Transfer-a-Bulls: Transforming Our Transfer Students

Ashlea Coulter, Graduate AssistantJessy Rosenberg, Associate Director

New Student Connections, University of South Florida

USF’s Transfer Population• USF is a large, public institution

serving over 38,000 studentso 60% of new students are transfer

students

• Tampa campus: 30,289

o New Student Connections

USF Regional Campuses

• Sarasota-Manatee: 1,554

• Polytechnic: 1, 076

• St. Petersburg: 3, 439

On-Campus Housing

• Approximately 5,360 students live on campus

• Tampa campus has a mandatory live-on requirement for all first-year students

Living and Learning Community Council Set Up

• 8 Living and Learning Communities designed around academic programs or special interestso Advertisingo Businesso Engineering o Honorso INTO (International Students)o Sustainability o TransferoWellness

Why An LLC for Transfers?• “Research indicates that living learning

community students are more successful academically, feel more connected to the university and are retained at higher rates” – Ana Hernandez, Dean of Housing and Residential

Education

• Most important aspects of a transfer student’s transition are social and academic

Transfer Living and Learning Community Committee

• Oversees the Transfer-a-Bulls LLC

• Comprised of Housing professionals and resident assistants; professional, graduate and student staff from New Student Connections

• Meets monthly to discuss new developments, develop programming ideas and assess initiatives

Transfer-a-Bulls LLC• Main goal is to make large university feel

like a small community

• Students are housed in an apartment style residence hall with individual bedrooms

• Transfer students of all classifications are invited to live o ‘ New to USF but not new to college ’

Learning Objectives

• Academico Residents will develop a strong awareness of USF academic resources that can

contribute to their academic success during their first year at USF.

• Socialo Residents will be encouraged to pursue their interests by taking advantage of the

engagement opportunities outside of the classroom in order to have a holistic USF student experience.

• Communityo Residents will actively participate in their living environment and will find

resources within the university community. Residents will be encouraged to utilize the life experiences and knowledge of their fellow transfer students to enhance their first year experience at USF.

• Personal Responsibilityo Residents will recognize the impact one's choices and actions may have on one's

self and the community.

Programming• Meet and Greet

• Socials

• Scavenger Hunt

• Campus/Academic Resources Workshops

• Potlucks

• Game Night

Tie-Ins

• Transfer Workshop Series- New Student

Connections

• Transfer Student Organization- university student

organization

• Faculty Fellows

• House Calls

• Welcome Packets

Assessment

• Focus Groups

• Rubric

• Surveys

• Solicited feedback from Housing & Residential Education

What Our Residents Are Saying

• “I transferred from a small school and figured this would help me get used to the large campus”

• “They do not have to treat us like freshman, we have been to college before, you know”

• “I would not have met my roommate who is my best friend”

• “I would like to see more bonding among my neighbors”

Successes• Transfer LLC has helped in their

transition

• High percentage of satisfied residents

• Location of residence hall adds to convenience

• Neighbors are ‘built-in friends’

Challenges

• A sense of community was not well established

• Need more intentional programming

• Residents need to be more aware of the expectations of residing in a living and learning community

Challenges

• Building a partnership between

departments

• Changes in staff

• Communication within a large department

Future Trends

• Assign an upper level Transfer student as the

Resident Assistant of residence hall

• In-house advising

• Peer Mentor Program

• Transfer University Experience class

Additional Transfer LLCs

• University of Minnesota

• University of Colorado-Boulder

• Central Michigan University

• Western Illinois University

• University of Seattle

Q &A

Any questions?

Ashlea Coulter: coulter2@usf.edu

Jessy Rosenberg: jrosenberg@usf.edu