Studentsuccessuniversity Committee

ArmstrongAtlanticStateUniversity

StudentSuccessUniversity Committee

MINUTES: 10-26-09

Members Present:A. Ryczkowski-Horne, L. Roberts, L.Jaynes, E. Straousser, P. Mahan (Senator Rep)

Members Absent: P. Mossholder, B. De Cruz, J. Hobe, C. Belin

Student Representatives: Angela Mensing (Graduate Student Rep)(absent)

ExOfficio Present: G. Anderson, J. Roberts, L. Kirkland, R. Watjen, T Harris

ExOfficio Absent:M.Snowden, J. Gitner

Date, Time, and Place:10/26/2009, 12:00 pm, Solms 110

Topic

1. Joint Charge from Faculty Senate regarding furloughs – See Appendix A and Memorandum from Kevin Hampton, Faculty Senate President (9/16/09)

1. AASU/EAP (Enhanced Advisement Process) Advising Scorecard – See Appendix B

1. Faculty Senate charge concerning financial aid distribution- distributed Via e-mail – See Appendix C

1. Scholarship distribution reports:(Leon & Angela)
2. Recommendation for the American History, Hazelle B. Tuthill Memorial Scholarship
3. Recommendation for the Dept of Radiologic Sciences, Dr. Sharyn D. Gibson Memorial Scholarship
4. Final candidates identified from list of eligible candidates for the Lettie Pate Whitehead funds:
5. $900 per semester, $1800 total over two semesters to be awarded to 30 female students with financial need:
6. 30 students with need holding a GPA of 3.66 or above were chosen as top candidates.
7. 12 students with need holding a GPA of 3.63 to 3.57 were chosen as alternates.

Submitted By: Peggy Mossholder (per Dr. Massey Notes)

Date: 10/26/09

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APPENDIX Aa:

Date: October 15, 2009

From: Student Success Committee

RE: Report on the Charge from the Faculty Senate regarding furloughs

The Student Success Committee was to address the following concerns of the Faculty Senate in regards to furloughs and other matters:

-the use of campus data from the last budget reduction (2002), and its subsequent effect on graduation and retention rates, incorporating the following information

• the comparison of Full-Time, tenure-track positions eliminated
• the increase of Part-Time instruction that occurred
• the loss of well-qualified Faculty to other institutions outside the state of Georgia as a result of such reductions.

Many outlets to obtain data were pursued on- and off-campus with varying degrees of success. Data that is available at this time can be found attached to this report, Appendix A, with a color-coded key at the bottom to clarify where the data originated. Please note additional data has been requested but not provided as of this date from on-campus resources. Each bullet item will be addressed below as thoroughly as possible at this time:

• the comparison of Full-Time, tenure-track positions eliminated

Data requested but not available at this time. (Appendix A “ATTACHMENT” documents the number of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty that were employed, versus positions eliminated.)

• the increase of Part-Time instruction that occurred

Records of the number of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty were compiled with data from the Board of Regents website through the Office of Research and Policy Analysis and Phyllis Panhorst on campus, Appendix A. Data from the Board of Regents website is available for years 2000 and 2004-06 showing the numbers of FT and PT Faculty as well as the percentage of courses taught by FT Faculty, Appendix A. Phyllis Panhorst provided data distinguishing between Full-Time tenure track Faculty, Full-Time temporary Faculty and Part-Time Faculty for Fall semesters from 2004-2009, Appendix A. (Please note these numbers, although fairly accurate, are ‘rough’ and do not take into account changes that occurred during a semester.) According to the data available, while there is an increase in the number of Part-Time Faculty, there is also an increase in the number of Full-Time Faculty.

- the loss of well-qualified Faculty to other institutions outside the state of Georgia as a result of such reductions.

This data was requested from exit interviews conducted by HR, but has not been provided at this time. It is understood that the reason faculty leave AASU is not compiled in a database – but may reside within individual’s records. It is not known if members outside of HR can access this data.

With the data available at this time, a connection between Full-Time positions eliminated, increases in Part-Time Faculty instruction and loss of Faculty to out-of-state institutions because of budget reductions with a subsequent impact on AASU retention and graduation rates since 2002 is difficult. It is possible that with more time and continued cooperation of departments on campus, additional data could be compiled.

APPENDIX Ab: ATTACHMENT

Data collected in response to Faculty Senate charge concerning furloughs

Sources of above data:

APPENDIX B:

APPENDIX C

October 5, 2009

From: Kevin Hampton, President

To: Student Success Committee

Charge: development of an advisory position

Due Date: November 1, 2009

The federal government is implementing important changes for requirements related to financial aid, and this will have a direct impact on our campus. Students must declare a major that is awarded by ArmstrongAtlanticStateUniversity before reaching the 60 credit hour threshold. (Pre-professional degrees such as pre-med or pre-business will not be allowed.) The new policy will require that students must declare a major before they reach 60 hours. (This credit limit would also include those transferred from other institutions.) Those who reach or exceed this credit limit threshold without declaring a major will not be eligible for financial aid.

As a committee, your charge is to develop an advisory position that would examine a 45 credit threshold for the declaration of a major. The committee will need to examine the university's pre-professional programs, consulting Dr. Whitford, Vice President for Academic Affairs, as well as individual colleges and/or departments, to develop the advisory position. The committee will need to address this issue as soon as possible, and bring an advisory position to the full senate at the November meeting.

In advance, thank you for your assistance with this important matter.

APPENDIX D:

Students with over 45 or more hours

UNDECLARED CIP CODES (9)

Financial Aid distribution feedback:

The credit threshold is a bit stringent. Make it a 60 credit threshold and do not suspend financial aid until 90 credits. It would be counter-productive is by "forcing" a decision, some students will not make the wisest or most thoughtful choices.

Also, in my opinion, students should NOT be permitted to "declare" non-existent majors in any case. This amounts to false advertising.

I agree about the 60 credit hour threshold for declaring a major - that gives students a cushion and allows them to complete the core, if they're still undecided - but at 60, they have to make a decision! Also, pre-professional degrees shouldn't be acceptable if they're not degree-granting programs ...

I agree that the "pre-law" major for us was silly, and indeed false advertising. In fact, I think it may have been harmful to students who wanted to major in English or history or whatever while also aspiring to law school. as everyone knows, you can get into law school with any degree; I had a friend who was a music-physics double major in college and he went on to law school (ended up in entertainment law in Hollywood and NYC). but having a pre-law major may have compelled some students to major in pols or cj on the assumption that these are the only majors suitable for law school. be done with it, I say.

As for 60 credits versus 90, I think Ii've got to go with the 60. not only should two years (or three at the rate many students take classes,) be sufficient to decide a major, delaying until 90 may (a) allow students to tarry longer instead of getting on with their lives and (2) they may end up losing a lot of credits by taking, for example, an inordinate number of lower division courses which can't be used for the core or free electives; or taking a lot of science/math courses only to decide on a liberal arts degree.

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