OOC News
October 2012
newsletter
In this issue:
Page 2
• Palmetto
Symposium
• Featured Scholar • Family Fund
Success
• Forward Together
• What’s in a Name?
Page 3
• Campus Citizen of
the Month
• Dining App
• Pacer Athletics
Page 4
• Student Life
• One Carolina
project
• Children’s Center
Halloween Walk
• CSD News
• TracDat Training
Page 5
• Why is Student
Retention
important?
The 2012 USCA-United Way
Campaign is underway. Thanks
to generous support we have
already raised over half of our goal,
however, we still need your help!
Please consider contributing to this
great cause. If you have questions
or need additional information,
contact Joe Sobieralski, 2012
Campaign Coordinator, at JoeS@
usca.edu or x3399.
Welcome to the OOC Newsletter!
C
ommunication is essential to sustaining
a strong sense of community. Thus,
in addition to communicating through
individual emails, face-to-face discussions,
or in committee meetings, the Chancellor’s
Office (OOC= Office of the Chancellor)
is launching a periodic e-newsletter that
includes information from around the
campus community. Also included will be
information about recent achievements,
topics related to the university and system,
and issues that are relevant to institutional
success. These newsy communications will
be archived, so you can return to them
as time allows. Effective and timely communication—delivered through various ways —
should facilitate institutional discussions, information sharing, transparency, inclusion, and
effectiveness. Feedback on the usefulness of the newsletter is welcome!
Pedestrian Bridge Underway
A
fter an extensive review by the various participating agencies, permits are in place.
The construction documents have been received by the State Engineer’s Office and
the USC Columbia and Aiken project management team for final review. The project
is expected to be advertised on the South Carolina Business One Stop (SCBOS) website
in November with a final award in January 2013. The project commencement date is
February 2013 and final completion November 2013.
page 1
T
Forward Together
Update
USC Aiken hosted twelve
(12) focus groups for campus
constituents and launched
a survey to collect opinions
about the future of the
university. As promised, the
process was open and inclusive
with participation from
students, faculty, staff, alumni,
community members, and
the business community. The
information sharing/gathering
phase of the Visioning Process
is over and our consultant, Dr.
Faye Hargrove, is currently
sorting and compiling the
responses and information
gathered during the process.
Chancellor Jordan will receive
the complied information
at the end of the month and
share with the campus at the
State of the Campus address
on Monday, November
12th. Participation in
Forward Together exceeded
all expectations with
approximately 750 individuals
taking time to share their
thoughts! For all who
participated, please accept our
sincere thanks!
page 2
he Department
of History,
Political Science,
and Philosophy
will be hosting
the Palmetto
Connections
S Y MPOSIU M
Symposium with
support from The
Humanities Council of South Carolina.
This year’s symposium topic will focus
on South Carolina and its links to the
rest of the world. The symposium will
look broadly at issues of representation
and immigration in South Carolina,
with a keynote address by Dr. Peter
H. Wood (Professor Emeritus of
History, Duke University). Two panels
on related papers will follow. The
symposium will begin at 10 am on
Saturday, November 3. Registration fee
is $15. More information, including
the registration form, can be found
at: http://www.usca.edu/polisci/
palmettoconnections/.
USCA PROFESSOR NAMED
FEATURED SCHOLAR
D
r. Michele
Harmon,
Associate
Professor in the
Department
of Biology and
Geology, was
selected as an
October 2012
featured scholar
by the USC
Office of the
Vice President
for Research.
The featured
scholar highlights
faculty excellence, innovation, and creativity.
Featured scholars can be viewed at http://
www.sc.edu/research.
Family Fund Update
92.26% USC Aiken
0
20
21%
USC Sumter
19%
USC Columbia
18%
USC Lancaster
13%
USC Beaufort
5%
USC Upstate
3%
USC Salkahatchie
40
60
80
100
We had
our highest
participation
rate ever!
Thank you
for your
contributions!
What’s In a Name?
T
he Aiken County Highway
Department has requested that we
name six of our campus streets to improve
rescue and emergency operations on
campus. In an emergency, we rely on
medics and firefighters to act quickly,
but in order to do so, first responders
need to know where to go. Recently, the
Chancellor invited USC Aiken students
to suggest names for the six campus roads
on both sides of Robert Bell Parkway.
Once a list of names is assembled, the
names will be submitted to the Highway
Department that will determine the
suitability of each name. Of utmost
importance is to make certain that all or
part of the name is not used somewhere
else in the County. Once an approved list
is developed, the campus will be asked to
rank their favorite names. The top names
will be submitted to the Aiken County
Commission for Higher Education for
final selection. The County will review
the finalists and, if all goes according to
plan, six roads will receive new names at
USC Aiken early in 2013.
CAMPUS CITIZEN OF THE MONTH
H
uman Resources is excited to announce the Campus Citizen of the Month
Program — a new recognition program for USC Aiken. USC Aiken faculty,
staff, and even community members who have impacted our campus in a positive
manner are eligible for this program. Starting today, we will begin accepting
nominations. Below you will find the criteria and process for this award.
The Campus Citizen of the Month award is given in recognition of good
citizenship. All faculty, classified and unclassified staff, and university partners who
have been with the University for one year and who are in good standing are eligible.
The nomination remains active indefinitely in the pool of candidates.
The nomination form must be signed by the nominee’s supervisor and sent to the
nominee’s Vice Chancellor in that unit. The criteria to be used in the nomination
are:
· Initiative/Creativity: Exhibits ingenuity and resourcefulness. Examples: Improved
work methods, efficiency within the department.
· Loyalty/Dedication: Willing to go “ the extra mile” without being asked.
· Positive Attitude: Maintains effective relationships with others both on and off
campus; serve as role model.
· Leadership: Acknowledge those whose efforts have inspired and supported the
performance and achievement of others.
Monday Group will review the nominations and select each month’s winner. The
winner is presented a $20.00 gift card from the Chancellor, a designated parking
spot for the month and will be recognized in Post Time Notes. Contact Maria
Chandler at MariaC@usca.edu for more information
GET THE
DINING APP!
Did you know that the
USCA Dining Services
has a mobile app that
provides the daily menu
and nutritional information
for each item?
The new app is easy to
install and only takes
a minute. Go to your
apps store and search
“Campus Dish.” Once
it is installed, search for
the University of South
Carolina Aiken.Now every
time you open the app
you will have the menu at
your fingertips!
PACER ATHLETICS
T
hree athletic department
staff members are on NCAA
Committees— Brian Hand (Women’s
Soccer Region Advisory Committee),
Ike Ofoje (Men’s and Women’s
National Soccer Rules Committee) and
Steven Dahm (Men’s Tennis Region
Advisory Committee).
Several USC Aiken coaches are
within reach of coaching milestonesVince Alexander, men’s basketball
coach, is just five wins away from
becoming the all-time leader in wins in
USC Aiken men’s basketball history;
Mike Brandt, women’s basketball
coach, is just six wins away from
claiming 200 wins at USC Aiken and
is just three wins away from 450 in
his career; and Kenny Thomas, head
baseball coach, will enter the 2013
baseball season just 13 wins away from
1,000 in his career.
Men’s Basketball player, Jesse Seilern,
played internationally for Austria.
Kyle Sprow, men’s tennis player, is
an American citizen but attended high
school in Japan.
Women’s Tennis player, Franziska
Regel, was a women’s shot put
champion in Hamburg, Germany.
Softball players Alyssa Cook and
Jennifer McKellar both played at Aiken
Tech and participated in the Junior
College Softball World Series last year.
Golfer Matt Atkins was an Academic
and Athletic All-American in 20112012.
Women’s Basketball player,
Mackenzie Reese, has a grandmother
that is in the Professional Baseball Hall
of Fame.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Men’s basketball will host its
Tip-Off Banquet Thursday,
November 1, and will feature
Frank Martin, USC’s new men’s
basketball coach, as the
keynote speaker.
December 14, Athletics will
have its 13th Sports Auction
Plus in the Convocation
Center.
page 3
Student Life Updates
• Intramural Sports: We have 23 intramural flag football teams who will be
playing in a 4 week season and playoffs. We have over 275 participants.
• Recreational Sports: We have two weekend trips planned. One to the Hawks
vs. Heat game in late October and a hiking trip to Table Rock in November.
Both trips cost students a small amount of money. The basketball trip is full.
Hiking sign ups start at the end of the month.
• The Student Government Association will be sponsoring a passport drive to
encourage students to renew their passport or get a new passport. The program
will be co-sponsored with International Programs and a local travel agency. The
drive will be held in November.
• Alternative Fall Break: Over 45 students went to New Orleans to help rebuild
houses for Habitat for Humanity.
• Diversity Initiatives hosted a documentary called “Survivor: Living Above the
Noise” on Tuesday, October 9, as well as a cultural excursion to a mosque in
Augusta on Wednesday, October 10.
Computer Services Division
C
ertifications – Computer
Services Division staff members
are working hard to continue their
professional development. A number
of the staffers have attended training
sessions and others have obtained
valuable certifications. Some of the
recently certified include:
• Troy Mothkovich - Help Desk
Consultant. Troy recently earned
the designation as an Apple Certified
Associate - Mac Integration 10.8. Troy’s
certification is significant because it
marks the first time our campus has had
two Apple Certified Associates; Larry
Nelson is the other.
• Mark Patton – System Technician.
Mark recently earned three support
certifications from Dell. They are: Dell
Certified Desktop Technician; Dell
Certified Laptop Technician; and Dell
Certified Printer Technician.
Office of Institutional Effectiveness:
TracDat training
In addition to serving as a “one-stop
shop” of institutional information for
internal and external constituents, the
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
monitors and ensures compliance with
legislative requirements and accreditation
standards. All directors, departmental
page 4
CHILDREN’S CENTER
PLANS HALLOWEEN WALK
I
t’s that time again and the Children’s
Center will be celebrating with
our annual “Halloween Walk” on
Wednesday, October 31st. We will
be leaving the center at 9:30 am and
walking to the quad. The children will
parade around the quad, dressed in
costume… we should be in the area
until at least 10 am. If you would like
to “treat” them with candy or other
goodies, we ask that there be no hard
candies, suckers, etc. (safety hazard).
The children are getting very excited
about “dressing up” and we hope you
can join us for the fun!
chairpersons, and deans are reminded
that it is program review time. In
compliance with accreditation standards
and to ensure documentation of our
efforts to continuously improve, all units
on campus should be completing their
2011-12 annual program reviews in
TracDat. If you are new to TracDat or
if you require a refresher course, please
contact the IE office to sign up for an
upcoming workshop.
OneCarolina
Project Update
We are in the midst of one of the
most significant technology changes
to impact our campus in many
years. The entire USC System is
replacing our 1970’s mainframe
system with the Banner Software
Program. Known system-wide
as the OneCarolina Project, the
implementation has begun on our
campus.
• The Office of Admissions is
the first office to be operating
under both the New Banner and
current IMS system, and has begun
receiving applications for the fall
semester through the new Banner
system.
• Along with a conversion to the
new system, the Records Office is
also preparing for the conversion to
a new Degree Audit System (DARS),
and new class scheduling process
which will be part of our new
processes as well.
• The Financial Aid Office is also
making massive changes in both
processes and procedures to be able
to implement the Banner program
this Spring.
• Ernest Pringle, Vice Chancellor
of IT and Chief Information
Officer, will assume the role of lead
OneCarolina coordinator, effective
immediately. Former OneCarolina
coordinator Randy Duckett, Vice
Chancellor for Enrollment Services,
will step down as coordinator to
focus more of his time on student
recruitment.
Why Is Student Retention Important?
T
he benefits of going to college – for the student, the
community, the state, and the university- are greatest
when a student persists and earns a degree. Retaining
students is important to the institution as well and
fundamental to mission
attainment. USC Aiken is
a public, comprehensive
university with a liberal arts
core, so our purpose is to
produce baccalaureate and
masters students with strong
critical inquiry skills. If the
institution does not retain
its students, then at the most
basic level, it fails to meet
the mission. A high rate of
attrition creates multiple risks
for the institution, including
reputational risk and financial
risk. Low graduation rates
are seen as evidence that the
institution failed to achieve
its purpose, creates a fiscal
problem that results in the need to compensate with more
student enrollment growth, and is seen by the public as a
symptomatic of low-achieving colleges.
It is not surprising to learn that the highest institutional
retention rates (that is a measure of first time, full time
freshmen who return after their freshman year) in the
country are at “Ivy League” schools and are above 95
percent, while the lowest may be only 10 percent. Typical
graduation rates (a measure of the 6 year graduation rate of
the freshman cohort) for elite schools may be 85 percent
or higher; for average schools about 50 percent; and for
non-elite schools 15 to 25 percent. Freshmen are most
likely to drop out of school, while seniors are least likely to
leave. Some comprehensive institutions, like USC Aiken,
are also losing students between the sophomore and junior
years. This is particularly troubling at USC Aiken where
some programs are undersubscribed in the junior and
senior years, making these programs less financially viable.
Nationally, for an average public institution, freshman to
sophomore year attrition is about 25 percent; sophomore
to junior year attrition is about 12 percent; junior to senior
year attrition is about 8 percent; and about 4 percent of
seniors might leave school. Roughly half of an incoming
class graduates in four to five years.
For comparison, at USC Aiken, about 30 percent of an
entering class is lost between the freshmen to sophomore
years; an additional 18 percent are lost between the
sophomore to junior years; approximately 5 percent
are lost between the junior to senior years, and about 3
percent leave the school in their senior year. Here, about
42 percent of entering cohorts graduate from USC Aiken
within 6 years. The vast majority of
students leaving USC Aiken are not
leaving because of poor performance.
To the contrary, 24 percent of the
students who leave USC Aiken are
successfully making progress toward
a degree elsewhere 6 years after
starting with us, and an additional 34
percent of the students who leave us
have completed a degree at another
institution within that timeframe.
According to conservative
calculations from USC Aiken’s Office
of Institutional Effectiveness, attrition
costs the institution dearly. Using
our current retention and graduation
numbers, the number of students
paying in-state and out-of-state tuition
and fees, and an assumption of a 3
percent annual increase in tuition and fees, our current
rates of attrition result in a loss of 6.2 million dollars
annually in revenue from tuition and fees. What could we
do with another 6 million dollars? For starters, we could
address every salary on the campus, add additional staff
and faculty to those areas where workload is heavy and
employees are over-stretched, and add operational dollars
to budgets that have grown too thin due to budget cuts and
cost increases.
If we are in agreement about the need to increase our
graduation rates, then the question becomes, “How?” Over
the next several months, the campus will develop a robust
plan to improve graduation rates that includes strategies,
goals, and costs. The Strategic Planning Committee, under
the leadership of Dr. Michael Ritchie, has launched a
discussion about graduation rates and called for the creation
of a Retention/Progression/Graduation (RPG) Taskforce
to help accomplish the implementation of a RPG plan.
The Director of the Library, Ms. Jane Tuten, has amassed
articles and information on the topic and that material is
housed in the library and available to interested parties.
Meanwhile, to stimulate thinking and discussions on
what can be done to increase student achievement, read
the publication from the Education Policy Institute
entitled: Seven Guiding Questions for Student Retention,
found at: http://www.educationalpolicy.org/pdf/
StudentSuccess_0601.pdf
page 5