TRANSFER DOESN’T NEED TO BE SCARY: STREAMLINING TRANSFER PATHWAYS Presented by: Lori Johnson & Cathy Vaughan KCTCS - Madisonville Community College NACADA Annual Conference October 4 th -7 th, 2015

Founded in 1968 as part of the University of Kentucky Community College System 1997 Postsecondary Education Improvement Act – Technical and Community Colleges were merged to form Kentucky Community & Technical College System Today – 1 of 16 community & technical college districts in Kentucky Murray State University & Lindsey Wilson College are housed on our campus Advising Structure - Decentralized WHO ARE WE?

HISTORY OF TRANSFER Main focus was on AA/AS transfer students only Minimal four year involvement and limited presence on campus Transfer data was provided by KY CPE (Council on Postsecondary Education) There was not an adequate system in place to easily identify transfer-bound students Transfer Coordinator was solely responsible for everything transfer Transfer information on the web was basic

TRANSFER SELF-STUDY KCTCS was dedicated to improving transfer services across the state FOE Self-Study was conducted in 2012 All faculty/staff involved in committee work Students, faculty, and staff completed surveys on transfer Resulted in 10 transfer action implementation items

TRANSFER ACTION ITEMS Give transfer information a higher profile on the MCC website Include 2+2 transfer pathways for Baccalaureate degrees on the Madisonville Advising Plans for AAS degrees Mandate faculty/staff academic advisors attend training throughout the academic year Develop a process to collect college transfer-bound student information

TRANSFER ACTION ITEMS Establish Enrollment Center with transfer focus Increase opportunities for collaboration with four-year colleges and universities Develop process for sharing transfer-bound student data Better promotion of services Create institutional philosophy statement of transfer Workgroup to examine ways advisors can be more consistent in advising

TRANSFER WEB PRESENCE GO2TRANSFER link to Transfer Information webpage webpage KnowHow2Transfer.org TES (Transfer Equivalency System) Transfer Pathways Joint Admission Upcoming Transfer Events

DEVELOP TRANSFER PATHWAYS Met with AAS program coordinators regarding their preferred 4-year transfer pathway Drafted TAP (Transfer Advising Pathway) document for each AAS credential Received final approval from 4-year institutions Met with AAS program coordinators on finalized TAP Launched TAPs on Transfer website

ADVISOR TRAINING Training provided to faculty in academic division meetings once a year Training provided to new faculty each semester Training provided to first semester orientation advisors Professional Development sessions offered college wide Advising Resource Guide College-wide Student Advising Syllabus Training specific to MAPs (Madisonville Advising Plans) and TAPs (Transfer Advising Pathways)

IDENTIFYING TRANSFER STUDENTS Identify students at point of application Track new students who meet with Enrollment Center Advisor for transfer interest Track transcript requests Track transfer interest on graduation applications Flag transfer students in PeopleSoft Flag Joint Admission students

TRACKING TRANSFER STUDENTS CPE – 2012/2013  247 Students transferred (207 public, 39 private)  59% transferred before completing degree  65.6% female, 34.4% male  53% traditional, 47% nontraditional  54% full-time, 46% part-time  Retention after one year - With a degree (83.3%), without (77.2%)

FALL 2014 SURVEY 166 students responded 39% absolutely will transfer, 34% are considering transfer, 14% have little interest in transfer, and 12.8% have no interest in transfer 64% considered specific 4-year institutions and 63% are considering pursuing an online degree 80.5% are satisfied with advising about transfer requirements 77% are satisfied with availability of academic advising 73.6% are satisfied with transfer documents and pathways available

FALL 2014 TRANSFER SURVEY Which methods have you used to research 4-year colleges? College Websites66.3% Friends/Classmates47% Instructors/Professors28.9% College Fairs26.5% Recruiters from other schools20.5% Staff (Us!)17.5%

FALL 2014 TRANSFER SURVEY How often have you used the following resources for developing a plan for transferring? Academic Advisor62% Instructors/Professors47.8% Transfer Center29% CC Website74.7% Transfer pathway guides30.7% Course Equivalency Guides47.9% Four-year college websites77.5%

FALL 2014 TRANSFER SURVEY When do students think about transfer? Before starting CC36% After the first year at CC24% During the first semester at CC10% Not considering transfer22%

TRANSFER EVENTS Approximately 10 four-year colleges visit MCC’s campus annually Western KY University has increased campus presence Established transfer week (MSU Free Transfer Day, Transfer Advising Day, On-Campus Transfer Fair, Online Transfer Fair) Student Support Services/TRIO provides opportunities for students to visit four-year colleges

JOINT ADMISSION Admission & Transcript Fees waived Catalog year is determined by Joint Admission application date Students receive an advisor from both institutions Access to four-year college student services & activities MCC + WKU MSU Connect

TRANSFER MARKETING PLAN Transfer events placed on transfer webpage Contact Joint Admission students every semester to offer advising assistance Joint professional development sessions with regional four-year colleges (Transfer Spotlights) students under 30 credit hours regarding Joint Admission Distribute transfer materials at graduation practice

CURRENT ISSUES Transfer Advising Pathways (TAPs) are confusing to students Continue to work on tracking transfer students Enhance our web presence and continue to work on design of transfer webpage Need still exists for a transfer center/dedicated transfer staff Several levels of advising training exists, but not “mandatory” Faculty Advisor transfer knowledge is limited

FUTURE GOALS Continue to work on transfer initiatives for AAS students Market transfer services Establish process for sharing/receiving transfer bound student data “It is the mission of academic advising to assist AAS students in selecting university majors that most effectively use their vocational credits to ensure timely completion of a bachelor’s degree” Pratt & Brown, “Vocational Degree to Bachelors: A Program to Improve Access to 4-Year Degrees for All Community College Students”, NACADA Clearinghouse Academic Advising Resources

QUESTIONS ? Lori Johnson, Transfer Coordinator/Academic Advisor Cathy Vaughan, Director of Counseling Services/Academic Advisor