Business Office
at Valparaiso University

“The ‘gloss’ of the freshman year has worn off – there’s not even any sheen left,” wrote one sophomore when Westminster College professors asked for feedback at the beginning of “Making Sophomores Count,” a program that helps sophomores navigate their second-year transition while choosing a major.

Most students who leave a college do so by the time they are juniors. While much attention is focused on facilitating the freshman year transition, many New American colleges and universities are working to better understand issues facing sophomores.

“Research demonstrates that sophomores experience a whole new set of stressors as they return to the college campus. They may feel they receive less hands-on institutional attention and support as compared to their first-year experience,” says Dr. Amy Avery, assistant dean for student success at North Central College. “The excitement and thrill of a new experience has worn off, and they now face the reality that college will be three more years of hard work, more difficult upper-level courses, and a significant financial investment.”

Supporting Sophomores

In Westminster College’s “Making Sophomores Count” course, the retention rate is 95 percent for those who participate. The semester-long course helps students match skills and values with areas of study and potential career objectives. Faculty guest speakers are a staple, and topics include professional associations, grad school preparations, and networking. By the end, each student has conducted an informational interview with a potential employer and prepared a portfolio to track progress and chart an academic path. Student also reported that they learn about key resources – such as the Career Resource Center – with which they were not yet familiar.

A Collaborative Approach

The Butler University Sophomore Experience Work Group (SEWG) consists of faculty and staff who meet monthly. It formed two years ago when many were concerned that returning sophomores felt ignored and on their own after a freshmen year filled with welcoming activities and mentoring. Irene Stevens, Butler’s dean of Student Life and SEWG member, is advisor to the Sophomore Class Council and frequently solicits feedback on sophomore’s needs. In return, class officers often attend SEWG meetings. Stevens said, “Students are very creative, provide fresh perspectives, and are good at telling us what will work.”

SEWG sends a “Sophomore Year Guide” during the summer to returning sophomores. It describes how sophomore year experiences differ from those of freshmen – for example, more challenging classes, pressure to choose majors and career paths, new housing arrangements – and suggests 13 goals for sophomore year, including identifying personal goals and expanding one’s circle of friends. It also advises students to relate classroom experience to the real world through service learning and research, this connection of applied to theoretical knowledge being a common thread of all New American Colleges and Universities.

Widespread Outreach

At its annual Spring conference, “How to Be a Sophomore,” North Central College casts a wide net to reach all sophomores and their many needs. Faculty and staff from career services, study abroad, academic support, advising center, wellness center, student involvement, residence life, and financial aid give five-minute presentations in their areas related to the sophomore experience.

Drury University recently began its Second-Year Experience Program during which sophomore-only functions promote socialization with peers and connections across academic disciplines. Workshops and seminars on peer advising, tutoring, career mentoring, and major exploration are available, and the program director meets one-on-one with students who request additional mentoring.

Targeting the Source

In efforts to retain sophomore, campuses use data to predict who is more likely to leave. “We’ve looked at data each year for non-returning students and for first-year students who present at the bottom of Elon’s quartile in terms of academic credentials. It’s not so predictable,” said Becky Olive-Taylor, of Elon’s Academic Advising Center. “Sometimes the weaker students succeed and the strong students with – perhaps – little self-discipline flounder. Popular wisdom has held here that students who don’t connect with an organization or an adult mentor are more likely to drop out.”

With so many reasons that might influence a sophomore to leave, it can be difficult for institutions to know the right approach. Sophomores clearly feel different pressures than first year students, whether it is financial pressure, uncertainty about a major or career direction, lack of engagement in campus life or with faculty and other students, or a combination of factors. By listening to sophomores and paying attention to factors that influence their decisions, institutions are increasing retention and graduation rates, improving campus morale, and promoting student success. Well-crafted interventions do make a difference.

For more information, contact Michelle Apuzzio at apuzzio@newamericancolleges.org.

The current feature
can be found on the
home page

Subscribe to our
News by Email
(Receive email updates when we add a new story to any of the news pages.)

Feature Archives

The New American Colleges and Universities are delighted to welcome a most dynamic group of eight new provosts/CAOs this fall. Who are they? Why did they decide to become provosts? What are their biggest challenges?

Three have backgrounds in English/humanities, four in the sciences (physics, psychology, physiology, nursing), and one in higher education administration. Only three are new to their institutions, and one is actually serving his alma mater. Only one has previously served as a provost, although all have been associate provosts and have held a variety of administrative positions including dean of an Honors College, director of a Teaching Center, vice chancellor for Institutional Planning and Assessment, and dean of a School of Nursing. Two were founding deans of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. Who are they? Why did they decide to become provosts? What are their biggest challenges?

Before learning about their swelling inboxes we caught up with them via email as they began to focus on goals both large (addressing budgeting issues while maintaining academic standards) and small (finding a good dry cleaner). Read snippets of these virtual conversations.

Eighty percent of New American Colleges and Universities’ members were acknowledged on specialized lists in the 2010 rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S.News & World Report magazine. In addition to the popular overall rankings, each year the publication examines other metrics that add quality and value to the student experience. Sixteen New American Colleges and Universities appeared on one or more of the following lists: “Great Schools, Great Prices;” “A Strong Commitment to Teaching;” “Keep an Eye on These Schools;” and “Programs to Look For.”

“Although we are one of higher education’s newer consortiums, our members are known for their leadership and success in integrating liberal arts and sciences with professional programs and civic responsibility, and that continues to attract national attention,” said Lynette Robinson, executive director, New American Colleges and Universities. “Our members, most of which are master’s level universities, successfully demonstrate the value of applying liberal learning to all fields of study, at all levels of instruction, and in all parts of a student’s experience.”

Out of 29 master’s level universities nationwide recognized for a commitment to teaching undergraduates, eight were New American Colleges and Universities – Elon University, Wagner College, The University of Scranton, Belmont University, Butler University, Valparaiso University, North Central College, and University of Evansville. Wagner College and Elon University were top-ranked in their geographic regions in this category.

On the “Keep an Eye on These Schools” list, seven of the 37 master’s level universities were New American Colleges and Universities, and all were in the top four for their respective regions. For two years in a row, both Belmont University and Elon University (South region) were cited most in the nominations for this list nationally. The list also included Arcadia University, Butler University, Quinnipiac University, The University of Scranton, and Wagner College.

These private institutions have worked hard to retain high quality while maintaining costs. More than half were listed among 49 other master’s level universities for providing excellent value based on the net cost of attendance. These institutions, in groups of fifteen per geographic region, were also recognized as having above-average academics. Of the 15 institutions in the Midwest region, one-third was NAC&U members: the University of Evansville (#2), Valparaiso University (#3), Drake University (#6), Butler University (#8), and Hamline University (#12). The University of Redlands (#7), Pacific Lutheran University (#9), and Westminster College (#14) were listed in the West, and Ithaca College (#6) and The University of Scranton (#10) were listed in the North. Elon University (#14) was ranked in the South.

Elon University was again prominent in the list of “Programs to Look For,” which recognized “outstanding examples of academic programs that are commonly linked to student success.” For the second year in a row, Elon was mentioned in seven of out eight categories including Internships, Senior Capstone, First-Year Experience, Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects, Learning Communities, Study Abroad and Service Learning. Belmont University and Wagner College both appeared with Elon on the First-Year Experience and Learning Communities list. The Senior Capstone at Belmont and Service Learning at Wagner were also noted as outstanding. In addition, Arcadia University and Butler University were recognized for their Study Abroad programs.  Hampton University was ranked sixth among Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Valparaiso University’s civil engineering program was rated eighth nationally among engineering schools that offer only bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In the overall rankings, more than half of New American Colleges and Universities classified as master’s level universities were in the top ten for their respective geographic regional rankings, and 95 percent were in the top 30 for master’s level universities. Samford University, a New American Colleges and Universities member, is classified as a national university, and it moved up four places to #126 this year. Samford was also listed among the top 25 national universities whose students graduate with the least debt, based on the percentage of graduates with debt and the average amount of debt incurred.

For more information, visit www.usnews.com.

Twenty-one students from members of the New American Colleges and Universities, an organization known for its strong emphasis on global studies, will travel to a dozen different countries as part of the prestigious Fulbright Program which emphasizes academic and professional excellence.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Congress established the Fulbright Program in 1946 to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The program is administered in cooperation with more than 140 countries around the world. Approximately 1,200 American students were offered grants to study, teach English, and conduct research in more than 110 countries throughout the world in this year’s program.

Students from the following New American Colleges and Universities have been awarded Fulbright grants: Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn.; Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; Elon University, Elon, N.C.; Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn.; Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y.; North Central College, Naperville, Ill.; Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.; The University of Scranton, Scranton, Penn.; University of Redlands, Redlands, Calif.; and Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.

Pacific Lutheran, Redlands, Scranton, Drake, and Valparaiso were cited as top producers of Fulbright awards for the 2008-9 academic year, among master’s level institutions, in a recent report by the Institute of International Education.

Belmont University Roxanna Hajjafar will teach English in Vienna, Austria.
	Roxanna Hajjafar

Ithaca College

Amy Cohen will travel to the United Kingdom to conduct research on youth programming, resources for professional circus artists, and the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Melendy Krantz will research cultures surrounding birthing in Bangladesh, specifically examining how women’s subcultures and caregiver subcultures affect the role of birth attendants and unite women by evoking intense emotions and a sense of community.

Pacific Lutheran University

Abigail Fagan will teach English in Germany.

In the past decade, 36 PLU students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships, with more than half of those in research areas.

The University of Scranton

Cynthia G. David will teach English in Cameroon.

Amy Lee will teach English in Macau.

Megan E. LoBue will teach English in Germany.

One hundred twenty-four graduates of The University of Scranton have earned a Fulbright or other international fellowship to support a year of study outside of the U.S. since 1979.

A Hamline student tutors a Hancock student.

For many, sustainable civic engagement starts in one’s own backyard. For five years, The University of Scranton has run The Leahy Community Health and Family Center for residents of Lackawanna County, where the university is located. The project has dual goals – to identify and meet the health and wellness needs of underserved individuals in the greater Scranton, Penn. community and to provide students with opportunities for service, teaching, and scholarship.

The Center includes the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured, the only free clinic in the county, which has served 400 patients and provided 150 immunizations to date. The Center also offers counseling for uninsured people, alleviating the six-month wait at the local counseling center. Student projects reflect the goals of the Center and academic pursuits. Many health care students provide services while gaining hands-on training in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and counseling. Health administration students study HIPAA compliance issues while communications students work on marketing. Human resources students have developed a volunteer recruitment manual, and the Latino Student Association helps with translation services and waiting room assistance. Read more about how other member schools are involved in sustainable civic engagement.

As small- to medium-sized institutions, New American Colleges and Universities have traditionally relied more on enrollment than endowment. At many, a recommitment to financial assistance and an expansion of services is helping students, their families, alumni and their local communities weather the economic storm. By being attentive, flexible and creative, New American Colleges and Universities are able to uphold their commitments to meeting student and community needs, even when the institution itself is facing similar challenges.

Expanded programs and services include:

• North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) is offering attractive opportunities, at no additional cost. The first course toward a Master’s degree is free to NCC graduating seniors, and the services of its Career Development Center are free-of-charge for alumni and parents of current students who are out of work.

• Drury University (Springfield, Mo.), The Sage Colleges (Albany and Troy, NY) and Wagner College (Staten Island, NY) are providing increased services to students who may be thinking of withdrawing.
  
  • Wagner has introduced two new retention strategies that have proven to be effective in helping students stay on track to their degrees. The GPS program provides new students with support and resources during the first semester transition to college and contributes to the formation of a life-long bond with the college. More than 60 administrators across campus, including President Richard Guarasci and his wife, Mrs. Carin Guarasci, are trained to serve as GPS mentors. Goals include: introducing students to Wagner College history and culture; encouraging students to make social connections beyond students; assisting students in finding answers to questions; and helping students anticipate and prepare for academic and social milestones.
    
    
  • Before a transcript is sent to another institution, a Wagner student must meet with a trained staff or faculty member who seeks to learn more about the student’s reasons for considering leaving; often the reasons are ones that are easily fixed. Retention has improved significantly since this program was introduced.
    
    
  • Sage has hired additional financial aid personnel and has asked faculty to be alert for and refer students having financial difficulties. Student Services is also staffing walk-up Q&A tables in high-traffic areas.
    
    
  • Drury’s Student Intervention Team (SIT) meets bi-weekly. Consisting of the vice president of Student Life, vice president of Enrollment Management, director of the first-year experience program, the associate academic dean, director of Academic Planning, director of the Writing Center, and the athletic compliance director, the group does a “triage” focusing on students who have been identified as "at risk" or who are on academic probation.
    
    
• Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) is offering free and low-cost programs for students and the community. The College of Business and Public Administration launched a series of half-day seminars on communication skills, effective job searches and opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Increased financial aid:

• Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Wash.) launched a special fund-raising project known as Project Access. It is well along the way to raising $1 million by May 31 that will provide 300 students additional scholarships of $3,500 each to assist them and their families. These special scholarships help continue Pacific Lutheran’s commitment to provide financial aid to more than 90 percent of its students.

• The University of Scranton (Scranton, Penn.) established a Family Outreach Program to offer finance counseling to families who have been negatively impacted by the recent economic conditions. Scranton created a new institutional grant to provide assistance to families experiencing an income reduction, and families can update income information, which is reviewed by the University’s Financial Aid Office to determine if any increase in aid can be made. In addition, Scranton has become a direct lending institution in order to provide families with consistent access to student loan funds.

• Sage Colleges eliminated ‘gapping,’ which is a fairly common practice among higher education institutions in which the initial financial aid package offered is approximately $1000-$2000 less than the calculated family need. Historically families would dig deeper, but Sage has abandoned the practice.

• University of Evansville (Evansville, Ind.) created the William L. Ridgway Award, which will give $18,000 per year (up to four years) to all students graduating from a high school in Vanderburgh County (the county where UE is located), or whose parents reside in Vanderburgh County. The award will be offered to all students entering UE in fall 2009, provided they live on campus, maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA, and agree to perform at least 10 hours of community service per semester.

• North Central College internally reallocated funds to expand its interest-free Roller Loan Program. The program, initially funded by a donor (Roller) contribution, offers interest-free loans with various repayment plans to qualified students.

• A Wagner College alum has donated $50,000 to a special fund, the “Making a Difference” Challenge Fund. Money will help students with financial difficulties stay in school. Wagner’s Institutional Advancement office is asking other alumni to contribute funds to match the original contribution. If the college receives additional large contributions, it will increase the match amount from $50,000 to $100,000 or more.

Maintaining enrollment in these tough times is about more than balancing the budget. It is about ensuring that students can access programs that will prepare them for success when the economic realities are brighter. New American Colleges and Universities are known for the successful integration of liberal arts, professional studies, and civic responsibility, which translates into applying theory to solve practical problems through thousands of hours of service learning projects, internships, and community outreach each semester, in their local communities and across the globe. When students are able to stay in school, pursuing their passions, New American Colleges and Universities are sustaining vital services for the surrounding communities at a time when so many others are cutting back.

Twelve member institutions of The New American Colleges and Universities were honored for their innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs when the Corporation for National and Community Service announced its Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll this week.

Elon University, Hamline University, University of Redlands, and Wagner College were recognized on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction. Arcadia University, Belmont University, Ithaca College, North Central College, Simmons College, Susquehanna University, Valparaiso University, and Westminster College were selected for the Honor Roll.

In all, 635 colleges and universities were named to the honor roll for responding to the President’s call to increase civic engagement and community service. Scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses were all factors in selecting the honorees. 83 colleges and universities were recognized specifically for “distinguished” community service. Schools receiving this distinguished service recognition provided exceptional community service over the past year, contributing their time, resources, energy, skills, and intellect to serve America.

“Community service and civic engagement are at the very heart of what it means to be a New American College,” said Lynette Robinson, executive director of The New American Colleges and Universities. “By applying what they teach and learn in the classroom to the wider community, faculty and students at New American Colleges and Universities develop deep and enduring commitments to service.”

“In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Nicola Goren, acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute these universities for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”

Ten member institutions of The New American Colleges and Universities were honored for their service in last year’s honor roll.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations.

A full list of Honor Roll members is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

The Board of Directors of the Associated New American Colleges, or ANAC, has approved a new name for the consortium -- The New American Colleges and Universities. The consortium’s 22 members share a commitment to integrating liberal arts, professional studies, and civic responsibility. The subtle shift in name addresses the fact that most of its members are universities and are classified as masters’ level universities.

In the early 1990’s, the late Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, coined the term “New American College” to describe a distinctly American institution that would integrate theory and practice, thought and action, and restore the tradition of higher education service to scholarship and society. Later, Alexander Astin, an expert in higher education, contributed the notion of “talent development” to the emerging concept of the New American College, arguing that institutional excellence should be measured by its educational outcomes, not by its resources alone. A group of comprehensive universities, meeting with Boyer and Astin, saw their own institutional commitment reflected in this vision and created ANAC in 1995.

With a collective enrollment of more than 80,000 students, member colleges and universities are regarded as national models of integrative institutions. Learning at New American Colleges and Universities is not confined to the classroom. These institutions are leaders in asserting the value added for students when theory is linked to actual practice. Education is enriched through service learning, extracurricular activities, residential life, and community projects. In the classroom and out, students are challenged to think critically and reflectively about what they are learning and to apply that knowledge to real world situations. Professional internships and experiential learning, often coupled with economic and social development projects for local and global communities, prepare students to be engaged learners who can confidently apply theoretical knowledge to solving real world problems.

Belmont University and Wagner College were recently awarded a $288,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation to assess liberal learning outcomes achieved through experiential learning requirements that are embedded in the two institutions' general education core.

Over the course of the three-year project, titled “Learning by Doing: Assessing the Relationship Between Liberal Learning and Experiential Education,” Belmont and Wagner will seek ways to better assess how experiential learning improves student engagement and enhances important skills such as critical thinking. The project builds from a one-year, $25,000 planning grant obtained in 2007.

Dr. Jeff Coker, associate professor of history and director of Belmont’s General Education program, served as project leader for the planning grant and will serve in that capacity again for the three-year study. He noted, “The Teagle Foundation grant will allow us to learn a great deal more about what faculty at Belmont already sense—that active, ‘hands-on’ learning leads to a high level of engagement and promotes an array of skills that better prepare our students to succeed. This long-term project will spell out the benefits of experiential education, and even more importantly, it will provide us with strategies for improvement. The study also will place Belmont on the cutting-edge of innovative assessment strategies and will be of great interest for colleges and universities nationwide.”

Over the past year, faculty at Belmont and Wagner worked together to develop a plan for the project. Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Wagner, said, “The equal partnership between Wagner College and Belmont University represents a kind of collaboration that institutions nationally should be having. As a result of this mutually reciprocal partnership, there will be a greater understanding of civic engagement, its impact on students, and its impact on the community.”

Team members at Belmont included Dr. Kim Boggs, associate professor of chemistry and director of the Teaching Center; Dr. Lonnie Yandell, professor of psychology; Dr. Linda Holt, associate professor of English and assessment coordinator for General Education; and reference librarian Jenny Rushing. The grant steering team at Wagner College includes Dr. Julia Barchitta, dean of Learning Communities and Experiential Learning; Dr. Laura Martocci, associate dean of Learning Communities and Experiential Learning; Dr. Anne Love, dean of Academic and Career Development; Dr. Roy Mosher, Department of Biology and chair of Committee for Learning Assessment; and Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs (Ex-Officio member).

The project will recruit a group of faculty members at Belmont and Wagner to teach a course with an emphasis on experiential learning each fall semester over the next three years. Assessment measures designed during the planning year will be applied to student work with a goal of developing models for improvement following each semester. Faculty also will be meeting regularly to discuss their experiences and will be encouraged to report their findings at academic conferences. Funds from the Teagle Foundation will provide stipends to participating faculty, allow for workshops and meetings to take place among the faculty, fund collaborations with experts in the field of assessment and provide support for participants to attend conferences related to student learning.

The Teagle Foundation, headquartered in New York City, is a private foundation with the mission of “providing the intellectual and financial resources necessary to ensure that today’s students have access to challenging, wide-ranging, and enriching college educations, and that they succeed at this highest possible level. To learn more about the Teagle Foundation, visit www.teaglefoundation.org.

For more News check out our Features Archives