OATdb Archive

2013 - 2014

Student Services, Vice President

Goal
Innovative Programs And Services
Provide innovative programs and services that attract and retain targeted student groups.

Objective
Enhance The Student Experience
Develop programs and activities that enhance the student experience in the areas of University spirit, traditions, and residential campus culture.

KPI
Spirit Camps
Provide three spirit camps for freshman students and one camp for transfer students that will will keep students involved with a variety of group activities like tribal competitions, pride groups, socials and optional activities including sand volleyball, basketball, ropes course, and waterfront activities by Summer 2014.

Result
Number Of Spirit Camps
Three spirit camps for freshman students and one transfer camp were conducted during August 2014 at the newly opened University Camp. These spirit camps covered a variety of activities including team building, traditions, tribal competitions, pride groups, socials and optional activities including sand volleyball, gaga, high and low ropes, waterfront and pool activities. These activities serve a number of functions including building interpersonal relationships, introduction to traditions of SHSU, and connecting students to the university. A full list of activities and their goals are listed in the attached document.


KPI
Recruitment Of New Students For Spirit Camps
The Department of Recreational Sports will recruit new students to attend spirit camp sessions. These sessions will engage freshmen in learning activities that are interactive and student led. Our goal is that approximately 450 students from the Freshman Class of 2014 and 75 transfer students will participate in at least one of three spirit sessions.

Result
Participation In Spirit Camps
Spirit Camps for freshmen (Bearkat Camp) held three sessions. All three sessions were at maximum capacity for registration, which was set at 140 campers per Bearkat Camp session for a total of 430 and 100 campers for Transfer Camp. Due to the need for staff to occupy a few beds in each cabin we had to reduce the maximum number of participants per session from 150 to 140. A minimum of 2 counselors were in each cabin for a minimum of 12 counselors. Even though we were at maximum capacity for registration, not everyone who registered for a session showed up to the session. The number of participants that physically attended camp were as follows:

  • Session 1: 136
  • Session 2: 132
  • Session 3: 122
Total for three Bearkat Camp sessions: 390

  • Transfer Camp: 72
This year we worked directly with the Transfer Admissions office to direct market to incoming transfer students. This resulted in a larger than expected number of registrations for transfer camp with an increase of over 50% from 2013.


Action
Bearkat Camp Development
This was the first year that the Bearkat Camp and Transfer Camp was held at SHSU University Camp. In the future Bearkat Camp sessions will be operational for 200 per session, however additional construction will need to occur in order to expand from 140 registered per session to 200 per session. This includes increasing the space for dining facilities and staff quarters, preparing fire code capacities, and additional meeting spaces. Until these issues have been addressed the total registration will need to stay at 140 per session for Freshmen Bearkat Camp. Since Transfer Camp has grown by 50% in the last year we will increase our attendance goal to 100 participants for the session. At this time, it is not feasible to increase the number of sessions due to scheduling issues and the requirement of session activity involvement.


Action
Bearkat Camp Learning Outcomes
Now that Bearkat Camp has found a permanent home at the SHSU University Camp, the Department of Recreational Sports will report on learning outcomes that are currently being assessed. These include:

  1. Students who participate in spirit camps for freshmen or transfer students will  develop interpersonal relationships and a sense of community with other students before the start of the academic year.
  2. Students who participate in spirit camps for freshmen or transfer students will be able to recognize a connection to the University.
  3. Students who participate in spirit camps for freshmen or transfer students will be able to recall spirit and traditions of SHSU.
  4. Students who participate in spirit camps for freshmen or transfer students will be retained at a higher rate than students who do not attend.

Goal
Inclusive Community
Foster the development of an inclusive community.

Objective
Communication For Community Involvement In Programs And Events
Improve communication with the University community to encourage participation and attendance at programs and events.

KPI
Student Communication Assessment
The Student Communication Instrument will evaluate the effectiveness and value of e-mail marketing to the campus community. Develop an assessment instrument that will measure the value of information within the Student Services Weekly E-Update.

Result
Student Communications Assessment Survey
Developed a new survey that will be distributed to students during the 2014-2015 academic year.  The results will be used to evaluate the effectiveness and value of email, social media and website event marketing communication methods utlizied by University departments to communicate with students. Survey is attached.

Action
Communication Survey Distribution And Result Analysis
During FY15 the Office of the Vice President for Student Services will distribute the survey through Campus Labs and analyze the results.  These results will be utilized to review and recommend any needed changes to improve the communication process and event information distribution.

Goal
Student Critical Thinking And Lifelong Learning
Engage students in programs that promote critical thinking and lifelong learning skills.

Objective
Opportunities For Learning
Through co-curricular learning experiences at SHSU, students will be able to offer constructive ideas concerning the improvement of University programs and services and develop social responsibility through alternative learning opportunities.


Indicator
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Mobile App Survey
The USA Today Application Survey provide questions to students to research the use of mobile device applications for the Collegiate Readership Program at Sam Houston State University. See attached survey questions.

Criterion
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Mobile App Usage
In order to expand the program and increase student perception of benefits and availabilty of news information, the Collegiate Readership Program has incorporated the USA Today Mobile App. The Collegiate Readership Program will survey students on their knowledge and usage of the new App.

Finding
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Mobile App Knowledge
91.3% of students surveyed were not aware of the USA Today Application that Sam Houston State University provides for students.  95.7% of students surveyed indicated they had not downloaded the application to any devices.  93.5% of students surveyed did not use the USA Today Application once downloaded.

Indicator
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Usage
The Collegiate Readership Program will report an increase of usage in digital and print distributions.

Criterion
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program User Rates
The digital application will have a least 100 registered users and at least 2,500 logins. The paper pickup rate will see an increase of 25% from the previous year.

Finding
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Usage Results
After implementing the onsite internship to help promote the availability and Usage of the USA Today digital application, there were 120 registered users as of February 2013. Of those registered users, there was a total of 2,796 logins. After February, USA Today was unable to retrieve data concerning the number of downloads due to a technical issue and did not charge for that portion of the contract.

The average daily pickup rate for all 3 papers (USA Today, Houston Chronicle, Huntsville Item) for 2012-2013 was 94,160. The pickup rate for 2013-2014 is 82,683. This is a 35% decrease from the pevious year.

Indicator
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheon Survey
Survey students attending information exchange luncheons sponsored by the Vice President for Student Services. Throughout the fall and spring semesters the Vice President has eight luncheons and randomly selected students are invited to attend. All currently enrolled students receive an invitation by email requesting their attendance. The survey is distributed at the luncheon and provides opportunities to share what was learned during the luncheon and the overall experience. Students are provided additional space at the end of the anonymous survey to share their thoughts concerning the learning experience and the value of attending the luncheon as well as changes or improvements they would like to see at SHSU.

Criterion
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheon Student Learning Opportunities
Students will have the opportunity to learn from SHSU administrators about University programs, planning and policies as well as receive answers to their questions.

Finding
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheon Learning Responses From Participants
Students documented what was learned during their discussions between the group and the administrators.  A few results are listed below. For the complete list of responses please see the attached suvery results.

  • Financial Aid Disbursement and Information
  • Online Courses and Services Available
  • Future Programs and Workshops
  • Different Career Services Opportunities
  • Administrators Care about Student Success
  • LSC Expansion
  • Creation of Student Organizations
  • Campus Resources

Criterion
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheon Program Improvement
Students recommendations concerning improvement of the luncheons will be requested and considered for future changes to the luncheon experience.

Finding
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheon Program Improvement Recommendations
The majority of students feel that the luncheon provides a great opportunity for them to get to know administrators as well as use this opportunity to learn a great deal about the University operations and processes. They like the format and do not feel anything needs to change.  However, a few constructive comments were given to improve attendance and provide information concerning program content and how students can benefit from attending.  A few comments are listed below. For a complete list, please see attached survey results.

  • Be creative to avoid being lost in the plethora of student emails
  • Earlier notice
  • Give informational emails to accepted students
  • Have a set "end time", or a better time frame for discussion
  • Leave more time for discussion

Action
USA Today Collegiate Readership Program
The USA Today Collegiate Readership Program, managed through the Dean of Students Office, will begin the implementation of the "The Buzz" Marketing Plan, see attached, over the next three fiscal years to reassess the value of both the print and digital versions of USA Today, and its mission as a productive service to students at Sam Houston State University.

Action
VPSS Student Information Exchange Luncheons
These luncheons provide  a valuable resource for the administration to understand the thoughts and needs of the students, and discover areas or processes of the University that may need improvement. It is also an opportunity to help students learn and understand the important issues at the University, and why or how decisions that impact them directly are made.  As time has gone on, it has been more difficult to encourage student participation.  In 2014-2015, the program planners will reduce the number of luncheons from eight to six to help increase the number of students attending the luncheons to ensure full attendance. Using suggestions made by students in the luncheon survey,  the Office of the Vice President for Student Services will also implement new techniques to encourage the attendance of students who have not attended previously, reach out to those students who may be hesitant to attend and ensure that those who have committed to attend do show up.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement In 2014, Bearkat Camp successfully transitioned to the newly constructed SHSU University Camp location. Due to space limitations and fire code capacity levels, the stated attendance levels were not reached. For future Bearkat Camp sessions to reach expected attendance levels of 200 per session additional construction will remain a priority.

The USA Today Collegiate Readership Program is managed through the Dean of Students Office in conjunction with the USA Today Management Team. They have created the SHSU "The Buzz" Marketing Plan to advertise and promote the program and mobile access information  over the next three fiscal year cycles.

The Student Services Communication Assessment instrument has been developed and will be distributed to students during the 2014-2015 academic year. The purpose of gathering this data will be to help departments within the division communicate effectively to the University community.

Once again, the Vice President for Student Services Information Luncheons provide  a valuable resource for the administration to understand the thoughts and needs of the students, and discover areas or processes of the University that may need improvement. The assessment tool has been changed to reflect student recommendations for improvement. Valuable or noteworthy information received from student communication, either verbal or written, has been shared with appropriate administrators. It has been a challenge to communicate the value of student input to those who have been invited, however, the Office of the Vice President for Student Services is committed to evaluating and changing program formats to accommodate student requests and encourage full participation in the exchange of valuable information.






Plan for continuous improvement In 2014, Bearkat Camp successfully transitioned to the newly constructed SHSU University Camp location. For the past four assessment periods, the Vice President for Student Services office has evaluated this program to assist with the growth and construction of the SHSU University Camp. Since the major construction phase of the camp is complete, the assessment process, which will include learning outcomes for Bearkat Camp participants, will now occur in the Department of Recreational Sports, where the facility and program is managed.

Since the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program is managed through the Dean of Students Office in conjunction with the USA Today Management Team, the Dean of Students Office will be responsible for assessing the program and will add it into their assessment plan.

The Student Services Communication Assessment instrument has been developed and will be distributed to students during the 2014-2015 academic year. The purpose of gathering this data will be to help departments within the division communicate programs, events and services effectively to the University community.

In 2014-2015, the Office of the VP for Student Services will implement new processes to encourage student attendance at the Vice President for Student Services Information Exchange luncheons. The first recommendation will be to decrease the number of luncheons from eight to six.  This wil allow for time frames within the semesters where students will be available to attend the luncheons. Prior to each luncheon, all currently enrolled students will receive an invitation via email. A follow-up email will then be sent, notifying the students that they have been selected to attend. They will be instructed to stop by the Office of the VP for Student Services, prior to the date of the luncheon to pick up their lanyards and name badges that they will wear to the luncheon. They will receive a list of questions that are open for discussion during the luncheon, as well as a range of topics that will be discussed. However, they are not limited to these topics and will be encouraged to discuss any other item of interest or concern. Finally, at the time of check-in just prior to the start of the luncheon, each student will receive a ticket that they may redeem after they have attended the luncheon for a free t-shirt in appreciation for their participation.  We will track attendance levels to evaluate participation. The students will be requested to fill out their program survey prior to leaving the luncheon to provide feedback to administrators concerning viable concerns or positive comments that students will offer to improve University processes.

In 2014-2015, the Office of the VP for Student Services will begin assessing two new items of interest. The first process will be to develop sales criteria through the SHSU Bookstore operated by Barnes & Noble to increase sales of used text books, textbook rentals and SHSU merchandising and memorabilia. The second process will be to evaluate the amount per student and the number of students that are awarded funds from the Student Service Fee Travel Program, which provides financial support for sudent co-curricular activities and experiences traveling and representing SHSU on a State, national, or international level.

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