Program Description Mt. San Jacinto College Veterans Services provides a variety of support services targeting current and former military personnel and their dependents. Services are primarily provided through our Veterans Resource Centers (VRCs). MSJC has two Veterans Resource Centers (VRCs), one at our Menifee campus (Building 1017) and the other at our San Jacinto campus (Building 1560). The VRC at our Menifee campus opened on November 8 th, 2012 and the following year the VRC at our San Jacinto campus opened on November 7 th 2013. Both front desks at our VRCs are staffed by fellow student Veterans or Dependents who have the knowledge and experience to provide the guidance, support and camaraderie to support a successful transition to MSJC. Our VRCs cultivate a culture of trust which supports MSJC s goal to enhance the overall campus life experience and promotes our vision to transform lives. Students serve as the face of MSJC since the VRCs are generally the first point of contact for a majority of our military students. I. Program and Assessment A. Program Please review the internal process data for your program and analyze it. The mission of MSJC Veterans Services is to support the transition and success of our military students by providing services that enhance their academic, career and personal development through our Veterans Resource Centers. At MSJC, military students are defined as students with a military affiliation Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans and their dependents. MSJC is located approximately 10 minutes from March Air Reserve Base and relatively close to our San Jacinto campus and 35 minutes from Camp Pendleton Marine Base which is close to both our Temecula and Menifee campuses. The home of the Navy s Fleet Command is one hour south. MSJC serves the Veterans of Riverside County home to 138,000 California Veterans, third in the state just behind Los Angeles and Orange Counties (U.S. Census). To maintain approval and participate in Federal VA Programs institutions must: Keep the VA informed by submitting accurate data related to the enrollment status of Veterans and other eligible persons in a timely manner. Transmit Enrollment Certifications (VA Form 22-1999) to report required enrollment information Transmit Notice of Change in Student Status (VA Form 22-1999b) to report changes to enrollment information Monitor the subjects pursued by a student to certify to VA only those subjects that apply to the student s program Monitor student s grades to ensure satisfactory progress is being made. Report when a student was terminated due to unsatisfactory progress 1 Page
Monitor student s conduct and report when student is suspended or dismissed for unsatisfactory conduct Report graduation and program completion According to the VA, MSJC should submit initial enrollment information within 30 days of the beginning of the term and also report changes in enrollment within 30 days of any change. The VA, through the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education (CSAAVE), meticulously reviews and assesses a randomly selected number of MSJC Student Veteran files for academic, financial and reporting compliance annually. During the 2016-2017 academic year, the annual compliance review conducted by CSAAVE resulted in zero findings, confirming MSJC complies with VA regulations and reporting requirements. Veterans Services has seen a sharp increase in Military students. Based on our 2014-2015 Comprehensive Program Review, 2,231 military students were enrolled at MSJC. Two years later (2016-2017 academic year; Enrollment Services) military student enrollment at MSJC has climbed to 3,448. Additionally, more than 1,000 military students were certified for VA education benefits during the 2016-2017 academic year (see chart 1). This is an almost 55% increase in the military student population at MSJC and more than a 20% increase in certifications transmitted to the VA. It is important to note, the 20% increase in the number of certifications transmitted to the VA, does not include the actual number of adjustments and amendments (revisions) transmitted to the VA. Most students are certified at least three (3) times a year and each time they change the number of units they register for, any changes to the start and end dates of terms, any changes to costs associated with their registration and of course any drop or stop outs and program completion. 2 Page
Additionally, more than 7,000 military student visits were recorded by our VRCs districtwide. The number of visits to our VRCs has increased by 46% from 2015-2016 to 2016-2017. As our veteran and military population continues to increase, there will be a need for additional staffing. B. Assessment Summary Please list your current Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Service Area Outcomes (SAOs). Please summarize the discussions, analysis and improvements resulting from your assessment effort since the last program review. Please note any changes to the SLOs/SAOs for use next year. 2016-2017 Service Area Outcomes The student will know what student services the VRC provides The student will feel comfortable hanging out between classes The student will understand the certification process MSJC Veterans Services launched a Student Satisfaction survey in December 2017 To help support and drive institutional decision-making for planning and prioritizing resources. More than 400 surveys were received and reviewed and the findings are included below. 1. Service Area Outcomes The student will know what services are provided at the VRCs. Every student desiring to utilize VA benefits must meet with a Counselor. By the end of a counseling appointment with a Veterans Counselor, students acquire knowledge of the benefits and services available, educational planning, appropriate referrals for personal and emotional support, registration information, and transfer information. Based on the number of visits to our Veterans Resource Centers coupled with the results of our 3 Page
Student Satisfaction survey, we may conclude students are aware of the services the VRCs provide. However, we plan to revise both our Student Satisfaction Survey and Service Area Outcomes to support and document our outcomes. The student will feel comfortable hanging out in between classes. Visits to our VRCs have increased and according to our Student Satisfaction Survey, students visit our VRCs for a variety of reasons. However, when we assessed the quality of the services we offer at our VRCs (which includes the ability to hang out between classes), students overwhelmingly (85%) found the VRCs provided Excellent Customer Service. When asked what we can do better to improve our services, comments consistently mentioned nothing reaffirming the survey results. Some of the comments noted on the surveys included: I have been here plenty of times. Service is always great. Nothing needs to change. The service is excellent Very informative and helpful. Nothing needs to change. Thank you for making the process easy... I ve attended several California Community Colleges and none compare to the hands on support I received at MSJC. As a result, we can conclude a student feels comfortable hanging out at the VRCs in between classes. 4 Page
The student will understand the certification process. We are in the process of revising our Service Area Outcomes and our Student Satisfaction Survey to improve the mechanisms we have in place measure outcomes. For the 2018-2019 academic year, we will continue to strengthen our collaboration with Institutional Research to develop reports that will assist in gathering data on our military student population. Student Learning Outcomes Our 2016-2017 Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) were: The student will list resources The student will identify degree requirements The student will discuss transfer requirements The student will understand the payment process. Since military students who wish to utilize VA education benefits are required to personally meet with a Counselor registering for classes at MSJC and any time they change majors or face challenges with registering for their courses coupled with the Veteran Success Rate (see chart below), we may conclude, MSJC military students have gained the necessary awareness, knowledge and understanding of academic program and transfer degree requirements. Moreover, students receive a copy of their educational plan after each counseling session which identifies degree requirements and highlights required and completed courses along with a transfer roadmap (if applicable), the MSJC military students have the tools to support their academic roadmap to success. When we review the Success Rates of our military students, MSJC military students have a higher Success Rate (2.4%) than their MSJC civilian classmates. The success rate for MSJC military students 5 Page
supports the institutional goal of reduce time to completion of student educational goals to increase degree, transfer and certificate completions. 6 Page Source: https://www.msjc.edu/institutionalresearch/pages/institutional-research- Reports.aspx (Demographic Success Rates; 2017) For the 2018-2019 academic year, we plan to strengthen our collaboration with Institutional Research to develop mechanisms and tools to assist in gathering data on our military student population. We plan to continue to collaborate with Institutional Research to develop a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on MSJC Military students (demographics, retention and academic program completion, etc.) to document student success. In addition, in collaboration with our Counseling Department and our Career and Transfer Center, we plan to track: Transfer/Acceptance Rates Time Length to Degree Completion Additionally, we hope to replace our manual check in front desk process used to track walk-ins and track our walk-ins with the SARS-GRID software which offers reason reports (purpose of visit) and utilization reports (student and counselors) to support our data needs and also to document and support our needs. SARS Reason Reports
SARS Daily Reports SARS GRID Counselors Available Hours and Usage Finally, we plan to revise our Student Satisfaction Survey to ensure we capture student satisfaction (VRC, Counseling, Referrals, Certification, Front Desk), Interests, and Needs. II. Planning and Resource Requirements As you formulate your goals and objectives, to minimize disproportionate impacts, please balance district efficiency with equity and access. A. Program Goals Be sure to review the goals and objectives from your last program review and include those that are still active! Put in your new goals here! The 2016-2017 goals of Veterans Services included a need for staffing (Veterans Services Coordinator and a full-time Counselor dedicated to the VRCs). Veterans Services received approval to hire a Veterans Services Coordinator and our certifying official staff position was reclassified from Financial Aid Technician II to Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official. As a result, additional hours are available to support the VRCs and certification of benefits. As we continue to grow, there continues to be an overwhelming critical need for an additional full time counselor to support our military students. The proposed goals/outcomes for Veterans Services for the 2018-2019 year are aligned with Executive Order 13607 Establishing Principles of Excellence for Education Institution Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses and Other Family Members (#2-9): Service Area Outcomes SAO#1 Increase the number of military students at MSJC SAO #2 Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the district community to promote the well-being and success of Student Veterans SAO #3 Ensure consistent and sustained effort from campus leadership SAO #4 Implement an Early Alert System to ensure all veterans receive academic, career and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming SAO #5 Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with a creation of a designated space. SAO #6 Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans SAO #7 Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention and degree completions SAO #8 Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to veterans SAO #9 Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans 7 Page
B. Facilities and Staffing Needs There is a strong need for a full-time Counselor. As a result of the increase in the number of military students enrolled at MSJC, the number of students visiting our Veterans Resources Centers and the number of students certified for VA benefits, there is a need for additional counseling hours. As a result, we need additional counselors to increase the number of counseling hours dedicated to military students to ensure students show an understanding of selecting courses appropriate for their academic goals and graduation and transfer timelines. C. Technology and Equipment Needs SARS GRID - Veterans Services - Ability to track walkins at each VRC and the reason codes for the visit. D. Professional Development Needs 8 Page WAVES (Western Association of Veterans Education Specialists) Conference. July 2018. This conference is generally geared for Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official and Veterans Services Coordinators and fosters communication and cooperation among institutions of higher education, governmental agencies and individuals who serve military students. Best practices, legislation and advocacy is generally covered at the annual conference.. NAVPA (National Association of Veterans Program Administrators Conference. October 2018. This conference is generally geared for Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official and Veterans Services Coordinators and promotes the development, improvement and extension of opportunities for military students. Legislation, Best Practices, advocacy and typical topics covered during the conference.. California Community Colleges Veterans Summit. March 2018. This conference is generally geared for Veterans Counselors, Coordinators and Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official and Veterans Services Coordinators and includes best practices for faculty, administrators and staff who work with Student Veterans at California Community College, CSU and UC campuses. VPAC (Veteran Program Administrator of California) meetings/conferences. This conference is generally geared for Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official and Veterans Services Coordinators and covers federal and state updates and best practices. Region 9 Meetings. This conference is generally for Veterans Resource Specialist/Certifying Official and Veterans Services Coordinators and includes best practices among Region VRCs.
Southern California Veterans Counselor Training. This conference is generally geared for Veterans Resource Counselors and covers best practices serving military students and state updates. III. Budget Allocation A. 2018-2019 RAP (Resource Allocation Proposal) Submissions B. CAPPRs (Classified Administrative Personnel Prioritization Request) C. RAP Follow-Up Reports. The follow-up reports for this year s RAPs are not ready at the time of this report. Institutional Research reports they should be available in late March, early April. V. Final Summary A. Based on the data and analysis contained in this review, please forward your three greatest needs to your dean/division. Full-Time Counselor or an Increase in the Number of Counseling Hours Available to Military Students - especially peak periods. We plan to continue to collaborate with our Enrollment Services and Counseling Departments to coordinate and schedule additional Associate Counselor coverage for academic advising and guidance during peak periods and annually for our military students (i.e., priority registration, beginning of each term, etc.) B. Discuss any major activities/highlights/achievements and any service/student success innovations during the past year. We supported MSJC s goal to Increase the College s Visibility, Value and Recognition in the Service Area : During the 2016-2017 academic year, the annual compliance review conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) which resulted in zero findings, confirming MSJC complies with VA regulations and reporting requirements. Donation from Hemet and San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce Contribution (Support and Recognition). We received just over $2K for our Student Veterans at MSJC. Motorcycle Run for Student Veterans Foundation Mini-Grant (Support for Mural) Veterans Day Events Increased Visibility Press, Vendors, Participants Proclamation from Scott Miller, Mayor of San Jacinto proclaiming MSJC Champion in supporting the educational needs of our Veterans. 9 Page
MSJC Annual Sports Passes offered to all MSJC Veterans by our Dean of Athletics and Physical Education Academy Presentation on Veterans Services and the Student Veteran D. Please list all faculty and classified (and others) who participated in this review. Shanae Williams Benny Rivas Diana Chacon Dolores Smith D. Any suggestions, concerns or constructive criticism regarding the MSJC program review process? Once you have completed this entire form, please mailto:programreview@msjc.edu Due Date: February 15, 2018 Thank you very much!!! Final Version 10/2/2017 10 Page