Closer Than You Think!

Collaborating for Student Success

MNSCU Presenters

• Diane Dingfelder, Winona State University executive director of outreach and continuing education ddingfelder@winona.edu

• Carol Lacey, Metropolitan State University professor of interdisciplinary studies carol.lacey@metrostate.edu

• Paul Wasko, MNSCU Office of the Chancellor eStudent Services (CENTSS/eFolio) paul.wasko@so.mnscu.edu

Associate/Baccalaureate pathway

• The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education identifies two/four transfer as the “single most important means for low-income and minority students to attain their baccalaureates”.

• Effective state policies are critical to make this happen

Graduate Minnesota: Lumina initiative

• Target audience: adult students (25+), primarily with 20 or fewer credits left to complete their degree, recruited to return to MNSCU and University of Minnesota campuses.

• Graduate Minnesota designed to connect former students with advisers who can help them find the best and fastest route to complete their associate or bachelor's degree.

• In the first two years of the program, a statewide media campaign featured radio spots, online advertising and newspaper ads.

• In addition, letters and emails were sent to more than 35,000 individuals who recently attended a Minnesota state college or university and earned a significant number of credits but did not earn a degree.

Associate degrees: stepping stones

• Completing an associate’s degree is often an intermediate steppingstone to a baccalaureate degree.

• The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education identifies two-four transfer as the “single most important means for low-income and minority students to attain their baccalaureates.”

Individualized degrees

• Individualized B.A. options build on what students have completed (including associate degrees, articulation agreements, etc. as well as experiential learning.)

• MNSCU procedures for individualized degrees require specific program plan (guided by faculty)

• Plans can be thematic, interdisciplinary or disciplinary

Examples of existing options

• Metropolitan State Individualized B.A. (CIS)• University of Minnesota Inter-College Program• St. Cloud State University

Bachelor of Elective Studies• Winona State University Professional Studies

degree

Ramp up CPL (credit for prior learning)

• CPLA or PLA hallmarks of Graduate MN lead institutions (Inver Hills/other CCs-credit by exam, Metropolitan State-SDL/PLA/theory seminars)

• MNSCU Board of Trustees policy• CPL survey of institutional practices/policies• Subject Matter Experts (SME) expansion campuses

and statewide• Veterans/Military initiatives (Congressional award)

Graduate MN Accomplishments

Enrolled/Earned Degrees• 1833 (8.9%) of the 20,566

contacted re-enrolled.• These students completed

8,387 credits.• 19% of the above

completed degree.• Veterans: 99 enrolled, 16

earned degrees.

Collaborator with New Ventures

• Dual or joint admissions• Smart Transfer• Reverse Transfer• Veterans’ CPL/PLA

Initiatives

Catalyst for broader initiatives

• Streamline admission and transfer processes• Improve retention and completion of both

associate and baccalaureate degrees is particularly critical in a state such as Minnesota, which has the third highest transfer rate in the nation (1:5 students)

• Expansion of individualized baccalaureate degrees and adult-learner opportunities

An evolving initiative: Winona

• Recognized for exemplary traditional undergraduate, residential education on Winona campus

• 10.4% of undergraduate enrollment of 8,700 is age 25+

• Urban Rochester, MN branch campus, co-located with the community/technical college, serves as a hub for adult learners

Evolving initiative continued . . .

• Need to provide academic and career pathways for associate degree graduates from MnSCU community and technical colleges

• National/state initiatives addressing workforce needs and serving adult learners throughout their life and career stages

• Shrinking high school enrollments and declining population in our service region

Incentives for change

• Internal: “Next Chapter” grants -- small grants provided by administration to build upon HLC self-study report and to spark innovation

• External: Increasing competition from other higher education institutions to serve adult learners

• MNSCU Graduate Minnesota and other initiatives

Adult Learner Focused Institution (ALFI) Toolkit

• Institutional Self-Assessment Survey• Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) by Noel-Levitz

assesses adult learner priorities and satisfaction in 8 key areas:– Academic instruction and advising– Registration, financial aid, admissions– Campus climate, safety/security, services

AFLI Toolkit continued

• Used together, the ISAS and ALI compare faculty and administration perceptions with adult learner perceptions

• National benchmarking data to compare results with other adult learner institutions

• Noel-Levitz research

“Next Chapter” Emerging Efforts

• Repurpose/redesign the Professional Studies degree with more online courses and services for adult learners.

• Assess current PLA practices through formal report and consultation with CAEL.

• Improve online student services in response to CENTSS “audit”.

MNSCU 2012 Strategic Framework

• Dramatically increase retention, transfer and completion, and reduce time to completion.

• Continue implementation of the “Smart Transfer Plan” to significantly improve transferability of credit and eliminate barriers.

• Create clearer and easier pathways for degree laddering within MnSCU and with other institutions.

MNSCU 2012 Initiatives

• Implement a reverse transfer initiative to award students the degrees they have earned. Recognize (systemwide) completion of Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (gen eds)

• Improve process for granting credit for military training (PLA, etc.)

• Reconsider articulation agreements for certain associate degree programs.

MNSCU inter-institutional cooperation

• Universal application process• Dual or joint admissions • Improved inter-institutional advising• Articulation agreements• Pilot efforts establish quality nursing

curriculum standards across the system• Improved transfer procedures including

reverse transfer

“2+2” to “2 within 4” advising

• Students pursuing associate degrees earn many lower division credits that approach the maximum that can apply toward a bachelor’s.

• Improved advising tools GPS Lifeplan, Uselect, eFolio) help students make more informed curricular choices (prerequisites for upper division work, upper division curricular options )

Smart Transfer

• Access to course outlines on institutional websites facilitates evaluating transfer credits.

• Evaluate and encode all courses into the degree audit reporting system (DARS) for display in uselect accurate transfer planning.

• Provide information on institutional and system-level appeal processes and transfer on institutional websites.

$500,000 new Lumina grant leverage

• Establish system-wide steering committee for centralized reverse transfer

• Enhance u.select to technology automatically import courses.

• Upgrade DARS (degree audit reporting system) to u.achieve to allow search for courses needed to complete a degree.

• Advise students identified as early transfers.• Train advisors and transfer specialists.

Reverse Transfer

• MNSCU institutions are piloting development of transparent reverse transfer procedures while also pursuing their baccalaureate degrees.

• Developing a fully automated reverse transfer system has been shown (Texas, etc.) to increase reverse transfer and graduation rates dramatically.

Reverse Transfer Stages

• MNSCU: Focus first on early transfer students within MNSCU state universities (which receive 73 percent of college transfers to public universities).

• UM: By spring, 2013, execute memorandum of understanding with University of Minnesota and state colleges in the Twin Cities.

• Privates: Then, build on existing articulation agreements among MNSCU and private Minnesota colleges.

Lessons learned/best practices

• Effective “You are closer than you think” message

• Centralized call center provided accurate information and referral to campus advisors.

• Financial incentives did not make significant impact on response/reenrollment.

• Graduate Minnesota website including Tools for the journey (with links to MNSCU/UM campuses)

Questions?

• What options or challenges regarding interdisciplinary degrees do your campuses experience?

• What cross institutional collaborations are in the works in your state?

• Sustainability: how do we keep these going? (changes in institutional practice and/or culture, working smarter and better)