Retention Summit Action Plan

Executive Summary

Overview

The recommendations for this plan were developed as a result of the College’s first Retention Summit in March 2017. This event allowed faculty and staff participants to brainstorm ways in which the College could improve student retention. The concept for this event grew from a Facultyand Professional Staff Senate report on Academic Support and Student Retention(2016), which advocates for a more inclusive approach to addressing student retention concerns.

The structure of this document includes a background about Bristol Community College and the origin of the Retention Summit, recommendations developed from the Retention Summit, and appendices for materials used in the planning and facilitation of the event.

Summary of Findings

In addition to the individual focus areas listed below, overarching themes included the need for improved communication throughout the College and institutional policies to support initiatives. We also discovered that there is a need for more systematic data collection for items pertaining to student retention.

One of the strongest themes that emerged from the post-event evaluation was an overwhelming commitment to the Mission of the College and success of our students among faculty and staff. This was noted by participants and external facilitators. Despite the barriers we face as an institution, our employees are committed to helping the institution move forward.

Summary of Recommendations

Recommendations were obtained from the 230 faculty and staff who participated in the Retention Summit. Session feedback was streamlined for redundancies and the following nine focus areas emerged.

Focus Area	Activities
Academic Advising	Streamline student pathways; improve student self-efficacy; revise advising protocol; create campus-wide holistic model.
Access to Student Services	Offer equitable services across campuses: tailor activities to meet student needs and interests; improve student connections; improve student referral systems.
Communication Strategies	Improve dissemination of accurate information; create culture of student-focus; centralize communications; create a welcoming environment.
Cost of Attendance	Develop a task force on textbooks, support Student Senate Book Exchange Program; support and expand Open Education Resources (OER) program; educate faculty about costs of textbooks; select a food vendor that provides affordable meals to students.
Course Scheduling	Redesign course schedule based on program/student/campus needs; improve transparency in course offerings; provide multiple modalities in offerings; increase the number of developmental co-requisites and placement test refreshers.
Curriculum and Pedagogy	Support and promote High-Impact Practices; develop and adopt structures that encourage consistent classroom experiences.
Enrollment and Registration Processes	Review enrollment processes and identify areas for improvement; explore why students are purged and improve the process; disincentivize late payments and registration.
First-Year Experiences	Improve the concept of a prescribed First-Year Experience for students beyond College Success Seminar (CSS) courses; re-examine CSS courses; empower students to become self-directed lifelong learners; educate students about their responsibilities.
Meeting Basic Needs	Expand student access to needed resources; improve students’ sense of belonging at the college.

Conclusion

This document captures the spirit of the Retention Summit and faculty and staff views on student retention. However, it is important to note that it includes limited student or adjunct faculty voices because it only captures feedback from those who participated in the March 2017 professional development day.

While the items below fell outside of the scope of this committee’s work, we offer the following recommendations for the College’s next steps:

• Identify a structure for oversight, implementation, and assessment (e.g., Retention Committee)
• Ensure key stakeholders are involved in this structural process (e.g., administration, faculty, staff, students)
• Prioritize the action plan recommendations based on greater College goals (e.g., President’s Goals)
• Identify key goals, outcomes, and parties responsible, along with a timeline for implementation
• Identify micro/macro activities along with short- and long-term goals
• Explore best practices in higher education related to these recommended strategies
• Research what types of students withdraw from the College (e.g., student profiles)
• Explore ways to promote involvement of the entire College and to encourage all employees to find roles within these strategies
• Regularly communicate updates on this work with the College community

The entire document can be viewed at:
Retention Summit Action Plan