Catherine Glennon, Ed.D. November 8, 2012

4- Year Campuses UW Colleges 2-Year Campuses UWSP WISCONSIN UW Colleges 2-Year Campuses UW 4-Year Universities

AASCU, 2009; Lumina Foundation, 2010; Lee & Rawls, 2010; NACAC, 2010;National Center, 2006, 2008; NGA, 2009

Primary Research Question:  What experiences do students who have transferred from a two-year college to a four-year university face as they transition to their new institution?

Ancillary Research Questions: 1. What services, programs, and support can the two-year colleges and four-year university provide to transfer students to improve the transition process? 2. What actions can transfer students take to better prepare for, better cope with, and successfully complete the transition process?

Transfer Student Literature Transfer Student Experience Satisfaction and Integration Transfer Student Adjustment Millennial Student Transition Theory Tenets of Transition Theory Schlossberg

Strengthen Resources Define Transition Event APPROACHING TAKING STOCK OF TAKING Goodman et al., 2006 Examine Coping Resources  Self  Situation  Support  Strategies

Methodology  Qualitative study  Fall 2011 transfer students at UWSP  Traditional age  2+ terms at UW Colleges  Excluded 4-year experience  Randomly selected 12/181 students Population/Sample Data Sources  2 interviews  Student records

SUMMARY OF STUDENT PARTICIPANTS StudentsGenderAge Semesters at UWC GPA at UWC DaisyFemale StevenMale VioletFemale CodyMale IsaacMale KandaceFemale JohnMale AlexisFemale FrankMale ElizabethFemale KrissyFemale AliceFemale Students7 F / 5 M

FINDINGS

CHANGES IN LIFE ROLES Students Residence at UWCResidence at UWSP DaisyHomeResidence Hall StevenHomeResidence Hall VioletHomeOff-campus CodyHomeResidence Hall IsaacHomeResidence Hall KandaceHome - 1 st year Apartment – 2 nd year Off-campus JohnHomeResidence Hall AlexisHomeCommutes FrankHomeOff-Campus ElizabethHomeResidence Hall KrissyHomeCommutes AliceHomeOff-Campus 11 Home / 1 Apt6 On/4 Off/2 Commute

“I’m working every day, and I’m going to school every day and I’m living. I have to make all of my own meals and, you know, it’s quite a different story when you’re living completely on your own and go grocery shopping. Oh my goodness, grocery shopping! I have to go grocery shopping and I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Themes: 1. Academic Transition 2. Social Transition 3. Support System 4. Time Management 5. Orientation to UWSP Campus

Theme #1 Students from the two-year UW Colleges experience a smooth academic transition to UW-Stevens Point. Finding Academic Transition

Theme #1 Academic Transition Students Major Cum GPA at UWC Fall 2011 GPA at UWSP DaisyFCS StevenCommunication VioletEnglish CodyWildlife Ecology IsaacHistory KandacePsychology JohnPubic Adm & Pol AlexisHistory FrankMusic Educ ElizabethCommunication KrissySocial Work AliceArt

Theme #2 Social transition produced more anxiety & was more difficult than the academic transition Participants who lived in the residence halls reported more involvement in activities that supported their social transition The social transition improved over time as participants developed additional sources of support. Finding Social Transition

Theme #3 Participants’ transition was affected by their support system. Finding Support System Prior to transfer  Parents  Advisers After transfer  Peers/Friends

Theme #4 Transfer students from the UW Colleges may benefit from enhanced time-management skills after transferring to the four-year university. Finding Time Management

Theme #5 Participants reported feeling lost and uninformed about services and programs at UW-Stevens Point. Finding Orientation to Campus

Recommendations for UW Colleges and UWSP  Meet annually  Provide transfer education programs Recommendations for UW Colleges  Advise students to visit UWSP campus  Provide instruction on TIS

Recommendations for UW-Stevens Point  Provide transfer student living options  Transfer Communities  Comprehensive orientation program  Include optional overnight stay in residence halls  Extend into first term  Transfer student seminar courses  Assess programming & services

Recommendations for Future Transfer Students  Attend transfer student programming  Visit 4-year university  Become familiar with university website  Live in residence halls  Become involved

 Longitudinal study  Examine perspectives of advisers  Assess recommended programs & services  Employ different methodology  Examine specific transfer student populations

 Recognition of transfer students’ needs  Residential communities  Campus-based  Private apartment complexes  Transfer Student Services centers  Enhanced orientation programming  Student-led initiatives  Student organizations, Facebook, proposals

Significance of Topic Challenges Needs of Growing Student Population Impact on Recruitment Ethical Responsibility Effects on Future Alumni Donations

Transfer Student initiatives and programs on your campuses