SUBHEADING OF REPORT – SUBHEADING

Dakota State University, Madison, South Dakota

The following report documents the process and resulting goals and strategies that were developed during the Dakota State University retention planning workshop. There are a series of next steps that the university must complete to move the planning process forward:

· Formalize the retention planning committee

· Assign action plan coordinators

· Produce the action plans necessary to implement the strategies that support retention goals

· Formalize and publish the retention plan

· Implement

Observations

The university was prepared for effective retention planning. The participants had previous experience in the planning process from participating in the institutional effectiveness planning and the assessment office produced all of the data necessary to support the planning process.

The consultants observed that this was the most effective retention planning workshop in which they have participated.

The challenge that faces Dakota State University is the development and implementation of action plans necessary to achieve retention goals. The university has a culture of effectively planning, but not implementing the plan. Not changing behavior and expecting different results is a common pitfall associated with both recruitment and retention plans.

Workshop Participants

Retention Planning Workshop Participants Dakota State University November 15-16, 2004
Participant	Department/Office
Carrie Ahern	Assessment
Gene Wockenfuss	Athletics
Nancy Moose	College of Arts and Science
Eric Johnson	College of Arts and Science
Deana Hueners	College of Arts and Science
John Nelson	College of Arts and Science
Terry Ryan	College of Arts and Science
Dorine Bennett	College of Business and Information Systems
Orinda Christoph	College of Business and Information Systems
Connie Daniel	College of Business and Information Systems
Steve Graham	College of Business and Information Systems
Tom Halverson	College of Business and Information Systems
Joyce Havlik	College of Business and Information Systems
Stephan Krebsbach	College of Business and Information Systems
Jim McKeown	College of Business and Information Systems
Lynette Molstad	College of Business and Information Systems
Joshua Pauli	College of Business and Information Systems
Wayne Pauli	College of Business and Information Systems
Jill Schneider	College of Business and Information Systems
Deb Tech Coffey	College of Business and Information Systems
Mark Hawkes	College of Education
Judy Dittman	College of Education
Crystal Pauli	College of Education
Lora Ersland	Computing Services
Marilyn Halgerson	Computing Services
Sandy Anderson	Enrollment Services
Amy Crissinger	Enrollment Services
Kathy Engbrecht	Enrollment Services
Rosie Jamison	Enrollment Services
Ethelle Bean	Karl Mundt Library
Todd Quinn	Karl Mundt Library
Marva Jerke	Physical Plant
Marie Lohsandt	Career Services
Linda Brozik	President’s Office
Cecelia Wittmayer	President’s Office
Keith Bundy	Student Services
Steve Shirley	Student Services
Erik Miller	Student Services
Wes Garcia	Student Services

Retention Goals

Goal One

DSU will increase student retention of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students to 70 percent by 2007, using the fall 2003 cohort as the baseline year.

· Increase the retention rate by 2 percentage points for fall 2005, to 64 percent

· Increase the retention rate by 3 percentage points for fall 2006, to 67 percent

· Increase the retention rate by 3 percentage points for fall 2007, to 70 percent

Goal Two

Increase the six-year graduation rate to 45 percent, from 42 percent, by 2007

· Increase the graduation rate by 1 percentage point annually until 2007

Goal Three

Increase retention rates for special student populations by 2007

Goal Four

Codify existing departmental goals, developed in the institutional effectiveness planning process, where they support the university’s overall annual return rates and cohort graduation rates.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Strengths

Human

· Quality instruction

· Interaction among faculty staff and students

· Culture of student accessibility to the faculty and staff

· Quality of student

· Number of co-curricular opportunities

· New student orientation process

· Stability of campus workforce, knowledgeable, professional

· Reputation as small school

Physical

· Size, flexibility

· Technology infusion

· Campus is safe and attractive

· Community center

· Web e-mail for all students, staff, and faculty

Financial

· Career placement and employer relations

· Relationship with Madison

· Affordable, educational alternative

· Graduate programs

· Recognized by NSA

· Accreditation and external reviews positive

Weaknesses

· Poor “studenting” skills

· Limited state funding

· Advisors need more training, DSS

· Freshman success seminar lacking in consistency with regard to content and delivery

· Difficulty identifying at-risk students

· Student runaround (need a lot of signatures) (Limited awareness by faculty and staff regarding appropriate referrals) DSS

· Technology may interfere with personal touch, contact

· Identity crisis, who are we? Large? Small?

· Limited professional tutoring in certain academic areas

· Shortage of summer school offerings

· Limited ability to enforce appropriate student use of tablet technology in the classroom

· Limited financial aid funds for students’ special needs, emergency funds

· Suit-case college syndrome

· Limited coordinated outreach from faculty members to high schools (faculty involvement in recruiting)

· Limited communication among campus groups (faculty and staff), overwhelming e-mail

· Limited awareness of students on what it takes to succeed in a course, time commitment

· Increase in socio-economic-academic-psycho issues among the student population

· Limited depth in staff, faculty

· Limited faculty and institutional research capability

Opportunities

· The BOR and BOR staff are making retention a priority

· Title III grant

· Consulting relationship with Noel-Levitz

· Ph.D., proposal

· Interest in technology on upswing in society

· Interest in keeping technology secure

· Outside community events organized on DSU campus

· Virtual visitors to campus

· Market development in specific programs

· Knowledgeable faculty able to consult and train

· Community Technology Center under construction

· Alumni base is a community of educators

· Career learning center in small rural communities to assist with non-traditional

· USDSU cooperative learning center

· Population growth in Sioux Falls

· Internships and career opportunities (employer access)

· Desire in state for economic development

· Corporate scholarships and grants

· Small rural community support

· Tablet technology inside and outside of classroom (theater, co-curricular)

Threats

· Congressional changes

· Policies from state and federal organizations (one size fits all, flexibility issues)

· Two-year specialized institutions (high school guidance counselors moving students toward)

· Limited social opportunities in small rural communities

· Limited employment opportunities in small rural communities

· Identity crisis as relates to UDSDU geographical region, competition issues

· Declining market

· Visibility issues outside the service area

· Competition for transfer students

· Climate issues for students not from the region

· Limited diversity within the area, staff, and faculty

· Increase in students with mental health issues, Psychotropic Rx use

· Students under prepared in reading comprehension, writing, and math

· Increasing costs of education (living and learning)

· Two year lag in adding staff

· Economy, threat of terrorism, one phone call to legislator can have a ripple effect

· Society has moved more to instant gratification (students need to be entertained 24-7)

Goals and Associated Strategies

Goal One

DSU will increase student retention of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students to 70 percent by 2007, using the fall 2003 cohort as the baseline year.

· Increase the retention rate by 2 percentage points for fall 2005, to 64 percent

· Increase the retention rate by 3 percentage points for fall 2006, to 67 percent

· Increase the retention rate by 3 percentage points for fall 2007, to 70 percent

Strategies:

1. Develop and implement differentiated orientation sessions for special populations.

2. Develop, pilot, and implement a learning community for all students taking one or more pre-general education courses.

3. Improve the content, delivery, and scheduling of students with the appropriate faculty member of the freshman success seminar.

4. Implement the Retention Management System for students entering fall 2005.

Goal Two

Increase the six-year graduation rate to 45 percent, from 42 percent, by 2007

· Increase the graduation rate by 1 percentage point annually until 2007

Strategies:

5. Implement a faculty friendly, Web-based early-alert system with appropriate training for faculty, and interventions for students, during spring 2005.

6. Link high-risk courses to the early alert-system and create interventions such as Supplemental Instruction and Smartthinking.

7. Identify students whose term GPA is less than 2.0 and provide assessment in order to determine appropriate intervention.

8. Develop an internal marketing strategy in order to influence students’ perception of the value of the DSU degree.

9. Develop an academic advising program supported by NACADA standards:

- Selection

- Training

- Evaluation

- Reward

- Advising handbooks

- Development resources

- Degree planning linked to career outcomes

- Enhance communication regarding enrollment restrictions among at-risk students

- Communication codes in the SIS and identification

10. Ensure that course prerequisites are appropriate for content.

11. Implement the Connections program during the summer of 2005.

12. Provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff to understand current teaching and learning styles.

Goal Three

Increase retention rates for special student populations by 2007

Strategies

13. Develop and implement a faculty and staff diversity awareness program.

14. Investigate the use of a faculty driven, computer based, and Web-based approach as an alternative form of math instruction.

15. Develop an accelerated communication track to ensure that late arrivers are moved into a successful path.

16. Implement appropriate strategies that may be evident from the Financial Aid Impact Research project.

17. Enable pre-general education faculty members to participate in professional development opportunities via training, attendance at NADE, CRLA, etc., and provide workshops to campus staff and faculty.

Next Steps

1. Formally announce the Retention Planning Committee and define the roles and responsibility of each member. Schedule a bi-weekly standing meeting of the Retention Committee that reports the status of retention planning and implementation to the vice president of academic affairs. Communicate this formal structure to the university community by December 3, 2004.

2. The Retention Planning Committee should formally appoint action planning coordinators with the task of developing the action plans necessary to implement each of the seventeen retention strategies. The Retention Planning Committee should conduct a formal “action planning workshop” with the coordinators that clearly communicates expectations, roles, responsibilities, and deliverables. This task should be completed no later than December 17, 2004.

3. Develop the action plans necessary to implement the seventeen strategies and deliver them to Noel-Levitz for review by close of business Friday, February 4, 2005.

4. The Noel-Levitz retention action plan review visit is scheduled for February 16-17, 2005. Schedule a meeting of the Retention Planning Committee for the morning of February 16, followed by a series of one-hour action plan reviews with each of the action plan coordinators. Schedule an exit briefing with the planning council and include the members of the Retention Planning Committee for 2:00 p.m. on February 17, 2005.

Recommendations

· We observed from workshop dialogue that many faculty and staff were not familiar with professional organizations that have developed “best practice” models for teaching developmental courses, implementing supplemental instruction, creating developmental academic advising programs, implementing tutoring programs, and developing orientation programs. We recommend that the administration enable, and strongly encourage, faculty and staff to attend national and regional conferences hosted by the following professional organizations:

- National Conference on Student Retention (NCSR);

- The Center for First-year Experience and Students in Transition (FYE);

- Supplemental Instruction (SI);

- National Tutoring Association (NTA);

- National Association of Developmental Education (NADE);

- National Orientation Directors Association (NODA); and

- National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

· Provide staff and faculty with teaching and learning styles workshops.

· As per our discussion, Noel-Levitz will make the Enablearning developmental math instructional program available to Dakota State University. The next step is to arrange for a Web demonstration of the product for the Retention Committee.

November 24, 2004

Ms. Amy Crissinger

Director of Admissions

Dakota State University

820 North Washington Avenue

Madison, South Dakota 57042

Dear Amy:

The attached report serves as a brief summary of the November 15-16, 2004, retention planning workshop at Dakota State University. The goals of the visit were to:

· Set clear and unambiguous retention goals;

· Conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis;

· Develop the strategies necessary to achieve retention goals;

· Build the structure necessary to develop and implement action plans; and

· Identify high-priority next steps.

Tim and I agreed that this was one of the most productive retention planning workshops either of us had conducted. We began implementing many strategies and action plans which will help the university in achieving your long-term retention goals. I look forward to our time together next week.

Sincerely,

John C. Hutchins

Vice President for Research and Development

JCH/co

Enclosure

c: Dr. Doug Knowlton, president, Dakota State University

Dr. Cecelia Wittmayer, vice president for academic affairs, Dakota State University

Marilyn Fowle, vice president for business and administrative services, Dakota State University

Rick Smith, vice president for university advancement, Dakota State University

Kelly Barnes, admissions representative, Dakota State University

Pat Keating, director of the physical plant, Dakota State University

Gene Wockenfuss, athletic director, Dakota State University

Steve Shirley, dean of students, Dakota State University

Ethelle Bean, director of library/special projects, Dakota State University

Linda Brozik, administrative assistant, Dakota State University

Carrie Ahern, assessment director, Dakota State University

Rosie Jamison, financial aid director, Dakota State University

Denise Grayson, assistant financial aid director, Dakota State University

Marilyn Halgerson, data processing supervisor, Dakota State University

Lora Ersland, senior programmer analyst, Dakota State University

Alan Fischer, admission representative, Dakota State University

Corey Rost, admission representative, Dakota State University

Kent Hopkins, associate vice president, Noel-Levitz

Kathryn Karford, executive consultant, Noel-Levitz

Mitsi Messier, senior consultant, Noel-Levitz

Tim Culver, senior consultant, Noel-Levitz