Promoting a Culture of Persistence & High Expectations – SAT Subcommittee Report
Respectfully submitted by: Alan Clarke, Nikki Crees, Sherry Alusow Hart, Michael Krenn, Kathleen Lynch-Davis, Clark
Maddux, and Tracey Tardiff, Chair
Overview
Our Student Achievement Team subcommittee has been meeting since early fall semester to determine best practices
and recommendations for promoting a culture of persistence and high expectations at Appalachian State University.
Through our review of the Finish in Four Report and best practices at other institutions, we determined four areas in
which to focus our further research and recommendations: enhanced four-year academic planning; the sophomore
year experience; communicating persistence throughout the institution; and an office or coordinator of retention
management.
The recommendations below for promoting a culture of persistence and high expectations include an implementation
plan and the rationale for the recommendation based on our discussions, research, and the previous work of the Finish
in Four committee.
Recommendation 1 (Four Year Planning):
All undergraduate academic degree programs should include a four-year planning template with their program of study.
For ease of access, these plans should be uploaded on programsofstudy.appstate.edu.
Implementation: The University College Academic Advising and Orientation Center (AAOC) will have an advisor
liaison with every academic department and degree program on campus. The AAOC will communicate with all
academic departments to request four-year plans along with 2013 programs of study. The Associate ViceChancellor for Enrollment Management and the academic deans will request four-year plans from all
undergraduate degree programs in order to more effectively use the Degree Works planning tool.
Rationale: Through a review of Appalachian’s 189 undergraduate degree programs, we determined that 66
programs do not have a published four-year plan to assist students in degree planning. More than 1/3 of all
degree programs lack this essential planning tool that could assist students in mapping out a four year plan of
study. The purchase of Degree Works is also a critical component in our rationale. Degree Works has a planning
tool that will not only assist students in planning future coursework, but will also assist administration in course
availability. If students can identify when they plan to take a particular course, we can do a better job of
allocating resources for course availability. Four-year plans across all undergraduate degree programs are
essential in supporting this Degree Works functionality.
Recommendation 2 (Four Year Planning & Sophomore Year Experience):
Increase the emphasis on academic planning as it relates to choosing a major and the career development process
during both freshman and sophomore years; in particular ASU should consider establishing initiatives aimed specifically
at second year students including Career Fairs; Major Fairs; and a required Sophomore Orientation Program.
Implementation: The 2013-2014 Advising Planner includes enhanced information on major selection and career
development. The Academic Advising and Orientation Center has partnered with Career Development to create
a two-page spread in the Advising Planner called “Career Development is a Four Year Process.” It clearly
outlines action items for each year related to developing a personal major and career plan. Career Development
should enhance their Career Fair to introduce sophomores to the possibilities for employment; this could lead to
Major Fairs where second year students could learn more about the requirements for each major and how these
might (or might not) help them with their career goals. The Sophomore Orientation should be mandatory. This
orientation is designed to introduce students to the challenges and opportunities that await them in their
second year. This would also be a great opportunity for programs such as Service Learning and Study Abroad to
begin recruiting interested students. Perhaps, representatives from academic departments could begin
discussions with these students about their academic futures, so that students can identify their interests and
strengths and match those with appropriate careers and applicable majors.
Rationale: While a great deal of discussion has recently arisen around the topic of the first year experience for
Appalachian State University students, less has been said about the equally important second year experience.
Studies reveal that it is during the second year of their college careers that many students are making the critical
decisions that will influence their ability to finish in four: choosing their major and/or preliminary planning for
their careers after college. These are critical choices; the recent senior exit survey for ASU students revealed
that the largest reason by far (nearly 40%) that students gave for not finishing their degree programs in four
years was changing majors.
Recommendation 3 (Sophomore Year Experience):
ASU should strengthen and expand current housing for second year students.
Implementation: ASU should actively promote and encourage second year students to join the sophomore
residential learning community that already exists and establish additional residence hall arrangements for
second year students
Rationale: Many campuses with SYE provide either separate residence halls for their second year students or
set aside certain areas of existing dormitories specifically for second year students. The benefits of this
approach are many: (1) sophomore students have a space in which to bond with other second year students to
share problems, issues, and opportunities. It often seems that after the FYE, students are left to their own
devices to navigate through the university system. (2) Having sophomore students in specific living areas will
provide opportunities for specially designed programs that deal with issues relevant to second year students—
career choices; picking a major—or programs introducing second year students to other programs such as
Service Learning in more depth.
Recommendation 4 (Sophomore Year Experience):
ASU should establish a course requirement for second year students. We recommend that this course requirement be
generated from the existing General Education structure.
Implementation: These courses, in addition to the normal content, are expected to deal with issues confronting
second year students, particularly the issues of career/major choices. It requires the identification of courses
and instructors willing to take on the additional requirement of helping second year students choose their major
and start thinking more concretely about their careers. For example, a section of ENG 2001 could be aimed
specifically at those students considering a major and/or career in the natural sciences. Some of the readings
and the research assignments would be specifically targeted for these students
Rationale: A second year experience course demonstrates Appalachian’s commitment to guiding students
beyond their first year. In short, these courses would be considered stepping off points for second year students
as they begin to pick their ultimate major and their career plans. See above rationale for recommendation 2.
Recommendation 5 (Communication Plan):
Communication to Families
Make persistence and “finish in four” an over-arching and continuous theme of Orientation and all communication with
families.
Implementation: Because Appalachian State University is often described as a family, use the idea that “We are
a family that values your student’s success” in every communication: ASU’s commitment to timely completion
should be in every signature line of emails to parents, available to them on the University website, and
embedded in every written letter.
1. Explain to families and students how mistakes in planning often lead to a longer college career and how any
student’s chosen major can lead to success. Orientation and departmental communications should
emphasize that any major can prepare a student for multiple career paths.
2. During Orientation systematically emphasize the keys to student success by drawing on MAP Works and
NSSE data.
3. Prepare materials and an Orientation presentation that demonstrates how the financial burden on students
and families increases with failure finish in four.
4. Emphasize that timely completion depends upon taking 15-18 hours per semester.
Rationale: Families and students often fail to recognize the importance of finishing in a timely manner and fail
to consider how not completing a degree in four years leads to greater financial hardship, less likelihood of
student success, and difficulty in establishing a promising start to a career. A two-pronged effort to keep these
facts in front of families—emphasizing that ASU cares about students’ success and reminding families of the
value of timely completion—will encourage family involvement in students’ degree planning and completion.
Communication to Students:
Keep “finish in four” and persistence in front of students throughout their matriculation.
Implementation: Appalnet already provides a well-situated reminder of the availability of Degree Works and
the “Finish in Four” aim. Capitalize on this beginning by having automated banners that will alter depending
upon the academic calendar. Students should be prompted when they log onto Appalnet with questions such as
(depending upon the time of the semester): “Have you checked your degree plan?” “Have you registered for a
full 15 hours for next semester?” “Have you spoken with your advisor?” “Have you filed for graduation?” etc.
1. As part of First Year Orientation and continuing into at least the sophomore year, use peer conversations to
establish timely completion as a common goal.
2. Employ a banner at Orientation and open houses which declares that “finishing in four is something we all
do together” (or words to that effect).
3. As part of the continuing plan to develop a robust sophomore experience, use the question of “Why did you
come to college?” as a guiding inquiry for the sophomore program.
4. Provide students with a four year plan for every chosen major so that they can see at a glimpse how they
will complete in a timely manner.
Rationale: Students will respond to a culture of persistence shared by their peers, so efforts to make timely
completion a shared enterprise will make them feel a part of a larger aim. We want to communicate to students
not only the practical value of timely completion, but encourage them to see themselves as part of a cohort and
a community whose vitality emerges from completing together. At the same time, using every available means
to remind students of way stations on their path to completion will help them develop a sense of purpose and to
adhere to a plan. Finally, permitting an ongoing examination of how a student thinks about his or her college
career into their second year will promote a sense of purpose as they continue to move into their major field.
Communicating with Faculty:
Promote and encourage faculty involvement and participation in student success through a series of measured,
intentional, and strategic initiatives.
Implementation:
1. (Immediate) Have the Provost address Faculty Senate, identifying the issue of student persistence and
soliciting recommendations from the Senate.
2. (Fall Semester) The Provost and Chancellor should hold a series of “Listening Meetings” with every College
and these meetings should concentrate on two questions:
a. What is preventing students in your college from succeeding in a timely manner?
b. What do we do about it?
3. (Spring Semester) Based on answers to these questions, in the succeeding semester, hold a “College
Completion” Academy. Participants should be Provost, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, deans,
chairs, and enthusiastic faculty. Have each College, over a two-day on-campus retreat, develop one course
of action that will encourage success in their college. Have upper administrators and deans pick the most
promising for immediate pilot. Pay a small stipend to faculty who attend.
4. (Ongoing) Target courses with high D/F/W rates for redesign. Use a series of mini-grants to encourage
faculty redesign of these courses. Have faculty submit proposals for redesign, which could evaluated by
administrators and senior faculty (perhaps in Faculty Senate, or by Deans in the Academic Deans’ Council)
5. (Ongoing) Recognize faculty at biannual faculty meetings and in monthly Provost’s meetings who are
exemplary in encouraging student success. Faculty can be identified by chairs and deans and select ones can
be signally recognized by the Provost or Chancellor.
Rationale:
1. People easily resist initiatives, if they don’t see themselves as stakeholders in the process. If the Provost
encourages and maintains faculty participation in this process beginning now and on a continuing basis, the
primary university members who interact with students will be more likely to carry a message of promoting
student success to the students themselves. Beginning with the recognized leaders of faculty—the faculty
senate—emphasizes the integral role they have to play in the success of this and other initiatives.
2. By carrying a similar message of collaboration and partnership to each College, the Provost and Chancellor
can encourage faculty input into ideas for change and can engage in a dialogue that will promote
collaboration.
3. A retreat focused on student success and persistence will not only allow the free exchange of ideas to
promote student success but will allow the Provost and other senior administrators to target the most
promising ideas for implementation. This means that, at least in some measure, the ideas developed will be
owned by the faculty and colleges even before they are put into practice.
4. The Provost and Chancellor can and should emphasize that course redesign does not mean lessening
academic rigor: it simply means identifying what doesn’t work in high-risk courses and finding better ways
to engage students. The criteria used for selection of mini-grants should also emphasize this core value.
Again, by engaging senior leaders or faculty senate in evaluation of mini-grants, faculty will see themselves
as partners in the process.
5. Never underestimate the value of explicitly recognizing success.
Recommendation 6 (Office of Retention):
Create an Office of Retention and Persistence at Appalachian State University.
Implementation: Goals for an office of student retention and persistence:
 Provide services and programs that allow students to transition from high school to college, as well as
freshman to sophomore years.
 Develop communication tools to inform students of campus resources and programs to support student
success.
 Maintain open communication with faculty, staff and parents about issues and resources pertaining to
student retention.
Steps for implementation include:
 Step 1: Identify a director.
 Step 2: Identify programs (existing or not) and student support services that may benefit from being
housed in this structure.
 Step 3: Create the office.
Acquire a Graduate Assistant for the 2013-2014 academic-year; one assignment for this student will be to work
one-on-one with students who need support in designing/coordinating their academic and career development
plan. We will model this after the COB Career Services grad students.
Rationale: An Office of Retention and Persistence would provide an existing structure to house support services
that assist with student retention and persistence. Centralized services would provide students a one-stop shop
to engage in the types of supports and support staff that would be beneficial to their specific need. Student
engagement in the university is key to retention and persistence, “how the institution deploys its resources and
organizes the curriculum, other learning opportunities, and support services to induce students to participate in
activities that lead to experiences and desired outcomes such as persistence, satisfaction, learning, and
graduation" (Tinto, as cited in Harper & Quaye, 2009, p. 3).