ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

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1 ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION St. Catherine University (SCU) is the most racially diverse of all ranked Minnesota colleges and universities and the most economically diverse of top-ranked schools in the region. 51 Mission SCU has a long history of addressing needs of underserved and marginalized populations. Championed by its founders, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs), SCU has demonstrated a commitment to social justice and economic disparity since 1887, when the CSJs founded St. Mary s School of Nursing and St. Mary s Junior College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1905, the CSJs founded the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, the first women s college in Minnesota. The College of St. Catherine merged with St. Mary s Junior College in 1986, becoming the oldest healthcare educator in Minnesota, establishing what now serves as SCU s Minneapolis campus. SCU is Minnesota s most comprehensive private higher education institution, offering degrees at associate, baccalaureate, master s, and doctoral levels across three colleges: the Graduate College, Baccalaureate College for Women, and College for Applied and Continuing Learning. To better reflect the breadth and depth of its academic programs, the College of St. Catherine became St. Catherine University in Today SCU offers more than 100 academic fields of study across its three schools: Henrietta Schmoll School of Health; School of Business and Professional Studies; and School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences. Over 2,500 of SCU s current 5,075 students are enrolled in the Baccalaureate College for Women, making it the largest baccalaureate college for women in the United States. SCU is also ranked first in several categories among America s Best Colleges 2013 in U.S. News and World Report: 51 Most economically diverse of top-ranked schools in the region, Fourth highest average amount of need-based aid awarded, and Most racially diverse of all ranked Minnesota colleges and universities. Student Profile St. Catherine students reflect the growing diversity of Minnesota. Nearly 27% of undergraduates are students of color, 23% are student parents, and 35% are the first in their family to attend college. With Minneapolis and St. Paul home to the largest Hmong and second largest Somali communities in the United States, many students are recent immigrants or refugees. Students report the lowest family incomes of any of the 17 Minnesota private colleges. Ninety-nine percent of first year students receive financial aid, and one-third of all students receive federal need-based grants. In , the University provided more than $23 million in internally funded aid for students most in need. The University works hard to elevate access to education and academic excellence, resulting in a student body that is both highly diverse and academically talented, as well as a learning environment that is rich and dynamic for all students. Department of Nursing (DoN) DoN is the University s largest academic department with 1,305 pre-nursing and nursing students, representing 43% of HSSH students and 30% of baccalaureate college majors. It is one of the only nursing programs nationwide to offer all four degree levels: Doctor of Nursing 1

2 Practice; Master of Science in Nursing, including nurse educator and nurse practitioner concentrations; BS-Nursing, including traditional day, second major, and RN-to-BS Degree Completion sections; and AS-Nursing, including traditional and LPN Mobility sections. This comprehensive suite of nursing programs enables SCU to provide access to diverse learners and ladder students seamlessly from one degree to the next, intentionally growing the nursing pipeline and ensuring the community has the best health care possible. Many nursing students work full-time jobs while attending school. Students household family incomes range from an average of $48,404 for AS-Nursing students to $67,546 for BS-Nursing students--34 percent of whom report household incomes within 150% of poverty level. This majority of nursing students has unmet financial need even after financial aid and scholarships ranging from an average of $5,100 for AS-Nursing students to $7,232 annually for those in the Online/Weekend/Evening format of the RN-BS Degree Completion program. ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION---ALSO SCU s mission is to prepare men and women to lead and influence. With 1,305 students representing one third of all majors, nursing represents a large department and suite of programs. With its extensive diversity, illustrated in the Needs Assessment section, the University has a history of working hard to make nursing degrees accessible to underrepresented and disadvantaged students. This success in attracting diverse students was first sparked in 1905 when Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded the University upon the desire that all students succeed. This commitment is central to the University s Strategic Direction and 2020 Vision, which document a commitment to holistic, intentional learning for all students; paths to higher education for students of high ability who have been historically underserved or face economic or social barriers; and striving for academic excellence as a desired and attainable goal for every student. With these values comes a responsibility that is inherent in the natural tension between our mission of access and our equally strong commitment to academic success for all. Extensive infrastructure and programs exist to support these dual aims, led by a Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and carried out through an Associate Dean for Students and Retention. Multiple offices and services exist, such as: Enrollment Management Office of Student Affairs Associate Dean for Students and Retention Day Program Admissions Residence Life Community Work & Learning Associate, Graduate & Access & Success-Services Academic Development Evening/Weekend Admissions for Student Parents Enrollment-Financial Aid Counseling Career Development Early Childhood Center Multicultural Programs Data analytics is a driving force behind serving all students and doing so well. A key University structure that guides enrollment activities is the Enrollment Management Matrix (EMM), chaired by the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. EMM is a team of thirty-two staff, faculty, and administrators representing cross-functional areas, who provide a formal structure for addressing the recruitment, retention, and enrollment management activities 2

3 for the University. EMM s Retention Data Workgroup (RDW) provides data analysis and recommendations for program development and assessment with particular focus on at-risk student populations, or PACE students. Additionally, the RDW supports annual retention and completion goals for the College for Women using metrics for persistence and degree completion informed by national benchmarks using ACT National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates. RDW meets every three weeks and is charged with four objectives: Identify data needs that enable analysis and understanding of current retention issues affecting student persistence, progression and completion rates. Create and sustain data analysis to inform decision making. Generate ideas and pilot strategies that promote improvement for various stakeholders. Align retention work with the Strategic Vision 2020 and Direction Plans 2013 and RDW engages leaders across both Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses charged with enrollment, admission, retention, direct services and academic enrichment programs. RDW works with data, such as the following, to strengthen retention and persistence among students. Noel-Levitz, College Student Inventory (CSI is administered to incoming first year baccalaureate students to identify strengths and challenges, such as receptivity to obtaining assistance from student services and attrition risk based on cognitive and affective indicators, such as academic motivation; educational stress; predicted academic difficulty; and verbal, math and writing confidence. This tool allows the University to understand needs of sub-populations, design early intervention, design programs to effectively respond to students identified risk factors. Through this grant, all AS-Nursing students will also begin CSI for continuity to guide ongoing improvement and to services. Persistence Reports capture persistence data and issues for St. Paul day students, fall to winter, including sub-populations like student parents, Admission Possible, PACE, and Honor Students. Generated weekly, reports provide early awareness of barriers students are experiencing. RDW continually assesses and evaluates students at risk for attrition, including the PACE baccalaureate and Associate of Arts to Baccalaureate Transition program. While there is currently nursing faculty representation on RDW, this grant will build upon RDW s expertise to build a Nursing Workforce Analytics database analytics currently designed for the baccalaureate program designed specifically for the nursing education pathway. This database will work across status (pre-nursing or nursing), campuses (Minneapolis and St. Paul) and programs (AS-Nursing, LPN Mobility, BS-Nursing, RN to BS on up) to better track and understand social determinants of health and students admission, progression, retention, licensure, graduation, service utilization and satisfaction, career and other success factors. Financial Aid Office: SCU awards over $80 million annually from federal, state, private, and institutional funds. It provides over $26 million in institutional grants and scholarships and participates programs like, including Federal Title IV Pell Grant, Campus Based SEOG, Work Study, Perkins Loan, TEACH Grant, Direct Loan programs; HRSA Nursing Loan program; Minnesota State grant, work study, child care grant, and Indian Scholarship. SCU also participates in private scholarship and grant programs, such as the Gates Millennium Scholars, Dollars for Scholars, and Page Education Foundation programs. Staff in the Financial Aid Office provides consistent 3

4 communication and awarding across all programs. Counselors review student applications and work one-on-one with prospective and currently students. Utilization of an enterprise student system supports efficient processing of multiple, complex award requirements and provides essential reporting functionality. Staff work with the academic departments and faculty to ensure scholarship administration meets the intended purpose and program requirements. Research Services: SCU s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) provides research infrastructure, IRB administration, sponsored projects administration and faculty development, such as on compliance and grants management. ORSP is currently providing management and oversight for several grants which provide scholarships to students, including an NSF S-STEM grant, a NASA Space Consortium grant, a HRSA Faculty Loan program and Clare Boothe Luce Scholars award. ORSP works with Financial Aid, Program Directors and Finance to maintain documentation for audit and ensure funds are spent in compliance with grant award terms. ADDITIONAL #2 Founded in 1905, St. Catherine University offers the broadest range of academic programs and degrees among Minnesota s private colleges and universities. Our integration of the liberal arts and professional education and our emphasis on preparing people to be ethical leaders ensures that students develop the intellectual flexibility and practical ingenuity critical to success in any field. A dynamic university for women and men with an innovative college for women at its heart, St. Catherine educates all students to lead and influence to make a difference in their communities, their families, their homes and houses of worship, their workplaces and our world. On June 1, 2009, the College officially changed its name to St. Catherine University to more accurately reflect its comprehensive educational offerings. The University is still home to the largest college for women in the country, and is the third largest private college in Minnesota. St. Kate s commitment to both academic excellence and access has led to one of the most diverse student populations of any private institution in Minnesota. Nearly one-fourth of the undergraduate student body at St. Kate s is women of color. Many of these students are from families who have been in this country for generations; others are recent immigrants or refugees. Over 23% of undergraduates identify themselves as multicultural; 34% are first generation college students, and 22% have children. In addition, the University is the most economically diverse college or university in the Midwest, with one in three students receiving federal need-based grants. Nearly 97% of first year students receive financial aid. The University makes deliberate efforts to recruit students who have been historically underserved in higher education while retaining its long-standing reputation for academic excellence. St. Catherine University enjoys close relationships with a wide range of community partners as a result of its expansive Community Work and Learning programs and community partner organizations. St. Catherine University values community members who bring a wide range of perspectives to the University and St. Kate s partners with numerous social service and community centers, clinics, schools, and businesses. Many of our partnerships involve communities of color and individuals in every stage of 4

5 life. The University s liberal arts goals reflect a faculty commitment to the cultural competence of graduates. The liberal arts goals emphasize the importance of Diversity and Global Perspectives: the ability to understand and analyze the impact of diversity and systems of power and privilege on the individual and society; the ability to decipher and honor multiple and global perspectives in creating mutual understanding; the ability to imagine and take action towards justice. 5