Goal Team 1 Final Report Questions 2010-11

Goal Team 1 – Final report questions 2010-11

(May 25, 2011 -based on Goal Team Discussion of May 16, 2011)

1. To what extent has progress been made toward this goal? What evidence do we have of that progress?

The 2010-11 Goal Team finds that good progress is being made toward this goal.

Objective 1.1: Transition to College

Partner with others to increase the college-going rate of students from every high school and the percentage of district high school graduates who apply and enroll at Valencia.

We are effectively reaching out to every high school, and we have two-way communication.

We are maintaining a high market share.

We are pursuing information via a call campaign to learn more about students who applied and did not enroll. That information will inform future communications and support services.

Through the expansion of programs such as Bridges, we are opening up doors for students who might otherwise not come to college or be successful in their first experience at college.

Objective 1.2: Persistence

Increase the percentage of students who persist at Valencia through key academic thresholds.

Valencia has one of the highest persistence rates in the nation, and our work in this respect is the envy of many other colleges.

We continue to see improvements, even though the rate of persistence through key thresholds is comparatively high.

Objective 1.3:Goal Achievement

Increase the course and program completion rate of Valencia students by decreasing the withdrawal rate.

The withdrawal rate has decreased, but the change in the withdrawal policy since 2008 impacts our ability to gauge a real change in student behavior. Changing the policy in and of itself was progress.

The college needs to conduct more research into the reasons for withdrawal, and then design preventive measures. Students should be surveyed, and national research examined, such as the recent report from the Gates Foundation citing that students’ family situations, including their own status as parents, have a great impact on withdrawal.

Objective 1.4: Economic Development

Align plans for the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree programs, and the resources to support them, with the economic development needs of the region.

A review of our programs indicates strong alignment with the economic development needs of the region, and plans are in place to strengthen that alignment where needed, such as with the baccalaureate degree additions and the work being done on homeland security.

Objective 1.5: Access

Increase access to associate degree and higher programs through university partnerships, scholarships, and financial support, and through the addition of Valencia campuses and locations in growing service district areas that are relatively distant from existing campuses.

The goal team awards Valencia an “A+” on this objective. Through the Direct Connect partnership, the agreements with many higher education institutions, and the addition of baccalaureate degrees from UCF and from Valencia on our West and Osceola campuses, we have significantly increased access.

Plans to expand the college at the Lake Nona site, into West Orlando, and the growing number of web-based courses add to access.

Valencia’s financial aid office has been very aggressive in awarding financial aid, and the remarkable growth is well-documented.

The Valencia Foundation continues to increase its assets devoted to meeting students’ financial needs.

2. Do the current and planned activities in the Strategic Initiatives reports show promise of “moving the needle” on the goal by 2013?

Yes, the Goal Team finds that we are moving the needle on this goal, and that there is promise of achieving and/or making substantial progress toward the objectives by 2013.

The team noted that as we have more information about why students drop out or withdraw from classes, we will be able to add to our preventive measures.

3. Are there significant challenges or opportunities related to goal 2 that should be noted?

Challenges include:

For 1.1 – Transition to College

Challenges

- The economy is a challenge. Students who need or choose to work have more options as the economy improves, which often leads to delaying college attendance and completion.

- Valencia’s enrollment plan strives to strike a balance among quality, access, and growth, and that requires continued vigilance.

- The Legislature is not likely to keep pace with future growth, and we already are under-resourced.

- Changes in federal financial aid policy are expected to restrict funds available to our students, with the pendulum swinging back from higher levels of investment by the public toward a greater share of costs being borne by the student.

- Turnover in leadership with the K-12 systems can pose a challenge to maintain momentum of partnerships.

Opportunities

-Students and their families are beginning to consider costs differently, as they better understand the long-term cost of loans, and avoid high loan packages.

-Students who are cost-conscious often opt for public associate-degree granting colleges since loan packages would be lower.

-More students may perceive Valencia as a better value with the name “community” removed.

For 1.2 – Persistence

Challenges and Opportunities

These are the same as for 1.1 above.

For 1.3 –Goal Achievement

Challenges

- Build pathways must embrace building, supporting and maintaining pathways all the way through to students’ goals. The pathways must be safe, and unfortunately we lack the resources to build the pathways to the extent that would best meet student needs.

- Understanding how the bachelor’s degree functions as a 2 + 2 degree, which is not the same as a typical four-year degree. Students must finish the Associate degree and then apply to a limited access upper division program.

Opportunity

- The development of more on-line degree options is an opportunity of the college chooses to pursue it.

- Many international students want to come to Florida and/or want to enroll in on- line courses.

For 1.4 – Economic Development

Challenges – None noted.

Opportunities – None noted.

For 1.5 – Access

Challenges

- Federal financial aid policy is changing in ways that will reduce support for our students, including the elimination of summer Pell support in 2012.

- Changes in senior leadership at Orange and Osceola county schools means we need to ensure on-going commitments to our partnership. (There is also opportunity in this to add to past partnerships.)

Opportunities

- We can cultivate the positive impressions of high school counselors and teachers, who share with students that Valencia College is a good pathway.

4. Have we learned anything that we are currently using or that we might use to improve the success of future efforts toward achieving goal 1?

1.1 – Transition to College

Valencia is already advanced in reaching out to our targeted markets and supporting students in transition. Improvement will mean improving upon already good work, learning more about the reasons students do not make the transition successfully and refining our model to meet those needs where we are able.

1.2 - Persistence

Promoting the flex start terms and weekend classes can help provide alternative pathways that can support persistence.

1.3 – Goal Achievement

Work with curricular alignment pays off for the student. As a result of the alignment work completed to date, students are experiencing a smoother transition. We can build on that.

1.4 – Economic Development

Serving as a convener of industry forums helps the college remain in touch with the needs of key industry sectors, and helps businesses be better aware of what we offer. Also, internship opportunities for our students arise from these relationships.

1.5 - Access

Nothing noted.

5. Does the team have any recommendations regarding the goal or the measures being used to gauge progress (as developed by the 09-10 team)?

The team does not recommend any changes to the goal or the measures being used to gauge progress, which are included at the end of this report for reference.

Goal 1 objectives and the short term measuresset by the 2009-10 Goal Team:

Objective 1.1: Transition to College

Partner with others to increase the college-going rate of students from every high school and the percentage of district high school graduates who apply and enroll at Valencia.

Short term measures:

Compare annual Transitions program participation rates for students and schools.
Measure marketing campaign volume and penetration.
Track Market share, including the share by ethnicity.
Track the annual college-going rate.

Objective 1.2: Persistence

Increase the percentage of students who persist at Valencia through key academic thresholds.

Short term measures:

Track the percentage of students in each cohort who complete programs and who graduate each year.
Track the percentage of students in each cohort who complete the developmental education sequence.

Objective 1.3: Goal Achievement

Increase the course and program completion rate of Valencia students by decreasing the withdrawal rate.

Short term measures:

Track the percentage of students in each entering cohort who complete programs and who graduate each year.
Track the percentage of students in each entering cohort who complete the developmental education sequence.
Track course completion rates, successful course completion rates, and withdrawal rates, measured each term for all targeted courses and for all courses in aggregate.
Analyze qualitative data obtained from focus groups with students who withdraw.
Create a means to track and report withdrawal and changes in the reasons that students withdraw.

Objective 1.4: Economic Development

Align plans for the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree programs, and the resources to support them, with the economic development needs of the region.

Short term measures:

An annual qualitative review will demonstrate the correlation of our programs with community workforce and economic development needs.

Objective 1.5:

Short term measures:

Track Honors Program growth and the Direct Connect program measures.
Track total college and campus square footage.
Track on line offerings.
Track scholarship funds available, awarded, and not awarded.
Track faculty/staff and annual FTE growth.