Enrollment Management, Orientation, Parents, First-Year, Other-Year and related

Transcription

1 Award Title New Start Summer Program, University of Arizona Awards Categories Enrollment Management, Orientation, Parents, First-Year, Other-Year and related Executive Summary In 1969, the University of Arizona pioneered one of the first summer bridge programs in the nation for first-generation, low-income and minority students. Since its inception, the New Start Summer Program has supported nearly 12,000 incoming university freshmen. Now in its 42nd year, the award-winning New Start Summer Program continues to adapt and change to each generation s needs while still remaining true to the original mission of helping new students find the resources and community they need in order to be successful in college. The New Start Summer Program is a comprehensive, six-week summer bridge program designed to help incoming freshman succeed in the transition from high school to college. Through academic coursework, college success workshops, tutoring and peer mentoring, program participants are able to experience the expectations and opportunities of being a university student in a welcoming and comfortable environment. In addition to coursework, the New Start Summer Program provides students with multiple support services that are crucial to academic success including: on-campus housing, campus resource tours, connections to campus support networks, an academic conference and social, leadership and educational programming. Award Description While many summer bridge programs focus on academic remediation for at-risk students, the New Start Summer Program is designed to develop the whole student and address the need for support beyond the academic realm. Particularly for first-generation students, many of the barriers to college success center on navigating a large and bureaucratic campus and the discrepancies in cultural capital for students with no previous introduction to higher education. As a result of these additional needs, the New Start Summer Program has been created with the following four goals in mind. The New Start Summer Program seeks to: 1. Provide a comprehensive orientation to the University of Arizona to help ease the transition from high school to college. 2. Help students develop an on-campus network of resources and support. 3. Empower students to be advocates for their own academic success. 4. Promote the idea of students as scholars; diversity, interconnectedness, and mutual respect are central to being scholars in the larger academic community.

2 In line with these goals, the New Start Summer Program takes a multi-pronged approach to student success, employing both professional and student staff members to offer support at each stage in the process. Support falls into four categories: academic, orientation, social and leadership, and residential. The Academic Component Participants in the New Start Summer Program earn a total of 6-7 units of academic credit over the course of the six weeks. Courses taken include English, Math, and other general education courses. These courses are provided by carefully-selected instructors who not only teach these courses, but provide additional program support by creating academic opportunities for students outside of the classroom. Some of these added opportunities include speaker series, a programwide academic conference where students present to one another, and writing opportunities in the weekly newsletter. As part of the academic component, New Start has a dedicated staff of tutors who serve as preceptors during classes and then provide course-specific tutoring to their assigned classes in the afternoon, ensuring that the tutors know which concepts are the focus of that day s assignments. The Orientation Component As mentioned, a comprehensive introduction to the University of Arizona is a critical piece of New Start. This goal is accomplished by providing multiple ways for students to engage in the campus community. Trained undergraduate Peer Advisors offer daily college success workshops for credit aimed at developing the connections and self-advocacy skills students need to be comfortable approaching campus resources and staff. These Peer Advisors also meet individually with students to provide personalized support and a friendly ear to help students address and overcome their challenges transitioning into college. New to the program this year, New Start students also have the opportunity to take a one-unit university heritage and traditions colloquium which focuses on the history and mission of the university. In this weekly course, key university leaders including the university president and provost came to speak to the university s mission and answer students questions about the college experience. As a final supplement to other program activities, key student affairs partners came to speak with students about other transitional issues and related services including the UA Libraries, Career Services, Campus Health, our Multi-cultural Centers, and the Center for Student Involvement & Leadership. The Social and Leadership Component As any of the numerous studies on first-year retention can demonstrate, the social and peer networks created by summer bridge programs are also crucial in ensuring that students feel like a part of the larger university community. To this end, the New Start Summer Program s social programming also plays a large role in the daily program offerings. Both undergraduate Peer Advisors as well as Resident Assistants work together to provide social opportunities for students including program-wide events such as a talent show, game night and dance, and student involvement fair. The New Start Summer Program also collaborates with its campus partners to provide socio-cultural programming to introduce students to the many cultural

3 resources available on campus. New Start partners with the Center for Student Involvement & Leadership to offer the Rising Sun Leadership Program which pairs social events with weekly leadership workshops and service opportunities. The Residential Component The summer of 2010 marked the first year that New Start was able to expand the residential experience to Tucson students. Students were able to live on-campus for a discounted rate in order to more fully engage in all that the New Start Summer Program has to offer. In addition to the program-wide activities described above, Resident Assistants also provide biweekly events in the residence hall that are open to all students and serve both social and educational purposes. Resident Assistants also work to provide wing meetings and socials and 1:1 meetings with students to support their growth and transition. The result of these four components coming together is a comprehensive experience that ensures that students are introduced to the full range of programs and services that the University of Arizona has to offer once students move from the program into the regular academic year. University administration has worked tirelessly to ensure that this program with its many options remains financially within reach for all families. In addition to a generous tuition waiver for all students regardless of family finances, grants, scholarships, and tuition awards ensured that 80% of students received financial aid equal to the costs of the program. Assessment Data The New Start Summer Program has partnered with the UA s Center for the Student of Higher Education to assess the impact and success of the program. In line with the goals of providing a comprehensive orientation, helping students create support networks, empowering students to be self-advocates, and promoting diversity and scholarship, we found that our efforts were richly rewarded. Interesting to note in the data is that while students tend to come more from first-generation, low-income and minority backgrounds, their aspirations were higher than those in the general student population. Just over 48% aspire to a terminal degree (PhD, JD, or MD) compared to only 37.7% among the general student population. One-third of New Start program participants self-identified as being first generation compared to 10% in the general UA population. At the same time, the general trend of the data revealed that New Start students were more likely to come from high schools with a lower portion of students attending a university. Thirty-seven percent of New Start students said that they relied on their high school counselors for a substantial amount of information about the college choice process more than any other resource. Unfortunately, the data also revealed that these students were twice as likely (45.4%) to report that they were encourage to attend community college rather than a university by a school staff member compared to 26.7% in the general population. These statistics suggest that while many New Start students aspire to a university education, their previous experiences regarding higher education may not have been met with encouraging messages about their potential for success.

4 According to the Entering Student Survey given to New Start Summer Program participants administered during the program s orientation, New Start serves those students who currently have the lowest rates of retention, persistence, and success at the UA (according to the Retention Study of 2005). In particular: 77% of New Start participants are ethnic minority students (not including the ~11% who are multiracial/biracial); the general student population of the University of Arizona is approximately 65% White. 64% of New Start participants are female, compared to the general student population (52%). A third of New Start students are first generation (i.e., neither parent attended college). This compares to approximately 10% among the general student population (i.e., proportionally, 3x as many first generation students are New Start participants than in the general student population) Approximately 65% of New Start students (self-reported) coming from houses that had an income of less than $50,000 last year. Compared to the general student population that completed our survey, 34% self-reported coming from families that had a previous year s income of MORE than $100,000. In terms of how the students experienced the program, 229 (67.5%) of student participants completed the End of Summer Survey. Overwhelming, students noted their satisfaction with the program as well as their beliefs in its ability to translate into future college success. According to our survey results: More than 97% of all students were either satisfied or very satisified with their New Start experience. Over 98% of all students found the academic courses to be either important or very important in supporting their transition into the UA. More than 80% of all New Start students found their a.) friendships developed, b.) relationships with New Start staff, and c.) social activities important or very important in supporting their transition into the UA. In terms of program retention, all but three of the 330 students who began the program successfully completed it earning 6-7 university credits in the process. In Their Own Voice When asked to share about their experiences with the New Start Summer Program, former participants had this to say: New Start really prepared me for the University level and high academic achievement. If it weren't for New Start helping me make a plan to get out I would have definitely been another University drop out statistic. The transition from high school into any University creates the

5 fundamental foundation in every student's higher education career that is why New Start is so important for many incoming freshmen. New Start redefined my prior intentions to obtain a degree in a 4-Year-institution; not only do I want a Bachelors, but because of New Start, I want to change my community's youth, minority or not, to take advantage of higher education to make a difference in the world. New Start showed me that making a difference is possible, now it's my duty as a student, to show my peers all the opportunities. Without the help of the New Start Program, it would have been incredibly challenging to get accustomed to the new environment. The staff of New Start is so nurturing and willing to help that they automatically felt as part of my new family. Attending New Start was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I could have made as an incoming freshman. I became familiar with the University, I learned about its resources, and above all, I met so many wonderful and amazing people who became my best friends (I don't know what I'd do without them, now) and my support system during my first year here at the UA. New Start was the time of my life, and I can't believe the intense impact that a single summer had on me. As an incoming freshman, New Start was the best choice I could have ever made. I come from a small town and none of my close friends came to the U of A with me. I was basically alone trying to become familiar with the campus and all its resources. New Start made the transition a lot easier for me. In New Start I was able to make new friends, become familiar with the campus and have a great time that summer. I also learned plenty of useful tips for how to survive in college. It was so much fun and it made coming into my first semester that much smoother. If I could go back, I would. The rich history of the New Start Summer Program has allowed us to analyze and gather data for multiple years. What we understand about this data is that while six weeks cannot necessarily reverse all of the challenges students face in obtaining a four-year degree, the New Start Summer Program goes a long way in connecting students with the resources and support networks they need to continue successfully in their journey. We also know that New Start participants are retained at higher rates and graduate faster than their peers. We are truly proud of the accomplishments of our staff and students and appreciate the opportunity to highlight our program within the NASPA community.