Utilizing TRIO to Enhance the First-Year Experience Ashyya - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Utilizing TRIO to Enhance the First-Year Experience

Ashyya Robinson & Jazmine Thompson |Berea College National Conference on Students in Transition October 23, 2017 | Costa Mesa, CA

Learning Objectives

• Introduce Berea College's history, mission, and background on

programs; Emerging Scholars Program and First-Year Experience

• Examine the redesign of our first-year seminar course, GST 101:

Strategies for Academic Success

• Provide the strengths and benefits on both sides for students and

staff being under one office

• Discuss how to collaborate with TRIO programs on your campus and

long term planning for FYI

• Q & A

Berea College

History

• Founded in 1855 on principles of equal education for men

and women, black and white, primarily from Appalachia.

• Berea was the first interracial and coeducational

college in the South.

• Berea is a four year Liberal Arts institution and

primarily a residential campus.

• “To provide an educational opportunity for students of all

races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources.”

• No tuition promise

Berea College, Factbook, 2016-2017

Current Student Picture

• Enrollment: 1600
• Pell Grant Eligible: 98%
• Full tuition Scholarship: 100%
• Participation in Labor Program: 100%

Emerging Scholars Program & First-Year Initiatives Timeline

Emerging Scholars Program (ESP)

2010 Berea College received the SSS Grant 2011 The Emerging Scholars Programming begins 2015 SSS Grant Renewed (5 year Award)

Emerging Scholars Program (ESP)

ESP Provides:

• Academic Counseling

 Personal mentorship  Achieve students academic, financial, personal, and career goals

• GST 101: Strategies to Academic Success

 Required first semester for ESP students

• Cultural and Educational Trips
• ESP Achievement Scholarship

Demographics

• 144 Students
• Low-Income
• First Generation
• Distressed

Counties

• Inner City

Office of First-Year Initiatives (FYI)

2009-2010 Began creating an FYE identity on campus. 2006 Pilot Program, ACES (Academic Connection, Engagement, and Success) 2016 FYE transitioned into new office space and new name (FYI)

Office of First-Year Initiatives (FYI)

• New Student Orientation
• Academic Transition Support
• First-Year Student Intervention
• Emerging Scholars Program (ESP)
• Berea Bridge
• Summer Success Experience (SSE)
• Teaching Assistant/Peer Learning

Program

• Family Engagement

The Collaboration between Emerging Scholars Program and the Office of First-Year Initiatives

The Office Merge

In 2015, FYE wrote a vision for the new FYI office to bring all programs under one office. FYI director advocated for ESP to be under the office because of a shared vision and history.

Fall 2016 Emerging Scholars Program integrated with the Office of First-Year Initiatives

Examination of GST 101: Strategies for Academic Success

GST 101: Strategies for Academic Success

Purpose

• The overall purpose of this

course is for students to develop the skills and abilities that are necessary for academic and personal success in college and

• beyond. This class will focus on

assisting first-year students in navigating transitions as well as developing and fostering positive self-identity, self-advocacy, and self-management.

Goals

 Students will build skills to support their academic success  Students will improve academic skills  Students will explore and interests and abilities and how these relate to major and career.  Students will integrate into the college community by connecting with classmates, staff, and faculty.  Students will increase knowledge and utilization of campus services.

GST 101: Strategies for Academic Success

Basic Information

• Required for First-Year Students enrolled in ESP
• Taught by an Academic Counselor
• .25 credit hour
• 50 minutes, 1 day a week

Service-Learning

• One of five sections
• Random Placement

Course Topics

• Time/Self

Management

• Goal Setting
• Motivation
• Academic Skills
• Financial Literacy
• Identity Awareness
• Study Skills
• Course Planning
• Personal

Responsibility

• Campus

Resources

• Future Planning

GST 101: Strategies for Academic Success

Redesigned Model

• Optional for all first-year students
• Total of 320/430 first-year students

interested course

• Currently 245 students are enrolled
• 76 ESP and 169 FYI sections.
• Total of eight instructors

Other First-Year Transition Support:

• GSTR 110/GSTR 210/GST 150 (all FYS)
• TA/PL program (all FYS)
• Berea Bridge (select FYS)
• Male Initiative Course (select FYS)
• African American

 Appalachian  Latino

• Black Male Initiative (select FYS)
• S.U.C.C.E.S.S., Students United to

Create Cultural and Educationally Successful Situations (select FYS)

• Bonner Scholars (select FYS)

Strengths on Bridging the Gap between TRIO and FYI

Strengths on Bridging the Gap

ESP works directly with the Office of Academic Vice President Additional financial support ESP brings instant traffic with 1/5 of first-year student population Advertise programming

Benefits for TRIO Students and Staff Members to be Included with other First-Year Programs

Benefits for TRIO Students and Staff Members

Staff

• Physical and structural proximity
• Sharing information on students for

interventions

• Easier to add/drop students from

classes or request students to move to part-time status

• Voice on programming ideas to

change campus culture

• Attend professional development
• pportunities

Students

• Holistically experience being involved

with other first-year students

• Ability to be in the know of FYI

events

• Enhances involvement on campus
• More institutionally direct with the

Dean and other higher administration

• n campus

How to Collaborate with TRIO Programs on Your Campus?

Collaborate with TRIO on Your Campus

Begin with close consultations with the TRIO program on your campus Know your TRIO staff and their skill-set Make sure that your TRIO and FYE program have a shared mission Create strategic partnerships with various campus and community partners Seek staff and faculty development

• pportunities

Long-term Planning for the Office of First-Year Initiatives

Ongoing Challenges

Student participation in first-year events Establish an identity with first-year students that we are their primary resource FYI campus location Creating more ways to utilize office space for student led programs ESP staff bound to grant regulations

Moving Forward

Building a closer partnership with Student Life Growing our programs and collaborating more with campus partners and faculty Marketing First-Year Initiatives (FYI) on campus Engaging with our incoming students and families through Livestream chats Target programming for Transfer Students

Questions?

Ashyya Robinson

Student Engagement Specialist Emerging Scholars Program Office of First-Year Initiatives robinsonas@berea.edu | 859-985-3376

Jazmine Thompson

Coordinator of First-Year Programming & Family Engagement Office of First-Year Initiatives thompsonjaz@berea.edu | 859-985-3376