Enrollment Management Division (SVSU) - Feb. 2011 Newsletter

We are pleased to announce recent additions to our Enrollment Management team – all designed to support, solidify and augment our student retention efforts. The Office of Multicultural Services has moved from the Student Affairs Division to the Division of Enrollment Management. We are delighted to have Director Marcia Thomas and her staff in our Division. This office will remain in Curtiss 111. In addition, two new positions were created in the Division: Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Coordinator of Student Retention and Coordinator of First Year Programs. Craig Aimar, formerly the Associate Director of Admissions has moved into the Assistant Vice President’s position and Bryan Cranier, formerly a Director in the Office of Residential Life, is the new Coordinator of First Year Programs. Both Craig and Bryan have new offices in the Academic Advisement Center in first floor Wickes.

There are some new developments with the pilot P.A.S.S. program (Plan of Action for Student Success), launched in the fall 2010 and targeted to freshmen with ACT scores of 18 or below. This winter semester, we are piloting a Freshman Seminar course that will provide a group, classroom setting for our retention initiatives. This Seminar is not credit-bearing and is voluntary. Ann Coburn-Collins, Director of the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support and adjunct faculty member will teach this first pilot course designed to help students successfully integrate into the campus culture, develop academic skill-building, and to maximize the value of their college education for future professional opportunities. This pilot Freshman Seminar began on February 7, 2011 and will run for ten weeks.

Working closely with colleagues in the Division of Academic Affairs, we have established the new Committee for Student Success to be chaired by Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald J. Bachand. Also serving on this committee is Dean Mary Hedberg, Dean Deborah Huntley, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity Programs Mamie Thorns, VP for Student Affairs Merry Jo Brandimore, Special Assistant to the Provost Mark Potts, Assistant VP for Academic Affairs/Registrar Chris Looney, Associate VP for Enrollment Management Cliff Dorne, and me. This committee will focus on creating new initiatives to positively impact persistence-to-graduation. Many of these initiatives will involve collaborations across divisions and departments. You will learn more about these initiatives, timetables, and ways to support the Committee in correspondences, communications, and in future meetings.

In an effort to better serve our students in the areas of academic advising and course scheduling, we have restructured the Academic Advisement Center and added a new Schedule Planner software program to enable students to develop workable course schedules before registration. Additionally, we are planning to make available an on-line degree audit system that will enable students to track their progress toward graduation.

As we all know, establishing a culture that focuses on student success and retention begins even before students arrive on campus for the start of the school year. Our retention expectations, academic support and access to student services must be clearly demonstrated early on. And so we are working closely with our colleagues in the Division of Student Services to reshape our “Fresh Start” orientation for incoming freshmen. Be on the lookout for more about this important “fresh start” to our retention efforts!

Clearly, we have much work to do, but these are exciting times at SVSU and the Enrollment Management Division stands ready to collaborate to enhance the success of all of our students.

Jim Dwyer, Vice President for Enrollment Management

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Provides individual academic advising to all Kinesiology majors and pre-physical therapy students: - John Lowry provides advising to all pre-physical therapy students - David Berry advises all athletic training students - Jeremy Knous, Jennifer Bridges and Josh Ode share the advising for all exercise science students

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Encourages student membership in the American College of Sports Medicine and National Athletic Trainers Association: In the past four years we have had more than 75 students attend a conference/become a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or National Athletic Training Association. These outside-the-classroom experiences add depth and value to our students’ education.

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“As a student and member of the ACSM, I have had multiple opportunities to network and learn from exercise professionals across the nation. The knowledge I have gained in the classroom has been greatly enhanced by attending ACSM conferences and seeing exercise professionals put their knowledge into practice through research. It’s very rewarding to be a member of the ACSM, to meet faculty and staff who want to help you succeed, and to continue learning about the most recent research. Also, many new doors have been opened through presenting at ACSM conferences, such as becoming a member of the National Exercise in Medicine committee.”

- Samantha Danbert, senior Exercise Science major

Mentors students in the development of academic presentations given at conferences throughout the U.S. : During the 2010/2011 academic year, 2 kinesiology students presented at the Midwest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) meeting in Indianapolis (October), 3 students presented in Gaylord at the Michigan ACSM during the week of January 31, 3 students are presenting at the National ACSM meeting in Denver (June), and 1 athletic training student is presenting at a National Athletic Training Association meeting. In the previous 4 years we have had more 20 presentations given by students at various conferences across the country (Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, and Indianapolis).

“Presenting has not only given me more confidence in public speaking, but also encouraged me to seek a career in higher education. It is always important to take what you learn in the classroom and put it into practice; through presenting I have been able to actively utilize my education. “

- Samantha Danbert, senior Exercise Science major

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Actively engages students in service/research projects such as the SVSU HealthyU program, wellness testing in local firefighters, fitness testing in elementary/middle school students, performance testing in university and professional athletes and the promotion of the “Exercise Is Medicine” initiative:

“I feel the Kinesiology Department’s commitment to community outreach has significantly improved the educational experience for our students. The opportunity to interact with and educate members of the community is a perfect complement to what is taught in the classroom.”

- Josh Ode, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Department Chair

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Developed a Kinesiology Student Advisory Board and Facebook page to enhance communication between faculty, staff, students and alumni. This Kinesiology Facebook site link is located in svsu.edu/ social-media.

The Division of Enrollment Management welcomes reports of related initiatives to be profiled in future editions of the Newsletter. Please send this information to cdorne@svsu.edu.

Dr. Tinto is a leading expert and researcher on issues related to student retention.

“What would it mean for institutions to take student retention seriously? Among other things, institutions would stop tinkering at the margins of institutional life and make enhancing student retention the linchpin about which they organize their activities. They would move beyond the provision of add-on services and establish those educational conditions that promote the retention of all, not just some, students. To be serious about student retention, institutions would recognize that the roots of attrition lie not only in their students and the situations they face, but also in the very character of the educational settings, now assumed to be natural to higher education, in which they ask students to learn.”

-Vincent Tinto, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Syracuse University

Tidbits The university home page, the audience resource pages and online event calendars account for 70% of the university’s Web traffic. The home page is an effort to share student, faculty, staff and alumni successes through story-based profiles. The home page Quicklinks meets many everyday Web functions for students, faculty and staff. The Resource pages provide detailed information for all our many audiences (students, faculty, staff, etc…) and are designed to be a secondary homepage for our internal audiences.

SVSU on YouTube Many of the university-produced videos can be found at www.youtube.com/saginawvalleystate. Submit your video story ideas/ concepts to jjswack1@svsu.edu for consideration.

Events “Typo3 with the Experts” on Wednesday, May 4 at 10 a.m. Bring your Web site edits with you and transform your Web site. SVSU Web gurus will be on hand to assist you and provide ideas. Register for all workshops online at www.svsu.edu/ workshops.

2011 Spring University Wide Employment and Networking Fair * Friday, April 15, 2011 * 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. * Ryder Center 2011 Education Employment Fair (Open to In and Out-of-State Districts) * Tuesday, April 26, 2011 * 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. * Curtiss Hall Banquet Rooms

As of the January 18, 2011 report, this winter semester, we have enrolled 10,343 students, an increase of 219 students or +2.16% when compared to last year at this time. These students are taking 116,068 credit hours, up 22,625 or +2.31% compared to last winter. Overall, the SVSU enrollment experienced a moderate increase this winter semester. This generally reflects year-to-year historical trends over the past five years. Thanks to all who have a hand in making the numbers happen!

Please join us in welcoming the Office of Multicultural Programs (OMS) to the Enrollment Management Division! The mission of OMS is to provide collaborative support to assist in the transition, retention and graduation of racially and ethnically diverse students through partnerships in academic, cultural and social programming.

Along with the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Diversity Programs, the Office of Multicultural Programs is pleased to announce that we have many wonderful programs and presentations planned during February’s Black History Month, including the Taste of Soul event on Feb. 23, musical performances, guest speakers, and an SVSU Alumni Panel Discussion.

Look for posters around campus for details of dates, times, places.

On-line Degree Audits will be available to all students through their Cardinal Direct account later this month. Please encourage students to take the time to become familiar with their program structure and course requirements. This service will enable them to track their progress toward graduation on-line and assist in clarifying which courses are needed to satisfy curricular requirements.

A reminder that fall term registration for returning students begins on April 4th and runs through April 19th. The initial spring/ summer registration period begins on March 14th and runs through the 22nd. The entire registration schedule is available at http://www.svsu.edu/registrar/registration.html

SVSU Graduate Program Welcome Dinner and Orientation SVSU held its first Graduate Program Orientation on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Over 50 new graduate students attended the event. University representatives from eight different offices presented information on resources and services available to support student success. Dr. Drew Hinderer, SVSU Finkbeiner Endowed Chair in Ethics provided the keynote welcome address.

The student evaluations were resoundingly positive, when asked if they would recommend this program to other new students, 100% responded, yes.

Best practices among many universities and departments distinguish themselves by fostering and supporting first year graduate students by providing students with a clear sense of the program and faculty expectations and supporting professional relationships between first year students and others.

Boyle, P., and Boice, R. “Best Practices for Enculturation: Collegiality, Mentoring, and Structure”,

New Directions For Higher Education, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998, 101, 87-94.

On Friday, February 04, 2011, the Office of International Programs hosted a celebration of the Chinese New Year—the Year of the Rabbit. Thanks to all who attended and participated!

The effort to further internationalize our campus is ongoing. Sam Heikinen, the Director of International Student Admissions, will be traveling to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Shanghai in March 2011 to recruit students.

Intercultural Night is Friday, March 18th in the Malcolm Field Theatre. Students from twelve countries will perform a variety of talent acts reflecting their cultures.