2018-2019 College-Wide Operational Plan Executive Summary November 2018
2018-2019 Operational Plan Executive Summary November 2018 Building on Success; Focusing Efforts: Year 2 Hostos is embarking on Year 2 of our five-year Strategic Plan developed through an inclusive process that engaged students, faculty and staff across the campus. The Strategic Plan sets forth bold goals and reaffirms priorities that have guided the college since its inception. Year 1 set a foundation for these goals. In Year 2, we are focusing our efforts more intentionally, based on evidence and collaboratively-determined priorities. The 2018-2019 Operational Plan homes in on the student experience in Phases I and II: Pre-Enrolled Students and Entering Students. Focusing on the first two phases allows us to build upon significant gains in gateway English and Math, and implement strategies to insure all students use the Degree Maps developed last year, for example. The 2018-19 OP reflects a sustained commitment to implementing an Enrollment Plan that more seamlessly and effectively prepares students for college success, and a renewed effort to expand use of Succeed@Hostos. It also responds to an evaluation of key indicators and an acknowledgment that we must address our decreasing retention in order to achieve other Strategic Plan goals. As an institution, we continue working together to improve outcomes. This year’s Performance Management Process Report (PMP) was well-received by Interim Chancellor Vita Rabinowitz, who commended us for our commitment to improving student outcomes. Specific mention included acknowledgment of our ongoing innovations in developmental education, and gains made due to co-requisite courses. Also, she cited the importance of new program models like Construction Management that include industry credentials in high demand fields. It celebrated student accomplishments, and those of our faculty and staff. As an institution, we continue to improve our planning process, learning as a community how to implement our ambitious Strategic Plan. Last year was an unusual year; we had a new Strategic Plan, and our Periodic Review Report was submitted on May 31, 2017
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to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)1. As a result, the 20172018 Operational Plan was presented to the college in May 2018, a document that better reflected what had been done than what would be done. 2018-19’s planning and implementation process is more closely aligned with the calendar included in the Strategic Plan. Reading the Plan: The 2018-19 OP format has changed, a reflection of an evolution in how we approach the planning process, and how we communicate the results. Starting on the left, we are committed to two College-Wide Objectives: Evaluate and refine the Enrollment Plan, and Develop an evidence-driven, coordinated plan to radically increase retention. The Enrollment Plan, first implemented in anticipation of the fall 2018 semester, is a cross-divisional initiative to move up the enrollment calendar and align the work of offices across the college in an effort to recruit, inform, test, award financial aid, prepare and orient students as early and as seamlessly as possible. The first iteration of the Plan will inform subsequent and ongoing work. Much was learned, including important changes in how offices work to support one another and our students. Outcomes included an increased percentage (59%) of students who filed their FAFSA by July 1st. Next year we aim to build on these gains, and have 61% of students file by July 1st. Declining retention is a concern across the University, and we are no exception. Our retention of first-time, full-time freshmen has decreased from 68% in 2015 to 57% in 2017. Our 2018-19 goal is to increase retention to 76%. Understanding when we can intervene, and how to intervene effectively to staunch the flow of students who don’t return for their second fall semester at Hostos is critical. Supporting our students’ academic progress and degree completion is our defining purpose. They cannot graduate if they don’t come back. There are no low hanging fruit when it comes to retention; it requires an evidence-informed college-wide effort to do this work. The 20182019 OP includes activities in support of this holistic effort. We will continue to support the Momentum Campaign and aim to increase the number of students who earn 20+ credits in Year 1 from 27.8% (2016 cohort) to 37.4% for the 2018 cohort. We have a number of powerful technology platforms including Hobson’s Connect and Succeed@Hostos/Starfish, along with SharePoint and eLumen, that can support crossdivisional activities and help us track our progress. This year, ChatBots will be introduced in key service areas to improve the speed of customer service, and the effectiveness of our staff. We will design and launch a document repository in support of the Middle States accreditation process in spring 2019. These are investments that have the capacity to support our activities and help us track our process. It is incumbent upon us to use these tools to increase effectiveness and accountability. 1
MSCHE defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. The accreditation process ensures institutional accountability, self‐appraisal, improvement, and innovation through peer review and the rigorous application of standards within the context of institutional mission.
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Aligning our priorities: The next section outlines the alignment of the 2018-2019 OP with the Strategic Plan and Mission, reminding us all that the work we undertake on an annual basis is aligned with, and guided by, our broader goals and purpose. This practice of returning to collectively-identified priorities and goals keeps us focused, and provides valuable guideposts as we do our daily work. Also, MSCHE requires us to align our Mission, Strategic Plan and Operational Plan, and to demonstrate that alignment as part of the accreditation process. Our next Self-Study will be submitted in 2021. Our work begins now to prepare ourselves for this college-wide process of documenting and evaluating what we do, and how we know it supports student success. Remembering our commitments: The Strategic Plan’s five structural underpinnings (cross-cutting commitments)— Assessment, Communication, Community Engagement, Professional Development, and Systems Alignment—were included as reminders to always keep these commitments in mind as we plan our work, and that success will require us to address these commitments. The Senior Leadership Council (SLC) is charged with strengthening the underpinnings of our SP, reinforcing our operational infrastructure, if you will. We identified the cross-cutting commitments during the Strategic Planning process as areas for improvement in how we work, and to inform the questions we ask ourselves as we engage in planning. What we are doing in 2018-19: The last section provides details about the Activities we will undertake this year in service of achieving our College-Wide Objectives. The Activities fall into five categories or “buckets,” which were identified through college-wide Open Forums in May 2018, and refined at the President’s Retreat in June 2018. Although specific activities continue to be the province of individual divisions, our emphasis on activity categories, underscores the necessarily cross-divisional aspect of successfully meeting student needs:
Create clear paths from enrollment to completion
Succeed@Hostos
Create a student first environment
Help students on probation
Communicate effectively with students
Use evidence-based decision-making
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Contextualizing our work: We do not do our work in a vacuum. In addition to the college-wide priorities that guide our efforts in 2018-2019, there are changes beyond our campus that create opportunities and challenges we will meet in the process of implementing the 2018-19 Operational Plan: The expansion of Summer Pell will allow qualified students to access financial aid, making summer enrollment more affordable, and helping accelerate credit accumulation and progress to degree. Taking advantage of these new opportunities requires alignment of communication to students about eligibility, available courses and timely registration. Financial support for summer courses could have an important and positive impact on student success. CUNY is changing its enrollment process and eliminating the “phases.” We will be competing earlier and harder to meet our enrollment targets. The Enrollment working group has strategies in place that anticipate the new process, and is poised to respond to lessons learned on the ground. We are focused on shared goals! We continue to be motivated by past successes and by collaborating to achieve our shared priorities. As we work towards accomplishing the goals included in our 20182019 Operational Plan, we all have a role in improving student outcomes and facilitating completion. Thank you for doing your part.
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Hostos Community College’s 2018-2019 Operational Plan What we aspire to do
Alignment with SP & Mission
What we’re doing
2017‐2022 Strategic Plan Objectives Evaluate and refine the Enrollment Plan and increase percentage of first‐time freshmen who file FAFSA by July 1st to 61%, and advance at least 33% of entering dev ed freshmen by one level.
Outcomes
Phases
Indicators of Success
Phase 1 ‐ Increase percentage of first‐time 100% of first‐time, full‐time freshmen who freshmen will use degree maps file FAFSA by July when meeting with advisors to 1st to 61% discuss academic goals. (baseline is 59%, as of July 1, 50% of faculty will refer to 2018). degree maps when talking to ‐ Advance at least students about progress in their 33% of entering respective programs of study in dev ed freshmen AY18 (and 100% in AY19). by one level (Baseline: 83%). Succeed@Hostos: 50% of faculty will use Succeed@Hostos to alert advisors about students’ academic progress. 90% of advisors will respond to an early alert by meeting with the student to discuss academic progress. OAA, SDEM and other appropriate divisions/units will coordinate efforts to increase awareness and use of Succeed@Hostos among faculty, staff and students.
Create Clear Paths from Enrollment to Completion:
CCC Inputs (cross‐cutting commitments) Assessment, Communication, Community Engagement, Professional Development, and Systems Alignment.
Mission Alignment Activities (bullets) Access to higher education Socio‐economic mobility English & math skills development
Activities (summarized)
Create clear paths from enrollment to completion Succeed@Hostos Create a student first environment Help students on probation Communicate effectively with students Use evidence‐ based decision making
Create Clear Paths: Evaluate and adjust the Enrollment Plan in anticipation of the next enrollment/registration cycle. Communicate effectively with students: Deliver timely information effectively to students by developing and implementing easy to use guides including an enrollment roadmap/info‐graph and a virtual campus tour. Launch a new multi‐pronged recruitment and enrollment campaign – “Think. Dream. Do.” – focused on the South Bronx, and showcasing our students. Coordinate a calendar of outgoing messages across Admissions, Bursar, Financial Aid and Registrar to new and returning students using Hobsons. Develop a proactive financial aid strategy focused on recruitment and retention. Create a cross‐divisional recruitment team and schedule an aggressive strategy and calendar of events. 1 of 4
Hostos Community College’s 2018-2019 Operational Plan What we aspire to do
Alignment with SP & Mission 2017‐2022 Strategic Plan
Objectives
Outcomes Create a Student First Environment: Strategically use staff training and technology to ensure we are accessible, accurate and supportive in all engagements with students and the community. Help Student on Probation: SDEM and OAA will coordinate a pilot effort to intentionally intervene and help students recover from academic probation. Results will be used to rollout efforts to all students on academic probation. Communicate effectively to students: Develop proactive, coordinated messaging to students that guides their successful progress and tracks their responsiveness. Use evidence‐based decision‐ making: Foster a culture of practice that supports the use of data and assessment to inform our work.
Phases
Indicators of Success
CCC Inputs (cross‐cutting commitments)
What we’re doing Mission Alignment Activities (bullets)
Activities (summarized) Create a student first environment: Improve front office experience for students by training staff to handle difficult situations and sensitive conversations and deploying chatbots.
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Hostos Community College’s 2018-2019 Operational Plan What we aspire to do
Alignment with SP & Mission
What we’re doing
2017‐2022 Strategic Plan Objectives Develop an evidence‐driven, coordinated plan to radically increase retention for first‐time, full‐ time freshmen to 76%* and increase the percentage of students who accumulate 20+ credits in Y1 to 37.5%*. *Annualized Strategic Plan indicators
Outcomes
Phases
Indicators of Success
Phase 2 Increase first‐time, full‐time retention to at least 85% 100% of first‐time, full‐time (Baseline: 68%/fall freshmen will use degree maps 2015) when meeting with advisors to discuss academic goals. Increase the percentage of 50% of faculty will refer to students who degree maps when talking to accumulate 20+ students about progress in their credits in Y1 to 60% respective programs of study in (Baseline: 27.4%) AY18 (and 100% in AY19).
Create Clear Paths from Enrollment to Completion:
Succeed@Hostos: 50% of faculty will use Succeed@Hostos to alert advisors about students’ academic progress. 90% of advisors will respond to an early alert by meeting with the student to discuss academic progress. OAA, SDEM and other appropriate divisions/units will coordinate efforts to increase awareness and use of Succeed@Hostos among faculty, staff and students.
CCC Inputs (cross‐cutting commitments) Assessment, Communication, Community Engagement, Professional Development, and Systems Alignment.
Mission Alignment Activities (bullets) Access to higher education Socio‐economic mobility English & math skills development
Create clear paths from enrollment to completion Succeed@Hostos Create a student first environment Help students on probation Communicate effectively with students Use evidence‐ based decision making
Activities (summarized) Create Clear Paths: Deliver timely information to students by developing and implementing accurate and easy to use guides including Degree Maps. Support Liberal Arts degree students by strengthening the program academically and administratively. Support allied health students by providing career advising, supports and information about alternative options. Focus Gen Ed faculty PD on supporting first‐ year students by increasing engagement and completion rates. Offer access to non‐credit industry credentials in high‐demand fields to better prepare degree seeking students for employment. Succeed@Hostos: Re‐launch Succeed@Hostos with a new coordinated approach. Create a student first environment: Improve front office experience for students by training staff to handle difficult situations and sensitive conversations and deploying chatbots. 3 of 4
Hostos Community College’s 2018-2019 Operational Plan What we aspire to do
Alignment with SP & Mission 2017‐2022 Strategic Plan
Objectives
Outcomes Create a Student First Environment: Strategically use staff training and technology to ensure we are accessible, accurate and supportive in all engagements with students and the community. Help Students on Probation: SDEM and OAA will coordinate a pilot effort to intentionally intervene and help students recover from academic probation. Results will be used to rollout efforts to all students on academic probation. Communicate effectively to students: Develop proactive, coordinated messaging to students that guides their successful progress and tracks their responsiveness. Use evidence‐based decision‐ making: Foster a culture of practice that supports the use of data and assessment to inform our work.
Phases
Indicators of Success
CCC Inputs (cross‐cutting commitments)
What we’re doing Mission Alignment Activities (bullets)
Activities (summarized) Communicate effectively with students: Coordinate a calendar of outgoing messages across Admissions, Bursar, Financial Aid and Registrar to new and returning students. Increase student awareness and utilization of academic and non‐academic services such as a Student Self Service Laptop Loan locker and the Professional Development and Wellness Seminars. Communicate the importance of class attendance, WU/Withdrawal impact, and Take5 Momentum Campaign to students, advisers, faculty and staff. Help students on probation: Develop and implement an Academic Recovery Program to assist students on academic probation to obtain good academic standing. Use evidence‐based decision making: Build our capacity to better produce, analyze and use data related to student retention to evaluate our work and to inform the development of effective interventions.
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