Valdosta State University Campus Plan Update 2017

Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile

Valdosta State University (VSU) is a comprehensive University within the University System of Georgia, with a fall 2016 enrollment of over 11,000 students.  VSU is a welcoming, and vibrant community founded on and dedicated to serving the communities’ rich and diverse heritages.  Through excellence in teaching, basic and applied research, and service, VSU provides rigorous programs and opportunities that enrich our students, our university, and our region. Our mission to students is to provide a diverse student population with an inspired education, a safe learning environment, a nurturing community, and a wealth of experience that assists students in molding their futures in a creative, conscious, and caring fashion while preparing them to be lifelong learners who will meet the needs of a changing global society.

Undergraduate Enrollment for Degree-Seeking Students

Institutional Completion Goals, High Impact Strategies & Activities

High Impact Strategy 1: Better Academic Advising

Completion Goal: USG Strategic Goal 1 VSU Strategic Goal 1

Demonstration of Priority or Impact:

In fall 2013, Valdosta State University reorganized existing advising services and increased professional advising to address the needs of students in our first-time, full-time retention cohort. The team of professional advisors systematically leverage student success related technologies including DegreeWorks and our Student Success Portal. To address issues impacting college completion, advisors focused on ensuring students have active advising plans in DegreeWorks, early alerts are responded to in a timely manner, and students are increasing attempted hours each term. The entering class of fall 2014 was the first retention cohort to be advised in the new model.

Summary of Activities

Our team continued in the 2016-2017 academic year strategies implemented at the outset of centralized advising for students under 30 earned credit hours. These activities include the execution of a communication for students identified as at risk based on our use of data analytics in advising. Our team also responds to early alerts for attendance and degree progress. The alerts are responded to within 24 hours. Advisors are advising students into 15 credit hours or more based on the program maps developed with the colleges and department. We have also been intentional in partnerships with Career Opportunities to reduce the number of undecided students by the time a student has earned 30 credit hours.

Measures of Progress and Success

• Credit hours enrolled for first-time, full-time student: In 2013, 30% of our FTF students enrolled in 15 or more credit hours. In fall 2016, 45% enrolled in 15 or more credit hours.

Credit Hours Enrolled for First-Time, Full-Time Students

• Fall start first-time, full-time credit hours earned: In the 2013-2014 academic year, 30% of our FTF students earned 30 or more credit hours in the first year of enrollment. In the 2015-2016 academic year, 36% earned 30 or more credit hours in the first year of enrollment.

Fall Start First-Time, Full-Time Credit Hours Earned

• Percentage of first year undecided majors who declared a major by the end of the second term of enrollment: Of the undecided students from fall 2014, 21.1 % declared a major by the end of the second term. Of the undecided students from fall 2016, 28% declared a major by the end of the second term.
• Percentage of first year students with DegreeWorks plans: has remained above 95% since the creation of Centralized Advising.
• Timely response to early alerts: In the 2015-2016 academic year, the average response time to early alert flags in the Student Success Portal was nearly 2.5 days. In the 2016-2017 academic year, the average response time for early alert flags in the Student Success Portal is 1 day for students advised in Centralized Advising.
• Excess hours in DegreeWorks: In fall 2014, 26.2 of first year students had excess courses in the fall through section of DegreeWorks. In fall 2016, 16.48% of first year students had excess courses in the fall through section of DegreeWorks. (excluding undecided and Engineering Studies (mid-year these changed to Physics with a concentration of Engineering)

Lessons Learned

While retention has not drastically increased over the past four years, behaviors leading to completion have in terms of credit hours attempted and earned. Additionally, the percentage of students who have an active degree plan in DegreeWorks for the past four years who have started advising in Centralized Advising is nearly 100%. In an effort to address retention, an increased concerted effort to improve advising across the undergraduate experience has become a priority for the institution. This fall, an executive director of advising is being hired to further the advising priorities on our campus. This is in direct response the 2016 recommendations made by a consulting team from the National Academic Advising Association.

Primary point of contact:

Alicia Roberson, Director of Centralized Advising, arroberson@valdosta.edu, 229-219-3216

High Impact Strategy 2: Summer Ignite Program—Formally Summer Bridge Program

Completion Goal: USG Strategic Goal 1 VSU Strategic Goal 1

Demonstration of Priority or Impact

The Summer Ignite Program (Ignite) is an invitation-only program designed for a select group of students who wish to attend Valdosta State University but did not meet the requirements for regular admission. Ignite helps students meet the requirements necessary to become a regular student at VSU for the sequential Fall term. Successful completion of the Ignite program requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and an earned grade of a "C" or better in all summer coursework. After successful completion all of the requirements of the Ignite program, students receive regular admission to Valdosta State University for the sequential Fall term.

This program addresses both access needs for students and addresses the need for increased summer enrollment on our campus. With the departure of the Governor’s Honors Program on our campus, we also had a significant need to increase on campus, residential students during the summer term. While this program has been in place for four years, this year a greater recruitment effort and change in progress brought in the largest Ignite class yet.

Summary of Activities

Over a 7-week period, students take 8 hours of classes which will prepare them for educational success in the future. Student are equipped with the tools to excel in their classes, have confidence in their academic ability, and be excited to get involved around campus, which will contribute to their personal success as well as to the institutional success of Valdosta State University. Peer mentors, supplemental instructors, Student Success Center Seminars and enrollment in VSU 1101 are the critical support systems in place academically. Additionally, Housing and Residence Life and Student Life prepare opportunities for engagement outside of the classroom across campus and in residence halls.

Measures of Progress and Success

Admission Goal: The goal for the Summer 2017 SIP program is to have at least 45 student participants, split into three cohorts: two with MATH1111, COMM1100, and VSU1101 and one with ENGL1101, COMM1100, and VSU1101. The goal was exceeded. The Summer Ignite Program had 82 student participants, divided among four cohorts: two with MATH1111, COMM1100, and VSU1101, and two with ENGL1101, COMM1100, and VSU1101.

Success rate:

The goal for the Summer 2016 SBA program students is to have a success rate of 90% or above. The success rate for the Summer 2017 Ignite students was 75%.

Lessons Learned

The goal for the Summer 2017 program students is to have a success rate of 90% or above was not met. Potential factors that contributed to a lower success rate are:

• The number of student participants increased to a higher number than expected.
• The exact number of participants was not officially confirmed until after the June 6 Orientation for students, leaving less time to plan fully for the unexpected increase.
• Students were not required to sign a success contract or complete any other form of additional application to be in the program, which may have reduced the level of selection that has occurred in the past.
• Four of the students in the program had dual enrollment credit for both ENGL1101 and MATH1111. Thus, they were in only part of the cohort and designated IGNX. One of the four IGNX students did not meet the requirements of the program.

This program is a collaboration among Admissions, Centralized Advising, and First Year Programs. To address these challenges in a manner that will increase the percentage of successful students for Summer 2018, the following steps will be taken:

• Met with Admissions in August to discuss admissions steps into the program. Specifically, examine reinstating a step in the admissions process that requires students to complete an application or contract; Instituting firmer dates by which students must complete new student tasks such as submitting the FAFSA and signing up for Housing.
• Met with Admissions and Centralizing Advising staff to evaluate the courses built in to the cohorts and student placement in them.
• Met with the Student Success Center to identify innovative ways to academically support the students outside of the classroom.
• Work with Admissions to find an alternative for students who have college credit already for ENGL1101 and MATH1111.

Primary point of contact

Beverly Cribbs, bcribbs@valdosta.edu, 229-245-4378

Reflections, Observations & Plans for Next Year

With a solidification of leadership at Valdosta State University, we are working this year to develop a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan to align with our new strategic plan. This plan will include goals and strategies to impact college completion while streamlining processes and creating a clear purpose to impact student success on our campus. We have found ourselves doing good work in pockets, but are now seeking a shared and coordinated effort to address challenges our students face and to remove barriers to completion.

At the center of our efforts we will continue to collaborate across departments and divisions for each of our high impact practices showing the strength of teamwork at VSU. We will continue to leverage the skills, abilities, and knowledge across divisions and disciplines to impact success. Our relationship with campus and community stakeholders will also continue. The SEM plan will serve to bring all we are doing into one cohesive document with clear responsibilities, ownership and needs for successful implementation of the plan. The completion agenda within the SEM plan will replace our original CCG plan.