We know that the opportunities to grow our enrollment pool with traditional aged college students are dwindling. As such, many institutions have put their focus on transfer students, both traditional aged as well as adult learners. As we leverage our outreach to these students, we should also be expanding the transition and success services to cut down on the number of obstacles they will face in order to complete their degree program in an efficient and timely manner.
The Tennessee Promise Scholarship is a program created in 2014 providing Tennessee residents with the opportunity to attend free Community College. The program goes beyond a free on-ramp to a college education, however. Since the inception of the program, four-year residential campuses such as Middle Tennessee State University have created transfer programs that not only serve a recruitment function, but also a transition and success function. In our last episode of “Office Hours with Dr. De Veau”, Lindsey Powers a Transfer Enrollment Coordinator at MTSU gave us a picture of a coordinated program that enhances the student transfer experience.
Such coordinated programs have real value, not only for the institution seeking to bolster enrollment, but also for the students who need assistance finding a pathway to completion. According to the Community College Resource Center, only 25% of those who start at a community college end up transferring to a four-year institution. EAB Gives us this stat: about four million community college students intend to transfer to four-year institutions but don’t. As HigherEd Pros, we need to be seeking out opportunities to expand student success and create programs that meet the needs of specific populations.
Considering what transfer students need will take some analysis of your own campus culture. However, keep in mind that you likely have all the elements of a success program already baked into your campus student services, you just have to re-imagine how you use these elements to fit the transfer student needs.
Streaming LIVE on the Fireside social media app every Wednesday at 12Noon (Eastern), “Office Hours with Dr. De Veau” is your mid-week dose of higher education chatter. Each week, Dr. De Veau hosts a thought leader from Higher Education to discuss current trends and topics. As a subscriber, you will receive the latest episode the following week in your ‘in box’, but to get the most out of the show, set your reminder to get your virtual ticket, and be in the audience.
Fireside is breaking the norms for social audio, creating a space where participants can engage with the show hosts and guests by coming up on the virtual stage, literally taking hold of the microphone and becoming a part of the show. As Dr. De Veau curates the shows to come, she is hoping that this will become THE meeting place for Higher Ed professionals to chatter about the issues of the day. Think of it like a weekly conference session, with a global community.
Be a part of the audience by requesting access to Fireside through the App store (iOS only for now - sorry, android users, but your time is coming!). Once you are in Fireside, follow Laura De Veau, and you will be alerted every time she books a show. From there, you can RSVP, and the show will become an appointment in your calendar! If you would like to propose a guest, a topic or give feedback, please feel free!
On the NEXT Episode of Office Hours with Dr. De Veau, Iona College Dean of Students, Joel Quintong will join Dr. De Veau for a discussion about institutional hiring practice and creating a culture of effective recruitment, onboarding and staff retention.
Transfer Truths