2008 - 2009

Student Services, Vice President

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Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

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Plan for continuous improvement

The mission of the Division of Student Services is to initiate opportunities and provide resources for all students, which promote life skills and development within the academic environment. As an integral partner in the educational process, student services provides quality programs and services for students and staff which foster growth and development. Departments within the division embrace a student development philosophy that stresses the holistic approach in co-curriculum involvement. This mission will be accomplished by successfully reviewing and assessing the strategic goals and objectives to make sure that student service and programs are continually meeting the needs of the University community.

The academic year 2008 ? 2009 has been a year of positive growth and effective change for the Division of Student Services. A review of our performance indicators clearly demonstrates that the impact of programs and services offered by the departments in the Division of Student Services has certainly made a difference in the life of this institution. This is directly linked to having the facility and managerial support for programs as well as the necessary financial and competent staff resources to make these programs happen. An evaluation of the assessment data indicates a critical need to more clearly define and develop specific student learning outcomes for various program components. This will improve the division?s assessment process and create an environment of positive and productive assessment attitudes while ensuring student centered programs and services are being provided to help our students succeed.

For the goal of Inclusive Community, the Division of Student Services worked with each University division by sharing its financial resources, manpower resources, and facility resources to create programs that positively enhanced the student experience on campus. Some of the highlights would be collaborative programs with the School of Music, Alumni Relations, New Student Orientation and The American Democracy Project. The VPSS Division Brochure and the Weekly VPSS Newsletter were greatly enhanced and distributed more widely across campus. Also, a new semester in review division video was unveiled this summer. The creation of promotional videos, brochures, e-mails, and newsletters help publicize and promote programs, events, and opportunities to the campus community. As a result of this inclusive approach the division encourages participation, collaboration, and communication with the campus community. Assessment results indicate that these marketing pieces are important tools in fostering the development of an inclusive community through information sharing. The vice president will utilize these results to improve the development of marketing pieces for activities, events, and programs that are available to the campus community.

For the goal of Innovative Programs and Services, reviewing the programs and services available to students within division departments provided the opportunity to develop new programs in Bearkat OneCard Services, Counseling Services and Services for Students with Disabilities, Health Services, Recreational Sports and the Student Money Management Center (SMMC). Some of the highlights included: the first Financial Literacy Week sponsored by the SMMC; the Department of Student Activities made improvements to The Sammy?s, the student centered awards program; and the Department of Recreational Sports coordination of the first BearKat Spirit Camp. As a result of applying additional resources and redistribution of space available, Services for Students with Disabilities was able to increase their technical equipment by 50 percent and increase their service area space by 30 percent. Due to the increased need of this service to students additional space and resources will be necessary in the near future.

For the goal of Staff Professional and Personal Goal Development, the division entered into partnership with The Student Advisory Board, a best practice research consortium that makes available custom research projects prepared at the request of the member institution. Staff members were encouraged to and did actively participate in regional and national professional organizations and conferences including but not limited to: the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU), and the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). As a result of these opportunities, staff members return to the campus to share the new and innovative practices and programs occurring in the student services field with students and colleagues. In order to foster professional and personal development of staff it is necessary for the vice president to support and provide available opportunities for development. Regular staff development sessions are held during the year and the assessment from these programs indicate that the majority of attendees enjoy the opportunity to meet new staff and re-connect with staff in the division. Overall, results indicate the majority of attendees rate the programs favorably, however opinions vary depending on the topic presented. The assessment results will be used to assist organizers in determining what type of sessions to create for the 2009-2010 fall and spring semesters.

For the goal of Student Participation and Satisfaction, we continued to monitor progress in each department through client satisfaction surveys. Year to year comparisons of performance indicators were used to set benchmarks. At the beginning of the 2008 fall semester, the division became part of the NASPA Consortium, through StudentVoice, which provides multiple types of data collection to participating colleges and universities and will be able to benchmark operational and student data for various program components. This will allow the division to track national trends in comparison to campus activities and will assist with the continuous improvement of student service delivery methods.

For the goal of Students Critical Thinking and Lifelong Learning, we continued providing opportunities to explore traditional and alternative learning through the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative (ADAI), USA TODAY Collegiate Readership Program and Student Information Exchange Luncheons. At the Student Information Exchange Luncheons, students are invited to express their opinions to SHSU administrative personnel concerning the state of the university and how they would seek to improve or maintain campus facilities, programs and services, as well as other issues that impact their college experience. As a result of holding these luncheons, significant changes have been made in the operation of the university, i.e. extended hours in the Lowman Student Center, the Health Center and the Counseling Center. Also discussion surrounding school spirit highlighted the need for additional promotion to enhance student knowledge and increase student participation in the Bearkat Spirit Friday program. The intent of these information exchange luncheons is to also provide a learning opportunity for students to increase their knowledge of university operations, provide a valuable experience, and benefit from meeting university administrators. Students consistently respond overwhelmingly in favor that these luncheons meet the learning goals. Assessment of these programs will be ongoing to evaluate student learning and assist administrators in meeting the needs of the student body.

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