First-Year Study Group SWOT Analysis
Components / Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats
Academics / -Admissions selectivity resulting in higher caliber student population / -Advising structure inconsistent across colleges
-Lack of classes offered on Fridays
-Many graduate students or adjunct faculty teaching first-year courses
Assessment & Planning / -Blueprint process / -Survey response rates / -Creation of FY Strategic Plan
-Better institutional data collection in order to match longitudinal data (YFCY & NSSE)
Communications / -Communications, both internal and external are not integrated; over messaging/duplication
-Inconsistent messaging / -Develop a comprehensive booklet to guide students through the first year
-Conduct a communication audit / -Information saturation
Culture / -School spirit
-Energy and readiness to welcome students in the fall
-Positive restlessness regarding change / -Lack of common experiences for students throughout their time at USC
-Proverbial silos of organizations exist across campus / -Integrating FYE programs, connect UNIV 101, Orientation, Pillars, and Welcome Week, Parents Programs?
-Incorporating special populations (Gamecock Guarantee, FSL, transfer) / -Resistance to change/too much change too quickly
-Changing student demographics
-Silo-like processes
Facilities / -Lack of space, perpetuates the theme of fragmentation
-Not enough space for on-campus housing creates stressors for students as they approach sophomore year
-Student support services are spread out (Housing, Financial Aid, Bursar) / -Lack of space and resources
Policies / -Dining policies regarding flex dollars, price of meals, and window of hours that meals are available
-Some of the processes at USC don’t align with the size of the institution and are not conducive to growth / -Arranging for students in certain populations to be pre-assigned to a UNIV 101 course and allowing them to “opt-out” / -Not aligning policies with changing students, state/institutional priorities, and size of university
Programs / -Variety of outstanding support services and programs (U101, SSC, Career Center, Student Health, Housing, etc.) / -Greek recruitment early on in the fall semester
-Duplication of programmatic efforts is common
-Need for programs specific to orienting an increasingly diversified student body, including international students
-Welcome Week may be too long / -First Night Carolina: developing a more intentional rain plan, frame it more as a common experience for the new students
-Welcome Week should be a balance between academic and social life
-Orientation is moving to a two-day model and developing a guidebook
-Strengthen Pillars & Welcome Week
Staff / -Emerging partnership between SAAS and Academic Affairs
-Some strong leadership / -Lack of integration of front-line student services staff (ie: Bursar, Registrar, Financial Aid, Advisors, etc.)
-Inconsistencies among the quality and experience of advisors across colleges / -Inform and train employees that work with FY students in order to implement seamless processes
-Centralize advising in the first year / -Continual revolving door staffing in some areas
Technology / -Unreliable WiFi
-Difficulty of pulling reports and data / -DegreeWorks
-New SIS / -Technology transition to Banner