Valdosta State University Campus Plan Update 2015

Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile

Our Mission:

As a comprehensive institution of the University System of Georgia, Valdosta State University (VSU) is a welcoming, aware, and vibrant community founded on and dedicated to serving our community’s rich and diverse heritages. Through excellence in teaching, basic and applied research, and service, VSU provides rigorous programs and opportunities that enrich our students, our university, and our region.  As such, the VSU mission consists of three interrelated parts:

Student Mission:

To provide a diverse student population with an inspired education, a safe learning environment, a nurturing community, and a wealth of experience that assists students in molding their futures in a creative, conscious, and caring fashion while preparing them to be lifelong learners who will meet the needs of a changing global society.

University Mission:

• To operate the university with a focus toward human, environmental, and financial sustainability while increasing value to our local, regional, national, and international stakeholders.
• To expand opportunities for our students, employees, and varied community members by promoting social justice and service learning.

Regional Mission

To provide our region and our home with the resources and support necessary to develop and sustain a higher quality of living, greater economic and community development, and inspired innovation that nurtures and respects our diverse population and beautiful environment while promoting academic outreach, public and private entrepreneurship, and collaboration with all regional entities.

Valdosta State University fulfills its mission by focusing on inclusion in all aspects of the educational experience.

Our Students

Valdosta State University is committed to educating our diverse student population which consists of students from our local, state, national, and international communities. Our commitment to student success over the past year has led to continued partnerships with our technical and two-year institutions to implement our Pathways Program, implementing Centralized Advising, and cross campus collaborations to develop both the Faculty and Advisor Portal and Math Placement. These endeavors support student success by eliminating barriers and realigning approaches through increased communication between faculty and student services providers.

Institutional Completion Goals, High-Impact Strategies and Activities

High Impact Strategy 1:  Pathways Programs (Goal 1, Strategy 1.1)

CCG Goal 1: Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG institutions

CCG Strategy 1.1: Target increases in completion for students traditionally underserved in post-secondary education.

VSU Goal 1: Recruit, Retain, and Graduate a Quality, Diverse Student Population and Prepare Students for Roles as Leaders in a Global Society

VSU Strategy 1.1.2.: Improve access and completion for students traditionally underserved.

The Pathways Program centers on the priorities of Complete College Georgia, an initiative developed to increase the number of Georgians earning a college degree. These collaborations between Valdosta State University and partner institutions allow students with approved Associates of Applied Science or Associates of Applied Technology degrees to maximize the transfer of credits in order to complete a Bachelor Degree in two years or less.

Pathways students can expect 51 or more transferable credit hours to be applied to one of the two articulated programs: the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership or to the Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Capital Performance. Our ten agreements are with the Technical College System of Georgia, the Community College of the Air Force, Georgia Military College, North Florida Community College, and Central Texas. These articulations not only increase accessibility, but they also expedite completion of a four year degree by the application of prior earned credit to a four year degree from VSU that otherwise would not be granted.

Transferring from one institution to another can be challenging for students. One way VSU has sought to address that challenge has been through an additional partnership with Georgia Military College. Each fall and spring semester, GMC Valdosta invites a team of advisors from VSU to meet with graduating GMC students to discuss transferring and how credits earned at GMC will apply towards a degree at VSU. 

High Impact Strategy 2:  Centralized Advising (Goal 4, Strategy 4.3)

CCG Goal 4: Provide intentional advising to keep students on track to graduate.

CCG Strategy 4.3: Establish criteria for identifying students who may need special interventions in the semester.

VSU Goal 1: Recruit, Retain, and Graduate a Quality, Diverse Student Population and Prepare Students for Roles as Leaders in a Global Society.

VSU Strategy 1.3.1.: Establish a centralized academic advising center for students with 0-30 credits.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, all freshmen and undecided students regardless of credit hours were advised in a centralized location for the first time in the history of VSU. Advising assignments are based on major, and the average advisor to student ratio for this academic year was 1 to 325. Across advisors, over 1600 students were advised in the new model. The advisors implemented a communication plan to expand communication with applicants in order to facilitate the “hand-off” from applicant to student. Advisors responded to risk factors for individual students. These risk indicators during the semester are identified by faculty who “flag” students in our faculty/advisor portal as at risk for either attendance or course performance.  Additionally, advisors began gathering qualitative data currently not being collected in regards to student engagement, motivation, and other issues impacting student success.

Centralized Advising provides first year students with intrusive advising, a proven approach for enhancing student success, that has never been available across the incoming classes at Valdosta State University. To be successful, students need assistance in transitioning into the role of college student, identifying appropriate campus resources, and learning to navigate a college campus.  While such strategies are needed, creating a new office that impacts campus culture and process always has challenges. To alleviate some of those challenges, each professional advisor serves as a liaison to an assigned college and works to keep the communication lines open. Another challenge is advisor training and team development. To address these challenges, we partnered with VSU’s Employee and Organizational Development team to facilitate advisor training opportunities and planning retreats.

High Impact Strategy 3:  Faculty and Advisor Portal (Goal 4, Strategy 4.2)

CCG Goal 4: Provide intentional advising to keep students on track to graduate.

CCG Strategy 4.2: Use predictive analytics to help identify students who are off track and to help students understand their likelihood of success in particular programs.

VSU Goal 1: Recruit, Retain, and Graduate a Quality, Diverse Student Population and Prepare Students for Roles as Leaders in a Global Society.

VSU Strategy 1.3.3.: Encourage utilization of DegreeWorks and Data Warehouse tools.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, we continued to expand our data warehouse in size and scope to include some of the following: watch list, expanded application access, financial aid data, and registration status.

Faculty members who use the portal are attuned to the attendance patterns of students in their courses and the number of students who are struggling. This attention leads some faculty members to offer additional support to students and/or set a flag for students in academic distress. Additionally, when an instructor sets a flag, this action triggers a series of communication across divisions. A first year student living on campus will receive an email from the Student Success Center to remind the student of tutoring services, an email from the assigned advisor in Centralized Advising requesting the student make an appointment, and a resident assistant will check on the student in the residence halls to verify the student’s wellbeing.

High Impact Strategy 4:  Math Placement (Goal 4, Strategy 4.2)

CCG Goal 4: Provide intentional advising to keep students on track to graduate.

CCG Strategy 4.2: Use predictive analytics to help identify students who are off track and to help students understand their likelihood of success in particular programs.

VSU Goal 1: Recruit, Retain, and Graduate a Quality, Diverse Student Population and Prepare Students for Roles as Leaders in a Global Society.

VSU Strategy 1.1.3.: Shorten time to degree.

Math placement levels have been assigned for two academic years. Upon admission to VSU, students are assigned a VSU Math Index (VMI). The VMI is based on students’ admission data (SAT score, ACT score, etc.), and it places students in mathematics courses based on these recorded math performances. Fall 2014 an additional level, 1e, was added. Students in level 1e were limited to MATH 1101 or a five day a week extended MATH 1111. The VMI assignments are:

Students may enter at or below their assigned placement level. Should students desire to start beyond the level assigned by their VMI, they must complete a placement exam and achieve the necessary scores to begin at a higher level math.

The implementation of Math Placement assists the Centralized Advising staff in providing intrusive advising to first time students. Academic Advisors in Centralized Advising can help students building their first semester around the most appropriate math course. Students receive the VMI through the new student portal, and orientation leaders discuss it at orientation. Math placement at VSU has been a successful tool to support course completion.

Observations

Of the four high impact practices, math placement has had the greatest impact. We are currently identifying five other gateway courses that have high DFWI rates to participate in the John Gardner Institute. While the use of the faculty portal shows great promise based on the results we have had over the last three years, we need to increase the overall use of the tool. We are rolling out a new version of the faculty portal in January. As a part of this endeavor, we will seek to increase faculty use of the tool through marketing and faculty involvement in product testing.

The collaboration across departments for each of our high impact practices shows the strength in team work at VSU. We have leveraged the skills, abilities, and knowledge across divisions and disciplines to impact success. We have collaborated across educational sectors to technical college systems and high schools to increase access, progression, and graduation for underserved populations. Three of our four high impact practices intersect. Increased success in one area has a systematic impact on the other two high impact practices. Our institution can continue to leverage and adapt these four high impact strategies to increase student success outcomes.