FALL WINTER 2018
Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success (EMASS)
EMASS NEWS 2013 Cohort Luncheon – Ready to take on the world
Persevering despite the odds Students gather for the 2013 cohort luncheon with President David Wilson, center.
Morgan State University is truly growing the future and leading the world. The annual graduation cohort luncheon provides seniors from multiple disciplines with the unique opportunity to connect with President David Wilson, university oďŹƒcials, and other members of their graduating class. Those who attended the 2013 (See Page 2)
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
Message from Dr. Turner From admission to graduation, EMASS touches every single student at Morgan State, as President Wilson reminded us during our September EMASS All-Call Meeting. This edition of EMASS News, shows how we are innovating to assist students and celebrates their successes.
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Graduation end goal: Two students tell their stories What’s the one thing that got you to the point
Students discuss their thoughts during the 2013 cohort luncheon.
(From Page 1) Cohort Luncheon in September had the opportunity to share their Morgan Experiences and commended the university on various improvements. Kalah Cross and Stephon Martin (see related story) were two students who attended the luncheon and shared their stories about how they are preserving at Morgan despite the odds. Cross said that Morgan “feels like home” and the camaraderie motivates her as she studies industrial engineering. Martin likewise said he loves the school spirit at Morgan. Students like Cross and Martin were pleased with the
“Morgan feels like home” - STUDENT KALAH CROSS
implementation of DegreeWorks and incorporating financial literacy courses in the current curriculum. With many seniors looking to leave their mark on campus, the cohort luncheon allowed President Wilson to connect directly with students before they graduate. The Division of Enrollment Management & Student Success (EMASS) and the Office of Student Success and Retention are looking forward to continuing this tradition as a strategy for students to successfully complete their matriculation at the university.
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
of graduating from Morgan State University?" This question was asked by Anna McPhatter, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, to the Morgan 2013 cohort. Kalah Cross and Stephon Martin were two students who shared their inspiring stories. Cross, an industrial engineering student, said her high school advisor told her that with a low 2.5 gpa, she should just plan on going to a local community college. “There’s nothing I can do for you,” he said. This could have discouraged Cross but she said, “I wasn’t going to give up.” When she was accepted into Morgan’s CASA (Center for Academic Success and Achievement) Academy Summer Bridge program, Cross was so certain of success that she bought a one-way plane ticket to Baltimore. Now she’s the first in her family to go to a four-year university, and has proved her counselor wrong,
Martin, a business administration student who works part-time in Morgan’s IT department, said that Morgan has helped him to focus. He admits that he spent too much time posting photos to Instagram, and partying in high school. But even with a 1.9 gpa, Morgan gave him a chance to go to college, starting with the CASA program. Martin passed the CASA classes, giving him admission to Morgan. But in the middle of fall 2015, Martin dropped out. “I didn’t see the point in going to school,” said Martin. He worked graveyard shift at a warehouse and, as he puts it, “got a taste of the real world.” He began to realize the importance of education, and came back to school the next year, determined to graduate. Martin recently attended a career fair and is hoping for a career with a Fortune 500 company. His ultimate goal is to own his IT company. And now, he says, he knows he can do it, thanks to Morgan. “It’s all about priorities. And I finally got mine straight.” 2
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This is what success looks like: Former CASA student and Morgan State graduate makes headlines Valencia Clay, an 8th grade teacher at the Baltimore Design School,
has made headlines for
her inspirational teaching style. She’s bridging education and activism, sharing her lessons on Instagram, and pushing her students to think critically about themselves. Clay, who says her “board is her picket sign,” shared her story with Megyn Kelly of NBC News Today in a “Good News” feature that aired Sept. 27. Clay credits the CASA program with giving her confidence and a fresh start. “I got all A’s in the CASA program,” said Clay. “That made me believe, ‘I can do this.’” She says many of her students today remind her how she once used to be, bored and unmotivated in the class room. She encourages them by having them chant, “I am wise.” “And don’t forget it!” said Clay.
Welcome new EMASS employees! Ephraim Burgess, Admission Officer, Office of Undergraduate Admissions and
Recruitment
Aaris Johnson, Tour Coordinator, Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment
Jessica Johnson, Employment Coordinator, Office of Financial Aid Angel Gray, Degree Services Coordinator, Office of the Registrar
Victoria Kress, Customer Service Representative, Office of the Registrar Maia Maclin, Operations Manager, Office of Registrar
Ryan Rogers, Office Clerk, Office of Financial Aid
Rhonda Shields, Associate Registrar for Operations, Compliance, and Degree
Services, Office of the Registrar
FALL WINTER 2018
Second-year program visits aquatics research lab As part of the University’s new Second Year Experience (SYE) program, students completed their experiential learning opportunity with a field trip to the Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory (PEARL) in St. Leonard on Sept. 28. The trip’s goal was to give students a hands-on experience in learning about coastal eco-systems. They did microscopic examinations of live plankton; learned about nutrient
“This experience has made me excited to be a Morgan student.” enrichments and the interactions between land use, nutrients, and plankton in relation to the ecology of the estuary. Students took a boat ride on the Chesapeake Bay to learn about the conservation and restoration of the bay and visited various laboratories which included participating in an oyster feeding experiment. They also learned about opportunities for summer paid internships with PEARL which will give them first-hand experience and knowledge of field and laboratory research and project design. Students participating in an experiential learning opportunity must complete an Experiential Learning Plan. Part 3 of the plan asks students to reflect on their experience. One student shared this reflection: “This trip has broaden my spectrum of what I can do with my future degree. It has excited me and made me want to dip my hand into a lot of different things outside my comfort zone. I even ate a raw oyster which wasn’t that bad. This experience has made me excited to be a Morgan student and I’m happy I’ve signed up for the trip.”
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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Admission and recruitment strategies ramp up The Office of Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment has made many internal and external enhancements during this past recruitment season. Recruitment strategies include high school visits, college fairs, and various on-campus recruitment events. This was the first year the strategy of regional-based recruitment was added, with a Chicago area base. Communication plans to prospective students were improved, allowing the department to engage with them more frequently and in a more purposeful manner. The internal application processing process was also enhanced, resulting in a more seamless application experience for students. These additions and enhancements have led us to the highest Morgan State freshmen class since 2008. This year boasted an 11 percent increase in new first-time freshmen, the highest
overall new undergraduate enrollment since 2010. As Morgan works to build the incoming class of fall 2019, many of these same techniques will be deployed, making enhancements and adjustments to continually improve our process. Such enhancements include our new partnerships with Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). An agreement was recently signed that will allow Morgan to have a dedicated office space on their campus. A member of Morgan’s recruitment staff will be detailed to the PGCC campus once a week to meet with students and assist them with the application and enrollment process. This will increase MSU’s visibility and improve our partnership with the students, faculty, and staff on this campus. Morgan is continuing to develop innovative admission and recruitment strategies to help
Office of the Registrar launches student planner The Office of the Registrar launched the Student Schedule Planner, a web-based schedule builder that presents students with schedule options that are currently available for registration.
With this tool, during the pre-registration advisement period, students can easily generate a class schedule that fits their individual needs without having to resort to pen and paper and trial-anderror.
They can add breaks, blocking out time periods where they don’t want classes to be scheduled. If no schedules appear, a message will identify the time conflicts. Schedules can be previewed, including comparing up to four schedules.
The Schedule Planner is used in conjunction with Degree Works, which displays the requirements that a student has yet to complete. When they’re finished with pre-registration, students log into Student Planner and the schedule options will already be populated there. Students can then easily complete their registration.
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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Innovations promote student retention 50x25 going strong The Morgan State University “50 by 25” Initiative: Getting More Students Across the Finish Line, a campaign to increase Morgan’s graduation rate to 50% by the year 2025 has continued into its third year with emphasis on three central themes: 1) Advising and Degree Planning; 2) Faculty Development and Course Redesign; and 3) the Lumina Foundation's Beyond Financial Aid (BFA).
Second-Year Experience This Fall (2018), Morgan State University implemented a Second-Year Experience (SYE) Program. SYE focuses on increasing student engagement while at the University and helping prepare students for successful careers after graduation. With the support of investments made in Morgan by Lumina Foundation through the HBCU Student Success Project and by the Lilly Endowment through the UNCF Career Pathways Initiative, we are providing opportunities to engage in high-impact practices for all members of our freshmen cohort who return to the University for their second year. The centerpiece of the SYE Program is a mandatory experiential learning opportunity. EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
Online transfer orientation provides a roadmap for students, presenting essential resources ranging from admissions to financial aid.
Online Transfer Student Orientation The Office of Transfer Student Programming debuted a new innovation this spring, introducing campus basics to newly admitted transfer students. Online Transfer Student Orientation provides students with an introduction to Morgan State University before they even arrive at campus. It allows MSU to welcome, inform, track, and to instantly change content as campus policies and processes change. Online Orientation is a student road map from the day after admission to the first day of class. It presents the nuts and bolts of essential resources from admission to financial aid, from health and insurance to the code of student conduct and more. It even has a module dedicated exclusively for students from other countries so that they have information specific to their transfer experience. The program integrates with the Banner system for reliable real-time reporting and student tracking. Orientation is available "24/7" and adapts for use on any Wifi-enabled device. There is also a personalized certificate of completion for presentation to major advisors as well as a checklist of tasks, and announcements page.
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FALL WINTER 2018 Partnership with George State University This year, Morgan State University was selected by Georgia State University (GSU) as a mentor institution under a grant from Sun Trust Bank to improve financial analytics, to develop alerts for students at financial risk, and to pilot interventions. Morgan is receiving $50,000 to partner in these efforts and to attend several conferences. GSU is engaging with Morgan and a number of other institutions to work to replicate and scale elements of GSU’s Sun Trust Student Financial Management Center.
Advising 101 and 201 trainings for faculty and advisors The EMASS division has sponsored Advising 101 and 201 trainings for more than 275 faculty and advisors in Spring and Fall of 2018. Participants have been directed to the new Advising Manual and the advising website. The advising trainings covered the mission, definition and importance of advising, advising roles and responsibilities, the characteristics of a good advisor; changes and updates to the catalog, academic policy, general education requirements, the 50 by 25 Initiative, Morgan's advising tools, and reviews of Starfish and Degree Works. Faculty feedback was very positive; Advising 301 trainings also began and focus on using EAB's Student Success Collaborative (SSC) as an advising tool.
Math placement help with ALEKS
In an effort to help improve math placement test scores for all freshmen and support the 50 by 25 Campaign, the Office of Student Success and Retention launched ALEKS PPL as the university’s official mathematics placement exam in Summer 2018. ALEKS provides all incoming freshmen with an opportunity to improve their math placement and work online from home with up to four math placement assessments and five remediation modules to improve their skills at no additional cost; ALEKS is included in the ACCESS Orientation
Lumina HBCU mini-grant recipients Morgan's 50 by 25 Campaign in partnership with the Lumina HBCU Student Success Team announced the availability of the second round of mini-grants (up to $10,000) to support highly targeted, data-driven curricular, programmatic and/or advising projects/enhancements with high potential impact. Second round winners are:
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Morgan State University Influencers: A Second Year Experience Program, Amber Hodges Aspiring Teachers Institute: Simone Gibson, Thurman Bridges, and Christian Anderson Building Success-Morgan Beginning Design Retention Initiative: Pavlina Ilieva Advancing Student Support Services and Outreach: Shelia Richburg SCMNS First Year Peer Mentoring Program: Peer BEARS: Claton Lewis Sophomore Achievement Learning Community: Developing Habits for Academic and Life Success: Jacqueline Holland Advancing Student Support Services and Outreach: Shelia Richburg Redesign Math Courses in ALEKS Project for Fall 2018: Jean-Pierre Liamba Rising Environmental Studies Fellowship Program: Cohort 1--Urban and Coastal Water: Samia
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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What’s new to EMASS
Beyond Financial Aid
https://www.morgan.edu/efa
Morgan's BFA website went live this summer, providing Morganites with access to community, regional, and state sponsored resources, programs, and offices which they may find useful in providing supplemental financial and social support in areas which go beyond the norms of financial aid. And the Lumina Foundation's Focus Magazine recently featured a cover story taking an in-depth look at Morgan's students and the BFA initiative.
SYE opportunities fair The Center for Academic Success and Achievement hosted a Second Year Experience Opportunities Fair in October. The fair provided second-year students with the opportunity to meet representatives from various offices and organizations with which they can fulfill their experiential learning opportunity. Students received a SYE T-Shirt designed by Quadir Gainey, winner of the t-shirt competition held last spring.
CASA Academy success stories The Center for Academic Success and Achievement has managed a successful alternative admissions program since its restructuring over ten years ago. University data demonstrates that CASA Academy students who successfully complete the program are retained and graduated at rates equal to or slightly higher than regularly-admitted students. The rigor of the program provides students with a strong foundation as they matriculate through the University. These students not only demonstrate their academic ability but also strong leadership skills. There are many success stories of our CASA Academy students who are contributing significantly to the University, including Brittany Dorsey, the current Miss Morgan and Kenold Pierre, President of SGA. EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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FALL WINTER 2018
Morgan named ‘Best for Vets’ in college ranking Morgan was named one of the ‘Best for Vets’ schools in Military Times’ Colleges 2019 rankings. In their ninth year, the rankings are based on the results of Military Times’ annual survey – the most comprehensive school-byschool assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement – as well as a detailed review of public data collected by federal agencies. As is true for all Military Times rankings, Best for Vets: Colleges is an editorially independent, objective and rigorous news project. This feature evaluates the many factors that help make colleges and universities a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families. About 500 colleges took part in this year’s survey. “Fewer than half of the roughly 500 colleges and universities that competed for the recognition earned the right to call themselves Best for Vets in 2019. Their efforts should be commended,” said George Altman, the Military Times e Military Times’ annual Best for Vets: Colleges survey asks colleges and universities to disclose academic outcome and input data, describe many aspects of veteran culture on campus and meticulously document a wide array of services, special policies, accommodations and financial incentives offered to students with military ties. Military Times also factors in data from the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments, as well as three Education Department sources: the IPEDS Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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EMASS’s own Aisha Odero selected as an Innovator of Year A diagnostic test for early detection of pancreatic cancer, a stormwater utility management system, and a method for combating environmental pollution were named as the top technological innovations for 2018 during Morgan State University’s inaugural Innovation of the Year Awards ceremony held on Sept. 25. Awards were distributed in seven separate categories with the aforementioned three, awarded in the Intellectual Property Innovation category. In all, 11 innovation awards were distributed to Morgan faculty, staff and students.
The Innovation of the Year Awards was created by the University’s Division of Research & Economic Development, Office of Technology Transfer as a means to celebrate campus-wide innovation and to recognize the contributions of the Morgan community and the progression of the university through innovative advancements. An outside review panel selected awardees from more than 40 Morgan innovations, representing work from more than 60 inventors spanning a wide range of departments throughout the university. Innovations were evaluated on their potential benefit to society, the improvement over existing technology, and commercial potential.
The inaugural Innovation of the Year award winners included Aisha Odero, EMASS technical analyst, who successfully developed, managed, and piloted an automated mechanism in Banner (university-wide database) to reinstate students who were dropped for nonpayment into their original classes. This enhancement was piloted in the winter of 2018 and fully utilized for the spring 2018 drop and reinstatement process. Odero served as the project manager, guiding crossfunctional teams comprised of several offices and departments throughout the university. There were no implementation costs from the university, but the payoff was immeasurable for students, faculty, and staff.
EMASS NEWSLETTER Fall 2018
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