step 3: Intervene with the student prior to the withdrawal.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will shorten time to degree, as students will complete more hours each

semester. This strategy will also protect student's financial aid eligibility, which will also shorten time to degree, as

students will not have to take breaks from enrollment to earn money for tuition when they lose financial aid due

to withdrawing from too many classes.

Strategy 12 Shorten Time to Degree: Clear course backlogs. Data from professional advisors, Associate Deans,

and the Registrar's Office confirm that particular courses are consistently difficult for students to schedule, due to

a limited number of seats. The problem with backlogs is exacerbated by difficulties in hiring faculty, usually at the

limited term Instructor level, to teach core courses in particular subjects. This is most noticeable in our English

Department, which is searching for eight new full time instructors. Many candidates have turned down offers

because of low salaries and heavy workloads in ENGL 1101 and 1102. See the Appendix for the list of identified

backlog courses, their associated areas of need, and those for which transient status permission is frequently

requested.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Number of seats in select Increase by Current number of

courses

course

seats by course

Michael Horvath

Fall 2012

Number of Transient

Decrease by

300 per year

Permission Requests

25%

(2011-2012)

Registrar

Fall 2013

Action Step 1: Fund faculty positions (limited term instructors) to clear backlogs.

Action Step 2: Improve course scheduling by departments with enhanced software tools that can communicate

with DegreeWorks.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will shorten time to degree as students have access to courses in the correct

sequence when needed.

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 11

Strategy 13 Shorten Time to Degree: Clear backlog in foreign language seats (Fall 2012). Initial analyses indicate

that 125 foreign language seats will be needed per semester (375 per year) until the backlog is cleared. Currently,

juniors and seniors fill the available seats, preventing freshmen from starting required coursework in their first

term. Our intent is to clear the backlog and then require incoming freshmen to begin their foreign language

sequence immediately, when their high school foreign language experiences are fresh in their minds.

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Responsible Person

Date

Number of foreign

2615 seats

Felix Tweraser

language seats per year

per year

2240 seats per year Academic Affairs

Fall 2013

Action Step 1: Increase number of foreign language seats by 375 per year until the backlog is cleared.

Action Step 2: Use the foreign language exam to accurately place students in proper course, which also allows

credit by exam.

Action Step 3: Develop a policy that requires students to start their foreign language sequence in their first year.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will shorten time to degree by ensuring that students have access to their

foreign language courses in a timely manner.

Strategy 14 - Shorten Time to Degree: Develop and implement consistent academic advising practices in all departments and units (Fall 2012). Academic advising is addressed through a variety of models on our campus, with professional advisors serving a segment of the student population, faculty advisors another segment, and both professional advisors and faculty advisors working with still another group. Fall 2007 Spring 2012 data from 3,782 student evaluations indicate high satisfaction (96 - 99% Strongly Agree) related to their advising experiences with professional advisors in the EXCEL Center. Similar data confirm high satisfaction with professional advising received through the College of Education, Richards College of Business, and School of Nursing and faculty advisors in select departments. However, not all students receive the benefits of the best advising arrangements. Five-year data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) indicate that only two-thirds of UWG students report satisfaction with the overall quality of academic advising (64% - 67%, depending on year, with 64% for the Spring 2011 survey administration ). These figures are significantly lower than other NSSE items for our campus, such as "satisfaction with the entire educational experience at UWG" (85% - 91%, depending on year, with 90% for the Spring 2011 administration).

Metrics Student Satisfaction with Advising

Targets 68% (NSSE Comparator Institution Mean)

Benchmark
NSSE Advising Metric (64% report satisfaction)

Responsible Person

Measurement Date

Myrna Gantner

Fall 2013

Number of "off-

track" students

TBD

Data available Fall 13

John Head

Fall 2014

Major selection by

60 credit hours

TBD

Fall 2012 data

John Head

Fall 2012

Action Step 1: Develop consistent advising information on departmental web sites.

Action Step 2: Form an Advising Task Force to explore implementation steps for an advising model integrating

professional advisors and faculty advisors/mentors, which also provides sufficient flexibility to meet the needs of

programs.

Action Step 3: Purchase and implement Argos analytics tool to report from DegreeWorks to determine "off-track"

students.

Action Step 4: Develop more opportunities for the Counseling and Career Development Center to engage with first and second year students to help with major selection. Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will shorten time to degree through ensuring that students take courses in the correct sequence and take only those courses that apply to the degree.

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Restructuring Instructional Delivery

Most of our strategies to restructure instructional delivery focus on building faculty capacity to skillfully deliver instruction. In the university, discipline expertise is a necessary but insufficient condition for effective teaching. In a sense, faculty must become "doubly expert" in their academic fields and at engaging students in the classroom. To be positioned to meet Complete College Georgia goals, faculty need to understand how students learn and become skilled with interactive pedagogies in order to develop students' cognitive capabilities. Thus, "restructuring instructional delivery" strategies in the CC-UWG Campus Plan target ongoing, embedded support for our faculty to achieve increasing levels of teaching success. In turn, large-scale effective teaching will translate into higher numbers of students who persevere and achieve their goal to graduate.

Strategy 15 Restructuring Instructional Delivery: Develop a Center for Teaching and Learning (Fall 2013). UWG

has a strong and effective online faculty development program, as evidenced by our Online Faculty Development

Center's increasing requests for faculty development. However, a permanent Center for Teaching and Learning

with a funded director to support development for all faculty does not yet exist. Anecdotal data indicate that

faculty would value and support such a program and it would contribute to student success, particularly with the

new Promotion and Tenure guidelines recently approved by the Faculty Senate and General Faculty that reward

efforts toward improving teaching and student learning.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Number of faculty participating in CTL Increase by Fall 2013

programs

5% annually

data

CTL Director Spring 2014

Increase by

Number of faculty who include new 5% annually

College/School

teaching and learning evidentiary

(of faculty

Deans and

sources in their Promotion & Tenure who succeed Spring 2012 Department

dossiers and succeed with P&T

with P&T)

data

Chairs

Spring 2014

Action Step 1: Identify funding to hire a full-time director and support program startup expenses.

Action Step 2: Link the Center for Teaching and Learning with the Online Faculty Development Center to leverage

their success.

Action Step 3: Develop a sequence of programming for new faculty and existing faculty interested in enhancing

their knowledge of teaching and learning, to include advancing their pedagogical skills.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will enhance retention and completion as students engage with more effective

teaching pedagogies.

Strategy 16 Restructuring Instructional Delivery: Reward excellent teaching through new promotion and tenure

guidelines (Fall 2012). The Faculty Senate approved new university Promotion and Tenure Guidelines in Spring

2012 that expand the evidentiary sources that can be used to document improvement in teaching and student

learning. These new guidelines were approved by the General Faculty on August 15, 2012. The new evidentiary

source, which is championed by our Provost, states that faculty can choose to submit "evidence of student

learning such as student self-assessments, pre- and post-test results, external test scores, rubric-based

assessments, portfolios, examples of student work, and other relevant discipline-specific evidence" to

demonstrate ongoing efforts by the faculty member to improve student learning outcomes.

Responsible Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Person

Date

Increase by 5%

Number of faculty who successfully annually (of

College/School

complete P & T and included new

faculty who

Deans and

teaching and learning evidentiary

succeed with

Spring

Department

sources in their dossiers

P&T

2013 data

Chairs

Spring 2014

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 13
Action Step 1: The Colleges and School of Nursing approve college/school Promotion and Tenure Guidelines that align with the new university guidelines approved by the Faculty Senate and General Faculty. Action Step 2: The Provost, Academic Deans, and Department Chairs convey consistent messages to Departmental and College Promotion and Tenure Committees to appropriately emphasize the new guidelines related to teaching and student success in promotion and tenure decisions. Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will improve retention and graduation rates because increased numbers of faculty will apply themselves to outstanding teaching and associated student success.

Strategy 17 Restructuring Instructional Delivery Strategy: Develop strategies to intervene with struggling

students in Gateway courses (Fall 2012). Freshmen may start in MATH 1001, 1111, 1113, or 1634, depending on

their background, majors, and SAT scores. All freshmen are required to complete ENGL 1101 and 1102 or test out

of it. Three year rolling averages (2009-2011) indicate that DFW rates vary from 29% - 46% in the MATH Gateway

courses: MATH 1001 29%, MATH 1111 38%, MATH 1113 34%, and MATH 1634 46%. Three year rolling

averages (2009-2011) indicate the following DFW rates for the Gateway English courses: ENGL 1101 32% and

ENGL 1102 31%.

Benchmark (3 year,

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

2009-2011 average) Responsible Person

Date

DFW rates in English Reduce by 2%

COAH Dean/ENGL

1101

annually

32% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

DFW rates in English Reduce by 2%

COAH Dean/ENGL

1102

annually

31% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

DFW rates in MATH

Reduce by 2%

COSM Dean/MATH

1001

annually

29% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

DFW rates in MATH Reduce by 2%

COSM Dean/MATH

1111

annually

38% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

DFW rates in MATH Reduce by 2%

COSM Dean/MATH

1113

annually

34% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

DFW rates in MATH Reduce by 2%

COSM Dean/MATH

1634

annually

46% DFW rates

Department Chair Spring 2013

Action Step 1: The Math faculty will identify and implement strategies to improve student success.

Action Step 2: The English faculty will continue with its recent planning to make significant changes in the ENGL

1101 curriculum and will implement those changes in Spring 2013.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will improve retention rates and shorten time to degree as students succeed

without withdrawing from courses and retaking them. This strategy will also improve chances of student

persistence in STEM majors, to include STEM K-12 teaching.

Strategy 18 Restructuring Instructional Delivery: Expand the use of faculty mini-grants to encourage experimentation with pedagogies new to the faculty member that hold promise for increasing student success. The University of West Georgia Institutional STEM Excellence (UWise) program, funded as a BOR STEM Consortium project, produced promising first year results in computer science and physics classrooms. Preliminary analyses from the first round of UWise faculty mini-grants indicate these early successes:
Using programmable robots in CS 1300 Introduction to Computer Science was particularly beneficial for female students, as they outperformed their male counterparts on final course grades. (Fall 2011, N=124; and Spring 2012, N=113).
Students who participated in the optional physics workshops (supplementary instruction for PHYS 2211 Principles of Physics I, enrollment N=44) in Fall 2011 dramatically outperformed those who did not (17% DFW rate for participants, n = 12; 81% DFW rate for non-participants, n = 32).

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 14

Measurement

Metrics

Targets

Benchmark

Responsible Person

Date

Number of faculty

Start tracking in Fall 2012 College/School

who actively use new Increase by

(aggregated at

Deans, Department

pedagogies

5% annually

institutional level)

Chairs

Fall 2013

Institutional DFW rates

DFW rates, course

19.8%; Institutional

College/School

completion ratio,

Improve 1% Courses completion rates Deans, Department

retention rates

per year

78.3%; Retention 73%

Chairs

Fall 2013

Action Step 1: Incentivize faculty to develop skills with the pedagogies associated with improved student learning

outcomes .

Action Step 2: Encourage STEM faculty to experiment with different approaches to enhance STEM teaching and

learning, using support and guidance provided through our BOR STEM Consortium initiative, UWise.

Action Step 3: Departmental review each semester of grade distributions disaggregated by faculty member to

identify beneficial professional learning options.

Efficacy/Significance: This strategy will improve retention and graduation rates as students experience more

success in classes.

BOLD IDEAS

As we developed our campus plan, a number of strategies emerged that hold promise. We have included a list of those strategies here, because they have yet to be vetted by the relevant stakeholders. The vetting process will include examining the ideas within the context of our institutional mission, best practices, and alignment with our campus data. Strategies 1 and 4 will necessitate work on the part of the Board of Regents. Strategy 9 will require intervention at the state and national level.
1. Consider implementing a trimester system (three 15 week sessions) that can shorten the time to degree. This would also eliminate challenges associated with the multiple, short summer sessions (e.g., courses that cannot be delivered well in abbreviated formats, tight windows for Drop/Add, fee payment deadlines).
2. Consider creating a BS or BA degree in General Studies. This will help the adult learner who returns to school with a mix of coursework that does not fit well into an established major. It will also help the student who is not admitted to his/her program of choice.
3. Consider promoting UWG as the USG institution of choice that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds (e.g., gender, age, race, language, disabilities, LGBT).
4. Consider awarding an Associate's Degree when students complete 60 hours, to include Areas A-E and an appropriate combination of courses for Area F. This would be considered after conversation and guidance from the Board of Regents and UWG faculty.
5. Explore the UWG fee structure and its impact on enrollment. As it currently exists, the fee structure makes it prohibitive for a student to enroll in one class (e.g., approximately $1,000 for one 3-hour course). Consider a sliding scale aligned to the number of credit hours of enrollment.
6. Explore implementing a University College to oversee the core curriculum, including assessment, scheduling, and all aspects of the academic student experience.
7. Consider creating an Office of Service Learning. This office will be responsible to coordinate with faculty to facilitate the integration of service learning projects within academic courses.
8. Consider replacing many of the casual labor positions used on campus with student workers. This action will save the institution money and will give students opportunities for work experience on campus.

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 15
9. Explore revised federal financial aid policies that will allow part-time enrollment for undergraduates. This will help with the completion agenda that targets the adult learner. (Will require negotiations among the Georgia Board of Regents, Complete College America, and the USDOE).
10. Explore the development of "themed years" (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior years) to heighten student engagement.
11. Build capacity in faculty to use pedagogies associated with improving students' problem-solving abilities. 12. Fund one position for a UWG Ingram Library librarian, in partnership with local school systems, whose
primarily responsibility would be to support the development of information literacy skills for high school students and their teachers through purposeful visits to the Ingram Library.
Part 4 Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation
Most importantly, this CCG-UWG Campus Plan will be embedded in our institutional culture such that it becomes a natural part of everyone's work and the new way of doing business. To accomplish this, we need to institutionalize the strategies and define a comprehensive assessment and evaluation process to measure effectiveness.
Assessment will rely on a three-step process.
1. First, we will add a section to our Annual Report template so that all department chairs and unit heads will define how the efforts of their individual departments contribute to CCG and result in student success. The section will include a few key questions that will require evidence to support statements about how the department contributes to CCG goals and objectives in some active way. Because departmental and unit annual reports are collected through a large electronic database, this will facilitate easy compilation of assessment data by the CCG-UWG Commission for useful reporting. The Commission will then review the information, assess how well the campus is meeting its CCG-UWG goals, and adjust and refine the strategies where necessary. Additionally, the Commission will provide feedback to department heads to close the loop.
2. Second, we will require a brief annual report from each individual responsible for a specific strategy in the CCG-UWG plan. We will create a web-based feedback tool with several questions related to assessing their particular strategy. The Commission will then review those assessment reports to determine progress on specific strategies and, if necessary, adjust and refine the strategies in collaboration with the SPAs.
3. Finally, after gathering the assessments from the department heads and specific SPAs, the Commission will produce an annual report for the President that can be used to update our CCG-UWG plan to the System Office.
Communicating Progress
Communicating results and lessons learned to the entire campus is a critical component of embedding the philosophy and goals of Complete College Georgia in our institutional culture. The CCG-UWG plan and progress will be a standing item on the Fall General Faculty Meeting agenda. The plan and annual updates will be placed on the President's, Provost's, and Institutional Research and Planning's web sites with links from all division web sites (and others as appropriate).
Additionally, the metrics and key performance indicators will be communicated across campus via various campus-wide electronic discussion lists, open meetings, and invited presentations. Upon the implementation of analytics software, we will develop a web-based dashboard for the CCG metrics so that anyone can quickly and clearly see progress on key metrics.
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Complete College Georgia UWG Campus Plan APPENDIX
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RPG Data Trends
1st Year Retention (1st 2nd year) 2nd Year Retention (2nd 3rd year) Average SCH Load (Fall and Spring) Course Completion Ratio

Fall 2008 Cohort 73.3% 56.1%
13.0 77.7%

Fall 2009 Cohort 73.5% 57.6%
12.8 77.1%

Fall 2010 Cohort 72.8%
NA 12.7 77.5%

Fall 2011 Cohort
NA NA 12.7 78.3%

4-Year Graduation Rate 6-Year Graduation Rate
Average Time to Degree (# of semesters)

Fall 2004 Cohort 11.6% 34.5%
AY 07-08 Graduates
12.2

Fall 2005 Cohort 12.3% 38.2%
AY 08-09 Graduates
12.3

Fall 2006 Cohort 14.6%
AY 09-10 Graduates
12.2

Fall 2007 Cohort 16.6%
AY 10-11 Graduates
12.3

First Year Programming Data Trends

Almost without exception, retention rates for students who participate in a First Year Program (FYP) are higher than for those students who chose not to participate. UWG implemented First Year Programming as part of its RPG initiatives in 2005 and hired a full-time director in July, 2010.

Fall 2009 Retention

Fall 2010 Retention

First Year Program
No FYP

Total Students
106

Retained Students
67

Retention Rate (%)
63%

Compared to No FYP
(63%) Benchmark

Total Students
160

Retained Students
113

Retention Rate (%)
70%

Compared to No FYP
(70%) Benchmark

Emerging

21

17

81%

+18%

30

23

77%

+7%

Leaders

Honors

76

62

82%

+19%

80

74

86%

+16%

College

iServe

121

84

69%

+6%

63

46

73%

+3%

Mentoring

Learning

130

104

80%

+17%

163

130

80%

+10%

Communities

MAP

112

84

75%

+12%

108

81

75%

+5%

Mentoring

RPM

369

268

73%

+10%

241

181

75%

+5%

The 1st year

288

193

67%

+4%

275

185

67%

-3%

Commuter

UWG 1101

682

514

75%

+12%

699

522

75%

+5%

TOTAL

1905

1393

73%

+10%

1819

1355

74%

+4%

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 18

Retention data for First Year Programming was first tracked in 2009. Although it appears FYPs (to include Learning

Communities) contribute significantly to first year retention, the rates have decreased from 2009 to 2010. Data

from 2011 will help determine if this is a downward trend or a glitch. If it continues downward, we need to

determine why the trend is downward. Anecdotal data may provide a clue to downward trends, if they hold:

Faculty have indicated that working with First Year Programming, although rewarding, is time-consuming and

frequently added on top of their full workloads. If the accuracy of the anecdotal data is confirmed through

additional data collection and analysis, we may need to explore ways to place First Year Programming into regular

faculty workloads.

Fall 2009 Retention

Fall 2010 Retention

Learning Community
AAMI

Total Students
NA

Retained Students
NA

Retention Rate (%)
NA

Compared to No FYP
(63%) NA

Total Students
24

Retained Students
21

Retention Rate (%)
87%

Compared to No FYP
(70%) +17%

Art

NA

NA

NA

NA

19

14

68%

-2%

Creative

20

Writing

Environment

22

and World

Film

24

14

70%

+7%

18

13

72%

+2%

19

86%

+23%

NA

NA

NA

NA

17

71%

+8%

22

15

68%

-2%

Food Politics

NA

NA

NA

NA

14

12

71%

+1%

Global

NA

Citizens

Making

22

Decisions

Pre-

21

Engineering

Pre-Health

21

NA

NA

NA

16

17

77%

+14%

21

19

90%

+27%

21

18

86%

+23%

8

14

87%

+17%

17

81%

+11%

17

81%

+11%

7

87%

+17%

TOTAL

103

104

80%

+17%

163

130

80%

+10%

Shorten Time to Degree Strategy 12 (Clear Course Backlogs)

Course backlog data which were compared with allotted core seats data confirmed the need for additional seats. Transient

Permission Requests (requests to take courses at another school and transfer them back to UWG) were filtered to include

only those courses where requests were made due to an insufficient number of seats at UWG. Foreign language course

backlogs were identified across all BA programs; thus, a separate work group formed to address the foreign language

backlog. An "x" in the Transient column indicates a higher number of Transient Permission Requests.

Course

Area of Need

Transient

Biological Diversity (BIOL 1110)

Biology majors Area F

Anatomy and Physiology l and II (lecture/lab)

Pre-Nursing majors

x

Medical Microbiology (lecture and lab)

Pre-Nursing major

X

Public Speaking

Pre-Teacher Education majors

Introduction to Mass Communications

Area C

Media Ethics

Pre-Mass Communications majors

x

English Composition I

Area A

x

English Composition II

Area A

x

Life/Earth Integrated Science (ISCI 2001)

Pre-Early Childhood majors

Life/Earth Integrated Science (ISCI 2002)

Pre-Early Childhood majors

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 19
Mathematics Gateway Courses 2007 to 2011 DFW Data ALL STUDENTS x COURSE
DFW rates are defined as the percentage of students in a course that receive a D, F, or W (withdraw).
MATH 1001 Quantitative Skills & Reasoning MATH 1111 College Algebra MATH 1113 Pre-calculus MATH 1634 Calculus I

% of Students with D, F, W Grades

DFW (%) Rates MATH 1001, MATH 1111, MATH 1113, MATH 1634

60

55

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15 2007

2008

2009

2010

Fall Semesters Only

2011

MATH 1001 MATH 1111 MATH 1113 MATH 1634

MATH 1001 MATH 1111 MATH 1113 MATH 1634

Percentage of Students with Grades of DFW

Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Fall 2010

43.52

34.95

31.18

34.04

41.22

44.78

41.43

41.37

31.74

42.19

33.21

40.43

53.72

40.56

53.55

39.68

Fall 2011 23.08 31.97 28.44 45.59

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan - August 2012 20
English Gateway Courses 2007 to 2011 DFW Data ALL STUDENTS x COURSE DFW rates are defined as the percentage of students in a course that receive a D, F, or W (withdraw). ENGL 1101 English Composition I ENGL 1102 English Composition II

% of Students with D, F, W Grades

DFW Rates (%) ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102
50

45

40

35

30

25

20 2007

2008

2009

2010

Fall Semesters Only

2011

ENGL 1101 ENGL 1102

ENGL 1101 ENGL 1102

Percentage of Students with Grades of DFW

Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

35.66

35.31

35.08

32.09

39.04

30.32

29.04

28.62

Fall 2011 30.97 36.47

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26

Matrix of Strategies and Action Items for the UWG Complete College Campus Plan

This Matrix is a combination of all Complete College Georgia Strategies and the Recommendations from the President's Special Commission to Improve Graduation Rates which came out of the previous RPG/Graduation Rates initiative. CCG Strategies are numbered in the Origin column, Special Commission Recommendations are designated by a code that corresponds to the area of impact from the Special Commission recommendations.

CCG Components

K-12 Partnerships

Origin

Description

Metrics

Goals/Targets

Benchmark

Responsible Person Measurement Date

CCG Strategy 1

Promote Dual Enrollment with K-12
students

Number of dual enrollment students

50% Increase

30 students (Fall 12)

Mike Hester/Jason Huett

Fall 14

CCG Strategy 1 CCG Strategy 2 CCG Strategy 3

Promote Dual Enrollment with K-12
students
Develop K-16 Curriculum Alignment
to enhance college readiness
Develop a K-16 Career
Exploration/Career Development Model

Number of dual enrolled students who matriculate to
the UWG
Number of partnerships with K-
12 schools and systems
Number of partnerships with K-
12 schools and systems

50% Increase
Increase by 5 annually
Increase by 5 annually

Get data

Mike Hester

48 systems 48 systems

Michael Horvath/Dianne Hoff
Lisa Adams/Dianne Hoff

Fall 14 Fall 14 Fall 14

DFW-12
Origin CCG Strategy 4

Analyze Combination of Courses at Scheduling for barriers
Description
Recruit and serve veterans and their family members with appropriate support
services

Results of Study

Helen Diamond Steele/John Head

Access and Completion for Underserved Students

Metrics

Goals/Targets

Benchmark

Number of veterans and family members
enrolled

20% Increase

Get Fall 2012 data

Study Fall 2012 for implementation Fall
2013

Responsible Person
Michael Keim/Disability Services/Judith Horne/Shirley
Langford

Measurement Date Fall 13

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Complete College Georgia University of West Georgia Campus Plan

27

CCG Strategy 4
CCG Strategy 5 CCG Strategy 5 CCG Strategy 5 CCG Strategy 6 CCG Strategy 6
CCG Strategy 7 CCG Strategy 7

Recruit and serve veterans and their family members with appropriate support
services
Increase the number and diversity of online offerings
Increase the number and diversity of online offerings
Increase the number and diversity of online offerings
Develop Articulation level partnership with
West Georgia Technical College
Develop Articulation level partnership with
West Georgia Technical College

Success Rates of veterans and family members (retention
rate, course completion ratio, credits to degree, graduation rate)
Number of partially online courses
Number of fully online courses
Number of 100% online degrees (undergraduate)
Number of transfer students from WGTC;
Success Rates of transfer students from WGTC (retention
rate, course completion ratio, credits to degree, graduation rate)

Equal to general population
Increase by 20% annually
Increase by 20% annually
Increase by 1 annually
10% increase each year
Equal to general population

Get Fall 2012 data

Institutional Research and Planning/ Enrollment Management

86

Melanie Clay, Jason Huett

172 (excludes eCore)

Melanie Clay, Jason Huett

1

Melanie Clay, Jason Huett

117 students

Jon Anderson

Fall 2012 Data

Cheryl Rice/Excel Center

Expand "Go West" marketing to target
Adult Learners

Number of inquiries, applications, and enrollments from adult population

Double the number of inquiries,
applications and enrollments

Inquiries = 501; applications =430; enrollments=231

Jami Bower/Justin Barlow

Expand "Go West" marketing to target
Adult Learners

Success Rates of adult learners (retention rate, course completion ratio, credits to degree, graduation rate)

Statistically significant improvements over current success rates

Current success rates

Academic Affairs/Student Affairs

Fall 13 Fall 12 Fall 13 Fall 13 Fall 13
Fall 14
Spring 13
Spring 14

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28

CCG Strategy 7 CCG Strategy 8 CCG Strategy 8 CCG Strategy 8
A-6
E-60 Origin CCG Strategy 9

Expand "Go West" marketing to target
Adult Learners
Require enrollment in the Summer
Transition Program for students with lowest entrance
scores
Require enrollment in the Summer
Transition Program for students with lowest entrance
scores
Require enrollment in the Summer
Transition Program for students with lowest entrance
scores

Number of readmits from the "stop out"
population
Percentage of Summer Transition Program students
gaining regular admission status
Percentage of Summer Transition Program retained
Success Rates of Summer Transition Program students (course completion
ratio, credits to degree, graduation
rate)

10% increase in readmits

320

Justin Barlow/Sherry Robinson

95%

Data available August 2012

Scot Lingrell

Same as general population

Data available August 2013

Scot Lingrell

Same as general population

Will vary by metric

Academic Affairs/Student Affairs

Spring 13 Summer 12 Summer 13 Summer 13

Maximize the power of WolfWatch
(DegreeWorks) for Academic Advising

Number of Students Off-Track

Reduction from current levels

Data available August 2012

Jennifer Jordan

Fall 12

Study outside barriers to
engagement (e.g., day care, work
responsibilities, other distractions)
Description
Early Alert/Early Intervention

Number of students employed and the

number of hours; number of students
who have

responsibilities for dependents (number,

Reduction from

age)

current levels

Varies by Metric

Shorten Time to Degree

Metrics

Goals/Targets

Benchmark

Percent of First Term

Students with GPA <

15%

2.0

30.26%

Chris Geiger

Spring 13

Responsible Person Measurement Date

Academic Affairs/Student Affairs

Spring 13

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CCG Strategy 9 CCG Strategy 9 CCG Strategy 10 CCG Strategy 10 CCG Strategy 10
CCG Strategy 10 CCG Strategy 11 CCG Strategy 11 CCG Strategy 12
CCG Strategy 12
CCG Strategy 13 CCG Strategy 14 CCG Strategy 14

Early Alert/Early Intervention

Course withdraw rate

Early Alert/Early Intervention

First year retention rate

Maximize use of Credit by Exam/CLEP
Maximize use of Credit by Exam/CLEP

Number of students receiving CLEP credit
Number of students receiving AP/IB credit

Maximize use of Credit by Exam/CLEP
Maximize use of Credit by Exam/CLEP

Number of students receiving credit
through Placement Testing
Credit hours at time of completion

Withdraw/Retake Campus Policy
Withdraw/Retake Campus Policy
Reduce Course Backlogs in Select Courses increasing
time to degree
Reduce Backlogs in Select Courses
increasing time to degree
Reduce backlogs in foreign language
courses
Consistent Advising Practices/Advising System Enhancement
Consistent Advising Practices/Advising System Enhancement

Course withdraw rate Course Completion Ratio
Number of seats in select courses
Number of Transient Permission Requests
for select courses
Number of foreign language seats per/yr
Student Satisfaction with Advising
Number of "off-track" students

Reduce by 5% Increase by 1.25 %
per year 25% increase 10% increase
10% increase
Reduce to 126 Reduce by 5%
85% Increase by course
Decrease by 25%
2615 per year 68% (NSSE
Comparator Mean) TBD

2960 (Fall 11) 73% 23 250

Academic Affairs/Student Affairs
Academic Affairs/Student Affairs
Admissions/Academic Advising
Admissions/Academic Advising

240

Admissions/Academic Advising

131 2960 W's (Fall 11)
78.30%

Institutional Research and Planning
Academic Affairs/Excel Center
Academic Affairs/Excel Center

Current # seats

Michael Horvath

300 per year (20112012)

Registrar

2240 (year)
NSSE Advising Metric (64% report satisfaction)

Felix Tweraser/Academic
Affairs
Myrna Gantner

Data available Fall 13

John Head

Spring 13 Fall 13 Fall 13 Fall 13 Fall 13
Fall 2014 Spring 13 Spring 13
Fall 12
Fall 13 Fall 13 Fall 13 Fall 13

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CCG Strategy 14

Consistent Advising

Practices/Advising Major selection by 60

System Enhancement

credit hours

TBD

Data available Fall 12

John Head

Fall 12

Maximize the power

of WolfWatch for

Number of Students

A-6

Academic Advising

Off-Track

Jennifer Jordan

Fall 12

Usage reports for

WolfWatch; Number

of students on-track;

Increase student self- decrease in in-person

reliance in academic

advising

A-7

advising

appointments

Cheryl Rice/Jennifer Jordan

Spring 14

Intervene with students who have
not met Area A requirements by the
end of year one

Cheryl Rice

DFW-12 DFW-14

Analyze Combination of Courses at Scheduling for barriers
Coordination of Academic Support
Services

Results of Study
student satisfaction with support services;
evidence of coordinating meetings; number of
referrals

Helen Diamond Steele/John Head

Study Fall 2012 for implementation Fall
2013

Cheryl Rice

Fall 14

DFW-20

Collaborative Direction to Academic Support (marketing, referrals)

Number of referrals; number/percent of referred students
contacted

Cheryl Rice?

Fall 14

B-25c

Study student demand Numbers/Percentages

for particular

of students seeking

languages

each language

Helen Diamond Steele; Felix Tweraser

Fall 12

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E-51 E-52 E-53 E-61 Origin CCG Strategy 15 CCG Strategy 15
CCG Strategy 16

Intentionally connect organizations serving diverse memberships
Campus-wide Community Service
Program

number of programs and activities cosponsored and coordinated by
diverse groups; NSSE Scores on this item
NSSE Scores on this Item

Career Development Program as a content section of UWG 1101

Inclusion on Syllabus for UWG 1101; earlier
major selection; fewer major changes

Purposefully imbed student life co-
curricular activities in overall programming
model
Description

increased retention for students engaging

in co-curricular activities

Restructure Delivery

Metrics

Goals/Targets

Benchmark

Develop a Center for Teaching and Learning
Develop a Center for Teaching and Learning

Number of faculty participating in CTL
programs
Number of faculty who use new teaching and learning evidentiary
sources in their dossiers for P&T

Increase by 5% annually
Increase by 5% annually

Fall 2013 Data Spring 2012 Data

Reward excellent teaching through new promotion and tenure guidelines

Number of faculty who successfully complete P & T and
included new teaching and learning evidentiary sources in
their dossiers

Increase by 5% annually

Spring 2013 Data

Dierdra Haywood Rouse; Chris Geiger
Chris Geiger

Fall 12 Fall 12

Lisa Adams/Helen Steele

Fall 12

Chris Geiger/Scot Lingrell

Fall 13

Responsible Person Measurement Date

CTL Director

Spring 2014

College/School Deans and Department Chairs

Spring 2014

College/School Deans and Department Chairs

Spring 14

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CCG Strategy 17 CCG Strategy 18 CCG Strategy 18
DFW-16
DFW-17

Develop Strategies to intervene with student struggling in
Gateway Courses

DFW rates in English 1101, English 1102, Math 1001, Math 1111, Math 1113, and
Math 1634

Reduce by 2% annually

Implement alternative delivery models and improved pedagogical models
Implement alternative delivery models and improved pedagogical models

Number of faculty who actively use new
pedagogies
DFW rates, course completion ratio, retention rates

Increase by 5% annually aggregated
at Institution
Improve 1% per year

ENGL 1101=32% ENGL 1102=31% MATH 1001=29% MATH 1111=38% MATH 1113=34% MATH 1634=46%

COAH/COSM Deans; English and Math Department Chairs

Start tracking in Fall College/School Deans,

2012

Department Chairs

DFW=19.8% Course Completion=78.3%
Retention=73%

College/School Deans, Department Chairs

Periodic reporting of departmental actions to reduce DFW rates in high DFW courses

Completed Reports submitted to Provost
(Annual Reports); lower DFW rates in high DFW courses

Departmental review of grade distributions
across multiple sections of high DFW
courses

Reporting of annual action plan to Dean
for faculty with abnormally high DFW
rates; Lower DFW rates

All Academic Deans
Department Chairs through Deans

Spring 13 Fall 2013 Fall 2013 Summer 13 Summer 13

DFW-18 DFW-19

Implement common course frameworks for high DFW courses

Lower DFW rates in high DFW courses

Assess how course specific policies affect
DFW rates (e.g, attendance
requirements, prerequisites, C grade
policy)

fewer course specific policies as barriers to
success

Relevant Academic Deans

Summer 14

Department Chairs through Deans

Fall 12

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DFW-21 E-47
E-48 wiki E-49
E-54

Early assessment as a means to help
students understand the rigors of the course and effort required

Lower DFW rates in high DFW courses

Expand faculty development for collaborative learning

NSSE Score on this Item (1G)

Expand course offerings with Service Learning components
Create an office of Service Learning Expand faculty development for online learning
Enhance Undergraduate
Research Opportunities

NSSE Score on this Item (1K)
NSSE Score on this item (1L)
NSSE Score on this Item (1S);
number/percentage of students involved
in undergraduate research

individual faculty members and
department chairs
individual faculty members and
department chairs Faculty Members, Department Chairs
and associated Student Affairs
Directors
Myrna Gantner
Jason Huett

Spring 13 Fall 14
Fall 13 Fall 14 Fall 12

Melanie Hildebrant

Fall 12

E-56 AR-41

Communicate high expectations in
course syllabi, clearly stating the number of
hours required and effort necessary
Redevelop UWG 1101 as a 3-hour class (2 hr lecture /1
hr lab)

The number of syllabi with high
expectations clearly communicated

Jon Anderson
Helen Steele/Undergraduate Program Committee

Fall 13 Fall 14

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AR-43

Increase compensation for part-time faculty teaching UWG 1101.

Jon Anderson

Fall 13

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Complete College Georgia (CCG) Plan

This plan addresses how Valdosta State University (VSU) will use data to create reports and to develop major strategies which address quality completion for Georgia's citizens. The VSU Complete College Georgia (CCG) Team has shared information regarding the CCG initiative with the President's Cabinet, Deans' Council, Department Heads' Council, Planning and Budget Council, and various other campus groups. We believe that we are successfully positioned to implement the CCG institutional plan over the coming years and that the plan aligns with Valdosta State University's mission:
Valdosta State University is a dynamic community of scholars focused on teaching, research, creative endeavors, and service. The living/learning environment is student- centered, preparing a diverse student body to contribute to an evolving technological and global society. Our university promotes the highest educational and ethical standards while advancing economic and cultural development. The quality of our engagement transforms students' lives, for which we aspire to be a national model.

Part I: Goals and Data Analysis In 2011, in order to be more systematic about growth of our institution, VSU hired an Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management to guide analysis and planning for enrollment and recruitment. This new position has enabled VSU to work on better utilizing currently available data, to improve our ability to collect data, to enhance the accessibility of that data, and to use data critical to student success more efficiently. At the University level, the Planning and Budget Council approved funds to implement an enhanced data warehouse. This enhanced data warehouse included the purchase of hardware and software as well as the hiring of a director and database administrator. While the data analysis system currently in place provides some data access to campus administrators, it does not provide the desired depth and breadth. The next step will be to provide ready access to data through the creation of dashboards containing Complete College America (CCA) and CCG metrics. The Complete College America progress metrics identified in the USG campus data report are interpreted below.
Progress Metric 1: Enrollment in Remedial Education AND Progress Metric 2: Success in Remedial Education. The campus data report suppressed most of the data making it non-interpretable. Therefore, VSU retrieved institutional data on the success in remedial education (Table 1). Because VSU is a traditional, undergraduate institution, only 0.9% of undergraduate students require remedial English or Mathematics courses. About 48.5% of these students successfully completed the English courses while 65.8% successfully completed the Mathematics courses. VSU's leadership recognizes that the success rates in remedial courses can hinder academic progress.

Courses ENGL 0097 & 0099
MATH 0097 & 0099

Table 1: Enrollment and Success in Remedial Education

Fall 2009/Grade Fall 2010/Grade Fall 2011/Grade

11 students

16 students

16 students

45.5% S

68.7% S

31.3% S

54.5% U

31.3% U

68.7% U

93 students

104 students

100 students

61.3% S

71.2% S

65.0% S

38.7% U

28.8% U

35.0% U

Average/Grade 14 students/year
48.5% S 51.5% U 99 students/year 65.8% S 34.2% U

Progress Metric 3: Success in Gateway (First-Year) Courses. The campus data report concludes that 78.8% of VSU's first time students in Fall 2007 completed a college-level math and English course within two academic years of entry. Our Hispanic (80.9%), Black (79.8%), and Asian (92.8%) students have a higher success rate in gateway courses than White (78.2%) students. VSU provides academic and student support structures for all students and data shows that our minority students perform slightly better after receiving these services.
Progress Metric 4: Credit Accumulation. A student who completes at least 24 credit hours during his/her first year in college has a greater likelihood of being retained and graduating from college. The campus data report

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concludes that 63.6% of first-time full-time students in Fall 2007 completed 24 credit hours within their first academic year. Institutional data presented in Table 2 demonstrates that on average 60.2% of our first-time fulltime freshman cohort (FTFT) students completed 24+ credits by the end of their first year in college. VSU has worked with faculty advisors to encourage students to register for 15 credits per term, as opposed to 12 credits.

Table 2: First-Time Full-Time Freshman Cohort Hours Earned after Second Semester

Earned Hours at Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

End of Spring Term

Cohort (n=2106)1

Cohort (n=2422)

Cohort (n=2486)

Average

0-23 Credits

32.5%

33.7%

30.6%

32.3%

24+ Credits

60.3%

59.2%

61.2%

60.2%

Progress Metric 5: Retention Rates. We recognize that retention rates are not at the desired level for this institution. The campus data report stated of the 1,756 students in the Fall 2003 cohort, 69.9% were retained to the second year. Of note is that of the 1,756 students in the cohort, only a small percentage (1.7%) required any remedial coursework. See Table 4 for more detail on retention rates.
Progress Metric 6: Course Completion. Our full-time students completed 85.5% of the credit hours attempted in 2008-09. Students who do not complete their full course load impact the institution, particularly in that they are enrolled in seats which could be utilized by other students thereby helping them stay on track to graduation. See Table 6 for more detail on course completion.

The USG metrics are divided into three categories: (1) increased efficiencies, (2) increased numbers, and (3) quality. Institutional data and a brief narrative are provided in subsequent tables. Graduation rate data for four-years, six-years, and eight-years are provided in Table 3. Our six-year graduation rate has remained in the low 40th percentile for the past
seven cohorts. Although the six-year graduation rate at VSU was 43.0%; the System-wide rate for our students was
55.4%.

Cohort Rate
4 Year Rate
Cohort Rate
6 Year Rate
Cohort Rate
8 Year Rate

Table 3: Graduation Rates (Baccalaureate Degree)

Type of Student Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006

Full-time Part-time Learning Support Federal Financial Aid

15.3% 9.8% N/A N/A

15.3% 4.8% N/A N/A

16.7% 0.0% 9.4% N/A

17.2% 0.0% 2.8% N/A

15.3% 2.4% 8.0% N/A

Type of Student Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004

Full-time Part-time Learning Support Federal Financial Aid

42.2% 9.1% N/A N/A

41.1% 12.2% N/A N/A

39.6% 14.8% N/A N/A

42.8% 14.3% N/A N/A

40.4% 6.3% 21.9% N/A

Type of Student Fall 1998 Fall 1999 Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002

Full-time Part-time Learning Support Federal Financial Aid

41.5% 24.0% N/A N/A

44.7% 10.3% N/A N/A

45.0% 9.1% N/A N/A

44.8% 15.9% N/A N/A

42.9% 14.8% N/A N/A

Fall 2007
16.0% 0.0% 2.2% N/A
Fall 2005
43.0% 2.9% 11.1% N/A
Fall 2003
46.1% 21.4% N/A N/A

Three year Average 16.2% 0.8% 4.3% N/A
Three year Average 42.1% 7.8% 16.5% N/A
Three year Average 44.6% 17.3% N/A N/A

1 147 did not return in Spring 2009; 169 did not return in Spring 2010; and 205 did not return in Spring 2011. Page |2

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The one-year retention rate for the past three years is provided in Table 4. When examining the traditional freshman retention rate, VSU has declined 4.9% in the past three years; however, many of these students are retained throughout the University System as a whole (nearly 80%).

Attribute
Full-time Part-time Learning Support Federal Financial Aid

Fall 2008 Cohort (VSU) 71.8% 41.7% 71.4%
N/A

Table 4: One-Year Retention Rate

Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort

(System) (VSU) (System) (VSU)

82.2%

68.1%

80.9%

66.9%

44.4%

39.6%

43.8%

41.7%

N/A

56.9%

N/A

45.8%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Fall 2010 Cohort (System) 79.5% 47.2%
N/A N/A

Three-Year Average (VSU) 69.0% 41.0% 58.0% N/A

Three-Year Average (System) 80.9% 45.1% N/A N/A

Table 5 contains the average student credit hours earned at the conferring of a baccalaureate degree at VSU. The average undergraduate finishes with 136 credit hours while those in a FTFT freshman cohort perform slightly better with 132 hours. Not shown in Table 5 is the actual hours attempted: for all students the average is 148; for FTFT freshman the average is 144. This means that students registered for 24-28 more hours than they need to satisfy typical degree requirements.

Table 5: Average Student Credit Hours Earned at Awarding of a Baccalaureate Degree

Attribute

FY 2009

FY 2010

FY 2011

Three-Year Average

All Students

135

136

137

136

Native Freshman Students (FTFT Cohort)

131

132

132

132

Another method to measure success is the course completion ratio. Table 6 compares five fiscal years (summer, fall, spring) and data concludes that students satisfactorily completed an average of 79.4% of hours attempted.

Table 6: Course Completion Ratio (Undergraduate Courses)

Category

FY2008

FY2009

FY 2010

FY 2011

FY 2012

Hours Attempted Hours Earned (completed with grades of A, B, C, P, S) Completion Percent

273,313 216,716 79.3%

277,499 223,570 80.6%

293,695 231,439 78.8%

302,292 240,934 79.7%

297,449 236,861 79.6%

Three-Year Average 297,812
236,411
79.4%

According to USG and institutional data, VSU has remained flat in the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded from FY2009 to FY2011 with a slight decrease in associates degrees awarded (Table 7). VSU experienced a 15.0% enrollment increase in the Fall 2009 freshman class, so we anticipate these students will reach the four to six year completion point between 2013 and 2015, at which time degrees conferred should increase. Conversely, we experienced a decrease of 12.5% in the Fall 2011 freshman class which could lead to a decline in future degrees conferred. Although not shown in Table 7, VSU experienced a 48.1% increase in master's degrees awarded from FY2009 to FY2011.

Table 7: Undergraduate Degrees Conferred Annually

Degree Level FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 Three-Year Average

Associate

53

56

41

50

Bachelor

1,588

1,594

1,599

1,594

Table 8 contains information about underserved populations. Currently, the institution does not track students who are considered first generation college students. Students receiving Pell awards have increased 55.8% in three years

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principally due to changes in the EFC formula, making additional students eligible. Military students, veterans, and dependents receiving financial aid and attending VSU have increased 60.8% during the past three years. The number of adult learners has increased 16.3% over three years; however, adult learners as a percentage of the undergraduate student body have remained flat, averaging 13.3%. Lastly, minority students at VSU have increased 7.0% over the past three years. Once at VSU, students can self-identify as disabled to receive access services; this number has remained constant over the past three years.

Table 8: Increasing Access to Underserved Populations

Attribute

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

First Generation
Pell
Military/Veteran2 Adult Learners/ % of Undergraduates Minority Students with Disabilities

N/A 3,346 awards $3,259 avg.
(FY 2009) 350 1,261 12.2% 35.0% 50

N/A 4,215 awards $4,186 avg.
(FY 2010) 457 1,544 14.3% 40.7% 51

N/A 5,214 awards $4,185 avg.
(FY 2011) 563 1,467 13.6% 42.0% 52

Three-Year Average N/A
4,258 awards $3,876 avg.
456 1,424 13.3% 39.2%
51

VSU strives to provide the best quality education to our students, as evidenced by the following: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), in 2010, reaffirmed VSU's accreditation with no recommendations. In addition to regional accreditation, various other accrediting bodies, such as NCATE and AACSB, periodically review individual programs. In total, VSU programs are accredited or recognized by 25 professional agencies. Under the leadership of the General Education Council, VSU assesses learning outcomes in core courses. A calendar is currently being revised so that all general education courses will be regularly assessed on a rotation. VSU has a structured, functional process to review and approve new and existing curriculum at the department and institutional levels (including USG level as required). VSU participates fully in the Comprehensive Academic Program Review process, including participation by faculty members, administrators, and outside evaluators. Department chairs and faculty committees regularly review evaluations of all instructors and course content.

Part II: Strategies and Objectives and Part III: Planning and Implementation

Strategy 1: Partnerships with K-12

Early College and Joint/Dual Enrollment-

o Objectives. Complete full implementation of the Valdosta Early College Academy (VECA) and thereby

USG Strategic Goal 4

increase the number of dual enrolled students attending VSU. Since its origination in 2008 with a sixth grade class, VECA has been expanding one grade level each year. In 2012-2013, VECA will expand to include a tenth grade, so a twelfth grade will be in place by 2014-2015.

o Current Status. The Valdosta Early College Academy is a school within the Valdosta City School System in

VSU Strategic Goals 1,6

partnership with and located at Valdosta State University which began in August 2008.3 Students are nominated for admission based on standardized test results, attendance, and teacher/principal recommendations. By the end of twelfth grade, students can earn both a high school diploma and up to

2 The institution and System are investigating procedures to increase the accuracy of reporting this number. 3 http://www.valdosta.edu/news/releases/black.082908/
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60 semester hours of college credit. Students will also complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service each year. VECA has enrolled about 150 students in grades 6-9.
In 2010, the CRCT test scores for VECA students exceeded non-VECA students by 8.0% in reading, 7.9% in English, 7.2% in mathematics, 12% in science, and 27.4% in social studies. VECA students are academically prepared to enter VSU as dual enrolled students.
o 1-Year Goal. Students will begin taking dual enrollment courses in eleventh grade. The first class will be in tenth grade next year (2012-13) and in that year, VECA and VSU staff will assist students with application paperwork necessary for dual enrollment. Students will also apply for HOPE Accel funding.
o 2-3 Year Goals. In three years, VECA will be fully implemented for grades 6-12 totaling 250 students. While VECA accepted smaller entering classes initially, the success of the program encouraged the Valdosta City Schools to accept larger classes (moving the total number of students involved to 350). Within the Dewar College of Education, the Early Childhood Education Program--the teacher preparation program with the largest enrollment--is in the initial stages of restructuring its admissions process. These changes will allow faculty members more time with teachers in training in public school settings and more opportunities to conduct scholarly activities aligned with USG's "Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Schools and Universities." Some of VSU's faculty will also spend more time in VECA.
o Planning and Implementation. VSU faculty in the Dewar College of Education will work closely with the VECA principal and VECA faculty to ensure that early college students remain on track and VECA achieves full implementation of grades 6-12.

STEM Partnerships-

o Objectives. Increase the number of students majoring in and retained in STEM disciplines (science,

USG Strategic Goals 3,4

technology, engineering, and mathematics). Strengthen STEM instruction in area K-12 schools. o Current Status. For the Fall 2007 cohort majoring in STEM disciplines, only 15% were still STEM majors
by Fall 2010. Recognizing the need to improve STEM partnerships internally and externally, VSU has several initiatives:

VSU

First Annual University-Wide Symposium on Undergraduate Research.4 VSU hosted this

Strategic Goals 1,3,6

symposium on April 4-6, 2012, during which undergraduate students showcased their research, scholarship, and creative performances to the VSU community. The program featured over 100 student participants and was well-received by the VSU community. This symposium will

continue as an annual event.

o Goals and Implementation.

Initiative 1: The Center for Applied Research and STEM faculty in the College of Arts and

Sciences will embark on a two-year project titled Retention and Recruitment for STEM. It will

identify issues preventing students from completing degrees in STEM programs at VSU; work

with STEM departments and the Student Success Center to develop freshman learning

communities (FLC); improve curriculum and instructional methods in core courses that address

those issues; investigate implementing a summer bridge program; and implement new teaching

strategies and evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Year 1 (2012-2013) will consist of

research on student achievement, curriculum and instructional methods, and possible

modifications to core courses. The faculty group will also work on expanding FLCs for other

STEM disciplines and on investigating a summer bridge program for STEM majors. Year 2-3 goals

will be to implement the new FLCs and deploy the adjusted curriculum and teaching strategies

to achieve a 20% increase in STEM retention.

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Initiative 2: The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is implementing the Student Learning Enhancement System to improve retention and increase the graduation rate of Computer Science majors. The Student Learning Enhancement System is an online system designed to adapt to student progress and will include automated and personalized feedback from peer helpers. In Year 1 (2012-2013), the lead faculty member will coordinate with other faculty, update the course collection of questions and class materials, and supervise student helpers. The three-year goal is to reach the third stage of program implementation and to retain an additional 27 students in the Computer Science major.
Initiative 3: The Department of Chemistry is creating a community advisory board made up of chemists from the South Georgia region. These individuals will inform department faculty about the skills and knowledge needed in the workplace. The community advisory board is a component of a proposed Professional Science Master's degree in Chemistry. In year 1 (20122013), the Department of Chemistry will finalize curriculum and submit required applications to the USG. If the program is approved, years 2-3 will consist of the implementation of the master's degree and employment of graduate assistants to provide direct instruction and tutoring to undergraduate Chemistry majors.
Initiative 4: The VSU Dewar College of Education faculty and a team of master teachers started a two-week workshop on June 11, 2012 for 100 area math teachers of grades 8-12. It is a MathScience Partnership project funded through the Georgia Department of Education. They will work on content, strategies, and resources for math instruction for each teacher's grade. Last year, the project was funded at $219,000; VSU received funding of $322,000 for this year through September 30, 2013 to continue working with the teachers.

Strategy 2: Improving access and completion for students traditionally underserved

Expanded online offerings-

o Objectives. Expand online learning opportunities. This will improve completion of non-traditional

USG Strategic

students by providing flexible, timely course offerings so that they can achieve their educational goal(s) on time.

Goal 2

o Current Status.

VSU offers completely online graduate degrees in education, available through

VSU Strategic

GeorgiaOnMyLine (GOML), which enhance opportunities for continuing professional development of P-12 partners. Since initially starting GOML in 2008, VSU has graduated almost

Goal 1

400 students with approximately 1,000 admitted.

To enhance delivery options for degree completion, we are involved in GOML with 8 degrees (or

endorsements). Additionally, we offer a collaborative WebMBA, an online Master of Library and

Information Science, and online masters and doctoral level degrees in Public Administration. In

Fall 2012, we will begin offering an online M.A. in English Studies for Language Arts Teachers. At

the undergraduate level, in 2011, we established three online bachelor's degree completion

programs in Criminal Justice, Office Administration and Technology, and Organizational

Leadership. Currently, other online completion options are in development. To ensure

maintenance of quality, courses developed with university funding are evaluated using Quality

Matters standards. We will continue working on completion strategies for online programs.

o 1-Year Goal. Submit a proposal to the University System of Georgia to become the lead institution for

the e-major project. E-major would begin in Fall 2012 with seven online bachelors programs offered

collaboratively through institutions that are members of the USG Adult Learning Consortium. Year 1

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student enrollment is expected to be between 300 and 500 students, contingent upon launching all seven programs. o 2-3 Year Goal. Increase the number of online degree offerings through e-major by 10 programs, making the total 17 programs. o Planning and Implementation. VSU's Division of Academic Affairs, in conjunction with our Deans' Council, will be responsible for working with faculty to increase online learning opportunities.

Student Employment Opportunities-

o Objectives. Increase the number of on-campus student employment opportunities and use a gap metric

USG

of unmet need as part of the hiring process.

Strategic Goal 5

o Current Status. The VSU Student Employment Office works to increase engagement of students through on-campus work opportunities; however, demand for on-campus positions exceeds availability. From

Fall 2010 to Fall 2011, internal data indicated that the average GPA for undergraduates in Fall 2010 with

VSU

an on-campus job was 2.96, compared to 2.75 for students without on-campus employment. VSU will

Strategic Goal 5

implement better tracking of student employees who are members of FTFT cohorts. This tracking will allow for increased monitoring and justification of on-campus employment as a retention factor. There

were 8515 undergraduate students employed by VSU during Spring 2012.

o 1-Year Goal. During the 2012-13 year, the data warehouse will have an unmet need indicator built in so

that employers can review and consider unmet need as students apply for student employment.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Increase the number of student worker positions by 2% and increase the number of

hires with unmet need.

o Planning and Implementation. The Enrollment Management Unit will work with the Student

Employment Office to help prospective on-campus employers identify students with unmet need.

Adult learners and/or military-

o Objectives. To increase the number of enrolled non-traditional, adult, and military students.

USG Strategic Goal 2

o Current Status. In 2010, VSU established the Office of Adult and Military Programs which serves adult and military/veteran learners. This office also works with part-time and working students and has been responsible for enrolling over 60 students to VSU. They have also initiated partnerships with six

technical colleges and three different military bases. VSU is a member of the USG Adult Learning

VSU Strategic

Consortium. o 1-Year Goal. VSU has 1,360 adult learners (Spring 2012) and plans to increase that number by 3%. The

Goal 2

department will increase marketing efforts for the new online BS in Organizational Leadership, a

program designed specifically for adult learners. To better service our adult learners, we will hire a new

position, Coordinator for Off-Campus and Partner Programs.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Increase the number of enrolled adult learners by 5-7%.

o Planning and Implementation. The Office of Adult and Military Programs will pursue an aggressive

campaign of increasing enrollment and services to adult learners.

5 Student Assistants: 851; Work Study Students: 105

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Technical college transfers-

o Objectives. Increase the number of transfer students from technical colleges to VSU while making the

USG Strategic

process as seamless as possible. o Current Status. We are increasing the number of technical college agreements to help AAS students

Goal 2

complete baccalaureate degrees, specifically BAS degrees. In Fall 2011, we had 41 transfer students

from 13 technical institutions. VSU has signed agreements with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and

VSU Strategic

Okefenokee Technical College. In 2012, the University System of Georgia increased the number of courses which will transfer to a USG institution. This policy change will also help VSU to increase

Goal 2

technical college transfer students.

o 1-Year Goal. Identify at least one VSU academic department and technical college which could develop a

BAS transfer program and increase the number of BAS tracks by 3. Increase the number of technical

college transfers by 60 students.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Double the number of BAS track opportunities for AAS students. Increase the number of

technical college transfers by 60 (to 120).

o Planning and Implementation. The Enrollment Management Unit, Admissions Office, Adult and Military

Programs Office, and Academic Deans will work to identify BAS eligible programs and network/recruit at

technical colleges throughout the state.

International students-

o Objectives. Continue to diversify the Valdosta State University student body by increasing the number of

USG Strategic

international students. o Current Status. VSU currently has active exchange agreements with institutions in China, Korea, Japan,

Goal 2

and Germany. We are adding advisors for international students to accommodate this growth.

o 1-Year Goal. Currently, VSU has a 2.1% international student body with plans to increase to 3.5%. VSU is

VSU Strategic

creating an international admissions specialist position that will be housed in the Office of Admissions to facilitate international applications. VSU will also begin work to identify institutions in Brazil for future

Goal 2

exchange agreements.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Increase the number of international students to 6% of the student body.

o Planning and Implementation. The Offices of Admissions and International Programs will work jointly to

expand international student presence and facilitate their enrollment and retention.

Freshmen retention rate-

o Objective. Increase the retention rate of first-time freshmen.

USG Strategic Goal 1

o Current Status. Table 4 displays VSU's first-year retention rate. The rate has decreased the past several years and is now at 66.9%. During the 2011-12 academic year, VSU researched and vetted the prospect of elevating the minimum admission standards. VSU has not changed its admission standards since

2002, and this change will be in line with peer institutions within the state. VSU faculty and

VSU Strategic Goal 1

administrators approved the change from an 850 combined SAT math/verbal score to a 900 combined math/verbal score. To mitigate an anticipated decrease in freshmen enrollment, VSU will instigate more targeted recruitment initiatives, particularly for students living in the Metro Atlanta region.

o 1-Year Goal.

Targeted recruitment. In Fall 2011, 41% of VSU's freshman class members were from the Metro

Atlanta region. In January 2012, VSU identified 6,400 prospective high school juniors and seniors

living in Metro Atlanta with a minimum 1000 combined SAT score and invited them and their

parents to VSU's first large-scale admissions fair at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. VSU is preparing

for a second Metro Atlanta recruitment fair at the Cobb Galleria on October 7, 2012.

Data warehouse. During 2012-13, the university's data warehouse will be in place and able to

provide department heads with actionable data so they and faculty advisors can help with the

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retention rate. They will be able to identify incoming students as at-risk so they can tailor intervention strategies to increase student success. Freshman Learning Communities. VSU will also expand student participation in Freshman Learning Communities by 2% of the total freshman class. o 2-3 Year Goals. Continue to improve and expand data provided to departments and advisors. The threeyear goal is to increase the retention rate by 5%. o Planning and Implementation. The Enrollment Management Unit will provide student data and test dashboards for data delivery. The data warehouse will help identify students in populations who are more likely not to be retained. This information can then be provided to faculty members and academic advisors so they can work on appropriate intervention strategies.

Graduation rate-

o Objectives. Increase the four-year and six-year graduation rate of VSU students.

USG Strategic Goal 1

o Current Status. Table 3 contains the institutional graduation rate; the most recent six-year rate is 43.0%; USG is 55.4%; and NCES reports 57% is the national average.
o 1-Year Goal. Currently, the institution tracks students who are part of first-time freshman cohorts. VSU will expand tracking using the data warehouse so that we can provide information to advisors about

VSU Strategic Goal 1

students who are part of a cohort. Advisors will be better instructed to utilize DegreeWorks to aid students in progression and timely completion. VSU will use National Student Clearinghouse data to show a fuller picture of graduation rates of VSU students who transfer to other institutions. We will work to develop further strategies to identify, target, enroll, and graduate students who may be

traditionally underserved.

o 2-3 Year Goals. The goal is to increase graduation rates by 3%. This will in large part be due to the efforts

described above under the Freshman Retention Rate strategy.

o Planning and Implementation. Increases in graduation rates will be a direct result of intervention by

numerous individuals, including faculty, advisors, and administrators. Several strategies within our

Complete College Georgia plan (such as academic advising, retention rates, and freshman learning

communities) will directly impact the institution's graduation rate.

Strategy 3: Shorten Time to Degree

Better academic advising-

o Objectives. To improve the academic advising system and process for all students, especially those in a

USG Strategic Goal 1

FTFT cohort. o Current Status.
In Fall 2009, VSU adopted DegreeWorks. This system provides real-time academic advice and counsel to students and, when used correctly, speeds time to graduation. Using this system,

VSU Strategic Goal 1

advisors and advisees can fully plan a student's academic career. To assist faculty members, VSU will make a programming change to add an indicator so that advisors can recognize which students are members of a FTFT cohort. This change will allow advisors to increase their focus toward FTFT cohort students.

Currently VSU requires faculty members to enter mid-term grades for students in 1000- and

2000-level courses through the Banner Student Information System. Additionally, University

Athletics implemented the GradesFirst student advising and retention system in 2010-11. The

system emails instructors at specified intervals and requests them to enter grades, absences,

and comments about a student's classroom performance. VSU is currently expanding the use of

GradesFirst for all students, not solely athletes. In FY2013, the Dewar College of Education will

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implement the program as a first step to expand the program across the university. In Fall 2010, VSU instituted a Five Course Withdrawal Policy. This proactive step ensures the
successful progress of undergraduates by limiting their number of course withdrawals during their academic career at VSU. Since Fall 2009, fall withdrawals are down 1.63% and spring withdrawals down 1.45%. After early registration in the fall, if a student has not registered for the subsequent spring term, he or she is at risk of not returning that spring and is less likely to return the following fall. In December, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management will identify those students who have not registered for the subsequent term and provide a list to the respective academic deans. From there, the deans, department heads, and faculty advisors will be required to contact those students personally and to encourage them to register. o 1-Year Goal. VSU recognizes that our current FTFT retention rate is not at its desired level; therefore, we plan to target specific areas and student populations to impact this rate directly, utilizing faculty and advisors. To this end, we will add data elements to DegreeWorks to enhance advising. We will also develop a data portal for department heads as well as a portal for faculty and administrators involved in Freshman Learning Communities. We will also review pre-requisite courses to identify any impediments in gateway courses. In Fall 2012, VSU will offer large section lab sciences to ensure access to required lab courses. In Fall 2012, the OASIS Center for Advising will offer the Master Advisor Series. This series of five courses will utilize advising best practices and follow standards recommended by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). Course titles include: Advising 101, Identifying and Working with Students with Disabilities, Working with Transfer Students, and Advising the Adult Learner. Additional courses will be offered in Spring 2013. These courses will be particularly useful to train advisors to work effectively with the traditionally underserved students addressed in Strategy 2 above. o 2-3 Year Goals. Examine curricular aspects of degree programs to identify programs which can be shortened in credit hours. Investigate the need for a consolidated freshman advising center (for students in the first 30 hours). Investigate the need for a Student Ombudsman Office. o Planning and Implementation. Academic Deans and the Enrollment Management Unit are actively working with faculty and professional advisors to enhance the academic advising process.

Prior Learning Assessment-

o Objectives. Increase the number of students participating in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).

USG Strategic Goals 2,5

o Current Status. We have 27 course assessments established and have awarded credit to approximately 100 adult learners.
o 1-Year Goal. Develop a coding system to track PLA students in Banner. We plan to increase the number

of students pursuing PLA by 10 and increase the number of PLA course opportunities by 3 during the

VSU

2012-13 year.

Strategic Goal 1

o 2-3 Year Goals. Over the next 2-3 years, we will identify areas of student demand and work with academic departments to develop a departmental exam for students to receive course credit by exam.

We will double the number of PLA students (increase by 10) and increase the number of PLA course

opportunities by 3 (to 33).

o Planning and Implementation. The Office of Adult and Military Programs currently coordinates the PLA

program and will work in conjunction with academic departments and the Registrar's Office to expand

these PLA opportunities.

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Scheduling for Freshman Learning Communities and others-

o Objectives. To increase the number of students participating in Freshman Learning Communities (FLC).

USG Strategic Goal 1

o Current Status. Block scheduling for new freshman and required relation to a Freshman Learning Community. Freshman Learning Communities (FLCs) were first offered in Fall 2010 on the VSU campus. They

consisted of 34 communities of 6-8 hours of coursework grouped by theme or major. Each

VSU Strategic Goals 1,5

student registered for an FLC has a cohort code attached to his/her academic record to allow tracking of participants. Table 9 contains retention information for students who do or do not participate in an FLC.

Table 9: Freshman Learning Community Results

Academic Support

Fall 2010 Returned Fall 2011

Program

Participants % Retained Average GPA

Freshman Learning Communities (FLC)

782

71.9%

2.56

VSU FTFT Freshman Cohort

2,486

66.9%

2.48

Data Utilization for Course Planning. Two years ago, VSU developed a Sections and Seats Available Planning Tool to assist department heads in predictions for needed courses. Department heads can utilize the tool to avoid course backlogs and to ensure that departments offer major courses in timely rotations so that students can progress and graduate within four to six years. VSU continues to add more variables to the planning portal, including enrollment, retention rates, and degrees awarded.
o 1-Year Goal. In Fall 2011, 836 students participated in 47 FLCs, an increase of 5.8% from Fall 2010. The goal for Fall 2012 is to restructure FLCs to increase participation by 2% of the total freshman class.
o 2-3 Year Goals. The next several years will include expansion of freshman learning communities by approximately 10%. Using predictive modeling, students with at-risk characteristics at admission will be advised and strongly encouraged to enroll in an FLC. National data and data from other USG institutes indicate a summer bridge program for at-risk students increases the likelihood of retention and success for students. Over the next few years, VSU plans to implement a summer bridge program (piloting in Summer 2013).
o Planning and Implementation. The Student Success Center, which operates Freshman Learning Communities, along with Academic Deans, Enrollment Management Unit, and Registrar will collaborate to ensure FLCs are scheduled and available to new students, especially those who may be considered atrisk.

Strategy 4: Restructuring Instructional Delivery

Alternative Delivery Methods-

o Objectives. Increase the number of online, hybrid, and distance course offerings. Also, reevaluate the

USG Strategic Goal 2

length of current term offerings (i.e., 8-week sessions or 5-week sessions). The increasing of online, hybrid, and distance course offerings is being suggested so that VSU can serve students in locations who are currently underserved and who cannot commute to Valdosta. These programs will be successful as

those students will be able to achieve their educational goals through this more flexible means of

VSU Strategic

delivery.

Goals 1,3

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o Current Status. In Fall 2011, VSU offered 97 compressed or mini-course sections (5 or 8 weeks) in which 1,183 seats were filled. These sections are principally offered at two off-campus sites, Moody AFB and Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
o 1-Year Goals. A traditional 15-week semester creates a barrier for many non-traditional and military students. VSU will investigate a non-traditional college model (i.e., offering 7-week terms).
o Implement an institutional focus on online and distance education. Investigate shorter parts of term and multiple points of entry. eCore is experimenting with shorter parts of term in Summer 2012 (8-week format) and will implement additional parts of term options in Fall 2012.
o 2-3 Year Goals. Increase the number of compressed or mini-term course sections by 10%. o Planning and Implementation. Academic Deans, Enrollment Management Unit, Registrar, and
Admissions will all be involved in the study of course scheduling.

Increase Degree Completion-

o Objectives. Increase degree completions for students by automating and awarding the associate

USG Strategic Goal 2

credential upon completion of Areas A-F (60 hours) in our bachelor programs. o Current Status. Preliminary discussions on campus and with USG have indicated the A.S. or A.A. degree
could be awarded to students who satisfy core Areas A-F (60 hours) with a specific science or arts

curriculum. Based upon discussion with U.S. Military personnel, the military is encouraging its personnel

VSU Strategic

to pursue credentials which can be completed in short time frames (often between deployments or transfers).

Goal 1

o 1-Year Goal. Acquire authorization from the Board of Regents to award the A.S. degree.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Retroactively award an A.S. or A.A. degree to all currently enrolled and active students

who have not yet completed the bachelor's degree but who have completed Areas A-F. This could

create 4,000 completions at the associate level by Year 2.

o Planning and Implementation. Academic Deans, Enrollment Management Unit, and Registrar will be

involved in the USG request process and degree audit process.

Enhance Course Support-

o Objectives. Increase the number of student support opportunities (i.e., tutoring, supplemental

USG Strategic Goals 1,2

instructors). o Current Status. VSU instituted a pilot program consisting of a limited number of supplemental
instructors (SI) in 2011-12. The purpose of supplemental instruction is to increase and enhance mastery of concepts or applications of a specific course of study. The SI facilitates learning as a guide and coach

VSU Strategic Goal 1

to assist the student to become a successful, independent learner. o 1-Year Goals.
In 2012-13, 10 supplemental instructor positions (newly funded for FY13) are being offered to

support several of the Freshman Learning Communities (FLCs) at the University. Supplemental

Instruction leaders will be placed in historically difficult courses such as Chemistry, Economics,

Biology, and Mathematics. VSU will measure its success by comparing the student pass rate of SI

courses to non-SI courses.

VSU will identify entering students who exhibit academic characteristics which suggest they are

at-risk and flag the student record so that advisors and Student Success Center staff can provide

intervention and support.

The Division of Athletics began an academic mentoring program with 22 students in Spring

2012. The average GPA of these students increased from 1.40 to 2.29; two of these students

achieved a 3.0 GPA. This program will continue in 2012-13.

To better service our distance learners, we will hire a new position, Coordinator for eLearning,

and refill the vacant Director for eLearning position.

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o 2-3 Year Goals. In upcoming years, if data supports it, the Student Success Center will continue offering Supplemental Instructors and, if possible, expand that number of instructors and expand to service courses outside the Freshman Learning Community structure.
o Planning and Implementation. The staff members of the VSU Student Success Center currently track tutoring appointments and will also implement and track the supplemental instructors program. Data Warehouse unit staff will mark the student record of those students considered at-risk.

Strategy 5: Transforming Remediation

MyFoundationsLab-

o Objectives. Provide online software preparation for students prior to taking the COMPASS test to

USG Strategic

decrease the number of remedial courses needed by non-traditional students. o Current Status. In Spring 2012, VSU piloted the MyFoundationsLab for 9 adult learners who needed

Goal 1

remedial assistance in math and reading. The software has the potential to reduce students' remedial

courses by one or two semesters and helps them find immediate placement in college courses.

VSU Strategic Goal 1

o 1-Year Goal. Several USG institutions successfully use the MyFoundationsLab product. The Year 1 goal will be to negotiate a contract with Pearson and begin offering the product.
o 2-3 Year Goals. Subsequent year goals will be to study the success rate of students using the

MyFoundationsLab product. Based upon reported data, VSU will decide whether to continue the

product or pursue other options.

o Planning and Implementation. The Admissions Office and Adult and Military Programs Office will

identify prospective students prior to enrollment and recommend they pay the nominal fee to use the

MyFoundationsLab software.

Strengthen Partnership with South Georgia College Entry Program-

o Objectives. Increase transfer students from the South Georgia College Entry Program which is located

USG Strategic Goals 4,6

on the VSU campus. o Current Status. The Office of Admissions is strengthening the partnership between VSU and the South
Georgia College Entry Program, located on the VSU campus. Fall 2011 applicants who were denied

admission to VSU received a letter recommending that they enroll in the SGC Entry Program. To

VSU Strategic Goal 6

streamline this process, VSU Admissions directly forwarded the student's application materials to the Entry Program. This process resulted in an enrollment increase of over 100 students to the Entry Program in Fall 2011. Students who begin in the SGC College Entry Program and transfer to VSU are

retained and graduate at higher levels than our traditional full-time freshman cohorts.

o 1-Year Goal. Evaluate the MOU for the services VSU provides to South Georgia College Entry Students.

o 2-3 Year Goals. Work with South Georgia College staff to determine space requirements for the growing

program.

o Planning and Implementation. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President

Student Affairs will work with South Georgia College Entry Program director to identify growth needs.

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Summer Bridge Program-

o Objectives. Develop a summer bridge program for at-risk freshman students.

USG Strategic Goal 1

o Current Status. Preliminary discussion occurred during 2011-12. Other USG institutions use bridge programs, and results indicate that students who successfully complete these programs are retained at higher levels.
o 1-Year Goal. The Enrollment Management Unit plans to identify students who have shown the potential

VSU Strategic Goal 1

for success but fail to meet institutional minimum entrance requirements and encourage them to enroll in a summer academic preparation program. This summer program will require that they enroll in 6-8 hours and participate in a student success seminar. If students are successful in the bridge program, they will also be required to participate in a fall Freshman Learning Community. VSU plans its first

summer program for Summer 2013 which will consist of approximately 75 students.

o 2-3 Year Goals. The goals are to increase the size of the program to 125 students and to provide

students with a summer experience which immediately engages and provides them skills to be

successful in college.

o Planning and Implementation. The Enrollment Management unit will work with Academic Deans and

the Student Success Center to offer summer coursework tailored to summer bridge scheduling.

Part IV: Ongoing Feedback and Evaluation

VSU's Offices of Enrollment Management, Strategic Research and Analysis, and Information Technology are working together to populate a data warehouse. Through this process, VSU will create various dashboards so that deans and department heads can have immediate access to important data, including data for Complete College America and USG Working Group Metrics. In addition to these new dashboards, numerous data portals currently exist which are applicable to various programs (i.e., Freshman Learning Communities portal).
The core members of VSU's Complete College Georgia team will serve as monitors of the plan and provide feedback to the USG on a frequent basis. We will also increase programming so that reports and email triggers can be automated to alert university personnel that student intervention is needed. Data and results will be shared often with institutional bodies (President's Cabinet, Deans' Council, Department Heads' Council, Planning and Budget Council) and at other opportunities such as fall and spring convocations and new faculty orientation and workshops.

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Appendix A
Many stakeholders contributed to Valdosta State University's Complete College Georgia plan including:
Dr. Karla M. Hull, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs Mr. Russell F. Mast, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Sharon L. Gravett, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of English Mr. Andy T. Clark, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Michael M. Black, Interim Director, Strategic Research and Analysis Dr. Connie L. Richards, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Anita G. Hufft, Dean, College of Nursing Dr. L. Wayne Plumly, Dean, Langdale College of Business Administration Dr. John C. Gaston, Dean, College of the Arts Dr. Brian L. Gerber, Interim Dean, Dewar College of Education and Liaison for the Valdosta Early College
Academy Dr. Alfred F. Fuciarelli, Dean of Graduate Studies, Assistant Vice President for Research, and QEP Coordinator Mr. Brian A. Haugabrook, Director of the Data Warehouse Mr. Joseph A. Newton, Director, Information Technology Division Dr. Gerald A. Merwin, Director of Adult and Military Programs and Associate Professor of Public Administration Dr. James T. Baxter, Professor of Chemistry Dr. Said Fares, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Dr. Gary Lynn Wood, Director, Center for Applied Research and Associate Professor of Chemistry Mr. Stanley Jones, Registrar Mr. Walter H. Peacock, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Mrs. Melinda B. Cutchens, Administrative Coordinator, Office of the President Dr. Chere L. Peguesse, Director of the Student Success Center, and Professor of English Ms. Ashley A. Myers, Director of the Freshman Learning Communities Program Mr. Terence A. Sullivan, Academic Advisor and Coordinator of the Supplemental Instructors Programs Dr. Ivan Nikolov, Director, Center for International Programs Mr. David L. Starling, Director, English Language Institute Dr. Shani P. Wilfred, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Additional members of the Planning and Budget Council, Deans' Council, Department Heads' Council, President's
Cabinet, General Education Council, and University Assessment Committee.

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