2 minute read
New Center Emphasizes Student Engagement and Success
Q&A with Paula Whetsel-Ribeau
In spring 2016, the Mount announced an initiative to focus on student engagement, increase retention, and better equip students to be successful. In the months since, the Center for Student Engagement and Success blossomed and began its inaugural academic year.
The center is a “first-stop facility,” tying together a network of relationships to help students utilize university resources. These connections build student confidence and character by empowering and encouraging them to reach their goals academically, personally, and professionally during their four-year journey.
Spearheading the center is Paula Whetsel-Ribeau, Ed.D., associate provost for student engagement and success. Over the summer, Whetsel-Ribeau worked alongside the board of trustees and an advisory council consisting of 43 community members to identify the center’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives. Mount Magazine caught up with Whetsel-Ribeau to better understand the philosophy behind the Center and the needs of college students.
How has increased access to higher education nationwide impacted the profile of college students? Access has more than doubled from nearly 9 million students in 1980 to almost 20 million in 2001; however, overall college completion rates have increased only slightly. Increased access created a broader, deeper, more diverse pool of students needing a variety of pedagogical approaches and instruction. We need to better accommodate age, racial/ethnic, and economic diversity, as well as first-generation students and students with learning disabilities and low test scores.
What are risks for students who do not complete a four-year degree? According to literature published by The College Board, people who go to college and complete a bachelor’s degree earn $1 million more on average during their lifetime than those who do not go to college. Starting but not finishing college produces little earnings benefit—about $250,000. An educated population is also essential to our nation’s prosperity. From health, unemployment, poverty, voting, rates of incarceration, and school readiness of children, to rates of volunteerism, it is evident that the costs to our society of not providing higher education are considerable.
Why is the first year in college critical? What are the conditions for student success? The first year is a key period in student leaning and retention; student attrition is typically the highest. Of students who leave, 38% will do so in their first year. First year experiences almost always influence the attrition that follows. Therefore, investments in that year are most likely to yield the greatest gains in retention.
It is important to establish four conditions to promote long-term improvement of student success: expectations, support, assessment and feedback, and involvement. All of these are critical aspects of the first year in college. In sum, students are more likely to succeed in settings that establish clear and high expectations for their success, provide academic and social support, frequently assess and provide feedback about their performance, and actively involve them with others on campus.
Who is involved in creating student success? There is much to be said about institutional action. Alignment of actions requires that functional units, offices, programs, and faculty, administrators, and staff collaborate to ensure that their work is directed toward the same end. As we welcomed our new and returning students to the Mount this fall, we did so knowing that their success at Mount St. Mary’s is our highest priority.
