Students First: Building a Sustainable Path Forward

August 7, 2019

Significant Challenges

Lagging Student Success9 out of 12 colleges’ graduation rates are of concern to the accrediting body

34%36%

38% 38%

43%

Declining EnrollmentDown 7% since 2010, projected additional 8% down in the next decade

Fiscal SustainabilityFinancial stability for 10 of 12 colleges are of concern to the accrediting bodyState investment in public higher education in CT is down 12.8% between 2008 and 2017

Three-year (150%) graduation + transfer-out rates (success rates) for all degree-granting, two-year public colleges in CT, RI, MA, NJ, and NY for the three-year period ending Aug 2017.

Gaps in Attainment and Equity

CSCU Community Colleges & State Attainment

Connecticut State Attainment Goal: 70% by 2025

White66%

Latinx20%

Black14%

CSCU Credential Attainment

(2013-18)

2983More

70%by 2025

If we had equity,2983 more community college credentials would have been awarded to Latinx and Black students 2013-18.

CSCU Community Colleges & State Attainment

Community colleges were built for access.We must evolve to ensure equity in retention and completion.

Connecticut community colleges enroll 2/3 of the state’s minoritizedundergraduates

Percentage Point Change in Equity Gap (2012-16)

Equity Gaps

Percentage of students who earn 24 or more college-level credits in year one, disaggregated

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017

White Latinx Black

Equity Gaps

Percentage of students who passed college-level math and college-level English in year one, disaggregated

0%

10%

20%

30%

Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017

White Latinx Black

Proposed Reorganization

• Ensurestudents are at the center of all decisions

• Prioritizeteaching, learning and high-quality academic programming

• Preserve and enhancestudent support services

• Safeguardeducational access and affordability

• Be conscientious stewardsof the students’ and the state’s investments in our institutions

Guiding Principles of Students First

Students First Vision

• Unify into a single accredited community college maintaining all 12 campuses and additional satellite centers

• Create a dynamic community college that leverages talents and resources and focuses on getting students to their individual educational goals and in response to community and state needs.

• Create a financially stable and sustainable future for the state’s community colleges

• Maintain the uniqueness, identity and community connections of each campus• Implement best practices in enrollment management to address declining

enrollment patterns, bolster retention, and remove barriers to student access and completion

10

Benefits of Consolidation

• single enrollment and financial aid applications• common degree programs with common courses between campuses• ease of transfer across campuses and to universities• adoption of best practices at scale and across campuses,• prioritizing student-facing services amid fiscal constraints by focusing

resources on students success needs,• mitigating upward pressure on tuition,• streamlining administrative tasks, and• aligning common procedures.

A single accredited community college with 12 campuses will remove barriers to student success through:

A single accredited community college with 12 campuses will provide geographic access to all programs across the state

CT State Colleges & Universities

CAMPUS CEO

(CCCl)

CAMPUS CEO

(ACC)

CAMPUS CEO

(GCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(HCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(MCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(NCCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(NCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(NVCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(QVCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(MXCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(TRCC)

CAMPUS CEO

(TCC)

Proposed Leadership Structure

REGION 1 REGION 2 REGION 3

CCC CFO

Regional PresidentRegional President Regional President

CSCU President

CCC President(CEO)

CCC Provost/CAO

VP Enroll. Mgt

New Approach: 1 College, 3 Regions

• Create 3 regions, to enhance student experience and success, assure academic quality and maximize organizational effectiveness

• Create new leadership structure with Regional Presidents and local Campus CEOs• Build upon strong relationships between community colleges in a region and leverage expertise

and personnel assets currently at the colleges• Incorporate shared services in HR, finance, marketing, IT, facilities and Institutional Research • Seek regionally coordinated grant opportunities• Implement strategic and consistent student success strategies to improve retention and

completion• Maintain regional and local campus programs that are responsive to regional workforce needs• Manage academic program offerings and enrollment across the region

13

Role of the Regional Presidents

• Provide focused leadership and coordination among regional campuses• Foster collaboration and alignment across campuses• Re-align resources and human capital within the region• Promote implementation of best practices and peer learning on student success strategies• Advocate legislatively at the local, regional and state level along with the Campus CEO• Partner with state, local, community agencies, businesses, and school districts to respond to

needs and create opportunities for students throughout the region• Serve as a liaison to the community along with Campus CEOs• Support regional recruitment and retention initiatives

New Approach: 1 College, 3 Regions

Role of the Campus CEO

• Be a visible presence on campus and within the local community• Hire and manage all campus faculty and staff• Oversee local campus operations and secure shared services for the campus• Manage all campus academic and student programming• Foster a positive environment that maximizes student enrollment, retention and completion• Collaborate with the campus foundation to secure additional resources• Advocate legislatively at the local level along with the Regional President• Partner with state, local, community agencies, businesses, and school districts to create

opportunities for students

15

New Approach: 1 College, 3 Regions

Budget: $491M; 60% from state appropriation • 5,961 employees, including 1,947 full-time and 4,014 part-time• 784 full-time faculty; 1,564 non-teaching FTEs; 815 of which work in academic or student affairs. • There are 750 employees currently working in administrative functions.

• Students First will reduce this administrative staff by 171(23%). Saving approximately $21M annually. No faculty or student affairs staff positions are reduced as part of this reorganization.

• The reduction in administrative staff comes in four main areas: Executive Leadership, Finance and Administrative Services, HR/Payroll, and IT. Examples of workforce changes:o Replace College Presidents with Campus CEOs when there is attritiono Combine Deans of Academic Affairs and Deans of Student Affairs into single position on small and mid-

size campuseso Create shared services in Human Resources, Information Technology, Payroll, Facilities, Finance and

Institutional Research with dedicated campus staffingo Provide centralized enrollment management, marketing and communications leadership with dedicated

campus staffing

Staffing and Financial Impact of Students First

Efforts Underway to Improve Student Experience and Success

Student Mobility: Attending Multiple Colleges

25% of community college graduates in the system attended more than one community college

25%

one is at Housatonic

Example I: Two Courses + Two Colleges = Too Complicated

What does it take to complete?

Gateway student needs two classes to graduate

one is at Gateway

Example I: 35 Steps

Current process with 12 colleges:

Student meets with academic advisor at their

home college (HC)

During advising session, it is discovered that one of the two

final courses needed for graduation is not available at (HC)

Student and advisor together search web for course availability

at other campuses in the CT Community College System.

A section of the course is identified at another college. The

student decides to pursue the course at the visiting college (VC)

Student must apply to the (VC) even though they have already

applied to a sister CT Community College. The application fee is

note charged twice but all processes and paperwork must be

resubmitted for admission.

(VC) Admission staff review application

Student must re-request proof of high school completion from

school district

Student submits proof of high school to admission office at (VC)

(VC) admissions staff formally admit student once matriculation

items are received

Student must request college transcript from (HC) be sent to

(VC)

Admissions/registrar at (VC) receive and evaluate transcript

from (HC)

Transcript evaluation may require faculty/departmental approval.

Admissions/Registrar at (VC) requests approval from faculty (if

needed)

Faculty at (VC) reviews transcript from (HC) and approves courses

and prerequisites.

Admissions/Registrar at (VC) enters approved credit and/or

adds prerequisite overrides needed for registration

If student is receiving financial aid, student must visit financial aid

office at (HC) and request consortium agreement to pay for

classes at (VC)

Financial aid office at (HC) must contact (VC) to notify of

consortium

Student visits financial aid office at (VC) to gain signatures

Student visits advising office at (VC) to gain signatures

Student re-visits advising office at (HC) to gain signatures

Student meets with advisor at (VC) Student registers at (VC)

Student visits payments/bursar to ensure consortium memo is placed on account otherwise student will be dropped from

course

Student visits bookstore at (VC) to obtain textbook but finds out that

financial aid cannot be used for upfront cost. Student must pay out of pocket and wait until the

end of the semester to be refunded.

Student begins course at (VC)

In order to access academic or non-academic supports student

must learn an entirely new system with different departments,

offices, programs, staff titles, and duties.

Student must learn to navigate different types of technology to

succeed in their studies Student completes course at (VC)Student requests (VC) transcript be sent to (HC)

(HC) receives and reviews transcript.

Faculty/Departmental approval is required due to differences in

course name and number

Admissions/Registrar sends transcript and course description to program/department faculty

Program/department faculty review and accept course as

equivalent and notify registrar/admissions

Registrar/admissions formally enter credit to student transcripts Student graduates

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

910111213141516

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

26272829303132

17

25

34 3533

Example I: 5 Steps

The process at one college:

Meet with advisor

One class not available at the home campus

Find the class at a nearby

campus

Register, financial aid

instantly applies

Pass class and graduate

1 2 3 4 5

Over 400 faculty, staff, administrators, and students serve on a variety of workgroups comprising a mix of elected, representative, volunteer, and appointed members.

Who Is Doing This Work?

Students First Working Group Structure

March 2019

2018-19Individual Colleges

The Road to One College

2023-24One CSCU College

Groups reporting to the College Consolidation Implementation Committee collectively recommend policies, frameworks, and practices for the one college under the Guided Pathways model facilitated by the Student Success Center

United toward a student success & equity-focused one college Through Student Success Center coordination, Achieving the Dream, and the College Student Success Team Coordinating Council, we are united toward a student success and equity-focused one college

12 College Student Success Teams coached by Achieving the Dream, locally determine how to best respond to individual student and community needs and how to contextualize one college policies, frameworks, and practices

Our Partners

www.ct.edu/sf

Website

http://www.ct.edu/sf

Students First: �Building a Sustainable Path ForwardSignificant ChallengesGaps in Attainment and EquityCSCU Community Colleges & State AttainmentCSCU Community Colleges & State AttainmentEquity GapsEquity GapsProposed ReorganizationGuiding Principles of Students FirstStudents First VisionBenefits of ConsolidationSlide Number 12New Approach: 1 College, 3 RegionsNew Approach: 1 College, 3 RegionsNew Approach: 1 College, 3 RegionsSlide Number 16Efforts Underway to Improve Student Experience and Success Student Mobility: Attending Multiple CollegesExample I: �Two Courses + Two Colleges = Too ComplicatedExample I: 35 StepsExample I: 5 StepsWho Is Doing This Work?Students First Working Group StructureThe Road to One CollegeOur PartnersWebsite