Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Minority Recruitment/Retention Plan
2009-2010 Academic Year
June 30, 2010
Submitted by
Debby King, Ed.D., Vice Chancellor for Instruction
Lynn Boone, Vice Chancellor for Student Services

I.
NUMBER OF MINORITY STUDENT WHO CURRENTLY ATTEND
INSTITUTION
During the Fall of 2009, 2,282 students enrolled at PCCUA and during the Spring of
2010 a total of 1,978 students enrolled. Of that population enrolled, 34.6% were minority females and 32% were white females, 19.6 % were white males and 13.4 % were minority males. The predominant minority population at PCCUA (as defined by the
Higher Education Act of 1971 which was reauthorized in 1965, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980,
1986, 1992, 1998, and 2008) is African-American and there is little diversity among our college minority population. (See Table 1)
Table 1: Minority Student Enrollment
Ethnicity Fall 2009
Race/Ethnicity Male Female Total
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Am Ind
White
3
283
24
3
432
8
766
24
4
735
11
1049
48
7
1167
Male
2
243
15
2
405
Spring 2010 Total
Female Total
9
645
17
3
11
888
32
5
637 1042
UK
745 1537
0
2282 667 1311
0
1978
II.
NUMBER AND POSITION TITLE OF MINORITY FACULTY AND
0
4260
22
1937
80
12
2209
STAFF WHO CURRENTLY WORK FOR THE INSTITUTION.
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PCCUA works to ensure that when a qualified minority candidate in a faculty or staff position quits or retires, the College replaces that position with a qualified minority candidate. Recruiting qualified minority faculty and staff is a college priority because
PCCUA has such a high minority population. Furthermore, because of efforts to promote the student success agenda, PCCUA has attempted to actively recruit more African-
American faculty. The number of faculty positions remains somewhat static, probably due to declining enrollment. The increase in the minority staff positions is related to an increase in the number of positions available in student support programs (Career
Pathways and Achieving the Dream). It is especially difficult to find qualified minority applicants in mathematics, science, and nursing. In fact, it is difficult to find any qualified mathematics applicant. (See Table 2)
Table 2: 2007-2008 Full Time Faculty and Staff by Minority Status
Minority Total Faculty Minority Total Staff
2002-2003
Faculty
14 68
Staff
44 126
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-09
2009-2010
14
10
9
10
14
13
14
74
72
73
74
72
79
79
44
46
42
53
53
55
57
132
128
124
137
139
147
150
III.
NUMBER AND POSITION TITLE OF MINORITY FACULTY AND
STAFF WHO BEGAN WORKING AT THE INSTITUTION THE PAST
YEAR.
Three new minority faculty were hired during the 2009-10 academic year. One employee was changed from a staff to a faculty position. PCCUA has only one faculty classification
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so there are no titles in this category. The staff positions are Career Service Counselors
(3), and an Adult Education Director/Counselor (1). See Table 3)
Table 3: Faculty and Staff Hired in the 2009-10 Academic Year
Minority Faculty Minority Staff
2009-2010 3 4
IV.
PROGRESS MADE IN MEETING INSTITUTIONAL GOALS AND
OJECTIVES RELATED TO THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF
MINORITY STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF.
IV-A: Include any new strategies or activities that have been added for the coming year and the indicators/benchmarks that will be used to determine success in meeting any new objectives.
1.
Institutional Background
PCCUA is a three campus college with a high minority student population and an enrollment of approximately 2,130 students per semester. It is located in rural Eastern
Arkansas, and it serves some of the poorest communities in the United States (36% of all residents and about 48% of all children live in poverty). Although access to college is possible for almost any student who wants to attend, completion of college is very difficult for many students. Through Achieving the Dream (AtD), Title III, Student
Support Services and Career Pathways; PCCUA has been able to assist more students in completing their college education.
PCCUA tracks achievement gaps among students with specific characteristics such as gender, race, and enrollment status. Benchmarks based on data from 2004-2007
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academic years helps the college determine if efforts to reduce performance gaps between
African-American students placed in remedial courses and white students in those same courses have been successful. The college also examines other student characteristics such as gender and enrollment status.
The five AtD goals have become the PCCUA goals for measuring student success.
Goal A: PCCUA will improve retention of students with a specific emphasis on minority retention.
Goal B: PCCUA will improve and increase minority recruitment and retention strategies which improve the likelihood of student success.
Goal C: PCCUA will continue to increase the number of minorities among the faculty, staff, and students.
Goal D: PCCUA will continue to review recruitment, admission and retention efforts in order to increase minority student population on all three campuses.
Goal E: PCCUA will seek qualified applicants for review to increase the opportunities of appointing a minority to the PCCUA Board of Visitors when a position becomes available.
2.
Institutional Goals and Objectives for recruitment and Retention of Minority
Students, Staff, Faculty, and Board Members. ( Information about Faculty and
Staff- See Table 2 and 3)
PCCUA has implemented specific strategies for recruitment and retention of students.
Data collected from a benchmark cohort of students attending PCCUA during the 2004-
2006 academic years, has been used as the basis for comparison of 2008-1010 student
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enrollment The PCCUA goals are supported by specific strategies to improve student performance and retention.
Goal A: PCCUA will improve retention of students with a specific emphasis on minority retention .
Goal B: PCCUA will improve and increase minority recruitment and retention strategies which improve the likelihood of student success.
Strategy 1: PCCUA implemented supplemental learning (SL) labs for DS 103 and DS
123 (developmental reading), EH 1013, EH 1023 (developmental writing), and MS 1013,
MS 1023, MS 1123 (developmental math).
Strategy 2: PCCUA faculty instructing developmental education courses participate in an Early Alert System (EAS) which provides early feedback to students about their progress in the course. The system encourages class attendance and early academic assessment so that students may receive help before they are failing.
Strategy 3: PCCUA implemented two student success classes in the 2009-10 academic year. The courses establish a strong learning community for students and provide an overview of academic and life skills needed for college survival , a nd both courses are linked to English courses. Basic Writing II, EH-1023 is linked to Student Success I, SS-
101 and was implemented in the fall of 2009 , and Freshman English I, EH-113 a
"gatekeeper" course is linked to Student Success II, SS -111 and was implemented in the
Spring of 2010. All students enrolled in either Basic Writing II or Freshman English I are required to enroll in the linked course for that specific level. The courses are led by achievement coaches and provide survival skills training for academics, life skills, and financial literacy. In addition, the coaches in the Student Success courses refer students to
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appropriate services on the campus such as tutoring, Student Support Services, career services, Career Pathways, and financial aid. There is limited data to share about the outcomes of this intervention; however, it is believed that this will have a positive impact on minority retention.
Actions to Facilitate Strategies
PCCUA provides training for all faculty, especially to those teaching developmental education courses. All faculty are active in the assessment of students and the college and in the remediation planning for student instruction and support. Nine developmental education faculty attend planning sessions, and are provided with numerous opportunities to attend workshops and conferences which demonstrate models of “best practices” in supplemental learning, Early Alert programs, minority retention and remediation.
Goal C: PCCUA will continue to increase the number of minorities among the faculty, staff, and students.
Strategy 1: PCCUA has decreased the number of minority faculty by three instructors and the staff by four. It is difficult to attract qualified instructors and staff to Phillips
County. this is especially true for qualified minority instructors. Several factors make recruitment difficult: salaries are low, the region is rural, there is a high poverty level, and illiteracy is prominent.
PCCUA has a high female population and most faculty and staff positions are held by women.
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Table 4: Minority Faculty and Staff by Gender
Men
Position FT PT FT
Women
PT
22 FACULTY
STAFF
Executive
Support
12
2
16 57
1 21
13 59
38
0
40
79
FT
Total
33
61
Technical
Skilled
6
6
2
0
10
0
1
0
16
6
3
0
Service 21 7 11 3 32 10
Total 69 39 158 82 227
Goal D: PCCUA will continue to review recruitment, admission and retention
121
PT
54
1
53 efforts in order to increase minority student population on all three campuses.
PCCUA has established retention and student success as an institutional priority and as one of four strategic planning directions. There is a need to take action in retaining more
African-American students and that will be part of the 2010-2011 work agenda for the
PCCUA Student Success Committee. It is important to retain all students and the most critical need at PCCUA is to provide a positive learning environment and support the effort to increase the number of students who complete certificates and degrees.
The 2008-09 academic year demonstrated significant improvement in student success and in reducing performance gaps among African-American students and white students. The
2009-10 year did not demonstrate the same level of success. The math faculty are trying to identify factors which contribute to success and the College plans to provide a focus group session at each math level to seek student input into what they perceive to work best in the instructional environment.
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Table 5: African American students provided with supplemental instruction in developmental math, reading, and/or writing are more likely to complete the course with a
"C" or better.
Course
2004-06 Cohort
African
American
White Other
2008-2009 Cohort
African
American
White Other
2009-2010 Cohort
African
American
White Other
Developmental Reading
DS-103
(134/299)
45%
(82/137)
60%
(6/10)
60%
(21/33)
64%
(4/5)
80%
(2/4)
50%
(30/55)
55%
(6/12)
50%
(1/1)
100%
(22/26)
85%
(15/17)
88%
(0/0)
0%
(37/49)
76%
(29/39)
74% NA
DS-123
Developmental Writing
EH-1013
(113/191
) 59%
(36/57)
63%
(3/3)
100%
(25/36)
69%
(5/5)
100%
(2/2)
100%
(32/59)
54%
(12/19)
63% NA
EH-1023
(128/197
) 65%
(87/114)
76%
(8/11)
73%
(24/29)
83%
(13/15)
87%
(0/4)
0%
(36/53)
70%
(32/38)
84% NA
EH-113
(184/292
) 63%
Developmental Math
MS-1013
(192/380
) 51%
(263/338
) 78%
(159/222
) 72%
(10/17)
59%
(6/11)
55%
(20/26)
77%
(33/49)
77%
(39/45)
87%
(18/23)
78%
(2/2)
100%
(3/5)
60%
(30/52)
58%
(51/101)
50%
(62/82)
76% (0/1) 0%
(33/53)
62% NA
MS-1023
MS-1123
(120/281
) 43%
(75/166)
45%
(115/175
) 66%
(92/174)
53%
(9/10)
90%
(3/6)
50%
(19/25)
76%
(7/9)
78%
(11/13)
85%
(12/15)
80%
(1/1)
100%
(3/3)
100%
(26/52)
50%
(13/23)
57%
(35/47)
74%
(20/29)
69%
(1/1)
100%
(1/1)
100%
MS-123
(76/118)
64%
(147/206
) 71%
(7/11)
64%
(7/9)
73%
(11/19)
58%
(0/0)
0%
(11/14)
79%
(19/31)
61% NA
Example (2008-2009 Cohort): Of the 33 African American students who enrolled in DS-103 2008FAL,
21 earned >=C
Goal E: PCCUA will seek qualified applicants for review to increase the opportunities of appointing a minority to the PCCUA Board of Visitors when a position becomes available.
Both the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and the PCCUA Board of Visitors has the same number of minority representatives on its Board as it had last year. This year an
African-American male BOV member resigned and was replaced by an African-American male.
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Table 7: Governing Board Minority Representation
Governing Boards Total Board
U of A Board of Trustees 10
Minority Representation
02 (1 African-American male, 1 white female)
PCCUA Board of Visitors 12 03 (1 African-American male, 2
African-American females, 2 white females)
3.
Strategies for Achieving Minority Recruitment and Retention Goals
PCCUA has taken numerous steps to improve the minority recruitment and retention goals. PCCUA’s effort to involve all stakeholders has resulted in broad engagement of faculty and staff. The College is fortunate to have committed leadership, and a hard working faculty with a vision of what PCCUA needs to do to assist students with completing their goals. PCCUA is using its qualitative and quantitative data to make informed decisions about instruction. This is a difficult and time consuming task.
PCCUA has found surveys such as the CCSSE and the CCSFSE, and SENSE have helped the college identify a need to provide stronger more focused advising. It has also helped faculty identify areas of strength and weakness. Faculty has identified engagement as an important contributor to student success and retention. This summer
Patrick Henry Community College Engagement experts will provide and Student
Engagement workshop for faculty.
Using PCCUA staff development funds and Carl Perkins funds, the college faculty were provided with copies of Understanding and Engaging Under-Resourced College Students by Becker, Krodel, and Tucker. The dialogue from the four campus based discussion
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about this book have been enlightening. It has also challenged college faculty about their values, attitudes, and beliefs.
4. Strategies and Assessment
Based on data identified by faculty and staff, PCCUA continues to identify high enrollment low success courses. This paired with faculty discussions has allowed
PCCUA to focus on developmental education and increasing retention and completion of courses and degrees by students who have faced barriers to success based on race or gender.
IV-B: Include your timeline, budget, and methods used to assess and monitor
progress.
Timeline for Work
Supplemental Instruction Strategy F/S LEAD STAFF
Strategy I Supplemental Instruction-mandatory lab.
Continue training Ongoing Developmental
Education Faculty
Strategy II Early Alert System
Absenteeismreduce absenteeism in the classroom
Expand Early Alert to all faculty requiring documentation of absenteeism using the campus referral system.
Identify the number of students who withdraw or who receive and EW in developmental courses (this has been mandatory for
Developmental Education faculty).
Academic Intervention
Require early assessment of student learning by faculty (third week).
Require faculty to inform students of their academic status by the third week of classes.
Ensure that faculty refer students for tutoring if the student is not succeeding or assuming the responsibility for student tutoring.
Increase Research Capacity
Ongoing Faculty, Deans,
VC for
Instruction
Ongoing Faculty,
Advisors, Early
Alert
In Progress Deans, VC for
Instruction
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Continue to train faculty for data analysis to increase research capacity.
Ongoing
Faculty Engagement
Budget
There is no specific budget in place. Several budgets target recruitment and retention.
Numerous activities at PCCUA assist with retention (tutoring, advising). An estimated cost analysis is provided.
Materials and Supplies
CCSSE, SENSE and other survey related work sessions $10,000
Deans, VC for
Instruction, faculty. DIR
Professional Development
PCCUA provides professional development funds for faculty and staff to attend the ATD
Conference and other conferences which focus on working with students to increase student success and retention issues. $33,000
Recruitment and Retention
Recruitment for replacement of minority positions
Total Budget
$ 4,000
$47,000
Assessment
PCCUA uses a team of people composed of the Vice Chancellor for Instruction, the
Campus Vice Chancellors, the Vice Chancellor for Student Services and the President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate to determine if the recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students is effective. This group examines the minority recruitment and retention plan, its accomplishments. Program directors of the three initiatives which
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focus on student success are also included (Career Pathways, Title III, and Achieving the
Dream). PCCUA also uses a sophisticated logic model which assists with evaluating performance outcomes. (See Attachment A)
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Attachment A
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