New student support program Matriculation Orientation gets updated

Seth Perlstein

Pierce College’s Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) is one step closer to full implementation after its unanimous approval by the Academic Senate on Monday, Sept. 8, at their first meeting of the semester in the Great Hall.

The SSSP is an updated version of the process formerly known as Matriculation. Orientation, assessment, counseling, and other follow-up services are at the heart of the program.

“It’s all about students getting off to a good start,” Pierce’s new Dean of Student Services Kalynda Webber-McLean said. “We provide them with adequate support while they’re here so they can meet their educational objectives.”

Parts of the plan are already in motion at Pierce, according to Webber-McLean. Academic Counseling has changed significantly since new policies and procedures were introduced in the spring.

“Now we have guidelines we go by,” Counseling Department Chair Rudy Dompe said. “Before, we had more time to do counseling, per se. Now we’ve got to move into action right away – educational goals, career goals – we’ve got to do the comprehensive educational plan.”

The plan Dompe referred to is a complete outline of everything a student needs to complete his or her academic goals. Abbreviated plans that cover one to two semesters are also available.

“The state has said that community colleges need to be a little bit more structured,” WebberMcLean said. “Now the state says that if you do a long-term road map for a student, it has to have every stop along the way.”

Webber-McLean also said that Pierce is in the process of hiring more academic counselors, which is also part of the SSSP.

Year-round assessment, on the other hand, is an SSSP feature that is already underway at Pierce. Before the SSSP, Pierce only offered assessment during certain times of the year, according to Webber-McLean. asking if it was safe to go on campus.

She said the probation program should “hopefully” roll out later this fall, with a full implementation in the spring. The First Year Experience Center in the Library Learning Crossroads Building has its classrooms open, but a lead counselor/coordinator is still needed before the center is opened, she said.

The SSSP is based off California Senate Bill 1456, also known as the Student Success Act. It was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012.

2013 was a planning year while 2014 is an implementation year, according to Webber-McLean. “We’re right on time with the timeline that’s been established by the state’s Chancellor’s Office,” she said. The SSSP will be submitted to Pierce’s board in October for final approval.

“There are multiple sources on the campus but we try to make sure ours are consistent through Blackboard Connect,” Vice President of Administration Rolf Schleicher said when asked about the discrepancy between notifications. “We don’t understand where that came from,” Schleicher said referring to the email about the suspect driving into campus.

The senior staff sends out messages once they have assessed the situation by talking to the Sheriff’s Department and LAPD, according to Schleicher.

Despite efforts, some messages released by Blackboard on Wednesday were vague and unspecific.

Text messages referring to Pierce simply as “the college” were particularly confusing for students enrolled and attending multiple colleges.

Pierce was one of 24 California community colleges chosen to participate in the program, and was placed in the Tutoring Staging Group. Pierce will submit five online courses to the OEI for consideration to participate in the program, of which three will be chosen.

“For us it’s a big deal because we’ll get free tutoring for those three classes,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll see a higher success rate in those online classes. That’s a goal.”

An updated Student Information System (SIS) was also announced at the meeting.

Articulation Officer Elizabeth Atondo said the revamped system will “look different and hopefully will be a lot better.”

Pierce’s current SIS is “homegrown,” she said. The new system “will be an Oracle product.”

She said the all-new SIS will roll out in October, 2015 for incoming fall 2016 students, while continuing students will see the new system in spring 2016.

The next Academic Senate meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6 at 2:15 PM in The Great Hall.