Educational Effectiveness Review
Opportunity

Appendix B3

THE STUDENT SUCCESS TASK FORCE

The Student Success Task Force, commissioned by President Welty in spring 2003, recommended several initiatives that have the potential to immediately strengthen student success as reflected in retention and graduation rates.

A subcommittee composed of faculty and staff members is currently in the process of developing implementation plans for the following initiatives.

1. Mandatory Orientation – All new students entering the university in fall 2004 will be required to participate in new student orientation either on-site or online.
2. Learning Communities – The subcommittee is in the process of identifying pairs of courses to be linked and planning activities to support faculty who will teach in the learning communities.
3. Mentor Institute – The institute will combine and refocus the efforts of the Faculty Mentoring program and University One class. Under this initiative all new students will have an opportunity to be matched with a trained mentor.
4. Road Maps to Graduation – A template for the Road Maps and a web page from which to serve them have been developed.
5. Intrusive Advising – Students are advised to declare a major by 45 units and must declare no later than 60 units. By 75 units, students meet with an advisor to review their Road Map to graduation. The Office of Advising Services is working with Career Services to develop a comprehensive plan to assist students with making an informed decision about a major and career.
6. Exit Interviews – An exit interview for students withdrawing from the university has been initiated. The office of Academic Enhancement Services implemented this initiative in November of 2002. The preliminary data suggest that the most commonly cited reasons for withdrawing from the university are financial problems, health-related issues, family crises, and personal reasons. More than one in five withdrawing students cited job or work-related issues. Academic difficulties were a factor with 15% of the students. Nearly 62% of withdrawing students indicated an intention to return to the university the following academic term, and 79% intended to return at least sometime in the future. Only one-tenth had no intention to return to the university.

Academic advising is important to student success and the institution’s productivity. Providing more intrusive intervention strategies, comprehensive approaches to engage students and build a sense of community, and clearer paths to graduation will enhance the Fresno State experience and result in higher student persistence and graduation rates.

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