Organization Dimension Report
Pellissippi State Technical Community College

Foundations Institutions provide a comprehensive, coordinated, and flexible approach to the new student experience through effective organizational structures and policies. These structures and policies guide and align all aspects of the new student experience. Through effective partnerships, critical stakeholders such as instructional, administrative, and student services units provide a coherent experience for new students that is enhanced by ongoing faculty and staff development activities and appropriate budgetary arrangements.

Committee Leader:
Leigh Anne Touzeau, Director of Admissions and Records

Committee Members:
Roger Crowe, Associate Professor - Business and Computer Technologies
Cynthia Dempster, Academic Department Head - Business and Computer Technologies
Bill Eanes, Assistant Dean Blount County Programs
Jean Jackson, Librarian
Jim Kelley, Academic Department Head - Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Joan Newman, Director of Learning and Testing Center
Karen Queener, Director of Human Resources
Paul Ramp, Associate Professor - Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Ann Satkowiak, Director of Services for Students With Disabilities
Berta Ward, Dean of Academic Advising, Articulation and Curriculum
Catherine Williams, Academic Department Head - Mathematics

Current Situation:
The coordination for new student services is spread across departments, but usually within the same division of Academic and Student Affairs. There is no formal required program for new students that informs them about the enrollment process and the services that are available to them, that discusses expectations (the student's and college's), or that helps them make decisions, such as choosing a major and career.

We have a recently adopted philosophy statement pertaining specifically to first time at our college students and the foundations of excellence.

There is no early warning system or process that monitors student academic progress, or that identifies students who are repeating courses, who have a grade point average below 2.0 or who are returning after a break in their enrollment. Some academic departments have a check list which the advisors use to track student progress toward their degrees. Many advisors in the Associate of Applied Science fields have a system in place to track the students in their areas. However, the general returning student advisor does not track or "monitor" student progress. They do have the tools available to check a student status (grade point average, if a course if begin repeated, etc.). Advisors often ask how the student is doing in classes and refer or make recommendations to students who admit to having difficulties. Some instructors, such as those in the English department, give their students a midterm report and try to counsel students who are falling behind. Again, no advising is required for a student to register for classes.

There is a Degree Audit program on the web that is available for students to self-monitor their progress. Once a student submits an Intent to Graduate Form, then the Admissions and Records Office certifies the degree completion and notifies students who have problem with their degree requirements.

Information is readily available regarding student affairs and advising questions, however there is no systematic dissemination of the information. If students do not take the initiative for finding what they need or come to programs like Orientation, they may miss out.

Most student affairs offices and academic departments have developed partnerships with one another to provide needed services for students. However, many of the services provided through these partnerships are not widely communicated to other areas throughout the college.

Financial Resources vary, but year after year no new money is designated to the college, so we must continually try to do the same (and sometimes even more) with less resources.

Areas of Concern:
The college does not identify first-time-at-our-college students to encourage outreach and support. First-time students are identified only for enrollment purposes-placement testing, to be invited to a new student orientation, and for an academic advising session if they pre-register.

Communications are targeted to all students (i.e. availability of free tutoring, campus activities, Study Smart Workshops, etc.) or to special populations (scholarship recipients, those in a certain major, or club members, etc.). These communications may address many of the needs of first-time students if they are interested in academic support, attending a special program, or becoming involved on campus. The information about the service/program is readily available, but it is up to the student to inquire about the information and respond. There is no systematic way to get the information in all new students' hands.

There is no early warning system for students at Pellissippi State. The college does not identify "high risk" students for tracking purposes or for additional services (except through TRIO), nor does it monitor student progress or identify students who stop attending for outreach. Special advisors have been assigned to the lottery scholarship recipients to review their academic status and refer them for assistance. However, lottery scholarship students are not required to see their advisor prior to registering for classes.

The college offers individual advising sessions for new students who pre-register and make an appointment. This session informs students about available services; discusses majors with them (A.A.S., A.S., A.A., etc.); explains the developmental studies program and testing process; makes recommendations about the number of hours to enroll in; helps them to choose classes and learn to use P.S. Web to self- register for classes; discusses expectations; and informs them when fees are due and about the location of various offices. However, many students come during final registration (bull-pen advising) to register because pre-registration appointments are filled or because they are late in applying. The purpose of this advising session is strictly to register students in classes. We do not have data on how many students are advised individually or during final registration. Also, students are not required to be advised prior to registering for classes.

The biggest areas of concern are giving attention to students who repeat courses multiple times and notifying and assisting students who have grade point averages below 2.0. Since advising is not required for any of our students, many times these students do not receive the help that they need.

Many of the services provided through these partnerships are not widely communicated to other areas throughout the college.

The number of employees that we have working with student specifically regarding academic success is a concern. With the size of our student population we need at least two more counselors at the Pellissippi site to assist students with academic success strategies.

Summary of Evidence:
Only six out of twenty-two areas rated themselves as high (overall 2.45) for identifying first time students on the self-assessment. As documentation of their efforts in this area Admissions and Records has email records of contacts with new students, lists of students contacted by postcard, letters and invitations for New Student Orientation and Study Smart workshop evaluations, participant lists, and Knoxville News-Sentinel notices. Other areas that rated themselves high were Counseling (for academic advising), TRIO (for services for those meeting its criteria), the English Department (for assisting remedial and developmental students), the Library (for producing the college identification card) and Network and Technical Services (for developing student e-mail accounts).

Four out of twenty areas on the self-assessment listed themselves as high or very high in communicating with students (2.3). TRIO sends out targeted communication to specific first time freshman populations. Admissions and Records is responsible for Orientation, but students are not required to attend. The English Department announces early registration and encourages students to see their advisors. Counseling communicates with new students through advising contacts (although advising is not required), workshops, counseling appointments, and through consultation with faculty members.

All but two areas rated themselves as medium or low in providing an early warning initiative with special attention to first-time students on the self-assessment (1.9). TRIO and the Developmental Studies Program rated themselves high. TRIO has a process in place to check the progress of the students it serves and develop a remediation plan for those having difficulties. Students give an Early Assessment Form to their instructors and the instructors complete it and go over it with the students. The student submits it to TRIO. The form identifies areas for improvement. Once TRIO receives it, it takes steps by contacting the students and developing an individual improvement plan, recommending changes in services. TRIO also uses a checklist rating system that selects students that may be at greater risk and gives them priority for enrolling in TRIO (e.g. students with less than 20 hours receive priority). TRIO also runs a report on inactive students and contacts them to assess reason for inactivity, changes in services needed, etc. As part of the Developmental Studies Program courses, students are given midterm reports and conferences are held to inform students of their progress.

We do not have data on how many students were advised individually during pre-registration or during final registration. Three out of six academic departments listed advising as high or very high, but it is unclear as to whether the high rating is because their faculty participates in the advising process or their departments offer special advising sessions to first-time students. It is important to note that students are not required to be advised prior to registering for classes. Two out of four departments in Student Affairs listed advising as high (Counseling and Services for Students with Disabilities). Advising received an overall 2.86 on the self-assessment.

According to the self-assessment, five out of sixteen areas rated themselves high or very high on monitoring student progress (overall 2.81); one out of 17 gave itself no higher than a medium rating on giving special attention to students repeating courses (overall 1.53); three out of 17 gave themselves no higher than a medium rating on giving special attention to students with a grade point average below 2.0 (overall 1.53) and two out of 19 gave themselves a high for giving special attention to returning students (overall 1.53).

TRIO was the only area to rate give itself a medium for giving special attention to students repeating courses; however, it stated that it generally does not do anything unique for students repeating courses.

Two academic departments (Business and Computer Technology and Natural and Behavioral Sciences) rated themselves at a medium level for giving special attention to students with a grade point average below 2.0. TRIO also rated itself at medium on this indicator. NBS advisors encourage students to repeat courses quickly and thus get their GPA's back up. BCT advisors counsel advisees with low GPA's to develop plans to bring up the GPA. Advisees are reminded of the GPA requirements for their major internship and graduation. However, there is no comprehensive measure taken to provide information to students whose GPA's are below 2.0 (on probation).

TRIO and Counseling rate themselves high in giving special attention to returning students. TRIO stated that it uses the same process for returning students as it does for new students during initial enrollment (as stated above). Counseling stated that if students have a break in enrollment of three semesters, they are treated as new students and counselors see them for advising. They also help students make plans for completing their degree and assist students in accessing additional resources.

Most academic departments and student affairs offices felt they make it easy for students to connect to appropriate assistance. For example, the Student Assistance Center is a one-stop location where students can ask advising questions. The Community Relations Department promotes student awareness through publications, e-mails and a student-focused website.

Many service-related departments, such as the Learning and Testing Center, Financial Aid and TRIO promote their services through a wide range of outlets, including flyers/brochures, all student e-mails, closed-circuit television messages, in-class presentations, etc. Ten out of 21 areas on the self-assessment stated that they made it easy for students to connect to appropriate sources of campus-based assistance (overall 3.43). Most areas mentioned that they post their information on the web, in the course schedule, in the catalog, and make referrals to tutoring and other resources as needed.

Seven out of twenty areas rated themselves as high or very high (overall 3.15) for facilitating partnerships between departments that result in an integrated approach to the new student experience. The Admissions and Records Office relies on other student affairs departments and the academic departments to provide an Open House to the community as a recruitment tool and new student orientation. The Learning and Testing Center works closely with admissions, advising, and developmental studies offices to test and academically place new students. It (and TRIO) works with the academic departments to identify, train and evaluate tutors. It also works with the Flexible Learning for Achievement and Growth (FLAG) Center to maximize resources through the use of physical space, computers and tutors. The Placement Office works closely with the Applied Associate of Science degree instructors to place graduates into jobs and to offer career fairs. Many of the academic departments have developed Learning Communities that combine courses that are interdepartmental (history and English), have jointly sponsored a speaker's series, or have combined with a student affairs office to develop a program (e.g. Liberal Arts and Student Life have are working together to pilot a "Passport" program to encourage students to participate in college events and activities).

Five out of six academic departments and the satellite campuses as a whole rated themselves as having insufficient data available for determining budget. Three areas said that budgeting was inadequate (Services for Students with Disabilities, Advising, and Business and Finance). Three student service areas stated that funding varied (Counseling, Learning and Testing, and Student Life and Recreation). Five areas stated that their funding was adequate (English, Admissions and Records, TRIO, Library Services, and Network and Technical Services). Five areas did not rank this category.

Recommended Grade: D

Recommended Action Items:

• 1. Flag 1st time students on class rosters.
  2. Make Orientation mandatory
  3. Mid-term reports (High priority)

1. Flag new students on class rosters so instructors can explain pre-registration process and make referrals to services as appropriate.
2. Make Orientation mandatory for new students and offer sessions to accommodate working students. Orientation should also include how students can access their e-mail accounts (hands-on), e-mail etiquette and library usage/information.
3. Generate course mid-term reports (standard format) as a standard procedure for all classes. Instructors should discuss reports with their students and strategies for improvement/make appropriate referrals for tutoring, counseling, etc.
4. Require an advising sessions with all first-time students. The sessions should inform students about available services, discuss majors, discuss expectations, and assist students in selecting and signing up for classes.

• Required advising for specific populations & Early Warning System (High priority)

Develop an early warning system for students that monitors student progress and provides special attention to students repeating courses or with grade point averages below 2.0 (on probation).
Notify students on probation and ask them to meet with a retention advisor or counselor. Notify advisors of students whose grade point average is below 2.0 for intervention (referrals). Notify those students below a 2.25 grade point average and give them a list of possible services. Call students who have quit attending classes and encourage them to continue. Hire 2 retention coordinator/additional counselors

• Improved Integration (Medium priority)

The offices of Financial Aid, Admissions and Records, Testing, and the sites should work more collaboratively to provide better outreach to first time freshman and to improve their transition to college.