1. Journey to the Top 25 Vol Vision October 9, 2014 1 Presentation to Change Management Conference Sally J. McMillan, Vice Provost Academic Affairs University of Tennessee

2. Vol Vision  2010: governor challenged UT to become Top 25 public university  UT built strategic plan to support goal  Undergraduate education priority 1  Three key metrics – Quality of incoming first-year students – First-year retention rates – Graduation rates 2

3. Problem Identification  Top 25 Committee – Select peer group – Prepare gap analysis  Trends – Quality of incoming freshman class on par with peers – Retention rate of 84% was 6% below peers – Graduation rate of 60% was 15% below peers 3

4. Process 4

5. Actions 5

6. Action Plan Profiles 6

7. Finalist for APLU MVP Trailblazer  UT raised – four-year graduation by 13% over seven years – six-year graduation by 8% over five years  The keys to success at Tennessee were – the holistic nature of the plan – a fundamental change in culture 7

8. Barriers and Challenges  University culture did not encourage four-year graduation  Academic support services understaffed  Effective programs needed expansion  Student profile had changed; university had not kept up 8

9. Strategic Goals and Objectives  Foundation: Elevate quality and use of student data  Expect graduation in four years  Provide adequate core support  Support transition into first year  Engage students based on a changing profile 9

10. Student Data  Transition to Banner  Coordinate projects through SAIS team  Created data reporting office in enrollment services  Created Institutional Data System  OIRA generated academic unit statistics  Faculty-led analysis projects  Administrative unit assessments 10

11. Expect Graduation in Four Years  Tuition structure  Strategic instruction fund  uTrack  Messaging from day one 11

12. Provide Adequate Core Support  20 new advisors  Grades First  Expanded tutoring and learning support  One Stop Student Services 12

13. Support Transition into First Year  Ignite  Orientation  Welcome Week  Nine new living/learning communities  FYS 100  FYS 101 13

14. Support Changing Student Profile  Undergraduate research portal  New strategic plan for honors  Service-learning office and Smart Communities Initiative  QEP: Experience Learning 14

15. Costs and buy-in  $10.4 million in key initiatives  Board of trustees  Deans, department heads, faculty  Students and parents  Branding and web presence  External communication 15

16. Lessons Learned  Cross functional teams and student voices are critical  Importance of holistic plan  Systems and technology tools can have positive impact  Importance of sense of urgency  No magic bullet 16

17. 17 Questions/ Comments