Action Step 1:
Communicate academic and co-curricular expectations in every contact with first-year students.

Expectations for students have been identified and agreed upon; expectations communicated through orientation, Campus Visitation Days, and other events for first year students; expectations are being communicated through publications; software has been purchased to help students; an advisor syllabus has been developed; learning outcomes have been established for Freshman Seminar; additional financial aid counseling has been implemented; and improvements have been made to the website.

The report indicates great progress in addressing seven of the sub-actions steps. However no written philosophy has been established.

 This action step has eight sub-action steps assigned to it and significant progress was made in all those areas. Through Academic Affairs and the Foundations of Excellence project, academic expectations have been defined and agreed upon by the campus community and now those expectations are being disseminated through a variety of methods. Even before individuals decide to attend Fairmont State, these expectations are being communicated to students. This communication occurs through letters from admissions, specific programs, and deans as well as in all the publications; all correspondence now includes some reference to mission, vision, and/or values. Throughout the first year, these expectations are emphasized even more through the stated learning outcomes in the Freshman Seminar, by financial aid counseling, through stated advising goals on the advising syllabus, and through an emphasis on the importance of liberal studies. Even though the first year philosophy is not directly stated, there is agreement by the campus community that the first year is important for the persistence and success of students. There is certainly more work to accomplish on this action step, but much has been accomplished during the past year.

A philosophy should be written as soon as possible. A broader cross section of students is recommended. Addition of hard data and assessment tools should be added.  

Action Step 2:
Improve the availability of student services.

Open forums have been conducted where the campus community had the opportunity to express ideas related to the first year in general; open forums focusing on financial aid were held; open forums on scholarships were held; a Current Practices Inventory was conducted to assess what Fairmont State is currently doing; faculty, staff, and surveys were conducted through the Foundations of Excellence project; an NCAA survey was conducted for both student athletes and the general student population; surveys to determine thoughts about learning communities were conducted; residence hall programs were increased; tutoring and Supplemental Instruction sessions were expanded to athletics and to the residence halls; an advisor evaluation was conducted.

Problems in the area of student services have been identified and measures are in place to address these.

Much was accomplished through the four sub-action steps (conduct open forums, conduct student engagement surveys, conduct residence life programming, and conduct advisor evaluations) of this action step. Several different forums, including a few that were focused on financial aid, were conducted in order to gather information on what students, faculty, and staff think of student services. As a result of the open forums, several changes occurred. More services are being placed online, services have been expanded to off-campus locations, additional orientations have been held, and other services, such as the phones have been improved. Surveys through the Foundations of Excellence, NCAA, and others have been conduced throughout the year; results have been used in order to change services. Tutoring and Supplemental Instruction have expanded to provide services to athletic teams and to the residence halls. In addition, study skills presentations, career exploration, and other topics of interest have been conducted in the residence halls. Since Fairmont State has a split model of advising where we use faculty advisors from different schools as well as advisors from the Academic Advising Center, it has been difficult to identify an advisor evaluation instrument that can assess services provided in this model. Betsy Barefoot recommended a National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) instrument; this survey was conducted through WebCT and results were analyzed and a comparison follow-up study is being planned.

More specific information should be included. Steps for addressing difficulties should be included. Additional data should be included.

Action Step 3:
Align efforts of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs in support of first-year students.

Additional advisors participated in summer orientation; a faculty panel provided information during orientation; people from many areas of the campus were involved in orientation, Campus Visitation Days, off-campus orientations, and other orientation activities; many faculty and staff participated in the Majors Fair.

A collaborative effort is being made by Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to enhance the success of the first year student.

 The two sub-action steps (include faculty in new student orientation and communicate changes) had significant activity during the past year and much more is planned for upcoming events. The process of including more faculty members in new student orientation began last summer and plans are to increase participation this upcoming summer as well. Several faculty members from Science, Math, and Technology, Culinary Arts, English, and many other areas participated in advising activities last summer. Staff from the registrar’s office, Academic Development Center, admissions, and several campus secretaries and program assistants helped students during the registration process. Also, during orientation sessions a faculty panel provided much information to parents about college life. In addition to orientation events, faculty and staff assisted in other campus events such as Campus Visitation Days, the Majors Fair, and Early Advising and Scheduling Days. Faculty and staff have also contributed to improving the communication plans and to providing services to off-campus locations, residence halls, and other daily activities.

Additional data should be included.

Action Step 4:
Create a campus environment that fosters student development during the first year.

Foundations of Excellence reports on various aspects of the first year have been finalized; Council for the Advancement of Students in Higher Education (CAS) standards have been identified; a diversity statement is being developed; students are receiving more communication about probation and suspension; Supplemental Instruction and tutoring have expanded; software has been purchased to provide assistance to students; students’ grade point averages are being closely monitored; students who are missing classes are being contacted by email or phone on a more regular basis.

Commendable efforts are being implemented to foster development in the academic area.

Educating the whole student has become a priority at Fairmont State. Much discussion about the first year has focused on teaching and learning and with providing students with curricular and co-curricular experiences that will foster development. The Council for the Advancement of Students has provided guidelines to assist with identifying tasks that will encourage this development. Students are given assistance with academic challenges through the catalog, web site, software programs, and personal contact. Many efforts have been made to connect student to services and activities at Fairmont State.

Fostering socialization and promoting a better campus community is recommended.

Action Step 5:
Implement these action steps via a first-year team.

 A First Year team has been established; regular meetings are being held; baseline numbers on retention, hours completed, grade point averages, probation and suspension have been identified

The First Year team is making commendable strides towards making the First Year Experience a success.

A First Year Team consisting of members from student affairs, academic affairs, Title III, admissions, registrar, advising, learning communities, and administration has been assembled and regular meetings are being held. The Director of Institutional Research has been instrumental in establishing baseline data for retention, grade point averages, and other data related to first year students.

The committee is confident that strides towards making the First Year Experience will be continued.