The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program and College Discovery Program

Transcription

1 The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program and College Discovery Program Office of Special Programs (SEEK and College Discovery Programs) Annual Report for

2 The Office of Special Programs The academic year was a busy and productive one for the Office of Special Programs (OSP) and the SEEK and College Discovery Programs. It was a year highlighted by: the work and accomplishments of various committees involved with SEEK/CD policies and procedures; the funding, development and implementation of specialized SEEK/CD programmatic initiatives; and the convening of several special events and conferences that engaged not only SEEK and College Discovery but the greater University community. Enrollment Management The OSP/Enrollment Management Committee met regularly throughout the academic year. The committee s work included the following: Presentations and discussions regarding the status of SEEK/CD financial aid expenditures and funding balances. Drafting a policy regarding waivers for part-time enrollment. The policy allows parttime enrollment for SEEK/CD students who are required to attend part-time because they: are on probation; have not yet met the basic skills requirements; are certified as differently-abled; are pursuing a major that has course load restrictions; and are in their graduating semester and require fewer than 12 credits to complete their degrees. Discussions regarding establishing a College Discovery Program at the New Community College (NCC). The Chancellery decided against undertaking the additional expense of a CD Program because the NCC instructional model and support services are similar to those of CD, making a program redundant. Presentations on enrollment targets for SEEK and CD Programs. The Committee recommended reducing the budgeted enrollment for the CD Program for the academic year because the University s proposed CD Program budget allocation for provided no increase in funding over the level, which 2

3 itself was not sufficient to cover all mandatory salaries and services. The OSP s recommended budgeted enrollment matched actual enrollment (which was lower than the program target due to the University s early termination of fall 2012 freshman allocations). The CD budgeted enrollment level was reduced from 2,615 to 2,088. Approval of the revised Special Programs Transfer Request Form (SPTRF). Discussions of budgetary issues regarding end-of-year SEEK and CD Program expenditures as assessed by the University Budget Office (UBO). The UBO expenditure reports serve as the official assessment of Program expenditures. It was agreed that unexpended funds will be swept at the end of the year. SEEK funds will be made available for the following year. The UBO sent official memos to the Community and Senior College business managers and budget directors explaining the new policy. A determination that colleges that exceed their budgeted enrollment will have to cover the financial aid for each student above the approved level. Program Assessment The OSP hired an Institutional Research Specialist in February The SEEK/CD Assessment Committee approved a chart for SEEK and CD Performance Goals and Targets for The chart mirrors the University s PMP format and will be used for setting annual program goals for and will become part of the Annual Report format. The chart was vetted in the SEEK/CD Directors Council and with SEEK/CD professional faculty and staff in a Town Hall meeting. The OSP discussed developing a budget model for SEEK and CD Programs that would consider performance outcomes in the SEEK/CD Enrollment Management Committee. 3

4 OSP Funding for SEEK Program Initiatives The OSP issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to SEEK Programs. The RFP addressed two areas of enrollment management: (1) expanding the admission processes to include a more nuanced review of student suitability for the respective college s SEEK Program; and (2) addressing the demographic shifts highlighted in the Community Service Society Report, Unintended Impacts: Fewer Black and Latino Freshmen at CUNY Senior Colleges after the Recession. Five SEEK Programs were approved for funding, as follows: Baruch College SEEK: Considering New Recruitment and Admission Models The project aims to establish comprehensive admissions policies and recruitment protocols for expanding the numbers of freshmen admitted into the SEEK UMLA (Urban Male Leadership Academy) as well as requiring that incoming transfer students have followed the requirements of Baruch SEEK s Transfer Bridge Program and the PASSPORT. The latter aim is to improve the transition process from CD to SEEK and to insure that incoming transfers have taken a substantial number of prerequisite courses prior to entry into Baruch. Brooklyn College SEEK: Brooklyn Brothers Project The Brooklyn Brothers Project aims at increasing the retention of Black and Latino males enrolled in the SEEK Program. To this end, the project plans to include peer mentoring of new freshmen and transfer students. The proposed project includes the training and supervision of ten SEEK upperclassmen who would serve as Brooklyn Brothers and who would be matched with ten incoming SEEK male students. Hunter College SEEK: A Recruitment Model for SEEK Admissions The Hunter SEEK project addresses a new recruitment model in which Program staff plan to establish meaningful connections with potential high school students, their families, and guidance counselors prior to the University s admissions process. In addition, the project includes plans to work toward increasing the number of Black and Latino applicants to the SEEK Program. SEEK staff would interview potential students, evaluate applicants for programmatic fit and suitability, and gauge whether prospective students 4

5 would utilize the many student academic and counseling support services of the SEEK Program and the college. Lehman College SEEK: A First-Year SEEK Supplemental Instruction Reading and Study Skills Curriculum for Enhanced Performance in the Sciences and Other First-Year Coursework The SEEK Program at Lehman aims to enhance student readiness for advanced study in the sciences and to increase the numbers of students admitted into nursing and pre-health professions. The project expects to develop a curriculum focused on first-year study, including the pre-freshman summer experience, the freshman fall and spring semesters, and the winter intersession. The proposal describes the development of a new targeted supplemental instruction curriculum that would result in improvements in collegelevel reading ability, especially for the sciences. Queens College SEEK: Expanding Access, Opportunity, and Success for Black and Latino Students The proposal outlines plans for recruiting underrepresented minorities and aims to provide these potential student populations with the information, materials, and activities that would increase their SEEK enrollment potential. The SEEK Program staff would participate in weekly high school visits. The project also plans to conduct early outreach transfer student workshops at the CD Programs at BMCC, LaGuardia, and Queensborough. Finally, the project proposes the development of a required, one-credit course for transfers to provide a student life workshop similar to the course offered to SEEK freshmen. HESC College Access Challenge Grant (CACG). The Office of Special Programs was awarded a HESC CACG Program Grant of $500,000 in order to pilot the College Discovery Scholars Project, at Borough of Manhattan, LaGuardia, and Kingsborough Community Colleges for The project provides enhanced academic and student support services to approximately 150 incoming fall 2013 freshmen with the goals of: increasing the pass rates in developmental courses; 5

6 increasing the percent of freshmen earning GPAs of 2.0 or higher in the first semester; increasing the first semester and one-year retention rates; and increasing first-year credit accumulation. Notably, the project began with a mandated pre-freshman summer component that offered academic courses, counseling, and co-curricular activities. Student incentives included lunch vouchers and Metro Cards. The fall and spring semesters during the freshman year will offer theme-based learning communities, two academic courses, and a counseling component. A key program feature is cash incentives (up to $1,000 per student) that are directly connected to students academic performance. A status report on the CD Scholars Project, including its activities and student performance data, will be forthcoming in spring SEEK Student Study Abroad. The OSP provided funding to support 25 SEEK students who were accepted to CUNY study abroad programs in summer The students were tasked with sharing their experiences through photos and journal entries at an event in fall Special Events and Initiatives Several events and initiatives occurred over the course of the academic year. Chief among them were the following: SEEK/CD Assessment Retreat. The OSP held an Assessment Retreat in October, Present at the retreat were the SEEK and CD Program Directors as well as one additional professional staff member per campus. Dr. Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director of the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research & NSSE Institute, facilitated the day s assessment discussions. The Retreat s goals were to: Identify student-success metrics that best reflect changing student populations; Learn how to write learning outcomes; and 6

7 Establish an inter-campus Assessment Committee. Reunion of the June 2012 SEEK/CD Student Leadership Academy (SLA) students and staff. The OSP convened a reunion meeting of the June 2012 SLA participants. The purpose of the meeting was to share updates on how students have applied lessons learned at the retreat and to afford the students and staff a venue for a formal post-conference debriefing. Launching of the CUNY-wide SEEK/CD Student Organization, the United Leaders of CUNY (ULC). The ULC, an organization specifically led and run by students in the SEEK and College Discovery Programs, held its official launch on November 30 th. One of the essential goals of the ULC is to represent and advocate for the SEEK and College Discovery Programs and advance the personal and professional development of Program students. The official ribbon cutting was prefaced by remarks given by CUNY s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Frank Sanchez, and CUNY s Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Secretary of the Board, Jay Hershenson. The ULC leadership team introduced themselves and provided an overview of their responsibilities as officers. OSP/United Leaders of CUNY Career Fair. In collaboration with CUNY Central Student Affairs Career Services, the ULC hosted the first United Leaders of CUNY Career & Internship Fair at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on March 22 nd, Over 150 SEEK/CD students attended the fair. Attendees participated in several career development workshops. The industries represented included law enforcement, information technology, real estate, media arts, health care services and retail. Sharing What Works Conference: Creative Engagement: Bridging Possibilities Between Students, Campus, and Community. A total of 16 workshops and 4 poster sessions were presented at the conference, covering such themes as Student Global Footprints, Team Management Models, High Impact Practices, and Not For Freshman Only. Approximately 150 professionals attended the conference, 7

8 including representatives from SEEK/CD, the Black Male Initiative, and College Success Initiatives. A highlight of the conference was the luncheon keynote speaker, the Honorable Philip Berry, Vice Chairperson of the CUNY Board of Trustees. SEEK/CD Student Leadership Academy (SLA) Pre-Conference Workshop. The OSP convened a pre-conference workshop and luncheon for candidates for the June SLA Conference. The event introduced the students to the SLA and explained the purpose of the leadership conference and what they should expect. Included in the day s workshop were presentations on topics such as the History of SEEK and CD and Higher Education and the Foundations of Leadership Development. The CUNY documentary Second Chances: The SEEK and CD Story was viewed and discussed. Members of the leadership team of the United Leaders of CUNY (ULC) spoke about the importance of student leadership and community involvement. SEEK/CD Program-Wide Town Hall Meeting. The OSP convened a special Town Hall style meeting in order to discuss issues concerning the SEEK and CD Programs. All SEEK and College Discovery Program faculty and staff were invited to attend, and approximately 75 attended. Among the issues discussed were OSP programmatic requirements and policies, and the proposed chart format for reporting SEEK and CD Performance Goals and Targets. SEEK/CD Student Leadership Academy (SLA) Conference. The June 2013 conference was OSP s ninth annual SLA conference. Forty-four students attended, along with several OSP, Program administrators and staff. The conference included such presentations as Leading the Way with Communication, Human Dignity and Leadership, Kolb Learning Styles Inventory, Social Media (The Good, The Bad, and The Debatable) and Soft Skills for Success. The conference also included a first-night poolside reception and BBQ dinner and a final night professional dressup dinner. Students expressed eagerness to participate in their campus SEEK/CD 8

9 Club and to help develop one if their Program did not yet have one. They also expressed interest in becoming involved in ULC activities. 9

10 The SEEK and CD Programs The annualized average enrollment for the SEEK Program in was 8,054 students, and the annualized average for the CD Program in was 2,088. Tables 1 and 2 provide the fall and spring semester enrollment figures by college. College Fall 2012 Actual Table SEEK Programs: Student Enrollment* Spring 2013 Actual Annualized Baruch Brooklyn City Hunter John Jay 1,100 1,009 1, Lehman Medgar Evers NYCCT 1, Queens Staten Island York Totals: 8,468 7,639 8,054 8, Budgeted * Enrollment figures from CUNY Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, Enrollment Report, June

11 Table CD Programs: Student Enrollment College Fall 2012 Actual Spring 2013 Actual Annualized BMCC Bronx Hostos Kingsborough LaGuardia Queensborough Totals: 2,313 1,863 2,088 2, Budgeted * Enrollment figures from CUNY Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, Enrollment Report, June

12 Major Program Objectives and Accomplishments The major areas that Programs focused on during the year were: Improving student success through academic support; Improving student success through counseling support; and Enhancing financial and management effectiveness. A brief and selective summary of some of the SEEK and CD Program highlights across the University follows. These samplings of Program initiatives and activities by no means describe the extent and breadth of all of the administrative, academic, counseling, and civic/community strategies employed in all of the SEEK and CD Programs. Selected data tables outlining student performance in key areas can be found at the end of this report. SEEK Programs Baruch College The NASPA 2013 Gold Excellence Award was awarded to the SEEK Program at Baruch College, thus giving it national recognition for its innovative services and effective administration. The Program established an Assessment Committee and began centralizing its student performance and survey data. SEEK students were engaged in various civic activities, such as: volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans; participating in Earth Day events in New York City; participating in fund-raising for cancer research; and volunteering in food kitchens and food drives. The Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA) continued to provide Black and Latino male students with effective academic and counseling support. In , UMLA students had higher pass rates in introductory math courses as compared to other SEEK students who in turn had higher pass rates than regularly admitted students. The UMLA students on average earned higher grades in prebusiness, credit bearing courses as compared to other SEEK students and regularly admitted students. This was especially notable since UMLA students have the lowest 12

13 Math SAT scores as compared to any group admitted into the college. Baruch SEEK students evidenced high course pass rates in mathematics. Ninety percent of the fall 2012 students who received tutoring while enrolled in credited math below the 3000 course level passed the course; 83 of spring 2013 similarly enrolled students passed. Baruch fall 2012 SEEK incoming transfer students from the community colleges via the Baruch Transfer Bridge Program outperformed regularly admitted students: there were fewer SEEK transfers on probation (5.6) than regularly admitted students (13.3). Further, close to 81 of SEEK transfers had GPAs of 2.5 or higher in their first Baruch semester versus 73 of regularly admitted transfer students. Baruch SEEK freshman and sophomore students continue to evidence higher retention rates than do regularly admitted students. In terms of academic performance, a total of 83.8 of fall 2012 first-time freshmen had GPAs of 3.0 or higher, compared to 81.4 for regularly admitted first-time freshmen. Finally, the graduation rates of SEEK students are also higher than that of regularly admitted students. The six-year graduation rate for the fall 2006 SEEK freshman cohort was 68.5, compared to 65.9 for regularly admitted students. Brooklyn College An intensive six-week summer session that bolstered students performance in basic mathematics and reading skills was one of the highlights of the Brooklyn College SEEK Program. All but one of the 102 pre-freshmen who attended the summer program continued on into the fall 2012 semester. Of the 33 students who attended developmental math workshops, 76 passed the ACT at the end of the summer. Of the seven students who required reading/writing skills workshops, 86 passed the Reading Assessment Test and 57 passed the writing assessment test. Brooklyn SEEK utilized the LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory) to gather valuable information from students that would aid in counseling and academic support efforts. The LASSI examines behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that relate to 13

14 successful learning. It assesses students' awareness of learning and study strategies and provides students with a diagnosis of their strengths and weaknesses compared to other college students. It informs counselors and academic support staff on areas of student weakness and helps to identify high risk students even before they start their first academic semester. The City College of New York One of the successful strategies implemented at the SEEK Program at City College was its expansion of its first-year freshman program to include a modified learning community in the spring semester. In addition to having the students take at least one general education course with other students in their cohort, the second semester included counselor-led workshops that further explored the issues raised in the fall semester s freshman seminar. Extensive academic support was attached to the SEEK-only sections. The On-Course curriculum was implemented as students learned various success principles and how to apply them in their daily lives. The specific components of the curriculum that were introduced during the summer were accepting personal responsibility and gaining self-awareness. Since 75 of the fall 2012 freshmen were skills proficient in all areas, the workshops were geared towards providing further academic enrichment. Data comparing SEEK freshmen to SEEK freshmen showed that the number of students in academic jeopardy (with GPAs less than 2.0) decreased dramatically: only 9.8 of the freshmen were in jeopardy, compared to 17.2 in The Program s one-year retention rate for the 2011 freshman cohort increased from 81.1 in the previous year to 85, which is higher than that of regularly admitted students. The corresponding one-year retention rate for the 2011 regularly admitted freshmen showed a decrease from 86.3 to The Program s six-year graduation rate for the 2006 freshman cohort closed in on that of regularly admitted students: the six-year graduation rate for the SEEK cohort was 39.9; that of regularly admitted students was

15 Hunter College Hunter s SEEK Program celebrated the fifth year of its Chi Alpha Epsilon chapter, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter, and inducted an additional 33 students into the honor ranks. The Program developed and disseminated various informational publications and developed a listserv for SEEK participants, all with the focus on establishing a strong branding strategy. Administrative changes led to various team building activities. The SEEK Director held bi-weekly SEEK team meetings and individual meetings in order to establish improved working relationships among staff. The individual meetings provided an opportunity for staff and faculty to share their professional aspirations, thoughts, and concerns. Chief among discussions was the recent organizational change from a department to a program and the administrative reporting structure move from the School of Education to the Provost s Office. These team building activities helped in the transition and helped bring consensus on devising and implementing innovative program planning as well as developing a five-year strategic plan. John Jay College of Criminal Justice Increased student performance in reading and math skills tests resulted from the successful summer program offered at John Jay s SEEK Program. Data comparing results from summer 2011 and 2012 indicated that the Math 1 pass rate increased from 86 to 95; the Math 2 pass rate increased from 61 to 76; and the reading pass rate increased from 72 to 81. Additional data revealed that 90 of the fall 2012 freshman cohort was skills-certified in one year, and 97 of students who earned 30 credits passed all basic skills. The academic performance of probation students also showed improvement: 77 of probation students increased their GPAs, and 30 of probation students got off probation. The Program also created a SEEK Society Student Club, and piloted a project which had Chi Alpha Epsilon honor students becoming peer mentors to freshman students. 15

16 The SEEK Program also instituted revised admissions standards for SEEK applicants such that students needing remediation in all three skills areas would not be admitted to John Jay SEEK but instead would be referred to the Justice Academies in the community colleges. Lehman College Advisor-Trac and Tutor-Trac programs were successfully employed as a means to improve the collection of student contact data and to produce enhanced data reports on counselor-student contacts, case management activities, and academic support activities. Three SEEK students participated in the winter session of study abroad and travelled to Morocco, Italy, and Chile. Thirteen students joined the ranks in the Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society. Counselors in the Program have continued to hone their use of the LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory) as well as the On-Course curriculum in order to assess the academic and counseling needs of Program students. The coordination and continuity of these two platforms has strengthened the Program s first year student development curriculum and has informed first-year counseling and tutoring interventions. Student performance and success rates are expected to increase as a result of the implementation of both the LASSI and the On-Course curriculum. The analysis of the Program s research on LASSI usage revealed that there were five areas that demonstrated significant correlations with SEEK student academic performance: motivation, attitude, information processing, concentration, and time management. Counselors used the On-Course curriculum to address issues identified by LASSI. While the college data is not yet available, preliminary reports indicate increases in the rates of first-year average credits passed and basic skills passed. Another highlighted project includes the SEEK Study Partners and Mentors (SSPMs) Project. In May and June 2013, a number of SEEK Peer Associates (PAs) received specialized training as SSPMs. The training was funded by a CUNY Office of Special Programs grant and it aimed to assist SEEK students who have experienced academic 16

17 success to develop their own mentoring perspective. Training included conversations about previous mentoring-like experiences, mentors in our lives, as well as discussions about the functions and the qualities of good mentors. Through exercises and activities, students learned to practice effective communication skills (e.g. questioning styles and listening skills) and learned strategies to lead small groups effectively. The mentoring training consisted of eight sessions. Six students participated in the mentoring and study skills training. During summer, 2013 SSPMs will facilitate the freshman orientation program, registration process, LASSI administration and the identity project workshop. SSPMs will also lead group activities and discussions that aim at helping entering students develop a sense of pride in being a student in the SEEK program. The primary role of mentors in the summer program is to assist pre-freshmen students to complete the summer program successfully. To achieve this, SSPMs will: a) serve as positive role models during the summer program, b) reinforce good classroom behaviors in college, c) teach good study skills and share their own strategies for academic success. The recent student success rates reported by the Lehman College SEEK Program are impressive. For example, the six-year graduation rate for the fall 2004 cohort was 30.6; the graduation rate for the fall 2005 cohort increased to The first-tosecond year student return rate for the fall 2004 cohort was 74; the fall 2011 cohort return rate increased to The average first semester credits passed for the fall 2005 cohort was 10.9 credits; the fall 2011 cohort data shows first semester average credits passed totaled Medgar Evers College The SEEK Program at Medgar Evers College has effectively employed Collaborative Learning Communities (CLCs) and has more recently created a SEEK Community of Learners outside of blocked courses so as to include larger numbers of students. The Program has found that a combination of peer mentoring, learning communities, and supplemental instruction within the context of its modularized counseling curriculum is 17

18 most effective in helping students persist. The one-year retention rate of the fall 2011 cohort indicated that SEEK students were retained at a rate of 63, compared to 52 for regular students. The Program also instituted a shared reading curriculum for all second semester freshman counseling courses. The Medgar Evers College SEEK Annual Report was selected as an exemplar for the college s assessment workshop as part of the Middle States monitoring report. The assessment of the SEEK Programs goals and objectives received high marks and was cited for closing the assessment loop. The program was advised to focus on student learning outcomes, which the Program will do in academic year The implementation of eportfolios was another major accomplishment of the Medgar Evers SEEK Program. All first-year students who completed the SEEK second semester counseling course created an eportfolio. Evidence related to the improvement of students problem solving skills was found within student eportfolios and through focus groups. The use of eportfolio was found to provide a means for students to examine their motivation for attending college, identify their strengths and areas that need improvement, identify barriers to their academic success, develop short and long term goals, and develop a plan. The Program found that one of the chief benefits of the eportfolio platform was students ability to reflect on how they improved over the academic year, to address fears and challenges, to understand their learning process and to improve their ability to solve reallife problems. The reflective process allowed students to focus on challenges and use them as motivation. Students found peer-to-peer feedback and the ability to see other students eportfolios beneficial; Students made connections between what they were learning in SEEK courses and what they were learning in other courses and their lives; and students used their already well developed social media skills in an academic context. Finally, student credit accumulation data reported by the college for the and academic years indicates increases for all SEEK students and shows as well that the credit accumulations for SEEK students surpassed that of regular students. For 18

19 example, the academic year data for credit accumulations of between 20.5 and 30 credits, of SEEK freshmen vs of non-seek freshmen; of SEEK sophomores vs of non-seek sophomores; of SEEK juniors vs of non-seek juniors; and of SEEK seniors vs non-seek seniors earned between credits. Data for academic year shows credit accumulations of credits as follows: SEEK vs. 17 non-seek freshmen; SEEK vs non-seek sophomores; SEEK vs non-seek juniors; and vs non-seek seniors. New York City College of Technology One of the strategies employed by City Tech s SEEK Program was the establishment of a SEEK Learning Community (SLC). The SLC s strong point is its emphasis on in-depth support for students through blocked courses and supportive services. Students received mandated academic services that were pre-programmed into their curriculum of mathematics, biology, English, and speech courses, and counseling support was also included in their schedules. Data reveals that 85.7 of students enrolled in the blocked biology course passed. This pass rate exceeded that of nearly all sections of the course meeting at the same time, which together had a mean pass rate of Of the students who passed the gateway biology course, 71.4 passed with a grade of A or B. Only 54.2 of students in the comparative sections of the course passed with a grade of A or B. The passing rate in the developmental level blocked mathematics course in the Program s SLC was This pass rate greatly exceeded the pass rate in two identical course sections given at the same time. Queens College The SEEK Program at Queens College continues to highlight its Learning Community/Block Program model for freshman students. In addition to its pre-freshman summer program, the SEEK Program provides a summer bridge program for pre-freshmen 19

20 who have passed all three skills areas (reading, mathematics, and writing). The bridge program employs the use of the digital portfolio as a learning tool. Through the use of digital portfolios, students can document their academic, personal, and professional development. The Program s pre-freshman summer immersion workshops resulted in high success rates for students on the CUNY skills assessment tests. The summer program includes proactive counseling, advising, and academic support services. The personal enrichment and academic support workshops were effective in helping students successfully complete their skills requirements. All students who attended the Mathematics immersion workshop passed the ACT with a score of 45/45. A total of 83 of the summer immersion students passed the Writing Assessment Test (WAT); a total of 71 of the summer immersion students passed the Reading Assessment Test (RAT). The College of Staten Island One of the hallmarks of CSI-SEEK is its ability to secure outside funding grants which support its Strategies for Success initiatives at area public schools. The Program also used part of the funding to provide training in the Seven Habits of Highly Successful Children workshops. The Program offered Seven Habits workshops at their existing community sites and at an additional public school where 23 second grade pupils received homework assistance, tutoring, and mentoring. Workshops were also offered at an area high school. In all, 430 K-8 pupils were served, and 39 college students were trained in the Seven Habits curriculum and served as mentors to the children as they helped them with their academic and leadership development. A full 87 of the 39 college students involved in the Strategies for Success Program indicated that they experienced personal gains in academic skills development, career progress, financial literacy, and personal and interpersonal growth. Further, 36 of the 39 college participants (92) either registered for the fall 2013 semester or graduated. In addition, the SEEK Program received funding from the OSP to help support its Virtual Learning Center component and enhance the virtual offerings in the SEEK Learning/Tutorial Center. One of the innovative 20

21 developments of the Virtual Learning Center was its piloting of math tutoring via Skype. Unfortunately, too few students utilized this method during the year, and the Program was unable to assess outcomes. York College Enhanced admissions protocols which included interviewing all incoming first-year students were established at York-SEEK. The major purpose of the interviewing activity is to establish a connection between the SEEK Program staff and the students with the expectation that this will positively impact persistence and retention. The Program will be reviewing data in the coming year to determine if interviewing had an effect on student performance outcomes. The Program has also continued efforts to create a student database that includes academic progress information on all its students. Student community outreach activities were also a highlight of the Program, particularly in terms of their aiding victims of Super Storm Sandy in fall, As of July 2012, the college reported that approximately 82 of the fall 2010 cohort passed all of the CUNY/ACT exams in two academic years. According to the spring 2013 data for the 2011 cohort, approximately 84 of the students passed all of the CUNY/ACT exams in two academic years ( a 2 increase over the 2010 cohort). The fall 2012 cohort had a 78 one year pass rate for all parts of the ACT (showing an increase over the one-year pass rate for each of the three previous cohort years). This was attributed to effectively and efficiently monitoring student progress during the Summer Immersion Program as well as the academic year. The SEEK Program made attendance in the ACT workshops mandatory via the SEEK Program Handbook, and implemented new math and writing materials that have resulted in higher pass rates for incoming freshmen. Of the Program s 711 students, a total of 62 had GPA s above 2.0. Looking more closely at the GPA ranges, data indicated that 22 of the total students had GPA s between 2.5 and 2.9; and 10 of the total population had GPA s of 3.0 and above. One- 21

22 year retention rates have increased 4, from 80. for the 2008 cohort to 84 for the 2011 cohort. The two-year retention rates have generally increased over the course of recent years, from 45 for the 2008 cohort to 52 for the 2010 cohort. 22

23 College Discovery (CD) Programs Borough of Manhattan Community College The CD Program at BMCC piloted an innovative project entitled Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). CD counselors used Skype and FaceTime as a means of maintaining required contacts with students. The contact initiated via VoIP did not involve personal counseling; rather it concentrated on academic-related issues. The pilot project involved too few students to assess its effectiveness and will be continued in the academic year in order to further test its usefulness. instituted was the Barbershop Talk project. Another innovation that the Program The project was aimed at the male CD student population and was conceived as a means for male students to express and share their personal and academic goals and interests. The piloted program begun in spring 2013 included 14 students by the end of the semester and will continue in the new academic year as attempts will be made to increase the student participation. Plans for enhancing the project include bringing in guest speakers and having students make presentations about their personal goals. Student performance outcomes such as persistence and graduation rates and academic performance will be tracked beginning with the fall 2013 semester. The CD Program also launched a Facebook page and will continue to encourage students to participate. A new success strategy entitled The Open Source/Open Content (OS/OC) project was aimed at integrating sources for students with math remediation requirements. The objective was that in collaboration with the math department, online research would be conducted to package a combination of static and audio visual OS/OC material that would be compatible to at least one remedial math course. The program was piloted as a selfpaced learning workshop using the OS/OC material, which the mathematics instructor developed and incorporated with online resources for students to experience, practice, and better comprehend algebraic concepts. Specifically, the project involved students who needed to complete elementary algebra and pairing them with a mentor. Both 23

24 students and mentors were provided IPads to facilitate access, communication and monitoring. CD counselors provided supervision to both the mentors and their students, and the instruction of the course was specially designed to integrate an Open Source/Open Content model. A total of 12 students participated in the project. At the conclusion of the intervention, six students were exempt from algebra, indicating a pass rate of 50. This is a substantial increase in the reported overall pass rate of 32. Another innovative initiative was The CD Student Advisory Council, started in spring 2013 with the primary goal of facilitating student input and perception on the services and administration of the program. Outreach was coordinated for students with 30 credits or more and a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Students were invited to complete an online application for consideration, and a total of eight students were selected for participation. Students agreed to meet three times in the semester to discuss and review components of the CD Program. Some aspects of the services discussed included counseling, tutoring, and planned programs and events. Students expressed how much they appreciated their counselors and that relationship, focusing particularly on the individual attention provided. One of the recommendations made included the use of anonymous surveys to evaluate program staff, particularly tutors. Although a program-wide survey was administered, they welcomed something akin to rate my professor to rate individual tutors. Students who participate are given Co-Curricular credit at the completion of the semester. The CD Program was not without its challenges. One of the primary challenges experienced during the year was the late allocation of OTPS budget. Because only 25 of the OTPS budget was allocated in the fall semester, the challenge was to expend the remaining 75 of the budget in the spring semester. The college budget office provided assistance so that the majority of the funding could be expended before the end of the year. A second challenge involved the spring 2012 implementation of CUNY First. Even with training and college assistance, the Program experienced difficulties with coding and 24

25 running queries, and it was a challenge to conduct the necessary business of the program while adapting to the demands of CUNY First. Bronx Community College The CD Program at Bronx Community College designated one of its staff members as Transfer Liaison in order to increase and improve support services to its students transferring to the senior colleges. Beginning with the spring 2013 semester, the counselor conducted two transfer workshops and also collaborated with a Queens College SEEK Program counselor in order to collect all necessary information regarding a smooth transfer process for CD students interested in transferring to Queens College. The CD Program expects to continue this initiative and outcomes data will be forthcoming. The Program instituted the use of the Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory (CSI), and plans to eventually have all of its students complete the survey. Program staff received professional development training in its use. In fall 2012, 59 of the freshman students enrolled in the freshman seminar course completed the online CSI. Counselors reviewed the survey responses and followed up with students who indicated areas of possible academic/personal risk. The CSI results helped counselors assess challenges facing students, how they felt about the college experience, and what they considered to be their strengths and weaknesses. During the spring 2013 semester, 42 of students on probation completed the survey. Together with the Program s tutor coordinator, the counselors piloted a new retention program for probation and at-risk students, including assigning benchmarks geared specifically to individual students. All students in the pilot signed a contract with their counselor which outlined their responsibility regarding tutoring attendance, advising meetings, and attendance at workshops. Students were also required to receive faculty progress reports. The academic progress reports helped inform student interventions aimed at improving student success. Outcomes of the pilot program were initially quite positive, as students participated in all required activities. However, as time went on less than half of the students completed all of their required 25

26 benchmarks. The Program will continue with the retention pilot in the coming year and will develop activities that it hopes will improve student participation. Some of the Program s professional development efforts were directed toward tutors. Five tutors completed the level 3 certification from the CRLA (The College Reading and Learning Association). This high level of completion is a reflection of the CD Program s commitment to provide students with the best services possible and to have tutors trained and certified at the highest level. The Program acknowledges that better prepared tutors can better address the academic needs of students. Increasing graduation rates remains a challenge for both the college and CD. Student enrollments fluctuate from semester to semester, and year to year. The CD Program s pilot retention program is aimed at increasing the numbers of graduates per academic year. The goal put forth is for the Program to graduate twenty students per counselor caseload every year. Twenty graduates per counselor would translate into 100 student graduates per academic year. The graduates would include the three degree completion periods recognized by the college: August, January, and June. Another challenge is that of increasing student engagement and sparking an interest in reviving the CD Club. Though the Chi Alpha Epsilon club is very active, it is a subsidiary of the Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society. The establishment of having an independent club that could function outside of the umbrella of the honor society is the primary vision for the CD Club in order to attach more students not connected to the honor society. The club can be envisioned as a tool to reach students when promoting activities, events, and opportunities such as the Student Leadership Academy, United Leaders of CUNY, New York Needs You, and Scholarship opportunities. 26

27 Hostos Community College The CD Program at Hostos Community College continues to hone its academic support component by offering ongoing training for tutors and staff in the areas of study skills and note-taking strategies. For example, students were taught how to use an academic planner and learned time management strategies. In fall 2012, a total of 85 of the entering freshman cohort were engaged in these activities. The Program anticipates that these initiatives will increase student pass rates on the skills assessment tests and will track the academic performance of students in the coming year. Peer mentoring was also a component of the Program and helped increase student involvement in campus and community activities. Chief among the accomplishments of the Program was its Student Recognition Ceremony, where students organized, sponsored, and coordinated the entire event under the supervision of the tutor/mentor. The 2012 summer immersion program was highly successful in significantly increasing the student pass rate on the writing assessment test (WAT): a total of 85 of the students passed the WAT compared to only 30 in summer A total of 43 of the students passed the reading assessment test; a total of 71 of the students passed Math 1 and 57 passed Math 2. The Program s student persistence rates surpass that of regular students: the two-year persistence rate of the fall 2010 CD cohort was 68 compared to 47 for regular admits. Kingsborough Community College The CD Program at Kingsborough Community College instituted an innovative project entitled Good to Great, which focused on inspiring students with satisfactory grades (e.g., GPAs between 2.0 and 2.49) to strive for even better grades. Forty-three students attended workshops which addressed such issues as time management, procrastination, and low motivation. Students completed evaluation forms and indicated that the exercises and information resources that they were given were very helpful. Another project initiated 27

28 by the CD Program was cultural movies night, which offered screening of movies on preselected themes to students followed by discussions. Both of these projects aimed at inspiring students as well as involving them in activities that would stretch their abilities and reinforce their commitment to their studies, their sense of belonging to the KCC community, and their pursuit of their associate degrees. The CD Program also collaborated with Baruch SEEK s Passport initiative so as to maximize its students readiness for transfer to the Zicklin Business School, in particular, and to other areas in the college in order to continue their studies toward the baccalaureate. During the year nine CD students were accepted into the Baruch SEEK Program; 3 of these students were admitted into the Zicklin School of Business, while others were admitted into majors such as public policy, advertising, and liberal arts. KCC freshman CD students outperformed regular students on such performance indicators as credits earned through fall/winter 2012 (23 of CD freshmen vs. 17 of non-cd freshmen earned between credits). Further, CD students also returned at a higher retention rate than non-cd students from fall to spring (89 vs. 78, respectively). LaGuardia Community College The CD Program at LaGuardia Community College succeeded in having a total of 17 students inducted into the Program s chapter of the Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society. The CD Program convened its annual Transfer Workshop event which aids students in choosing their academic majors and knowing which senior colleges would be most beneficial to their career pursuits. Fifteen graduating seniors attended the workshop and received transfer application materials, guides, and other relevant materials necessary to make informed decisions regarding their next steps after LaGuardia. Students indicated a 95 satisfaction rating at the end of the workshop. Feedback from the students who attended the workshop stated that the transfer process to senior college SEEK Programs was 28

29 seamless. Responses also included comments that students would like to visit the colleges they apply to before enrolling. This prompted the CD Program to successfully solicit funding through the LaGuardia Transfer Center and the funds will be used to sponsor a field trip the University of Pennsylvania for ten CD graduating students. The CD Club focused on recruitment of students and community service. The latter included participation in the Diabetes Walk, a community fund-raising event, tree plantings and park re-building events, and various other community activities. CD Club representatives visited each of the New Student Seminar classes as well as attended other CD events in order to recruit members. CD Club members believe that giving back to the community builds on students sense of community both on and off campus, and they will continue their efforts to recruit as many students as possible in the coming year. The Program also restructured its tutoring center, provided additional opportunities for tutor training, and renamed the center Community of Learners. The resource center had an overall student usage of 5,233 visits, representing an increase of 951 student visits over the previous year. Queensborough Community College The CD Program at Queensborough Community College has an active CD Club with an interest in involving students in civic engagement. The Club s student members participated in campus and community fund-raising activities. The Program s new student recruitment efforts included convening a late-spring orientation event that was geared not just to students but to their parents, as well. Students and their families received valuable information about the CD Program and how it can help students successfully complete their studies at QCC, such as information about the financial aid verification process as well as the CD Program student requirements. To further this end, the CD Program also took advantage of Hobsons Connect and also set up a QCC Tiger Connect Page specifically serving the CD Program freshman allocants (totaling 2,434 students). 29