Creating a
Statewide Culture
of Student
Success
2013 ACCT Leadership
Congress
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2
Presenters
 Paul Gabriel, Executive Director, Wisconsin Technical
College District Boards Association
 Morna Foy, President, Wisconsin Technical College
System
 Dr. Lori Weyers, President, Northcentral Technical
College
 Dr. Keith Cornille, Vice President of Student
Development, Madison College
 Dr. Laurie Borowicz, Vice President of Student
Services, Northcentral Techncial College,
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Wisconsin Technical College
System
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History: Wisconsin’s Student
Success Initiative
 2010 Summit on Completion – ACCT Toronto
 2011 Symposium on Student Success: generating a Policy
Action Agenda – ACCT Dallas
 2012 Shaping the Policy Action Agenda – Wisconsin Trustee
Student Success Workshop with ACCT Staff (January, 2012)
 State association collaborative efforts with college
presidents, instructional leaders, student services leaders
(2012 to present)
 Adoption of the ACCT Board Policy Action Agenda (all 16
Wisconsin college boards) (2012-13)
 Statewide “Celebration of Student Success” – Statewide
trustee association event with state leaders, presidents and
college student success leaders (April, 2013)
 State trustee association 2014 strategic initiatives (August,
2013, Board Retreat)
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Student Success Initiative
Collaboration – How did we get
started?
WTC Boards
Association
Interagency
Committee
Student
Services
Administrators
Presidents
Association
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Presidents’ Association student
success strategic plan
A. Collaborate with the WTC District Boards
Association Interagency Committee to
advance a common understanding of
student success for WTCS students.
B. Assess the work of ACCT’s national Student
Success initiative and share Wisconsin’s
best practice when appropriate.
C. Track and report WTCS student success
through appropriate measures.
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Student Success framework Student Services Administrators
1. Identify current WTCS college best practices
in student success
2. Develop a framework of student success
I.
Provide a common definition of student
success
II. Create a glossary of terms
III. Determine indicators and measures of
student success
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Student Success framework
development
 Leadership request of Student Services
Administrators (SSA)
 Examine national models and existing research on
student success, including CCA, AACC, ACCT
 Assessment of WTCS best practices in student
success (presented July 2012)
 Student Services Administrators bi-weekly conference
calls
 Collaboration / discussion with instructional services
administrators, presidents, WTCS office staff, other
WTCS leadership groups.
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WTCS Best Practices in Student
Success
Effective student success and retention programs
are:
 Coordinated
 Highly structured
 Integrated
 Intentional, and
 Create welcoming and supportive
environments
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WTCS Best Practices in Student
Success
Common driving themes of student success:
1. Academic environment
2. Student support programs and services
3. Institutional commitment
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Outcome I: Common definition
of student success
In the Wisconsin Technical College System
(WTCS), a student is defined as being
successful when they achieve their
educational goal. Indicators of student
success including the WTCS measures of
course completion, retention, program
completion, transfer and/or job placement.
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Outcome II: Glossary of common
terms
Developed to ensure common understanding for
stakeholder groups
Example of terms defined:
 Customized & continuing education training
 Pre-college courses
 Retention
 Persistence Successful course completion
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Outcome III: Indicators of
student success
1. Course completion
Number/percent of successful course completers
2. Retention/Persistence
Number / percent of students retained from fall to spring
semester
Number / percent of students retained from fall to following fall
semester
The number / percent of students transitioning from ABE/ELL
and GED courses to post-secondary courses
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Outcome III: Indicators of
student success (cont.)
3. Program Completion/Graduation
Number/percent of program students graduating in 3 years, 5
years
Number/percent of certificate graduates
4. Transition
Number percent of students transferring to another WTCS
college, other 2 or 4 year public or private university prior to
program completion
5. Job Placement
Number/percent of program students that attain employment in
their field of study 6 months and 5 years after graduating
Average wages of program graduates 6 months and 5 years
after graduating.
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Next steps
Establish metrics for indicators of student success
 Subcommittee representing WTCS office,
Presidents, Instruction, Student Services, and
Institutional Research Leaders.
 Crosswalk indicators with other key initiatives
(WTCS strategic directions, performance
measures)
 Examine existing data measures, identify gaps
 Set goals and benchmarks
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Making it happen




Clear expectations for leadership
Commitment of time
Communicate with stakeholder groups
Collaborate with other groups to solicit feedback
and secure buy-in
Current Status of
Performance Funding in
States
Implementing
Development/Interest
ME
WA
ND
MT
VT
NH
MN
OR
ID
NY
WI
SD
PA
IA
NE
OH
NV
UT
CT RI
MI
WY
CA
IL
IN
VA
KY
MO
NC
TN
OK
NM
SC
AR
MS
TX
AL
GA
LA
FL
AK
HI
*as of 7/26/2013, source: NCSL & HCM Strategists
NJ
DE
WV
CO
KS
AZ
MA
MD
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Student Success and State
Performance-Based Funding
 Proactive approach with governor and state policymakers.
 Proposed performance based funding in budget request
to Governor.
 Governor included our recommendations in budget bill;
adopted by legislature with additional criteria and
improvements.
 Proactive approach to defining performance based on
what is important and what we can measure and already
measure.
 Ongoing collaborative process to implement the new law.
 Complementary with over-arching focus on student
success.
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Trustee Takeaways
 Student success drives community and
technical colleges
 Accountability is here to stay; embrace it
 Be proactive with policymakers and the public
 Be collaborative
 One size of success does not fit all (the problem
with “completion”)
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Thank you for attending
For additional information contact
Morna Foy: morna.foy@wtcsystem.edu
Paul Gabriel: pgabriel@districtboards.org
Lori Weyers: weyers@ntc.edu
Keith Cornille: kCornille@madisoncollege.edu
Laurie Borowicz: borowiczl@ntc.edu