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List of all Retention Council Agendas & Minutes
Agenda & Minutes for October 3, 2001
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Agenda of the Retention Council
| I. |
Welcome and Introductions |
Horace Smith |
| II. |
Update on the Academic Plan and the Five-Year Retention Plan
Response from the Vice Chancellor's office |
Dan Holliman |
| III. |
Overview of 2001 Attrition and Graduation Report |
Bobbi Yonai |
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Discussion of our 2001-2002 Retention Plan Initiatives
in light of the A&G Report findings |
The Committee |
| IV. |
Update on initiatives Leavers Study |
Anne Shelly, Bobbi Yonai |
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Facilitated IUT pilot |
Eric Spina, Anne Shelly
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Minutes of the Retention Council
In Attendance: Charles Barletta, Marlene Blumin, Maureen Breed, Luvenia Cowart, James Duah-Agyeman, Rosanna Grassi, Judy Hamilton, Daniel Holliman, Sandra Hurd, David Kohr, JoAnn May, David Potter, Amie Redmond, Hanna Richardson, Steve St. Onge, Barbara Settel, Anne Shelly, Horace Smith, Eric Spina, Martha Sutter, Seth Tucker, Anastasia Urtz, Michael Wasylenko, Barry Wells, Barbara Yonai,
I. Announcements
Horace Smith introduced new members: James Duah-Agyeman, Sandra Hurd, JoAnn May, and Steve St. Onge.
II. Update on Academic Plan - Dan Holliman
An update on the progress of the Academic Plan will appear in the October 8, 2001 issue of the Syracuse Record.
3 areas of principal focus:
Building and maintaining strategic partnerships for excellence in research education in designated areas.
Identification, growth, and support of signature areas of the student experience.
Foundational issues - We need to build upon what we already do well.
Retention is a leading foundational issue along with diversity, assessment of learning outcomes, and faculty issues including the creation of the University Professor position and resolving part-time faculty issues.
Parochialism has negatively impacted student success. We need more school/college partnerships particularly in the area of student programming.
We need more student support programs particularly those that bring academic enrichment to the student.
The key question remains resources and leadership for such initiatives.
David Potter - The "devil" or "angel" is in the details. Reactions will depend on specific proposals.
Dan Holliman - Retention is also a priority in the Dean's cabinet and the VC will provide leadership and insure increased accountability for academic plan related outcomes including retention.
Hanna Richardson - Parallel streams of communication - "Deans and those in the trenches." These groups have separate lines of communication and very little crossover.
Horace Smith - The Vice Chancellor has indicated that the dean's are not well enough informed about retention issues.
Dan Holliman - the Vice Chancellor will provide leadership in this area and hold the deans more accountable for knowledge of this issue.
Hanna Richardson - Deans must be involved for real decision-making.
Dan Holliman - some of these issues will require institutional-level leadership
David Potter - One of the advantages of the level of administration represented by ACC is that its members are less parochial by nature because they are not deans and therefore not directly responsible for the school or college.
Barbara Yonai provided an overview of the Attrition and Graduation report (copies of this document have been distributed to members of the Council. New members who may not have been on the distribution list or those wishing to review the report further should contact Barbara Yonai x4572)
10% of the 1999 entering cohort were not registered for fall 2000.
7.8% of the 1996 cohort dropped out after their 4th year. His might lead to a lower 5yr-graduation rate than we have seen in recent years. At the same point in time the 1995 cohort lost 4.9%.
September 11th tragedy might have an impact on future numbers.
Anne Shelly presented a small study that examined those first-year students that did not register for fall 2001 during the spring 2001 registration period were contacted to determine the reasons they did not register for fall. Those students on administrative leaves were not contacted. (See attached for the details of the study.)
Spring of first year is a crucial intervention point. Many students surveyed in the study wondered why no one from the University has contacted them. The timing of the contact is important.
Rosanna Grassi - Some of the part-time, transfer group identified in the study are likely stop-outs returning.
Hanna Richardson - Students with pending IUTs sometimes do not register.
Eric Spina - Wants to see the breakdown with just the identified 2000 entering cohort students (91 students).
Judy Hamilton - Honors was only able to admit 50 students in the spring of 2001. This meant that the GPA cut-off was 3.96 out of over 400 students that presented as potentially capable of successfully completing the honors program.
Anne Shelly - The prevailing attitude among high achievers was that SU is not stacking up academically. Most made the decision to leave between semesters. Is there some way to identify these students for intervention before the decision to leave is made?
Steve St. Onge - Can we market the University to this group?
Barry Wells - More than marketing…what interventions could we target at this group?
Dave Potter - Could some intervention be pursued through the Residence Advisor staff?
Barb Settel - Can we check those students whose advising holds have not been removed?
Sandy Hurd - Faculty advising for the spring is in October/November. We could assess students' intentions at this point.
Dave Potter - How about an assessment of SU sent to parents in the fall for the entire freshmen class?
Rosanna Grassi - Pursuing this information from parents would be counter to Newhouse culture.
Amie Redmond - What about asking students?
Anne Shelly - Contact from the school/college is most important because the student feels cared for.
JoAnn May - Parents are very involved at least for freshmen in SummerStart. Students talk to their parents but the reasons they give are likely those best suited to convince the parent rather than necessarily being the real reason for leaving SU.
Rosanna Grassi - We should distinguish between those that should depart and those for whom intervention is appropriate.
Bobbi Yonai - Proposes we try a variety of interventions in year one that seem most appropriate to the school/college and then we can assess the impact. Different schools have different retention issues.
Barb Settel - We need some initiative that specifically addresses the question of "academic challenge."
Horace Smith - Dave Kohr has proposed looking at the differences between south and north campus.
Anastasia Urtz - Proposes a small working group to address immediate issues including possible interventions between semesters. Also advocates examining the policy of no Friday classes. This present policy feeds the student perception of Thursday night being a "party" night.
Hanna Richardson - proposes sending the 122 "no fall 2001 registration" group to the schools or colleges so they might contact them.
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