Transfer Student Success Through Collaboration

Transfer Student Success Through

CollaborationPresented by:

Maria Harper-Marinick, Ph.D.Shouan Pan, Ph.D.

Andrea Buehman, M.A.

AACC 91st Annual Convention • April 10, 2011

Maricopa Community Colleges and Arizona State University

Fall 2010 Enrollment: • Maricopa Community Colleges – over

141,000 credit students at 10 colleges• ASU - 70,000 students on 4 urban and

suburban campuses

Serving Residents of Maricopa County:• More than 4 million population• 9,000 square miles

American Association of Community CollegesAnnual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New Orleans 2

Maricopa-ASU Transfer Stats

• 4900 students transferred from a Maricopa Community College to Arizona State University in the 2009-10 academic year.

• 57% of all new transfers into ASU in Fall 2010 were from a Maricopa Community College


Developing a Culture of Transfer: The New Alliance

• History of Collaboration between Maricopa Community Colleges and Arizona State University

• Mutual commitment to strengthen existing Maricopa-ASU Alliance

• One year to develop the framework at executive level

• Memorandum of Understanding signed by CEO’s December 2008

• Implementation plan agreed on and signed in 2009.


Alliance Signing Ceremony


Guiding Principles

• Excellent academic preparation• Specific prescribed pathways to ASU

majors: Maricopa-ASU Pathways Program (MAPP)

• Financial support• Tuition commitment; transfer scholarships

• Strong advisement• ASU advisors on Maricopa campuses; joint

advisor training and collaborationAmerican Association of Community Colleges

Annual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New Orleans 6

Guiding Principles

• Assessment of the transfer student experience

• Data sharing • Monitor and evaluate student progress

• Electronic transcript system• Technology solutions to smooth transfer

processAmerican Association of Community Colleges


Shared Goals• Double transfers over five years, from

baseline of 4300 in 2008-09• Double number of students transferring

with an associate’s degree• Increase successful completion of

baccalaureate degrees• Ensure seamless transitions• Improve direct transfer into specific

degree programs


Student Benefits at the Center

• Clearly prescribed program pathways; no loss of credit when MAPP is followed

• Requires completion of associate’s degree• Guaranteed admission into university programs• Participation in ASU “Tuition Commitment”

program – caps on increases• Eligibility for transfer scholarships• Dedicated advising from both colleges and

university


Necessary Elements• Have a shared commitment from

institutional leadership

• Dedicate resources to implementation

• Focus on students

• Use research-based best practices for transfer student success


Time to Implement• Steering Team and Work Teams focused on MAPP

development• Intensive 9-month planning phase

• Analysis of top majors; develop first phase• College and system-level business processes• Advisor training, advising tools• MAPP degree audits• Technology solutions for data sharing• Communication and marketing plan• Development of web sites


American Association of Community Colleges


Roll-Out Plan• Begin with top 30 most popular ASU

majors for Maricopa transfer students.

• Add majors as approved by ASU academic units or requested by Maricopa faculty.

• Ensure consistent messaging and information dissemination, both at the Maricopa colleges and the university.


back

MAPP EnrollmentsEnrollment Number of

MAPPs Available

December 2009

150 30

December 2010

2307 90

March 2011 3825 125

American Association of Community CollegesAnnual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New

Orleans 15

Under Development

• AAS to BAS agreements

• Joint admissions for MAPP students – under development

• Maricopa student access to ASU’s e-advisor system


Challenges• Addressing complexities of two large

organizations

• Reading consensus about business processes

• Developing technology solutions

• Agreeing upon consistent student messaging from both institutions


The College View• Mesa Community College:

• More than 26,000 students• 47% plan to transfer to another college or

university• Close proximity to ASU Tempe and ASU

Polytechnic campuses• 966 MCC students transferred to ASU in Fall

2010

• 650 Students enrolled in MAPPs as of 3/31/11


Faculty View


• MCC and ASU are creating a student-centered transfer culture:• Video monitors with MAPPs information• Course Guide includes MAPPs information • Website, table tents, posters, fliers refer to MAPPs

• Strategies to increase completion of associate and bachelor degrees:• Faculty Advising Compliments Teaching (FACT )• On-site ASU advisor specialist• Training offered to Faculty and Staff twice each

semester

Student ViewBenefits:

•Guaranteed admission to ASU degree programs when all MAPP requirements are met•Eligibility for the ASU Tuition Commitment•Merit-based scholarships available to students who complete an associate’s degree•Transfer advising on-site at MCC


Student ViewChallenges:

•Expand MAPP offerings•Early awareness, i.e. in high schools•Simplify the MAPP process for out-of-state credit


MCC Transfer Student Performance at ASU• Over 25% of students receiving a bachelor’s degree from ASU have

transfer credits from Mesa Community College.

• MCC students transferring to ASU (with 12 or more credits) earned an average GPA of 3.13.

• Transfer students earning degrees or certificates from MCC earned an average GPA of 3.29.

• MCC is 5% above the state average in transfer and student performance.

American Association of Community Colleges


For More Information

http://www.maricopa.edu/alliance/

Contact us at:[email protected]

[email protected]@domail.maricopa.edu


Questions?

American Association of Community CollegesAnnual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New

Orleans 24

Documents

Transfer Student Success Through Collaboration