Rust College s Goals for Student Achievement and the Student Success in Achieving Those Goals

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1 Rust College s Goals for Student Achievement and the Student Success in Achieving Those Goals The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research- based planning and evaluation processes that (1) incorporate a systematic review of institutional mission, goals, and outcomes; (2) result in continuing improvement in institutional quality; and (3) demonstrate the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission. (Institutional Effectiveness) The Rust College Mission Statement: Rust College is a historically Black, co-educational, senior liberal arts college founded in 1866 by the Freedman s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church to offer quality programs in business, education, humanities, science and math, and social science to prepare students for leadership and service in a global society. WE ARE v A college related to the United Methodist Church v A college with sound programs designed to serve students who have a variety of academic preparations v A college that recognizes the threefold functions of education as teaching, research, and community service, with its primary mission as teaching v A college with programs designed to acquaint students with cultural, moral, and spiritual values both in theory and in practice v A college that provides an opportunity for education to all, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, or ethnic background. (Passed by President s Cabinet and Approved by the President on February 4, 2015) The mission statement emphasizes the themes: serving students with a variety of preparations, through instruction in the humanities, social and behavioral science, natural science, business, technology and education; offering a well-rounded program designed to acquaint student with cultural, moral and spiritual values both in theory and practice an opportunity for education for all, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or ethnic background teaching Rust College demonstrates that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission in serving students with a variety of preparations through an examination of its student profile and providing an opportunity for education for all regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or ethnic background. For the past decade Rust College has had an average enrollment of nine hundred students or more. No significant change in that number is projected in the coming ten years. The clientele of students served are rural, minority Mississippians for the most part. It is anticipated that the percentage of students coming from the State of Mississippi will remain in the neighborhood of above fifty percent. The Mississippi educational standards are considered one of the lowest in the nation. The students who decide to attend Rust College to receive a college education

2 generally come with very weak backgrounds and skills in mathematics, writing and the sciences. In the past, as many as 95% of incoming freshmen at Rust College were required to take one or more remedial classes which included reading, mathematics or English and the average entrance ACT score was only 16. Rust College enrolls a diverse student body from both rural and metropolitan areas. Roughly, twothirds of the students come from Mississippi; the next two largest groups are from Tennessee and Illinois (approximately eleven percent each). Faculty and interviews with students reveal that while the backgrounds of these students are diverse, they arrive at Rust College with common problems. They come from high schools with limited educational resources and schools without counseling programs. Additionally, some are faced with other inhibiting factors which may be social, psychological, educational, and technical in nature such as: 1. A reluctance to confront difficult learning tasks; 2. Low achievement-motivation levels, that is an inability to maintain sustained motivation; 3. Poor verbal communication skills; 4. Inability to undertake sustained independent study; 5. Unrealistic goals and expectations; 6. Inability to understand and adjust to the social pressures of college life; 7. Limited exposure to a variety of genuine models; 8. Inexperience with managing time; 9. Poor self-concept and low self-esteem; 10. Vague or no notions about selecting major, charting careers or establishing future goals; and 11. Inability to take risks, make independent decisions and be self-directing. Although Rust enrolls students from all over the world, 45-50% of each year s entering freshman class come from twenty-three counties in Mississippi. This portion of the State contains the poorest counties in Northern Mississippi. The locale, which is in the Appalachian Region, is characterized by an extremely large, low income and predominantly minority population, forty-five percent (45%) with a per capita income of $15,000 or less. If it were not for the student support programs, services, and activities at Rust College, these students who are not adequately prepared to tackle college-level course work would not have access to higher education, nor would they have the support services and activities needed to succeed. The Student Support Service Programs include: 1. Academic Enrichment 2. Assessment and Orientation Program 3. Career Planning and Placement Center 4. Counseling 5. Financial Aid 6. First Year Experience 7. Health Center 8. Honors Program 9. Intercollegiate Athletics 10. Residence Life Education

3 11. Religious Life Education 12. Student Activities 13. Student Organizations 14. Student Support Services (Federal Government) 15. Tutoring Rust College assesses the accomplishment of it mission through several components. In the College changed the required high school GPA from 2.0 to In addition, the College introduced the Grades First system to monitor the progress of the students during their first two years. The data below show the retention rate for this cohort and their success in four of the required courses for all first time students. Retention and Success of First Year Students Entering with a GPA of 2.25 RETENTION Composition I ENG 134 Intermediate Algebra MATH 130 Physical Science PSC 133 African Diaspora I HIS % passed 82% passed 77% passed 84% passed 55% % passed 76% passed 79% passed 93% passed 65% % 91% passed 94% passed 97% passed 96% passed Through its mission Rust College is, dedicated to serving students with a variety of academic preparations, through instructions in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, natural science, business, technology and education. The College is organized with five academic division (Business, Education, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Social Science) and two academic departments (Mass Communications and Social Work). The educational programs that are available include: A. Two Associate of Science major programs 1. Early Childhood education 2. Business Administration B. Six Bachelor of Arts major programs 1. English 2. Mass Communications 3. Music (Discontinued Fall 2013) 4. Political Science 5. Social Science 6. Sociology C. Thirteen Bachelor of Science major programs (5 are under the Secondary Education major program) 1. Biology 2. Business Administration 3. Chemistry 4. Child Care Management 5. Computer Science

4 6. Elementary Education 7. Mathematics 8. Secondary Education

5 a. Business b. English c. Biology d. Mathematics e. Social Science D. One Bachelor of Social Work major program E. General Education Program (49 required Credit hour courses) F. Academic Skills Tutorial Program (3-9 hours) Over the last six years the College has graduated over 600 students in the following programs of study: SEE TABLE BELOW NUMBER OF GRADUATES BY MAJOR Total Bachelor of Arts English Mass Communications/Broadcast Journalism Mass Communications/Print Journalism Sociology Political Science Social Science *Music Bachelor of Social Work Bachelor of Science Business Administration Biology Chemistry Computer Science Mathematics Biology Education Business Education English Education Elementary Education Child Care Management Math Education Social Science Education *Health Physical Education & Recreation **Health & Leisure Management Associate of Science Business Administration Early Childhood Education

6 Total *Program Discontinued To accomplish this mission, each major program and the courses within each annually assess the effectiveness of the courses and programs and as well participate in a two year cycle of program review (see attachments). Rust College for more than 146 years has created an environment for teaching and learning for its students, faculty, staff, and the community. Every academic program and administrative unit annually develops effectiveness models (see attachments). The College has two mottos which are mantras for Rust College students, Through These Halls Walk the Future Leaders of the World!! Our Students and By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them. These are posted throughout the campus and can be found in Rust College publications to always remind them that the purpose of Rust College is for exemplary student achievement. Teaching is the primary mission of Rust College. At Rust college the term faculty is used to represent an employee who is employed to teach 50% or more of the expected load for a fulltime faculty member. In the Guidelines for Extended Contract and Promotion, page 5, the weight given to teaching is 35 points, this is the highest weight for all the categories that faculty must demonstrate achievement. Through its mission Rust College is, dedicated to serving students with a variety of academic preparations, through instructions in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, natural science, business, technology and education. To accomplish this mission, Rust College for more than 146 years has created an environment for teaching and learning for its students, faculty, staff and for the community. The College has two mottos which are mantras for Rust College students Where Tomorrow s Leaders are Students Today and By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them. These are posted throughout the campus and can be found in Rust College publications to always remind them that the purpose of Rust College is for exemplary student achievement. Enrollment Data Rust College assesses the accomplishment of it mission through several components. In the College changed the required high school GPA from 2.0 to In addition, the College introduced the Grades First system to monitor the progress of the students during their first two years. The data below show the retention rate for this cohort and their success in four of the required courses for all first time students. FR 4.1Retention and Success of First Year Students Entering with a GPA of 2.25

7 RETENTION Composition I Intermediate Algebra Physical Science African Diaspora I ENG 134 MATH 130 PSC 133 HIS % % % 52% passed 82% passed 77% passed 84% passed 67% passed 76% passed 79% passed 93% passed 91% passed 94% passed 97% passed 96% passed Licensing Examinations Rust College has two programs that are accredited by other agencies. The Education Division is accredited by the Mississippi Department of Education; the accreditation was reaffirmed in The Education graduates may take licensure examinations; these evaluate a degree of competence necessary to practice the profession. The Education Division is required to report state licensing exam scores to the Mississippi Department of Education. The State of Mississippi requires students to pass the Principles of Teaching and Learning with a passing score of 152 or higher and also pass the Content Area with a passing score of 148 or higher on PRAXIS II for Licensure. Rust College students for the past three years have passed both parts of the examination Rust College s Teacher Education program has a 100% licensure rate. The Education Division analyzes the outcomes of the PRAXIS examination to plan and revise its courses. Praxis II Scores for Education Graduates PLT * Content Year Completed Major State Required Score State Required Score 2010 Student One Business Education Student Two Social Science Education

8 2011 Student Three Elementary Education Student Four Elementary Education Student Five English Education Student Six Elementary Education Student Seven Elementary Education Student Eight Business Education Student Nine English Education *Principles of Learning and Teaching The Social Work program at Rust College is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The accreditation of the Social Work program was reaffirmed February 2013 for eight years. To be affirmed by CSWE, the program is required to provide evidence of student achievement in ten (10) competency areas. The sample provided below demonstrates strengths and weaknesses; these data allow the program to implement strategies to address both strengths and weaknesses for continuous improvement to insure student achievement. All Council on Social Work Education programs measure and report student learning outcomes. Students are assessed on their mastery of the competencies that comprise the accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education. These competencies are dimensions of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training. A measurement benchmark is set by the social work programs for each competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the program to represent mastery of that particular competency. The 2.8 is equivalent to 70% or C grade at Rust College. COMPETENCY COMPETENCY BENCHMARK PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK Identify as a Professional Social Worker Apply Ethical Principles % %

9 Apply Critical Thinking Engage Diversity in Practice Advance Human Rights/ Social and Economic Justice Engage Research Informed Practice/ Practice Informed Research Apply Human Behavior Knowledge Engage Policy Practice to Advance Well- Being and Deliver Services % % % % % % Respond to % Practice Contexts Practice Engagement % Practice % Assessment Practice Intervention % Practice Evaluation % The Vice President for Academic Affairs leads the faculty in the analysis of the data from PRAXIS and the Social Work Licensure examinations to determine the strengths and weaknesses of instruction in all the courses that are required for student success on these exams and makes recommendations for improving instruction to maximize student success. For example, critical thinking and how we improve student success in this area becomes a critical focus for all instruction. Graduation and Retention Rates The graduation rate for the last four years is in the range of the cohort institutions (IPEDS ). The data in the chart below compares Rust College s graduation and retention data with colleges that have been identified as comparable institutions. Job Placement and Graduate Programs

10 In the fall the academic divisions provide in the fall President s report the job placements and graduate program placements of the recent graduates. Examples of these reports are provided.

11 These data provide evidence of student achievement; however, there is also the antidotal evidence from students coming back to campus and talking with faculty and students, and from those we meet in travel throughout the USA that attest to the student s success.