UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

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UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE

• A Freshman
• Neighborhood Built Around Effective Advisement

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AREAS OF CONCERN FOR TEXAS

• Generation of Failure ... - 40 of high school
  graduates underprepared to do college level work
  Cost of remediation continues to rise
• Poor retention rate to the sophomore year
• Texas trails nation in the number of college
  graduates  per capita

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IS PART OF THE SOLUTION
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126 Year OLD SOLUTIONS TO NEW PROBLEMS

• High expectations! Raise the academic bar!
• Structured, rigorous academic environment that
  provides academic advisement, academic
  enhancement and support!
• Supportive, holistic student services!
• A residential environment that reflects the
  institutions educational mission!

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ACCESS
Academy for Collegiate Excellence and Student
Success

• Value Added for PVAMU Texas
• Reduced Remedial Education
• Increased Retention Graduation Rates
• Creative Teaching

Under-Prepared Student

• Math Reading Enhancement
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Study / Test Taking Skills
• Motivation Confidence-Building
• Computer Skills
• Leadership Social Development

College-Ready Student
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ACCESS COMPONENTS/STRATEGIES

• SUMMER COMPONENT (Academic Bootcamp)
• Academic Enhancement
• Structured Residential Environment
• Advisement (Academic/Major)
• Student Support Services
• FRESHMAN COMPONENT (University College)
• Advisement (Academic/Major)
• Student Support Services
• Structured Residential Environment (1998)
• Academic Enhancement

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ACCESS SUCCESSTHECB Star Award Winner 2003
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ACCESS ?Panther Living and Academic Community
Experience (The PLACE)
1998 400 Students
1999 600 Students

• A Cross Section Of The Freshman Class
• Advisement
• Academic Enhancement
• Centralized Support Services
• Residential Learning Community

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STUDENT-CENTERED UNIVERSITY

• The ethical imperative that guides the
  student- centered university is that students be
  treated as ends in themselves, not as means to
  other ends such as the institutions financial
  health or the well being of departments.
• Considers the consequences for students of
  programs and policies
• Organizes itself to help the individual student
  attain full academic potential
• Provides a meaningful curriculum for students
• Assesses courses/programs in terms of student
  learning
• Ensures the appropriate level of challenge and
  support for the students it admits

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STUDENT-CENTERED UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

• An increasing number of higher education
• institutions include a structure that effectively
• contributes to promoting the qualities of a
• student-centered university university college,
• general division, undergraduate studies, etc.
  This
• unit typically focuses on first year students
• Provides first lessons in understanding what a
• university is
• Teaches the language of higher education
• Introduces students to the breadth of the
  universitys offerings
• Has an institution-wide perspective
• Acts as a change agent
• Often includes advisement

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ACCESS-gtUNIVERSITY COLLEGE
The statistical and anecdotal successes of
ACCESS demonstrated that the core objectives and
strategies of this program had implications
beyond a small group of at-risk freshmen. This
realization was the impetus behind The PLACE.
The successes of these two programs led to the
vision of University College serving ALL PVAMU
freshmen University College is a freshman
neighborhood that provides a comprehensive
living and learning experience. It is a
supportive, structured environment that includes
holistic advisement, centralized support
services, referrals, academic enhancement and a
residential setting that stresses academic
success and teamwork.
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University College Staff Organization Chart
FY05-06
Indicates positions that report directly to the
UC Executive Director
Indicates positions that are currently vacant.
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UC ACADEMIC TEAM (UCAT)

• Professional Advisor
• 100-120 Students
• Learning Community Manager
• 2 Community Assistants
• Faculty Fellow
• Panther Advisor Leaders (PALS)
• American Campus Communities (ACC)

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ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT IS VALUABLE

• It is obvious that academic advising is not an
  isolated function but an integral part of the
  mission of higher education (Gordon, Habley)
• hub of each students experience on campus
  (Ender, Winston, Millow)
• Quality advising supports student learning and
  fosters student involvement in the institution
  (Kramer, Spencer)
• Except for teaching, no other college activity
  seems to enjoy more legitimacy than academic
  advising. (Lynch)

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DIVISION OF ADVISEMENT

• Holistic, appropriate, intrusive advisement
  provided by Professional Advisors (ratio 1110)
• Pre-orientation contact
• Attendance checks
• Mid-term grades
• Contracts and Education Plans
• Honors banquet
• Advisement on majors using the Holland SDS
• Centralized support services and referrals
• Co-curricular activities
• Services provided within the residential complex
  (includes commuter students)

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DIVISION OF ADVISEMENT

• Interaction with academic departments
• Faculty Advisement Coordinators (FACs)
• Selected by Dean as official POC
• Information conduit
• Faculty Fellows (FFs)
• Volunteer
• Interacts with students through hall programming
• Professional Advisor Liaisons (PAL)
• Professional Advisor who becomes expert in
  particular discipline
• University-wide training
• Staff and faculty conferences
• Departmental briefings

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ONE-STOP SUPPORT CENTER

• PAs serve as primary points of contact for
  services and referrals for student problems
• Assist UC Financial Aid Coordinator in insuring
  students paperwork is correct and completed in a
  timely manner.
• Assist students to find appropriate medical
• services.
• Refer students to appropriate mental health
• services.
• Assist students to identify and access other
• required services and resources.

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CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Work with the UCAT team to provide a variety of
co-curricular activities for the students in the
following areas

• Academic study halls, discussion groups, skills
  workshops, THEA prep classes, etc.
• Personal development leadership training,
  health/wellness classes/fairs/workshops, etc.
• Service food drives, community
• clean-up, etc.
• Social Homecoming activities,
• seasonal parties.

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DIVISION OF ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT

1999 Evaluation of PVAMU developmental education
program by Dr. Hunter Boylan, founder of the
National Center for Developmental Education. His
recommendations were implemented (re-evaluated in
2003)

• Developmental Education centralized in UC.
• Curricula totally revised and integrated.
• Time on task increased.
• Technology updated and integrated.
• Faculty training/development stressed.
• Faculty salaries increased.

• Enhancement of tutoring, SI, collaborative
• study in the Center for Academic Support
• Scholars program was also moved to UC.
• Residentially-Based Academic Enhancement
• Tutoring/Study Hall
• Computer Lab

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Residence halls are the cornerstone of our
efforts to generate a positive, academically
focused campus community. The halls are mirrors
of how we treat our students, whether we leave
them alone or invest time and resources in them
Residence Life Programs and The First-Year
Experience (A Monograph)
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DIVISION OF STUDENT LIFE

• Academically-focused residential environment
• State-of-the art residential complex designed to
  improve academics
• 102 residents per hall encourages internal study
  groups formation
• 3 lounges per building provide space for group
  study
• Computer lab on site
• Wireless access
• Multi-purpose room used for tutorials
• Theater used for classes and academic programs
  
• Mature residential staff that are part of an
  academic team one Learning Community Manager
  (LCM) and two Community Assistants (CAs) per
  building
• Advisement/academic enhancement activities
  centered in residential complex. Early
  registration is done in each hall in the PAs
  satellite office.
• Partnership with corporation

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TEAM EFFORT

• Each buildings assigned Professional Advisor
  (PA) works with the LCM and CAs to assist
  students
• Academic Monitoring
• Financial Aid/Support
• Services/Referrals
• Co-curricular Activities
• Problem Solving
• Faculty Fellow
• Increases Contact w/Faculty
• Educational Programs
• Leadership Training

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MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Since UCs opening in 2000 the retention rate of
  students living in UC has averaged 72
• Since UCs opening in 2000 the first semester GPA
  of students living
• in UC has averaged 2.4
• Star Award Finalist 2002
• Referred to as an exemplary developmental program
  in Black Issues in Higher Education
• Received FIPSE Grant for 400K to disseminate
  best practices in recruitment, retention,
  remediation and formula funding to four HBCUs
• Cited in the May 2003 GAO Report to Congressional
  Requestors, College Completion, Additional
  Efforts Could Help with Its Completion Goals.
• Exceeded national norms on the ACT Survey
• of Advisement since 1998
• Invited and selected to make presentations at
• international, national and state conferences
• on advising, retention and remediation
• Featured in Minority Retention What Works,
• Josey Bass 2005

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• Institutions have learned to do things by design
  rather than to rely on serendipity. As the great
  American philosopher of education, John Dewey,
  wrote in 1916, We never educate directly, but
  indirectly by means of the environment. Whether
  we permit chance environments to do the work, or
  whether we design environments for the purpose
  makes a great difference.

Residence Life Programs and The First-Year
Experience (A Monograph)