A Message from the President
President Mary A. Papazian
Dear Colleagues Thanks to the many of you who attended our recent town hall-style meeting and shared your thoughts about the findings of our Student Success Task Force. Its recommendations were pointed – we still have a great deal to accomplish, despite all the good work that has taken place in recent times. Our 4-year and 6-year graduation rates of 17 percent and 49 percent, respectively, do not compare favorably with those of all public universities in Connecticut (40.6 and 61.5 percent), and public universities nationally (31.3 and 56 percent). While our graduation rates have started to swing upward, we clearly have some catching up to do. The task force – to which many of you contributed – recommends improvements in many key areas. For example, creating an ombudsman-type position to help students find assistance when they have questions or concerns; or introducing more flexible hours of operation in key student service offices. To help bolster our retention rate, the task force recommends examining the credit-load needed for graduation and reinforcing our advisement ranks – some students are accumulating as many as 149 credits, meaning extra months in the classroom and the added burden of extra tuition and
Photo: Moto Photo
President Papazian meets with Gov. Dannel Malloy (right) and Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson at the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce Governor’s luncheon.
related expenses. Other proposals included recommending more opportunities for student employment on campus; increased support for second-year and transfer students and enhanced academic intervention. The full report is now available online, with an opportunity for members of our community to offer comments and suggestions during March. Soon, we will announce a new team to review the recommendations and carry them forward within the structure of our Strategic Plan - ensuring that this is a living document that will generate positive change on our campus. I have met with Gov. Dannel Malloy twice in recent weeks – once at the launching of his new Transform CSCU 2020 Initiative, and again at the Hamden Chamber of Commerce’s annual Lunch with the Governor, where I had the pleasure of offering remarks. As you know, this multi-year initiative will provide more than $134 million across our 17 institutions, with an emphasis on access, affordability and retention – all themes that we are intimately familiar with at Southern. The program also provides for more smart classrooms, in an effort to create technology-rich learning environments; seeks to streamline administrative processes to ease the path to registration and degree completion, and looks to create effective bridges between K-12 schools, community colleges and higher education institutions like Southern. Coming as it does in the second year of a biennial budget cycle, this initiative can be viewed as an initial investment that will be repeated if we are successful in advancing its agenda. At the Hamden Chamber luncheon, I emphasized the work that we are already undertaking to enhance both access and retention. I also detailed how we are adapting
both our facilities – such as the new science building – and our academic offerings, (e.g. the Accelerated MBA; M.S. in applied physics) to meet the future needs of our students and Connecticut’s workforce. Reflecting the themes contained in the Governer’s initiative, ConnScu President Gregory Gray has proposed that tuition and fees be capped at 2 percent for the 2014–2015 academic year. He recommends that this becomes part of a long-term tuition plan extending through 2016–2017. The Board of Regents has a stated goal to keep college accessible and affordable for Connecticut residents – as President Gray pointed out: “Higher education must remain within reach if Connecticut is to develop a strong, thriving economy.” With inflation expected to exceed 2 percent annually over the next several years, individual institutions will need to make up much of the budget differential through efficiencies and increased enrollment. At Southern, the lower tuition increase will present less of a financial deterrent for many prospective and current students; and new developments, such as the implementation of the Common App, will help to expand our pool of applicants. But the onus will be on all of us to continue our work to enhance enrollment and improve retention, following the recommendations outlined by the Student Success Task Force and through the development and implementation of our new Strategic Plan. Sincerely,
Mary Papazian, Ph.D. President
News from the Vice Presidents’ Offices ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
SouthernLife
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During the Spring Forum, faculty members were updated with the latest data regarding student success and retention, as well as provided insight about students belonging to the Millennial Generation. Jennifer Hudson, faculty development associate, said the program featured several Southern speakers. Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs, presented institutional data and discussed the findings of the Student Success Task Force. Erin Larkin, assistant professor of world languages and literatures, presented a workshop on “Teaching Millennial Students: What Matters Most.” The Millennial Generation is a term referring to those born roughly between 1982 and 1995, although demographers vary by a few years on the specific boundaries. Also speaking were Adam Goldberg, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator of elementary education, who presented a workshop, “Creating a Caring Classroom: What Matters Most;” and Frank LaDore, director of academic advising, who talked about advising and mentoring students for success. “It was an interesting and informative program that we believe was valuable for our faculty,” Hudson said.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Plans are moving forward for the renovation of the Wintergreen Building, Executive Vice President James Blake has announced. Blake said a temporary building is tentatively scheduled to be placed in the parking lot area behind the building this summer. That facility will house various departments during the first phase of the project, which would involve work to the front end of the building. Many of the offices in the front end would move further back into the building while that work is underway. The back area of Wintergreen will be renovated
SouthernLife • MARCH 2014
after the first phase is completed. “I think people will see a significant improvement in the quality and aesthetics of the building after the renovation work is complete,” Blake said. He noted the goals include enhancing workspace for employees and to improve customer service with a realignment of some departments. For example, the Office of Admissions will be moving into the building, which also houses such departments as Financial Aid, Academic Advisement and The Office of the Bursar. Plans are to create it a “one-stop shopping” area for student and enrollment services.
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
On Feb. 26, Southern celebrated TAG (Thank a Giver) day, emphasizing the importance of philanthropy and providing students with an opportunity to show their appreciation to donors. The event was held in Engleman Hall, where students were invited to sign a “Thank You Donors” banner and thank you postcards. In keeping with the theme, signs were displayed throughout the building, citing compelling statistics on the importance of giving. In conjunction with the event, a “Thanks a Latte” donor recognition table was set up those who supported the 2014 Faculty and Staff Campaign for Student Success. Donors received coffee and a university travel mug at the table, which also had been set up at various other sites on campus during the week. In addition, representatives of the 2014 Senior Class Campaign attended the TAG event, encouraging members of the graduating class to make a symbolic contribution of $20.14. A student/ donor “thank you” video will be created from footage of the day. In other news, a New York City Alumni Network is being established for those who live and/or work in the Big Apple. A kick-off event
will be held on May 13 at Sardi’s Restaurant in the Theater District. Tickets are $25 per person for the gathering. More information is at SouthernCT.edu/alumni. Looking forward, other regional alumni networks will be forming soon.
STUDENT AFFAIRS
The Student Success Task Force has submitted its report, the result of a year-long process, to President Mary A. Papazian, announced Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs. A year ago, President Papazian charged this task force with focusing on improving the university’s retention and its 4- and 6-year graduation rates. The task force broke down into nine subcommittees, each of which was to examine a contributing factor in retention and graduation rates. Each subcommittee developed a report based on its findings, and these reports became the foundation of the final full report, which presents six broad areas of recommendation: 1) advance a culture of “student-centeredness”; 2) create a Student Success Center; 3) transform academic advising; 4) modify academic programs, policies and instruction; 5) refresh university branding and marketing; and 6) improve student financing and affordability. President Papazian will create a new committee to oversee implementation of the recommendations and help institutionalize student success as the university’s ongoing highest priority. Tyree said that the recommendations, when implemented, will bring about “a new day at Southern,” by helping everyone on campus to understand his or her own role in this transformation. “The only way we will realize this culture of student centeredness is for every person on this campus to say, ‘I am part of this,’” Tyree says. “It takes a university initiative to make this really happen.” A town hall-style meeting to present the report to the university community was held March 3.