Crossing the "Last Mile"Strategies for helping students overcome graduation obstacles

Facts about PSU

Fall 2011: 23,222 Undergraduates

Challenges:Most recent 2 year retention rate: 56.8%Most recent 6 year graduation rate: 34.8%

(Data from PSU Office of Institutional Research & Planning, First-time, Full-time Frosh)

Context of Last Mile @ PSUSeveral student success initiatives

• Pathways to Degree Completion• Address Needs of Unprepared Students• Early Identification of Students at Risk• High Risk Course Redesign

Context of Last Mile @ PSU

Recently implemented Advising Initiative

• Mandatory orientation (Fall 2010)• Mandatory frosh advising (Fall 2010)• Recent hiring of additional advising staff in

December 2010

Last Mile Committee is bornJune 2010

Goal: 50 graduations

Departments involved• Degree Requirements• Academic Units• Undergrad advising• Student Financial Aid• Bursar’s Office• Faculty Senate representative

ResourcesSeed funding$51,084 in remissions (~$5,000 used)100 students to take one 4-credit course

$5,000 student worker (offered not used)$500 materials (offered not used)

Flexibility (with process not outcome)

Limited financial leeway• Reducing interest charges

Flexibility with some Academic Requirements*• Expired catalogs• 1 credit flexibility on some Gen Ed

requirements

*That would have been approved with our ARC.

Initial cohort

768 students

Canceled degree applicants back to Fall 2005

Needed an in-depth look

Representation by Major

1. Social Science2. Business Administration3. Psychology4. Arts & Letters5. Communication Studies6. Art 7. Liberal Studies8. English9. Science10.Political Science

Weighted by program size

1. Business Administration2. Economics3. Architecture4. Communication Studies5. Child & Family Studies6. Philosophy7. Social Science8. Art 9. Sociology10.Arts & Letters

Race/Ethnicity Breakdown

455 White

97 Unknown

77 Asian

58 Latino

55 Black/African American

18 American Indian or Native Alaskan

8 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Weighted Race/Ethnicity Breakdown

1. Black/African American2. American Indian or Native Alaskan3. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander4. Unknown5. Latino6. Asian7. White

Student deficiencies

Academic Standing

735 Good Standing 16 Academic Warning 7 Academic Dismissal 4 Academic Support Program 3 Academic Probation 3 None/unknown

Last term attended

Prior to Fall 2005 64

Fall 2005 - Summer 2006 116

Fall 2006 - Summer 2007 138

Fall 2007 - Summer 2008 143

Fall 2008 - Summer 2009 192

Fall 2009 – Spring 2010 114

Current Financial Hold

Students with Holds

No Holds

Cross Campus Communication

Developed a system to facilitate communication by many entities regarding a student’s advising.

Built in Access, based on initial Excel spreadsheets of data

Data to Action

Prioritized students• 76 students who had already "completed

degree"• Students with <15 credits

Degree Audits distributed to departments to review

Departments communicated with students as needed/appropriate

Communication approach• Delicate conversations• Multi-method contacts to initial group• Personal phone calls to students that

were closest to graduating

Communication (cont)

Training sessions with the campus

Media coverage (video on PSU homepage, Oregonian published an article near spring graduation, student newspaper Vanguard did an article)

Shared email account for incoming contacts

http://player.vimeo.com/video/24244856

Future best practices

• Pre/post batch degree audits

• Assign responsibilities/ownership

• Early proactive communication with students

Next Steps

• Standardize practices across campus

• Expand the program to students with excess credits who have not applied to graduate

• Add additional capacity

Initial SuccessesFrom 768

130 graduated by June 2011

Expanding the pool

Spring 2011 added our second group

• 221 students

Also, group of students who found us

• 48 "manually added"

Final Outcomes1037 students currently trackedOver 650 staff contact attempts

216 students graduated• Graduates are disproportionately

African American or Native American

$4750 spent (11 students)

Questions & Discussion

Doug Siegler dougs@sba.pdx.eduSchool of Business Administration

James Ofsink jofsink@pdx.eduStudent Financial Aid & Scholarships