Where
Hearthside Room (next to Bookstore)Student Success - Professional Development Day
Workshops will be led by Thomas Brown, Managing Principal of Thomas Brown and Associates.
9:00-10:30 Pathways to Persistence: Student Success Takes a Campus; It Takes YOU
Why do some students leave college as the result of incidents that appear relatively minor, while others persist in the face of tremendous obstacles? Are some students “predestined” to fail and withdraw from college, as the result of their educational backgrounds? If this is the case, why do some students with strong GPAs and test scores leave college, while others achieve at high levels despite coming from “educationally disadvantaged” backgrounds? Which campus offices or personnel should have the responsibility for increasing student development, satisfaction and persistence?
Pathways to Persistence is a simulation exercise that offers some answers to these questions and assists campus communities to act—individually and collectively—to increase student success. Pathways identifies many of the reasons students leave college, challenges some of the common myths and misconceptions about attrition, and shares evidence that what happens to students after they enroll is often more important than their pre-enrollment attributes and experiences. Pathways illustrates that every member of the campus community has the power increase student engagement and success—no matter their official position or level of authority. The exercise offers participants a learning experience they can participate in rather than just read or hear about.
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-noon Reframing At-Risk to High Potential: A Focus on Students Who Are First-generation/low SES, Multicultural, and/or Underprepared
This session will describe the characteristics, and challenges for students whose personal, social, and academic backgrounds and experiences often put them at greater risk for not succeeding college. It will also identify the strengths these students bring to college, as well as cognitive, emotional, and behavioral barriers that hinder student success. The presenter will offer concrete, tangible strategies that can enable staff, faculty, and administrators to understand how they can support students to take greater responsibility for their own development and learning.
Noon-12:45 Lunch
1:00-2:30 Empowering Classified Staff to Understand and Embrace the Critical Role They Play to Actualize the College Mission and Support Student Success
Most retention research focuses on the relationships student have with instructional faculty and student affairs professionals; however, students also interact with classified staff at every juncture as they move in, move through, and move on from college. Accordingly, a study by the Association of Institutional Research found that staff members significantly influence students’ decisions to stay or drop out of college.Professional development for classified staff is essential if a college is to actualize its mission, vison, and goals. While most professional development focuses on mastering job-related skills, this session will support participants to understand and strengthen the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, attitudes, and behaviors that can produce increased effectiveness and satisfaction for students and for staff themselves.