Teleconference at CSC to give details on first-year program

About a year ago, Chadron State was one of 12 “founding institutions” belonging to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities chosen to participate in the program.

In late October, four Chadron State professional staff members attended a seminar at Asheville, N.C., to exchange information with officials from the other institutions that are involved. The four who participated are Dr. Joyce Hardy, senior vice president of academic and student affairs; Dr. Bill Roweton, director of institutional research; Dr. Robert Stack, dean of students; and Terie Dawson assistant vice president for enrollment management.

Chadron State will participate in a satellite teleconference on Thursday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., that will link all of the schools involved to continue the dialogue that was begun during the seminar. The teleconference location will be in the Kosman Room of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center. The session will be open to the public.

During the teleconference, officials from the Policy Center on the First Year of College located at Brevard College in North Carolina will be available to answer questions and give a detailed explanation of the program’s goals and aspirations.

Stack said that naturally Chadron State has been trying for many years to assist and retain as many of its first-year students as possible so they can succeed in college. He said retention is always a goal in the admissions, orientation, advising, counseling, tutoring and financial aid processes. In addition, Chadron State offers a College 121 course where first-year students are given information on many aspects of college, including time management, study skills and college resources that are available to them.

“While we have many of the programs in place to help first-year students, we know we don’t have all the answers,” said Stack. “By being selected to participate in the Foundations of Excellence program, we have obtained considerable information from the other schools about what has worked for them. In addition, it has given us the opportunity to study our programs, see how we can improve them and then better coordinate our efforts. We’re excited about the long-range implications of being involved in the program.”

Stack added that first year success in college usually translates into further success as the students work toward graduation. He noted that currently about 70 percent of Chadron State’s first-year students return for the second year. While this percentage is considered to be good, the college wants to do all it can to help more of its first year students succeed.

Some 125 AASCU members applied to participate in the Foundations of Excellence program. CSC was identified as an institution that had the structure, commitment and dedication to help develop the model that is being designed for use by other public colleges and universities to refine their overall approach to educating new students.

The other colleges and universities in the program are City Universities of New York, Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers College, Georgia Southwestern State, Illinois State at Normal, Indiana and Purdue Universities at Indianapolis, Kennesaw State of Georgia, Missouri Western, Plymouth State of New Hampshire, State University of New York at Brockport, Texas A&M—Corpus Christi and Wisconsin-Parkside.