Creating a Returning Student Concierge position would be beneficial for Chattahoochee Technical College
Angela C. Reisen
SNHU
HEA 520
Abstract
Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC) would benefit from having a Returning Student Concierge in several different ways. A Returning Student Concierge “is the single-point of contact at a college or university who helps returning adult students navigate the application, enrollment, and registration processes and overcome barriers to college success” (Education, 2010). Through my research, the amount of material I found on this subject was limited, but what I did find has shown me this position is well needed at CTC. Being that I work with current students on a daily basis I feel this is what our college needs to keep our retention rate up for the returning population of our student body. After reading my point of view, I hope you will be persuaded to believe in the importance of this position as well.
Table of Contents
Background & Significance.........................................................................................................4-5
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................6-7
Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………..8
Methods.........................................................................................................................................9
Time Line.....................................................................................................................................10
Budget…………..........................................................................................................................10
References....................................................................................................................................11
Appendix A (Cover Letter)..........................................................................................................12
Appendix B (Questionnaire).....................................................................................................13-14
Appendix C (Questionnaire Results)........................................................................................15-18
Appendix D (Website Layout)……………………………………………………………….19-20
Background & Significance
Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC) has been in business as an accredited school since January 1st, 1988 (Chattahoochee Technical College, 2016).
[On July 1, 2009, Chattahoochee Technical College came into being from the merger of three previously independent units of the Technical College System of Georgia – Appalachian Technical College, Chattahoochee Technical College, and North Metro Technical College.
In 2008, the Department of Technical and Adult Education officially adopted a new name - the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) - to reflect a coordinated system, integrating the educational efforts of the public technical colleges throughout the state. At this same time, the TCSG analyzed the feasibility and advantages of merging a number of its than 33 technical colleges - as an organizational and economic decision. The proximity of the three colleges in northern central Georgia led to a decision to merge. Thus, representatives from the Boards of Directors of the three colleges decided to adopt Chattahoochee Technical College as the name for the new entity. Through the naming of campuses, the former college names are also retained as a reminder of the robust history and melding of these three established institutions.
Now, with a combined service area of six counties (Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Gilmer, Paulding, and Pickens) and with eight campuses and online offerings, Chattahoochee Technical College serves approximately 20,000 credit students annually.] (Chattahoochee Technical College, 2016) In 2004, I started attending school at CTC, and it was a smaller school than what I was used to, so it was a slight adjustment. I continued to attend thinking I could make this a better experience for myself but I was wrong, because I stopped attending due to bad grades. Then in 2007 I stated taking classes at North Metro Technical College where I had a few years to think about what happened and turn my education around for the better. I was one semester away from graduating when CTC had merged with North Metro and at first I didn’t like the thought of it because of my experience I had had at CTC the first time I was there, but the merger went real smoothly, and I graduated from CTC in 2009 with an Associate’s Degree. Soon after graduating, I became employed at CTC within the admissions office working with new and prospective students. Recently, my job duties changed and I became responsible for the Re-Entries, which are all the current student applications/documents and students that are returning to school after not attending for some time. Since I have been working with the current students for the past year, I have come to find most of them are excited to take classes again, but they have more questions than the new students do and need guidance. Without this guidance students may face “speed bumps” in the road and decide not to continue with their educational plans.
Why creating a position as a Returning Student Concierge would be beneficial to Chattahoochee Technical College
The goal of creating this position is to increase the return rate and persistence of returning students at CTC by focusing on creating a clearly defined re-entry path and a one-stop-shop of resources aimed at helping them reintegrate and succeed through the utilization of website information, specifically targeted marketing pieces, and the development of a returning student concierge. There was a survey that was conducted at CTC in 2011 which I have included and where students had listed comments out of 26 comments a concierge would have been able to help with 13 of the student comments and hopefully they would have stayed instead of withdrawing from classes (College, 2011). Returning students often pause in their education due to life obstacles. When they return to school, a majority of the time, those obstacles are still present in their lives (Fusch, 2010). Taking a more hands-on approach to reintegrate them into CTC would help students not only seamlessly re-enter the college and their educational track, but would also help connect them to resources from their new beginning point that will help them persist to graduation. “Returning students interested in re-enrolling often get lost in the shuffle of a process that tends to be dominated by traditional students. Too often, they are steered toward several different offices and departments within an intuition” (Education, 2010). Which often times is enough to stop a student in their tracks, and then they won’t attended. Having a returning student concierge would be very beneficial to CTC’s family in order to keep our student here and attending. Often times it is enough to stop a student in their tracks, and then they may end up not attending. Having a returning student concierge would be very beneficial to CTC’s family in order to increase our student retention rate.
The duties of the Returning student concierge is as follows: * Be the single point of contact for all re-entering students. * Contact all returning students who apply during a semester to attempt to help them through the process. * Be available to communicate with students via phone, email, and personal appointments. * Create pertinent informational packets to assist students on their re-entry process. * Be knowledgeable on entire re-entry process to assist students in the different phases of the process. * Assist students with paperwork, setting up appointments, obtaining important information and documents, etc. * Answer any inquiries and questions * Be knowledgeable on all campus resources to assist students and to make referrals when necessary. * Assess students who utilize services through informal survey and tracking. * Assess the program itself through student opinion and usage.
Outline of Typical Appointment * Pertinent changes to school * Re-Admit Form (if not already completed) * Required documents (if necessary) * ID Number * Email * Financial Aid/Higher One Card * Academic Calendar * Returning Student Checklist (To Be Developed) * Success Guide/Campus Resources (Rewritten for Returners) * First Day of Class/Drop Add * Student Id & Parking Decal * Finding Advisor/Setting Up Appointment * What to bring/prepare for the advising appointment
Literature Review
There was a survey conducted March 21, 2011 from Chattahoochee Technical College pertaining to Student Retention. I have noticed from the findings that if this position were in existence, some of the students’ feedback would have been more positive because they would have gotten their answers that they were looking for from that position.
In Education’s, (2010) article talks about the barriers facing current students, and how to stop those barriers from happening by implementing a concierge model. It mentions how Western Nevada College has started a club called Campus Connect, which meets weekly and offers different services to students. Also the club has done so well that it is now run by the students and is sanctioned by the college so now they may receive funds for materials. In Fusch’s (2010) article he talks about how there are several student who are near completing their degree but because life happened they had to quit, and now they are coming back to finish their degree. He mentions adopting a concierge approach (to help navigate the enrollment process). He also talks about the different barriers that student’s face and how schools could help with these barriers. For example he mentions Reconsidering policies for registration holds so students can register, or a Preliminary transcript evaluation, because students like to know what they are going to get credit for before they become a student. Also he mentions prior learning assessments and student services delivery by moving beyond the normal restricted office hours of 8-5.
Methods
First I will develop a webpage developed specifically for former CTC students. This webpage would provide all of the necessary steps involved in returning to CTC, helpful tips and resources, information on why it is important to graduate, FAQs, next steps, etc. The website will have information specific to the different re-entry points as outlined on the Re-Admit Form: dual/join enrolled student, returning from academic suspension, have graduated from a current CTC program, has not attended classes in more than 5 years, and has not attended classes in three semesters.
Next I would like to be known as the returning student concierge for all incoming former students, in order to be the point of contact for. The website will have information provided on the webpage to provide contact info for setting up appointments to walk through the re-entry process, answering questions, help with turning in documents, etc. I will act as the point-person for incoming former students who have questions, need assistance, or would like to set up a meeting with the student. This position is not a program advisor, but a current student advisor and will help the students set up their appointments, navigate the re-entry process and utilizing college resources.
I will also run readmit check list letters (for student status) using my contact information if they have any questions, or if they would like to sit down for an appointment with me to talk about any questions or concerns they may have.
Timeline
(Unknown Month) * Develop Program * Training * Introduce program to all F&S
(Unknown Month) * Begin sending new readmit letters * Program officially begins
Budget
The position itself would require a salary of $38,000 which is slightly higher than the Student Affairs Specialists currently get paid, and the reason it is slightly higher is because not only will this position include advising but it is also going to include the processing of the documentation as well. Even though the Specialists don’t normally process documents on a daily basis which means that this position would be responsible for more, but in the long run would be beneficial to Chattahoochee Technical College because currently they have an Assistant who does the processing, and then there isn’t an “advisor” who specializes in current students, so this way everything will be centralized and easier to communicate with the students. By creating this position it will be replacing a position the assistant position, so the only drawback is changing the responsibility and increasing the salary. References
College, C. T. (2011, March 21). Student Retention Survey. Marietta, GA.
Education, W. I. (2010, November). Bringing Adults Back to College: Designing and Implementing a Statewide Concierge Model. Boulder, CO.
Fusch, D. (2010, July 15). Re-Enrolling Stop-Outs: Overcoming the Barriers. Denver, CO. Retrieved from http://www.academicimpressions.com/news/re-enrolling-stop-outs-overcoming-barriers
Appendix A
09/30/2013 John Parton, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness 5198 Ross Rd. Acworth, GA 30102 Dear Institutional Review Board:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that I am requesting permission to conduct the survey titled Student Retention Survey at Chattahoochee Technical College. This also serves as assurance that this school complies with requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and will ensure that these requirements are followed in the conduct of this research.
This survey has been done in the past, I just want to make sure that I don’t step anywhere I am not supposed to. My goal with this survey is to prove that our returning students seem to get lost in the enrolment process, which in turn we end up losing them before they even get started again with Chattahoochee Technical College.
Sincerely,
Angela Reisen, Student Affairs Assistant
Appendix B
1. What was your program of study while in attendance? ______________________________________
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2. Was this your first term at CTC? (Please circle one) Yes No 3. Which was your main campus? (Please circle one) Appalachian Mountain View Austell North Metro Canton Paulding Marietta Woodstock 4. From the following choices below, which of these best matches with your reasons for withdrawing? (Please circle one) Change in employment Family issues or concerns Achieved educational goal Financial reasons Academic difficulty Transferring to another institution Displeased with CTC Transportation Other: (Please explain)________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ 1. What was your program of study while in attendance? ______________________________________
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2. Was this your first term at CTC? (Please circle one) Yes No 3. Which was your main campus? (Please circle one) Appalachian Mountain View Austell North Metro Canton Paulding Marietta Woodstock 4. From the following choices below, which of these best matches with your reasons for withdrawing? (Please circle one) Change in employment Family issues or concerns Achieved educational goal Financial reasons Academic difficulty Transferring to another institution Displeased with CTC Transportation Other: (Please explain)________
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If you answered “Displeased with CTC” for number 4, please explain your reason below:____________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Is there anything CTC could have done to help you or to prevent you from dropping your classes?
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Please share any other comments or suggestions:_________________________________________
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______________________________________________ Thank You If you answered “Displeased with CTC” for number 4, please explain your reason below:____________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Is there anything CTC could have done to help you or to prevent you from dropping your classes?
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Please share any other comments or suggestions:_________________________________________
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______________________________________________ Thank You
Appendix C Count and Percent
Student Retention Survey - Winter Quarter 2011
Count Percent
What was your program of study? (Click the down arrow, then Respondents: 24 highlight to select program of study.)
(Not Answered) 2 8.33 %
Accounting 1 4.17 %
Air Conditioning Technology 1 4.17 %
Culinary Arts 1 4.17 %
Early Childhood Care and Education 2 8.33 %
Electronics Technology 1 4.17 %
Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology 1 4.17 %
Health Care Assistant 1 4.17 %
Health Care Science 4 16.67 %
Interiors 1 4.17 %
Management and Supervisory Development 1 4.17 %
Medical Assisting 1 4.17 %
Nursing 3 12.50 %
Technical Communications 3 12.50 %
Visual Communications 1 4.17 %
Total Responses 24 100 %
Was this your first term at CTC? Respondents: 24
(Not Answered) 2 8.33 %
Yes 2 8.33 %
No 20 83.33 %
Total Responses 24 100 %
Which was your main campus? Respondents: 24
(Not Answered) 6 25.00 %
Appalachian 1 4.17 %
Marietta 6 25.00 %
Mountain View 3 12.50 %
North Metro 5 20.83 %
Paulding 3 12.50 %
Total Responses 24 100 %
Count Percent
From the following choices below, which of these matches with your Respondents: 24 reasons for withdrawing?
(Not Answered) 3 12.50 %
Change in employment 2 8.33 %
Family issues or concerns 7 29.17 %
Financial reasons 1 4.17 %
Academic difficulty 6 25.00 %
Displeased with CTC 2 8.33 %
Other, please explain 10 41.67 %
Total Responses 31 100 % If you answered “Displeased with CTC” for the question above as a reason for withdrawing, please explain your reason below: * I have been a student at CTC for almost 3 years. This is the first Quarter that I came across an instructor that seems not to care about the entire class not understanding the course. * Some of the teachers seem to think they can talk to adults any way they want to and they do. CTC needs to find a way to monitor what is said in the class rooms like placing faux students in the classes. If, and I mean if I decide to return back to CTC it would not be the north metro campus.
Other Responses* (for question above) * Teacher policies * I was sick and hospitalized. * Online difficulty * Unorganized instructor * Problems with communicating with teachers * The teachers * Depression * Did not need class for change of program * I was not suppose to take the class * Recently had baby
Comments
Is there anything CTC could have done to help you or to prevent you from dropping your classes? * I tried contacting the Dean for the department, but her mailbox was full. I met with the teacher, but to no avail. * There was no organic chemistry tutor at the Marietta Campus. If I was able to get more help, my professor was not very helpful, I might not have had to drop the class. * When the entire class informed the instructor that we do not understand the subject, he had no interest in showing us! It became extremely frustrating to actually sit there and not understand! * I don't think so because it was sickness. * NO * No, because I'm the one who signed-up for online classes * No, I had a death in the family and missed 2 important tests. I felt too far behind to catch up and felt it would be easier for me to drop and retake the class. * I was just having problems because I just had a baby and I work a full time job and it was just hard to balance everything. * I registered for two classes, math and an ECE class. I was not prepared for the math class, being out of school for so long. I should have taken 97 before taking 98. The ECE class was very unorganized and began to take up too much time between added assignments and incorrect instructions. * Some teachers need to check their e-mail more frequently and communicate with students clearly and on a regular basis. Teachers also need to make sure assignments are actually posted and posted clearly. Also, make it easier for online students to be able to contact someone else if they are having problems and their teacher is not responding. * No, I was just going through some hard times and decided that the best choice for me was to retake my dropped classes next quarter. * Yes I'm sure, before now the school has had complains about the teachers. The teachers need to know that if not for the students they would not have a job, and most of the students are adults and we are not there for teachers to treat us like we are back in elementary school, if a student is in the class not paying attention but is being quiet, that is on that student. As long as the student is not loud and disturbing the class the teacher should just keep teaching the students who want to learn. I think if a teacher feels the students are adult enough to us profanity in front of then the teacher should treat everyone like an adult. * If there is any program listed to help depressed people. If CTC help me by providing a counseling psychology and clinical psychology for free because my incoming is low. * I was drowning in the homework. I have made an A in 2 English classes at CTC. The Math and the computer class have made me feel like and elementary student. I may try to change my major to avoid the Math I COULDN'T do the math. Bottom line. The computer class was very challenging, but taking the math at same time as the computer class was very difficult for me. * Thank you but no, I was ill and lost too many days for the term. Also I need to work full time to cover my living expenses. * No, I enjoy all the teachers I have had these past two years and I am very pleased with the school overall...... * I spoke with Mrs. Frances and she confirmed, I was not supposed to take the class; I passed it in the Compass results. Lack of communication when you talk to the different campus sites...I appreciate the Dallas Campus for accuracy and always double checking the database. * Not it was my fault. I thought I would be able to balance a newborn and the coursework.
Comments
Please share any other Comments or Suggestions below. * I really don't care about a prize! My education is more important. * No other comment. * I plan on returning in the fall. * CTC is a very good school and I am proud to be a student there. * I have tried to take the Introduction to micro computers twice now and both times the teachers were overly rude, especially Mrs. Gholston. And yes I did not speak to her about how I felt because I don’t feel like I should have to, because she should not act the way she do. And yes I know that she gets good feedback, but some of the student in this 2011 winter class did not like the way she treat us and she felt she could get away with it, but everyone is different and I am in my 40's and I am there to learn, not to be treated like or talk to like I am a kid. I want stop until I take my complaint to the highest like SAC. * This quarter that I have dropped, I needed help for writing a topic about psychology, I went to room 120 they told me there is no tutoring for psychology to ask a classmate or my instructor. * I want to learn more, but I do work and have a limited amount of time for homework.
Thank you for following up with me, regarding my withdrawal. This is progress and communication, this let me know, you care about the future of students.
Running head: Why creating a position
Appendix D
I would like for the webpage to be under Admissions under the prospective tab, as well as under Student Resources on the current tab. Ideally it will have a shortened web address such as www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu/Readmissions. If possible, I would also like to be able to track how often the page is accessed, and which links.
Contact a Readmissions Counselor
Contact a Readmissions Counselor
Please choose the option or options that apply to you:
I applied to the school, but never took any classes.
I was a dual/joint enrolled student with CTC.
I am returning from academic suspension.
I am graduating/have graduated from a current CTC program.
I have not attended classes in three semesters.
I have not attended classes in more than five years.
Applied but didn’t take courses
Applied but didn’t take courses
The links above will send the user directly to their specific section. Each section will have the information and steps pertaining to their category, and a link to the pdf of the readmit form.
Dual/Joint Enrolled
Dual/Joint Enrolled
If you applied a year or more ago, you will need to submit a new application. New transcripts and documents will also need to be submitted to the Admissions Office on one of our campuses. If you applied less than a year ago, you will need to submit an Admissions Update form found here.
Returning from academic suspension
Returning from academic suspension
Graduating/have graduated from a current CTC program
Graduating/have graduated from a current CTC program
If you were previously a dual/join enrolled student with CTC, you must submit an official copy of your completed high school transcript. The transcript must be sent to the Admissions Office. You must also complete a readmit form, which can be found here.
If you are returning from your first academic suspension, you must sit out for one complete term. After this term, you must complete and turn in the readmit form found here.
If you are returning to CTC after graduating from one of our programs, you will need to turn in any transcripts from other college attended during your absence, and a readmit form. The form can be found here and will need to be completed and turned in to one of our Admissions Offices.
Have not attended classes in three semesters
Have not attended classes in three semesters
If you have not attended CTC in three semesters or more, but less than five years, it is possible you will have to retake the COMPASS Exam if your scores have expired or you do not have class credit to exempt the test. You will also need to turn in the readmit form located here.
Have not attended classes in more than five years
Have not attended classes in more than five years
If you have not attended CTC in five or more years, you will need to fill out and turn in a readmit form to the institution. You can access the form here. All college transcripts (new and old) must be resubmitted to the college; however you are not required to resubmit any high school transcripts. If your COMPASS test scores have expired and you do not have the required class credit to exempt the text, you will have to retake the COMPASS test.
