Appendix A. Information on LSSU’sTitle III Strengthening Institutions Program
What is the purpose of LSSU’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program grant?
In 2013, Lake Superior State University was awarded a $1.8 million, five-year Title III Strengthening
Institutions Program grant through the U.S. Department of Education. The project has five comprehensive
strategies for strengthening the university:
Strategy 1
Strategy 2
Strategy 3
Strategy 4
Strategy 5
Implement Faculty Center for Teaching (FTC) to facilitate use of best practices in teaching
and advising, implementation of Community of Practice (COP), coordinate with Audio Visual
to acquire instructional technology, provide resources for faculty development and enhance
innovation and certify faculty members’ development efforts.
Implement Advising Support for Students and Faculty to provide information resources on
advising to faculty; provide students with information about how to get the most from their
faculty advisors; work through the Student Learning Commons (SLC) in supporting of peermentoring regarding university engagement and becoming a self-directed learner.
Implement a Student Learning Commons to provide students with programs and space for
expanded peer mentoring and enhanced resources for learning experiences and general
university engagement.
Manage barriers by identifying ‘momentum points’ in student progression to degree
completion, review policies and procedures in terms of their potential impact on those barriers,
and make appropriate modifications.
Improve cost-effectiveness of Learning Management System(LMS)by converting to opensource system.
The grant also specifies the goals and measurable objectives of the project for the five years of the grant:
Overall Goals
Objectives
Academic Programs
Goal 1: Improve Objective 1: By September
the success rates
2018, increase retention of
of LSSU’s first
full-time First Time in College
year students
(FTIC) students from 68% to
74%. (Baseline=68%)
Objective 2: By September
2018, increase from 0% to
50% faculty participation in
COP. (Baseline=0)
Objective 3: By September
2018, 50% of lecture rooms
will have updated technology.
(Baseline=0)
Objective 4: By September
2018, 30% of faculty will
have achieved local
certification in teaching and/or
advising. (Baseline=0)
Objective 5: By September
Specific Tasks and Methods
Involved
Tangible Results
1. Establish a Faculty Center
for Teaching (FCT) to
facilitate:
 Use of best practices for
teaching especially student
active learning techniques
and use of technology to
support student active
learning
 Establishment of Faculty
COP
 More effective approaches
for advising including
optimal use of new
retention strategies
 Use of instructional
technology to support
student learning
 Discussions, seminars &
workshops held on teaching
and advising
74% of full-time,
FTIC students who
enter in the fall
semester will return
the following fall
All new faculty and
50% of veteran
faculty will be
involved in a Faculty
COP
50% of lecture rooms
will have updated
technology.
30% of faculty will
have achieved local
certification in
teaching and/or
advising.
50% of faculty will
2018, increase from 0% to
50% faculty using resources
available through the Faculty
Center for Teaching (FCT).
(Baseline=0)
Objective 6: By September
2018, increase 6 year
graduation rate to 38%.
(Baseline=33%)
Objective 7: By September
2018, increase percentage of
faculty members using MAPWorks to 70%. (Baseline=30)
Objective 8: By September
2018, 55% of first year
students surveyed will indicate
they are accessing on-line
tutorials about academic
planning. (Baseline=0)
Objective 9: By September
2018, 35% of first year
students will be working with
a peer mentor. (Baseline=13)




Acquiring of
print/electronic resources
available for faculty
professional development
Funding available for
attending conferences
Funding available for
innovative practices through
a min-grant program
Creation of local
certification program for
faculty in the areas of
enhancing student learning
and in advising
2. Establish Enhanced First
Year Advising program:
 Increase student
participation in retention
management system
 Increase faculty
participation in retention
management system
 Provide enhanced advising
resources for advisors and
students including on-line
tutorials for academic
planning to help students
get the most from their
advisors
make use of resources
in the FCT.
38% of
studentsentering fall
2013 will be on track
to graduate in 6 years.
70% of faculty use
MAP-works for
advising
55% of first year
students surveyed
will indicate they are
accessing on-line
tutorials about
academic planning
35% of first year
students will be
working with a peer
mentor during their
first year.
3. Establish a Student
Learning Commons:
 Provide increase student
access to peer mentoring
 Increase student access to
support for student active
learning within their classes
 Enhance the physical
location where students can
access support services
Institutional Management
Goal 2: Identify
Objective 10: By September
and remove
2018, 80% of policies and
policies and
procedures will have been
procedures that
reviewed for their potential
unnecessarily act impact on degree
as barriers to
completion.(Baseline=0)
degree
completion
4. Manage Barriers:
 Staff in the Office for
Advising, Retention and
Orientation will facilitate an
analysis of students’
individual academic and
personal needs, including
‘momentum points’ in
80% of campus
policies and
procedures that
impact degree
completion will be
reviewed and
appropriate
recommendation
Goal 3: Improve
cost efficiency in
use of Learning
Management
System (LMS)
Objective 11: By September
2018, 100% of faculty who
use LMS will be using
Moodle. (Baseline=0).
student progression to
degree completion and
review policy and
procedures in terms of their
potential impact on them
5. Convert to open-source
LMS:
 Begin process of converting
to Moodle as we approach
end of current license with
Blackboard™
will have been made.
100% of faculty who
use LMS in their
classes will be using
Moodle.