Contact Director for Student Affairs Assessment and Analytics, Dr. Kim Nelson Pryor, with questions at sa-assess@smu.edu.
Goldfish or Elephants?
CAMPUS RECREATION
INTRODUCTION
Student employees are the heart of Campus Recreation, and we set a goal to develop transferable skills in our students. We set out to learn whether our current Operations Orientation left students retaining information like goldfish or elephants. Leaving the orientation confident in their new role is an important factor to success.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Campus Recreation operations student staff will retain vital employee information presented through the Operations Orientation.
MEASURE
Learning/ development Test/ evaluation
§ Combined survey and quiz to assess student satisfaction with and retention of orientation.
§ Target: 70% of student staff participating in survey quiz will retain 70% of the information presented in orientation.
DATA COLLECTION
Responses were collected over a two-week period. The instrument collected employee start date so that data could be analyzed based on longevity of employment, thus distance from orientation completion. Questions included departmental mission, employee expectations, and employee standards.
FINDINGS
§ Target was met with 100% of respondents scoring 70% or higher.
§ The lowest scores, 70 and 80%, occurred among the most recently hired operations staff in May 2024, who had just completed the orientation.
§ A majority of incorrect answers were related to the programs that comprise Campus Recreation (majority not identifying Sport Clubs but believing that Health Promotion was a program within our umbrella).
§ As much Orientation content is reemphasized over time and every day at work, it is possible that the information is retained effectively due to exposure over time and through work- related situations.
ACTION PLAN
§ Revise Campus Recreation Orientation content to enhance knowledge of programs and services offered.
§ Boost learning to emphasize importance of specific content such as robust quizzes and required review for wrong answers.
§ Transcribe Orientation content to an easy reference binder or electronic resource.
§ Emphasize Campus Recreation mission statement.
§ Develop cross-programming trainings to enhance knowledge.
Removing Barriers to Care
Dr. Bob Smith Health Center – Counseling Services
INTRODUCTION & DEPARTMENTAL GOAL FINDINGS
Students were unhappy with the 8- session limit for counseling services, although national data shows that most students use an average of 5.7 sessions. The session limit was put into place to prevent long wait times while still providing an adequate number of sessions. We hypothesized that students disliked the session limit because they felt restricted rather than having a real need for more session.
Our goal was to remove the 8-session limit in hopes of changing the perception students have of service quality based on a session number. We aspired to remove the limit without an increase in wait time while maintaining student satisfaction and patient flow.
MEASURE(S)
Existing data
Survey
There will be no significant increase in wait time or average session number.
Students will report satisfaction with the services they receive.
There was a decrease of 17.9% in average sessions from 5.58 to 4.58. There was no wait list and student were scheduled for their initial consultation within 3 days and first therapy appointment within 6 days. This is an improvement compared to last year’s wait time of 4 and 14 days, respectively. Students also reported a 95% satisfaction rate.
ACTION PLAN
The removal of the session limits did not negatively impact service capacity or student satisfaction. Our plan is to continue to market the new short- term, goal-oriented treatment model and communicate to students that our focus is meeting their treatment goal rather than focusing on the number of sessions.
Pharmacy Utilization and Revenue Generation
Dr. Bob Smith Health Center
INTRODUCTION
Pharmacy utilization dropped significantly during the pandemic with limited in-person medical interactions, no universally accepted prescription treatment for COVID, and lower incidence of illnesses that required prescriptions. Rebound in utilization (and resultant revenue) has been slow.
MEASURES
§ Growth/increase in number of prescriptions filled, customers served, and over-the-counter (OTC) sales each year
§ Re-attain pre-pandemic levels of utilization and revenue
ACTION PLAN
§ Improve marketing efforts across campus to increase awareness of pharmacy services, particularly:
Ø Ability to fill out-of-state controlled substance prescriptions (ADHD meds for students)
Ø Availability of OTC meds/supplies/snacks
§ Allow faculty and staff to fill prescription medications at the health center pharmacy
§ Improve the display and signage of the OTC section of the pharmacy to make it more inviting and easier to navigate
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Assess revenue growth in pharmacy, compare to prepandemic levels, and compare areas of revenue generation in the pharmacy. Evaluate cost of goods.
FINDINGS
§ Target was not met
§ During AY 2023-2024, the pharmacy saw an 8% decrease in prescriptions filled and 3% decrease in customers served compared to the last academic year.
§ Total revenues were at 76% of pre- pandemic levels.
§ OTC sales were down 18% compared to last academic year. OTC sales are only at 70% of pre- pandemic levels.
Board Fellows Career Readiness
Employer Relations, Hegi Family Career Development Center
INTRODUCTION
FINDINGS
The SMU Board Fellows Program is a way for students to explore the world of nonprofit leadership in Dallas, to use and improve their career skills, and to earn a community engagement proficiency credit.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Increase engagement and professional development in the SMU Board Fellows program for 2023 - 2024 year.
MEASURES
§ 70% of participants will demonstrate growth in two National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies.
§ At least two participants will have completed all requirements to fulfill the Community Engagement Proficiency.
DATA COLLECTION DETAIL
Participants reported their self-assessed progress on eight career competencies on a 5- point scale through Canvas and Qualtrics at the pre- , mid-, and post-points of the program.
Overall, students increased their proficiency in all eight competency areas. The average increase in proficiency across all competencies and all students was 24% for the academic year.
ACTION PLAN
Next year we will continue to assess students’ career competencies but include more questions to determine what specifically about the program most helped their growth.
Teamwork had the most growth (45%). One participant said: “I gained lots of leadership skills from this experience and enjoyed being part of a team where everyone made equal contributions.”
Recruitment/Intake Timing
Fraternity & Sorority Life
INTRODUCTION
Tracking the move from spring to fall recruitment/intake is essential, as this process critically impacts the larger campus culture. The hope is that this move assists in improving student retention and the fall semester student experience and supports the following strategic goals:
§ Division 1.8: Programs that build affinity to campus.
§ FSL Constituent Outcome: Students will develop a values-based community through leadership, learning, and engagement opportunities.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
In changing the timing of fraternity and sorority recruitment from spring (deferred) to fall, FSL will improve students’ fall experiences with FSL groups and increase University retention of women who participate in Panhellenic recruitment but do not receive/accept a bid.
MEASURES
Survey Existing data
§ Satisfaction with move from spring to fall recruitment (Target: 75%)
§ Retention among students who participate in Panhellenic recruitment and do not receive/accept a bid (Target: Meet or exceed average retention for undergraduate students
FINDINGS
§ Target not yet met—second half of data coming Fall 2024.
§ Most students (77%) who participated in a process made the decision to do so before arriving on campus in the fall semester.
§ 72% of students anticipated joining more organizations after recruitment/intake and fewer than 5% anticipated leaving other student organizations after joining a fraternity or sorority.
§ Most students who withdrew or were released from Panhellenic recruitment agreed or strongly agreed that they felt they were promised a bid during the fall semester.
ACTION PLAN
1. Repeat survey after fall 2024 recruitment/intake to compare results from pre- and post-shift.
2. Determine adjustments to fall recruitment, if any, that might positively impact a student’s fall semester experience.
3. Continue to track retention data for all students who participate in recruitment/intake.
Increasing Unique Student Appointments
Hegi
Family Career Development Center, Career Development Team
INTRODUCTION
Within Hegi, the Career Development Team has made a concerted effort to impact our office goals, specifically Goal 5: Enhance Counseling Capacity for Continue Expansion of Services and Goal 6: Amplified capacity.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
§ Increase the number of unique undergraduate students who complete an appointment to 20%.
FINDINGS
§ We Reached our goal by engaging exactly 20% of the total undergraduate student population.
§ New programming initiatives, increase appointment availability, and efficient partnerships with academic departments positively impacted appointment numbers.
§ However, we faced a higher number of "no-show" appointments compared to the previous year.
MEASURE(S)
§ We measured effectiveness by calculating total number of unique undergrad students completing appointment as a proportion of all total enrolled undergrad students.
§ We continued to track monthly appointments to understand trends over time.
We aim to engage 25% of undergraduates by by strengthening partnerships with Meadows College and Dedman Economics, increasing college collaborations, supporting the Pathways to Business and Industry program, hosting strategic events, and reducing "noshow" appointments to industry standards.
Multi-Faith Programming
Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life
INTRODUCTION
Student Employee of the Year
The OCRL focused on increasing utilization for multifaith programming to better serve our diverse student population and help students enhance recognition of and positive engagement with diverse cultures and perspectives. We planned to accomplish this through two program offerings (“Interfaith Social” & “Midweek Retreat”) and a new fellowship (“Interfaith Fellows”).
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Develop and implement new programming that builds multi-religious community
MEASURE
Utilization
Target: 50% increase in utilization across all multifaith programming semester over semester
ACTION PLAN
Enhance “Interfaith Socials” by expanding partnerships with Religious Life Partners, Spiritual Life Mentors, and Student Orgs
Expand “Interfaith Fellows” from 2 to 4 students
Refresh “Midweek Retreat” with a focus on multi-cultural discussions and campus partnerships
FINDINGS
Nithin Chanda
Interfaith Fellow
Interfaith Social Average Attendance 9 30 Fall ‘23 Spring ‘24
’23-’24 Multifaith Programs
Interfaith Fellows
Midweek Retreat Interfaith Social
The OCRL exceeded its target for utilization while maintaining some opportunities for growth.
§ The newly established "Interfaith Fellows" yielded excellent student leadership, with one Fellow winning SMU's Student Employee of the Year.
§ Attendance at "Interfaith Socials" increased from an average of 9 people to 30 people between fall and spring semesters.
§ "Midweek Retreat" saw utilization plateau at an average of 3 -4 individuals for both semesters.
These findings suggest that there is keen interest for multifaith programming while also indicating that the type of programming and networking with campus partners remains critical for utilization.
Identity in Motion: Laying the Groundwork for a Promising Future
Office of Orientation & Transitions
INTRODUCTION
During 2023-2024, the Office of Orientation & Transitions (O&T) underwent significant staffing changes. To rebuild its identity and create impactful programming for new students, O&T focused on implementing processes, increasing bandwidth, building partner relationships, and outlining a new vision. This foundation building enables a stronger pursuit of new projects and deeper assessment of current programming.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Increase capacity, self-sufficiency and sustainability of holistic Orientation & Transitions programming.
MEASURES
Attainment of goals for 2023- 2024 year:
• Create vision statements for Office of Orientation & Transition: Mission, Purpose, Goals, Objectives.
• Develop better relations with campus partners:
§ Form New Student Orientation (NSO) committee to analyze issues and identify opportunities for increased impact.
§ Align vision for summer planning with committee.
• Create formal, annual recruiting plan for Orientation Leaders and Stampede Guides.
• Hire full-time Coordinator, intern and/or Graduate Assistant.
• Update existing annual calendar for Orientation workflow.
DATA COLLECTION
Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Through survey assessment, student anecdotes, and deliberation with NSO committee, a new Stampede schedule was constructed that met the needs of new students while also accomplishing campus partners’ goals.
Survey Focus group
FINDINGS
The former Stampede schedule lacked purpose . Thus, O&T focused on rebuilding our identity to better align programming with student needs and campus goals. Assessment highlighted several areas for improvement, including:
• Limited choice among various orientation programs.
• Lack of options for overwhelmed students.
• Lacking events for students and families during move -in days.
• The need for crew meeting curriculum.
ACTION PLAN
To ensure accurate measurement of student satisfaction for Fall and Spring Stampede programming, we will:
• Optimize Stampede programming survey for overall quality and capacity for future longitudinal analyses.
• Execute careful survey solicitation plan to increase response, including in-person sharing (at least in-person crew meeting) and after Stampede.
Responding to Calls For Help: Medical Amnesty Cases and Case Turnaround Time
Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards
INTRODUCTION
FINDINGS
The Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) is dedicated to holding students accountable to the expectations set forth by the University. Doing so requires relevant conversations around well-being and the ways in which SCCS can connect students to proper resources to aid future decision- making.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
SCCS seeks to address substance use related violations in a timely manner and to further encourage use of the Call For Help program, referring to our medical amnesty policy, as a means of harm reduction.
MEASURES
§ Average days from case creation to conduct meeting – Target: 14
§ Percentage of overall substance userelated conduct cases utilizing Call For Help program – Target: 15%
DATA COLLECTION
Case Turnaround Averages (Days)
For the 2023-2024 year, average case turnaround time was 16.3 days and Call For Help proportion of substance use-related cases was 10.2%.
§ Case turnaround average did not meet our goal. This may be reflective of various factors, such as a student’s failure to appear for their scheduled hearing, the need for a longer investigation period, a high case load for individual conduct officers, and more.
§ The proportion of Call For Help cases did not meet the 15% mark set by SCCS, likely due to minimal efforts educating students around this program.
§ As more students react to substance use through harm reduction, it is important that our office responds in an efficient manner.
ACTION PLAN
1. Increase awareness of the Call For Help program through outreach and marketing.
2. Track case turnaround to ensure that students are accessing substance abuse resources within an appropriate timeframe.
Recovery: Giving up One Thing for Everything
The Office of Wellbeing Education
INTRODUCTION
FINDINGS
One of the four health priorities of the Wellbeing Commission, which was launched in Spring 2023, is substance use prevention. Providing support for students in recovery helps promote a culture of wellbeing at SMU.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Initiate Student Recovery Group on campus
MEASURES
Utilization
§ 10 students actively involved in recovery group
§ Retain involved students
Existing data
DATA COLLECTION
Students in recovery had not previously been identified. Departmental and community outreach efforts were initiated to identify students who could benefit from campus recovery support.
§ The Student Recovery Group Started with 6 students and grew to 10 students within 2 weeks
§ The group maintained a consistent size of 10 participants during Spring 2024
§ Students in recovery are seeking to connect with other students who are sober
ACTION PLAN
§ Double the number of participants
§ Increase marketing efforts
§ Host substance misuse education programs on campus
§ Increase 1:1 meetings with students to support specific needs and eliminate barriers when help is needed
Building a Thriving Residential Experience
Residence Life and Student Housing
INTRODUCTION
The Thriving Quotient (TQ) was conducted to assess the intellectual, interpersonal, and psychological engagement and well-being of students while living on campus.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Assess and create a baseline for residential students’ levels of thriving within the commons with maximum representation.
MEASURE(S)
§ Response rate for survey with target: 45%
§ Establish baseline for thriving at SMU
DATA COLLECTION
§ Survey sent out to all resident students
§ Hierarchical multiple regression analysis to identify thriving predictors
§ Data broken down by class, gender, ethnicity, commons and other relevant characteristics
FINDINGS
Thriving Scores for Various Groups
Thriving Scores Across RCs
Organizational Transition: Part Two
The SMU Athletic Bands and SMU Spirit
INTRODUCTION
Through a department-level re-organization, the SMU Athletic Bands and SMU Spirit will strongly support Division goal 1.5 to enhance University and Division traditions and events to build affinity and foster a vibrant sense of Mustang pride and spirit. This opportunity for growth will allow more focus on all programs to more deeply attain this important goal.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Transition organizationally from "SMU Spirit" to SMU Spirit (Cheer, Pom, Mascot) and SMU Athletic Bands (Mustang Band, Peruna the horse, Peruna Handlers).
MEASURES
§ Student satisfaction, Student Affairs and Athletics satisfaction, public satisfaction.
§ Increase capacity of all Spirit and Band programming through organizational re-alignment. Target: 85% of members give highly satisfied experience ratings.
DATA COLLECTION
FINDINGS
§ We just began this process in April.
§ Time was taken to separate budgets, for example.
ACTION PLAN
1. Each unit (i.e., Band and Spirit) will develop their own plan for recruiting.
2. The Director of Spirit and Director of Mustang Band and Athletic Bands will work collaboratively to help each other achieve program goals.
3. Both units will hold joint events such as Boulevard and Banquet to maintain close relationships between our students.
4. Spirit Leadership team meetings occur weekly with all staff from each unit (fairly new process including Director of Spirit)
5. Both Directors meet weekly with Athletics fan engagement group.
Measuring Students’ Sense of Belonging
Social Change and Intercultural Engagement
INTRODUCTION
FINDINGS
SCIE is committed to being a campus resource and physical space where students feel a sense of belonging at SMU. This aim is inspired by the following: “… promote an environment emphasizing individual dignity and worth¹”, “to sustain student development and a supportive campus experience ²”, and “foster a sense of belonging and promote student success…³”
Institution: ¹ SMU Mission; ² Goal Four, SMU Strategic Plan (2016- 2025)
Division: ³ Goal One, Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2018 -2025)
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Engage a diverse pool of students in a focus group to assess students’ connection and experiences to, and awareness of programs and resources SCIE offers. Utilize this feedback to inform SCIE’s priorities for 2024- 2025.
MEASURES Satisfaction
1) Successfully hosting a focus group and 2) have a diverse participant pool Otherwise, we sought to collect honest feedback to guide the SCIE office toward creating specific, measurable targets to achieve moving forward.
DATA COLLECTION DETAIL
Focus group
2 focus groups hosted; collective time of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
open-ended questions to qualitatively assess SCIE’s role in students’ sense of belonging; learning, development, or engagement on campus; awareness of office programs and resources; office ambassadorship; and feedback regarding potential improvements and opportunities. 5
7 participants identified as transfer and/or first- generation students. (44%)
10 participants were Connect Mentor/Mentee(s) and/or held leadership positions in student organizations advised by the SCIE office.
ACTION PLAN
§ Focus group affirmed that SCIE, while not perfect, aids in students’ sense of belonging, particularly for ethnic minorities and other underrepresented communities (transfer/first gen).
§ “If I’m not in classes, I’m here. It’s my home away from home. [Staff] put you in positions that you wouldn’t be able to get into if you were on your own.
1) community
2) Improve office marketing and utilize student testimonies
3) Celebrate student accomplishments w/EOY ceremony
4) Improve intentionality and collaboration between SCIE office and student groups
5) Create SCIE Orgs VP Council
Mustang Family Workshop
Student Advocacy & Support: Parent & Family Programs
INTRODUCTION
The Mustang Family Workshops, a series of three workshops on varied topics, was designed to provide more touchpoints for our parents and families beyond move-in and Family Weekend. These workshops included expert panelists from across SMU who shared insight and best practices with parents in order to assist them in supporting their student in all areas of their life on the Hilltop.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Increase family awareness of and learning about resources available on campus to support students.
MEASURES
§ Attendance Target: 30%+ of workshop registrants attend
§ Survey Response Target: 15%
§ At least 60% of positive responses ("Strongly Agree") to survey question: "Did you find the webinar to be helpful?"
§ At least 60% of positive responses to survey question: "Would you recommend Mustang Family Workshops to other SMU families?"
FINDINGS
Attendance (as % of Registered):
§ Hazing: 29%
§ Wellbeing: 41%
§ Career: 53%
Survey Response:
We sent out post-workshop surveys to parents and families who attended. We set a goal to have a survey response rate of 15%, which we were able to meet.
• 61% of respondents to the Hazing Prevention workshop strongly agreed with the statement that they found the information to be helpful.
• 78% of respondents stated that they would strongly agree with the statement that would recommend mustang family workshops to other SMU families.
ACTION PLAN
• Reach out to non-Division partners such as the libraries, academic advising, dining services to serve on a workshop.
• Create a calendar for webinar series and share at events during move-in and family weekend.
• Incentivize response to the satisfaction survey by continuing to offer items such as dining dollars for students.
• Collect data on how the timing of workshops may impact their success Utilization Survey Existing data Satisfaction
Where Leadership Development is Making a Big Impact
Student Center & Activities
INTRODUCTION
Student Center & Activities houses some of Student Affairs’ largest leadership development programs and focuses on providing opportunities for students to enhance their exposure to the SMU Leadership Framework and grow their leadership skills. We were interested to learn how our interactions across campus impacted the overall SMU population and how we can better direct our future engagement efforts.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Increase the capacity and awareness of leadership programs to serve students who seek leadership- focused involvement and skills development.
MEASURES
1. Student demographics based on documented attendance at leadership development efforts: Caswell Coaches, Caswell Fellows, Crain Leadership Launch, Cultivate, Emerging Leaders, Leadership Pop-ups, and Peer Leader training.
2. Spring 2024 enrollment data from the Office of the Provost.
FINDINGS
§ We expected the percentage of students impacted by leadership programs (by school) to roughly correlate to each school’s percentage of SMU’s student population. This was mostly true.
§ There is room to grow focused engagement in Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Meadows School of Arts, and Cox School of Business.
ACTION PLAN
1. Determine creative ways to more effectively market to and engage students from the Simmons, Meadows, and Cox Schools.
2. Build relationships and several points of contact with individuals in each school to assist in our efforts.
3. Based on steps one and two, implement ideas to engage students in each school, and graduate students.
4. Keep up the good work with the schools we reached!
5. Close the loop next AY after focused efforts to determine involvement percentages across campus.
SMU-ther Starts for New Staff
STUDENT AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION
INTRODUCTION
Historically, the Division has had inadequate communication regarding new Division staff: Who are they? When did they start? How are they being onboarded?
This uncertainty presented an opportunity to revamp how we welcome staff to the Division.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Provide new staff with a comprehensive introduction to Student Affairs through new employee onboarding, including New Employee Orientation (NEO), welcome boxes boxes, onboarding checklist, and new employee resource guide.
MEASURE(S)
§ # reads of The Guide for Staff, a newly adapted resource detailing key Division personnel, staff resources, marketing/branding guidelines, and more
§ Results of satisfaction survey provided to staff after attending NEO
Example Question: To what extent do you agree with this statement: “I found orientation useful.”
FINDINGS
We Partially Met our goal. In particular:
§ We targeted 50% of new employees to read The Guide; in 2023-2024, 67% did
§ We targeted 90% of survey respondents to be "highly satisfied" with NEO experience; in 2023- 2024, the average response indicated 100% high satisfaction
§ We targeted 90% of all new staff to respond to the survey; in 2023-2024, 11/30 new staff ( 37%) responded
I found [NEO] very informative and enjoyed learning about the Division itself since I did not know the structure to begin with! Everyone was very helpful and kind!
ACTION PLAN
During 2024-2025, we will:
§ Revise Qualtrics NEO survey
§ Implement trackable QR code to assess access to The Guide
§ Increase follow-up for survey to improve response rate
Category Is: Benchmarking Data
Women & LGBT Center
INTRODUCTION
In order to best set ourselves up for success in the future, the WLGBT Center took 2023-2024 to establish baseline data for our workshops and trainings to see how we can best serve the SMU community going forward. With this data, we can program more intentionally, better target populations for our trainings, and develop more complex assessment projects. This goal seamlessly maps back to University strategic plan metric 4.6.01 as well as our Divisional strategic plan objective 2.6 in evaluating and strengthening our programs to support inclusive excellence for LGBTQIA+ students.
DEPARTMENTAL GOAL
Establish baseline programming and workshop attendance metrics for 2024- 2025 assessment projects.
FINDINGS
Two of our targets were met:
§ Incorporate 2 additions to workshops from survey responses
§ Train at least 50 staff/faculty members annually
MEASURES
This assessment utilized both direct and indirect measures through specific data referencing participation numbers as well as a survey gauging participant satisfaction.
§ Incorporate >2 suggestions from survey feedback
§ Train 50+ students
§ Train 50+ staff/faculty
§ Attain 50% response rate for survey
ACTION PLAN
For AY 2024-2025, we will meet the above measures at 100%. To do so, we will target specific student leader groups to complete our trainings to 1) increase student participation and 2) encourage more intentional feedback from students who are already engaged.
We will also increase our feedback response rate by building in time during our workshops at the end for participants to complete the survey. We hope these actions will result in improvement across all measures.