chancellor report 2011-2012

Engaging Education

(e2)

Engaging Education (e²) is a Student-Init iated Outreach and Retention Center for student

engagement and academic excellence.

•  I t is a support ive and dynamic space for programming that addresses the low rates of recruitment, retention and graduation that historical ly under resourced communit ies face within higher education.

•  To build a foundation for students to grow and engage in grassroots organizing, student activism, community bui lding both inside and outside the university, and understanding of legacies of social just ice struggles.

•  e² partners with the University of Cali fornia community to provide a purposeful, transform active, and relevant educational experience for al l students.

e2 MISSION

•  Social Justice •  Continuing the struggle to increase access

to higher education for under-resourced communities

•  Student Power •  Students bring unique strategies and

perspectives that are essential in a movement working towards social equities.

•  Student Community Center •  Through the creation of a physical space,

e2 establishes an outreach and retention center which provides a safe haven for students to dialogue, promote social justice, bridge gaps, and create a sense of community

•  Creating a New World Paradigm •  Challenge the current educational system

to support the experiences and needs of historically under resourced communities to give birth to a critical consciousness for understanding the role and conditions of education

e2 VISION

ANNUAL REPORT 2011-2012

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following report details data and information gathered throughout the 2011-2012 academic year. The report will showcase the overall aspects of Engaging Education. This report will provide a compilation of Student Initiated Outreach Programs accomplishments, overall area of improvements, budgetary aspects and demographic data of the students and communities served. This compilation of work demonstrates the ability of students to continue to create programming that addresses their community’s needs and maintain a space on campus where they are able to engage in dialogue about how to critically engage the university to become a democratic and diverse space for developing agents of change. The work Engaging Education engages in is based on the theoretical framework of popular education wherein students are actively engaged in the process of transforming our society by being both educators to their communities as well as learning what are the changing needs of their community. This is evident in the democratic process in which decisions are made and the approach taken in addressing community needs through our Student Initiated Outreach programming.

Highlights of the report will show the areas of growth within the programs, for example Inspiring Scholars for Higher Education Outreach program targeted towards Hmong students, for the year of 2011-2012 outreached to new areas such as Porterville, CA. Another outreach program, Rainbow Theater Outreach succeeded in hosting San Francisco Bay Area outreach for the first time in three years. The Yield Outreach Programs, A Step Forward, Destination Higher Education and Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educacion had a Student Intent to Register rate of 64.4% average amongst the three programs. Student leaders successes in the programs are mirrored in the amount of student volunteers, alumni mentorship and staff support, as the students continue to transform their journey through higher education. They are transforming their experience by actively learning and engaging in the classrooms and at the same time, collectively producing programs with the support of many.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

During the academic year of 2011-2012, Engaging Education and the Chancellor’s Office collaboratively and successfully established a Memorandum of Understanding for the Chancellor’s Match with Engaging Education. This allowed for the Engaging Education Board of Directors and the University to come to the table and discuss the longstanding funding for the Student Initiated Outreach Programs. This is a great milestone in the partnership of Engaging Education and the University. As the leadership of Engaging Education, the Board of Directors held two retreats during the Academic year of 2011-2012, the Orientation Retreat and the Strategic Planning Retreat. Through the Strategic Planning Retreat the Board of Directors united on working collectively on four projects as a result from the Strategic Planning retreat.

Engaging Education expanded and held two Student Initiated courses in the year of 2011-2012. The Student Initiated Outreach Class and Engaging Education Class both advance student knowledge of their power and privilege as a participant of higher education on this campus and promote student retention and academic success. Class participants take every aspect of their classroom experience and merge them hand in hand with their experiences on the ground working on outreach to their communities and retention of their peers at UCSC. The Student Initiated Outreach area of Engaging Education thrived in 2011-2012, Rainbow Theatre Outreach, after three years of a hiatus in San Francisco Bay Area Non-Yield outreach, Rainbow Theatre Outreach successfully conducted a San Francisco Bay Area outreach, in two Oakland high schools, Metwest High School and Oakland High School, and one San Francisco High School, June Jordan School for Equity. At June Jordan School for Equity, Engaging Education has a very strong relationship with an Alumni who is currently a teacher and welcomes any Banana Slugs into her classroom.

In the area of data collection, there have been improvements made in terms of the method data is collected. Database systems have been set up through Filemaker Pro. This has allowed for Engaging Education to better assess and track the students who come in to use the Center regularly, the students that Student Initiated Programs serve and overall use of the resources that Engaging Education offers to the campus at large. The program was used for registration of participants for various outreach programs and has shown efficiency in collecting data in a timely matter. In turn, this has allowed student coordinators to better assess their programs, areas of growth and ways to expand with concrete recommendations for future programs.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Engaging Education student coordinators and volunteers have contributed a great amount of time and energy year after year. They are relentlessly showing their passion and commitment to the communities that they are able to serve. However, as the tuition of our campus increases, we are finding that more and more student coordinators and volunteers need to take up part time jobs. This has become more and more a reality for the students involved in Student Initiated Outreach and since the positions are voluntary, we understand the need to sustain one’s self here financially, this trend has resulted in a much more busier cohert of leaders and many upperclassmen do not have the same capacity to mentor their peers, leading to a need for more critical mentorship from SOAR Advisors and Alumni.

After a strategic planning assessment, we have affirmed that one of the strengths of e2 is its development through a collective, community-based approach. This approach allows the organization to identify and respond to changing conditions affecting our diverse constituencies. We also assessed many challenges ahead with rising fees, shrinking K--12 and campus resources, and issues of social and campus climate. We are confident that our e2 community can formulate effective responses. To do so we plan to strengthen the dynamic relationships between students, alumni, staff advisors, and our communities. We are planning to increase the research, trainings, and mentorships over the next two years, beginning with additional orientation and planning retreats for outreach and retention programs.

There is a need for improvement in training and research on a Statewide and broad scope Student Initiated outreach and retention work. As Engaging Education progresses towards the future of higher education, it is no question that the student demographic and needs will shift, as policies like the erasure of SAT II for consideration to Higher Education Institution admission, the types of students who can pursue higher education. This will make our campus community and the trends amongst the student population create new conditions where new needs will arise. With this, there is a need for Engaging Education to improve in the area of research and trainings in the area of needs of under resource and underrepresent communities that Engaging Education serves.

The Student Initiated Outreach Program Coordinators and ACAOs worked together to centralize communication, however, since this was the first year to test if this method would work, both sides encountered communication and logistical issues with Housing and venues in the Colleges. The student coordinators were sent back and forth between College Program offices and ACAOs. There were many miscommunications on both the Coordinators and College staff part. During the summer Engaging Education, SOAR and colleges’ Administration met to discuss and set forth resolutions that will hopefully limit the miscommunication for future years and streamline the process for Engaging Education’s Programs.

Total Number of Participants

1101

Student Participants 1061

Parent 0

Teacher 4

Chaperone 8

Decline to State/Unknown 28

DEMOGRAPHICS AND DATA 2011-2012

PARTICIPANT DISTRIBUTION

Program Name Number of Participants

A Step Forward 55

African American Theater Arts Troupe

363

Destination Higher Education 50

Inspiration for Scholars of Higher Education

36

Motivation Conference 36

Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educacion

58

Rainbow Theatre Outreach 501

155

5

160

23 3 0 3 4

275

34 26

139

14

64

134

62

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Indi

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Kore

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Isla

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Viet

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Number of Participants


Break down by Ethnicity

0 50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450



PARTICIPANTS BY GRADE LEVEL

Program Name

# of Student Participants

SIR at UCSC Percentage

A Step Forward 55 39 65%

Destination Higher Education

50 24 48%

Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educacion

58 42 72%

Total: 163 105 64.4%

YIELD RATES FOR 2011-2012

Program Year

# of Student Participants

SIR at UCSC Percentages

2005-‐2006 215 113 52% 2006-‐2007 257 138 53.7% 2007-‐2008 212 133 63.2% 2008-‐2009 175 94 53.7% 2009-‐2010 149 95 63.8% 2011-‐2012 163 105 64.4%

SIX YEAR OVERVIEW OF YIELD RATES

Over the years, Engaging Education has observed trends in the expenses of the Student Initiated Programs. As the gas prices and cost of expenses increase, the Programs are experiencing an increase in budgetary needs. This has resulted in a steady increase in Programs requesting for more funding. There has been a decrease in the amount of housing available for the Program participants. Many dorm lounges that historically the Programs have used year after year are now being turned into quads and triples for housing. This in turns limits the capacity in each college to take on an one to two night programs, making it more likely that participant numbers will need to be cut due to the housing parameters. There has also been an increase in other campus units hosting overnight programs, making it even more challenging for Student Initiated Outreach Programs to finalize housing.

EXPLANATORY

The budget for Student Initiated Outreach is projected annually on the projection that all Student Initiated Programs that have proposed for funding previously will be returning and proposing for funding support. In the year of 2011-2012 GENTE did not occur due to the assessed capacity of the student leadership within the organization that host GENTE. It is anticipated that GENTE will happen in the Academic year of 2013-2014. The areas of projected increase are based on areas of improvements and redirecting funding towards technology development, program development and training development for student coordinators.

¡ Admissions § The SIO Yield programs were able to work with Admissions

closely during the year of 2011-2012 on receiving the information of admitted students. Admissions hosted the phone banking event for the Yield Programs and provided staff support during the three evenings that the students were phone banking. This allowed for student volunteers and coordinators to ask questions in regards to Admissions and be well equipped to answer any questions that participants may have asked.

NETWORKING

¡  The student leadership has had opportunities to build and work alongside UCSC Alumni on more than five occasions throughout 2011-2012. Engaging Education had its Fall Quarter Orientation of the Board of Directors Retreat, in which e2’s staff, outreach and retention coordinators attend in order to be able to receive a better understanding on what their roles are before they begin the year and work on their programs. The Alumni bring a broad scope of experiences, skills and shared knowledge when sitting in community with students.

ALUMNI NETWORK

AREAS OF GROWTH AND PLANNED

DEVELOPMENT

A number of programs plan to increase outreach to areas of California that are not reached by most programs. For example, ISHE plans to outreach to new areas annually , a clear and attainable trajectory for this outreach program. The students approach their outreach based on needs and central locations where they are either from of have identified a strong Hmong community. This has been proven to yield successful numbers and has built strong relationships with communities in Sacramento, Porterville and Fresno. A Step Forward, plans to build relationships with Central Valley communities like Delano, CA in hopes to outreach to this area more successfully. Engaging Education plans to develop in the Technology area of the center. With the new database set up, there are many areas that this could branch into, for example, scanning materials for check out, better and extensive data basing of student participants and current students who use the space and much more.

The SIO Class outreach is projected to hold class sessions for all three quarters next school year to better provide resources to the student leadership of the outreach programs. The first two quarters will be intended for current student coordinators to be able to gain the skill sets and have weekly class sessions to be able to work on their programs and the final quarter will be for interested students who are thinking about taking up a leadership role in future outreach programs. Through assessments and based on the needs of student leadership, Engaging Education sees the values and outcomes of students gaining mentorship and training so that they gain the most out of their experience. Alumni bring with them historical knowledge that cannot be found in textbooks, about where the programs originated from. From this we have concluded that Alumni mentorship, Alumni facilitated trainings and Alumni networking with current students will bring a diverse group of experiences and skills to the table that all students can learn from. As alumni return, they have expressed over and over again, that if it was not for their experiences as a student leader at UCSC and being involved in Student Initiated Programs and organizations, they would not have gained the skills or experiences that they have now, that makes them very successful at what they do.

APPENDIX

•  Outreach Programs: •  3-Yield programs:

•  A Step Forward (ASF) •  Destination Higher Education (DHE) •  Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educación (ORALE)

•  4-Non-yield programs •  Getting Educated Now To Empower (GENTE) •  Motivation Conference •  Rainbow Theatre •  Raising Educational Awareness & Cultural Heritage (REACH)

Programs Housed At e2

•  Retention Programs: •  Chicanos And Latinos Educandose (ChALE) •  Umoja •  Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) •  Kuya Ate Mentorship Program (KAMP)

•  The four Retention programs form a collective called, Ch.U.C.K.

•  Each has a specific community focus and operate under the needs of those community

Programs Housed At e2

SIO (Student Initiated Outreach) All Outreach programs are student-initiated and student-run. Each targets, but is not exclusively for, historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities. Our Outreach programs seek to create opportunities for, as well as encourage high school students to continue their education at an institution of higher education. Our Retention programs aim to help students reach their fullest potential as learners, and graduate. Each program fosters mentorship, builds a sense of community, and offers social, academic, and emotional support. As the center grows, new programs can be created and supported through e2.

The following is a brief description of the nine SIO programs. ASF – (A Step Forward), the Filipino Student Associations (FSA) outreach program, brings already-admitted high school and transfer students to UC Santa Cruz for 3 days, immersing them in the college experience. Workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities allow the participants to discover that the Filipino Student Association and the University are able to assist in their success as undergraduate students. DHE – (Destination Higher Education), The African/ Black Student Alliance’s (A/BSA) program includes personal, social, and academic workshops that focus on the Black experience here at UCSC. This is a 3-day program that introduces students to African-American student life on campus and gives admitted students an opportunity to meet with the African/ Black community at UCSC. ORALE – (Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educación), is presented by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (MEChA) in support of the Chican@ and Latin@ community at UC Santa Cruz. ORALE is a 3-day program that focuses on the Chican@/Latin@ experience at UCSC while providing already admitted students with workshops about important aspects of college life such as student resources, financial aid, and the Educational Opportunity Program.

MC – (Motivation Conference) The Asian/Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) in coalition with other organizations and students organize Motivation Conference. This 3- day conference brings high school students, who are not necessarily thinking about college as an option for them, to UCSC with the purpose of encouraging them to seek higher learning. Through workshops and activities, we encourage students to believe in themselves and their ability to succeed in an institution of higher learning, in addition to providing guidance on how to reach their goals. GENTE – (Getting Educated Now to Empower) (formerly Parent Student Conference PSC) of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (MEChA) is a bilingual outreach program for Chican@/ Latin@ students and their parents. GENTE is an all day event, which includes caucuses and workshops on financial aid, admission requirements for incoming students, Educational Opportunity Program, and others. REACH – (Raising Education Awareness & Cultural Heritage) an outreach program initiated by the Student Alliance of North American Indians (SANAI). The program’s goal and mission is to create awareness about the availability of higher education to Native American students, and to integrate their culture and traditions with their educational goals. We discuss the university experience and introduce financial options and UC requirements. From this, we can create a strong Native community and communicate the empowerment college brings.

RAINBOW THEATRE – Rainbow Theatre was established in 1994 with a mission to create unity, higher visibility, and understanding of the major cultures within our communities. By giving students an opportunity to experience new literature and materials from other cultures through lectures and productions, Rainbow Theatre serves to enhance the cultural climate on the UCSC campus, and in its surrounding community, while encouraging the celebration of diversity. Rainbow Theater’s mission is to foster the spirit of unity across by breaking down cultural walls, providing an outlet for creative talents of various ethnic groups, and focus on the concerns of our communities today.Rainbow Theatre’s outreach program visits different various high schools in California. Rainbow Theatre seeks to heighten student’s awareness of higher education, the process, the requirements, and financial aid resources. Rainbow Theater emphasizes the possibility of attending an institution of higher education regardless of background. AATAT – (African American Theater Arts Troupe) A student-based organization made up of artists from a variety of backgrounds and majors, the African American Theater Arts Troupe was formed as a vehicle to create unity, higher visibility, and understanding of African American culture, encouraging the celebration of ethnic diversity and cultures at UCSC and in the larger community through both educational and creative outlets. Through its productions and campus and community collaborations, the African American Theater Arts Troupe formed the African American Student Scholarship fund at UCSC, giving out annual awards and providing more than $60,000 in scholarship funding since 1992. AATAT’s outreach programs visits various high schools in the surrounding Santa Cruz counties. AATAT strives to outreach to students in informing them about college applications, college life and any questions they may have about higher education. They engage their student participants through their performances and various activities and continue to enlighten them about the necessary steps in preparing for college.

ISHE - (Inspiration for Scholars of Higher Education) is a student created, student initiated outreach program created by the Hmong Student Association (HSA) as a way to bring Hmong refugees to this campus and help create an awareness of opportunities available to Hmong refugees in higher education. Many of the students who participated in this program were recent Hmong refugees who are many times neglected from participating in outreach programs such as these due to the language barrier faced by these students as they try to assimilate into their new environment. The target group for ISHE was Hmong students from the Academy for New Americans, a transitional school in Fresno that helps transition students by preparing them for high school, but not for college. These students are refugees escaping the current genocide of Hmongs in Southeast Asia. By having them participate in the ISHE outreach program these students are given an opportunity to dialogue for the first time about the vast opportunities available to them in higher education and give them motivation to succeed academically and in this new country.

END OF REPORT

chancellor report 2011-2012

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