Graduation Application - aacrao-web.s3.amazonaws.com€¦ · AACRAO Philadelphia 2012 Session ID: 301 Ithaca College 3/27/12 ŠLocated in New York’s Finger Lakes region ŠPrivate,

Presented by: Helen Bailey, Assistant Registrar, California Polytechnic State UniversityLorie Holmes-VanDusen, Associate Registrar, Ithaca CollegeAnn King, Assistant Registrar, Elgin Community CollegeSandrine Onyeise, Senior Assistant Registrar, Northwestern UniversityMonday, April 2, 2012 8:00 – 9:15 amSession ID 301

Graduation Application:Different Approaches, Effective Practices, Important Considerations

AACRAO Philadelphia 2012 Session ID: 301

Session Rules of Etiquette

� Please turn off your cell phone/pager

� If you must leave the session early, please do so as discreetly as possible

� Please avoid side conversation during the session

Thank you for your cooperation!


Ithaca College


Ithaca College

3/27/12

� Located in New York’s Finger Lakes region� Private, comprehensive, residential college with

five schools.� 89 majors in four undergraduate degrees� 20 majors in four graduate degrees� Five graduation dates, May is the largest (~1200)� One large commencement in May, and a small

reception in December� We use Banner for our student information

system.


Ithaca College Process

� Communicate to students in three different ways in addition to having deadlines on the academic calendar

� Students fill out application for degree online and are then asked to complete a survey for our Institutional Research Office.

� Data is verified and Banner is updated to reflect what the student submitted.


Ithaca College Issues

3/27/12

� Five (5) graduation dates

� Communication doesn’t always get to the intended audience

� Email is sent to those that miss the deadline, but often is not read

� No consequences other than how name appears on diploma and in commencement program – they still graduate.

� Application looks like it is an online form, but in reality it sends an email and the data must be entered for each application. Students expect records to be updated instantly.

� If we use the baseline application within Banner, we would have to figure out how to deliver the survey for IR.

� Discrepancies between what is on the system and what is submitted by the student. Email flurries erupt.


3/27/12

Elgin Community College


Elgin Community College

� Elgin Community College located in Elgin, IL about 60 miles west of Chicago.

� ~12,000 students and ~80 degree and certificate programs.

� 3 semesters: degrees/certificates conferred in summer, fall and spring

� Spring is the largest graduating class. We expect approximately 1400 completers this semester (~600 degrees, ~800 certificates)

� 2 ceremonies a year (fall and spring)

� All completers are encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony. Summer completers may choose either ceremony.

� We are a Datatel school


Graduation application deadlines are:� February 1 for Spring graduates

� July 1 for Summer graduates

� October 1 for Fall graduates

Our deadlines allow us:

� Time to process all of the applications

� To submit the cap & gown order to our vendor by their deadline


How do students apply?

� Visit www.elgin.edu/graduation to find Notice of Intent to Graduate and cap & gown order forms

� Submit form(s) and payment (if applicable) to Student Accounts

� Graduation fees:

� $15 for one degree with or without graduation ceremony

� $5 for each additional degree

� $15 for certificate with graduation ceremony

� $0 for certificate, no graduation ceremony

http://www.elgin.edu/graduation


How do we communicate the deadline (and the need to apply) to students?

� Deadline posted

� On college homepage www.elgin.edu

� College catalog and schedule

� Now also posted on portal

� Email to student email address

� TV screens around campus

http://www.elgin.edu/


How do we communicate with students after application?� Records staff enters the graduation application data into

Datatel.

� We evaluate each application against the program(s) for which they have applied.

� Letters are sent to students weekly as applications are evaluated

� T- Tentative: Students will graduate as long as they pass their current courses.

� C- Complete: Requirements have already been completed

� D- Deficient: Some degree/certificate requirement is missing


Issues:� Application process is VERY paper heavy.

� Must print the forms and bring it to student accounts

� Virtually no change in the application process in at least 10 years

� Students are not always certain what degree or certificate they are eligible for

� Some completers (certificates, in particular) don’t realize this process applies to them

� Some students still don’t get the information


How are we managing the issues?

� Revising our graduation application so it better captures the information we need from students

� Moving slowly toward an online process

� Email submission to records office email

� Eventually hope to integrate graduation information straight into Datatel from link on portal


What about students who do not apply?� Degree earners?

� If they don’t apply, they don’t graduate

� Auto completers: Captures certificate earners who have not applied to graduate

� Does not capture all of the certificate completers who have not applied.

� It captures some students who should NOT receive the certificate.

� Worth the effort!

� Capturing these completers helps our completer numbers

� Offering these certificates motivates some students to keep moving toward their goals.


3/27/12

Northwestern University


Northwestern University

� Private institution founded in 1851

� Three campuses (Evanston, Chicago, Doha-Qatar)

� Twelve schools/colleges

� Quarter system (10 weeks)

� Full-time enrollment (2010-11)

• Undergraduate: 8,397

• Graduate/Professional: 8,108


Northwestern University� Degrees conferred (2010-11)

• Total: 6,582

• Bachelor’s: 2,135

� Graduation rate (2010-11)

• 4-year: 86%

• 5-year: 92%

� Commencement ceremonies once a year (spring)

� Degree conferral at the end of each term (4 terms/year)

� PeopleSoft school


Graduation Application Process� One petition form to declare graduation intention for each academic

plan

� Students expected to submit graduation petition form at least one calendar year prior to anticipated graduation date

� Established deadlines to submit petition forms (two month before expected graduation date).

� Advisers and degree auditors conduct “behind the scene” reviews of student academic progress

http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/forms/grad_forms/120124_wcas_petition.pdf


Multi-Step Review/Certification Process

3/27/12


Challenges

� Time-consuming manual process

� Limited integration of technology

� Exceptions/waivers/substitutions submitted separately close to graduation date

� Some students don’t review regularly their degree progress report


Changes� More effective integration of technology

� To track graduation petitions received

� To monitor closely graduating population

� To identify students with deficiencies (creation of queries)

� Quarterly production calendar & production goals established

� Improved communication with students and schools

� Enhanced monitoring of student academic progress

� Advisers and degree auditors conduct “behind the scene” reviews of student academic progress


Petition Tracking Spreadsheet


Graduating Population Tracking Spreadsheet

3/27/12


Going Forward

3/27/12

� Implementation of the 9.0 Academic Advisement Report (AAR)

� Self-service graduation application process

� On-going efforts to improve collaboration and communication

� On-going assessment of effectiveness of business practices

� Transition to a complete paperless approach (ImageNow)

� On-going assessment and development of staff knowledge and skills


3/27/12

California Polytechnic State

University, San Luis Obispo

(“America’s Happiest Town”)


Cal Poly

3/27/12

� One of 23 campuses in the California State University System

� One of only five comprehensive polytechnic institutions in the US, according to Carnegie classification

� Undergraduates must declare major at admission� Six colleges� Quarter system (10 weeks)� Fulltime enrollment (Fall 2011)

� Undergraduate: ~17,000� Graduate: ~900


Graduation Process

3/27/12

� Confer degrees four times per year� 2900 students in spring, 400 in summer, 900 in fall,

600 in winter� Two ceremonies per year: spring ceremony for

winter, spring, and summer grads; fall ceremony for fall grads

� PeopleSoft school: use degree audit to complete graduation evaluations and final degree checks

� No deadline to apply for graduation, though four quarters in advance is recommended (via email, once a unit threshold is reached)


Past Challenges

3/27/12

� No deadline for graduation application:� Some students do not track degree progress

properly� Do not submit paperwork in a timely fashion� Do not know to submit grad eval request (paper

form; no fee to submit request) � Late requests do not always receive evaluation

� Students’ desire to stay at Cal Poly� Impacted school: need to make way for other

students


New Direction

3/27/12

� “Apply to graduate on students’ behalf”� Make graduation more structured and automatic� Provide departments insights as to course offerings

� Sine qua non:� Expected Academic Progress policy� Accompanying EAP report, using degree audit logic

� Processing prerequisites:� All transfer work, substitutions, etc., entered before

running EAP report


New Direction (cont.)

3/27/12

� Process: � Review students at ~75% of degree completion� Notify them via email that they will graduate in one

year� Timetable:

� Fall 2013 graduates as pilot, then expand to subsequent terms

� Complete evaluations in Fall 2012, after add/drop and before registration for Winter 2013


Potential Obstacles:

3/27/12

� Institutional buyin: colleges might extend graduation date unnecessarily

� Student culture change� Needed courses not offered� Staffing, other workload concerns


Discussion/Questions


Thank You!

Presenter Names & E-mail Address:

Helen Bailey – [email protected]

Lorie Holmes-VanDusen – [email protected]

Ann King – [email protected]

Sandrine Onyeise – [email protected]

Please complete the class evaluation form

Session ID 301

mailto:[email protected]




Documents

Graduation Application - aacrao-web.s3.amazonaws.com€¦ · AACRAO Philadelphia 2012 Session ID: 301 Ithaca College 3/27/12 ŠLocated in New York’s Finger Lakes region ŠPrivate,