May 23, 2006

L. Silverman

Middle States Retention Task Force

Sub-Committee Examining Current/Existing Programs

and Efforts Fostering Student Retention

(REVISED and UPDATED)

Kevin Birth, Diane Forté, Caroline Rupprecht, Laura Silverman

In an effort for us as educators and higher education professionals to better understand through self-study the factors that influence student retention and contribute to the future development of effective strategies and programs to reduce attrition at the College, the Middle States Retention Sub-Committee on Existing Programs has prepared this initial examination of the retention- related initiatives and programs that are currently threaded throughout the institution.

In order to better organize and present this information, we have divided our inquiry into three areas:

•Academics

•Academic Support Services

•Student Affairs

ACADEMICS

Current Retention Efforts by Academic Departments and Faculty

1. Foster an overall sense of community by:

a.) Organizing events such as Open Houses, End-of-Semester Parties, lectures with invited speakers, and conferences that include student participation.

b.) Publishing student journals; exhibit and showcase students’ creative works.

c.) Providing physical spaces, such as lounges, where students can meet and study.

2. Foster an overall coherent learning experience by:

a.) Designing curricula based on faculty research, in keeping with the college’s mission of a liberal arts education.

b.) Designing synthesis courses with faculty from other departments.

c.) Co-listing courses with other departments and programs.

3. Attract students to their major by:

a.) Informing them about the department via web sites and flyers; and participating in events such as the Major/Minor Fair.

b.) Explicitly defining the nature of their disciplines in the classroom.

c.) Drawing attention to their major during transfer credit evaluations.

4. Support their current majors by:

a.) Designing a curriculum that enables them to complete their major (and offering those courses accordingly).

b.) Offering awards and providing recommendations. In some cases, offering credit for professional internships.

c.) Providing opportunities to meet alumni from the department.

5. Provide personal support of students on an individual basis by:

a.) Advising students on how to fulfill requirements, apply for graduate school, etc.

b.) Being available to meet and/or communicate with students outside office hours (full-time faculty only).

(See additional information on retention efforts by academic departments in separate section.)

ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

Current Retention Efforts by offices and programs that bolster and support students’ academic studies and the College’s goals and targets.

Academic Support Center

Dr. Howard Kleinmann, Director

As the motto “We learn in order to serve” (Discimus ut serviamus) expresses the mission of Queens College, the motto “We serve in order that students may learn” (Servimus ut discipuli discant) conveys the mission of the Academic Support Center.

Academic support services including the following: the Writing Lab and e-tutoring; Science Tutoring Center; language lab; mathematics lab; Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC); College English a Second Language (CESL) classes and immersion programs; Academic Support lab with tutoring for reading and study skills (including workshops in note-taking, textbook reading, reading books without headings, reading journal articles, organizing information for study, making oral presentations, time management, taking objective tests, taking essay tests); networked computers for school-related use; speed-reading video tapes; study carrels; CUNY Proficiency Exam (CPE) preparation; and free tutoring in specific content courses.

We accept the primacy of English reading and writing skills for functioning effectively in the academy and the society in which it is embedded. It is these skills that we seek to develop in our students so that they may comprehend, analyze, and communicate ideas, and become contributing members of the wider community.

The department recognizes the multilingual and multicultural composition of its students and, in particular, the special needs of students for whom English is a second language. We strive to address not only the language needs of ESL students but their overall academic advisement needs as well by creating a supportive environment in which they can request and receive professional assistance.

We view the development of English literacy skills as an ongoing process, requiring attention in different ways throughout a student’s college experience. Thus, we strive to support the learning activities not only of basic skills students but also of all students.

The department seeks to address the literacy, communication, and study skills needs of students through course offerings, independent study, individual and small-group tutoring, computer-assisted instruction (CAI), video, and other innovative instructional formats (e.g., paired courses, workshops, theme-based classes).

The department recognizes the potential of emerging technologies (e.g., CAI, CD-ROM) and seeks to evaluate, test, and integrate such instructional innovations in its programs. We view familiarizing students with the technology as important not only for the development of their literacy skills but as an educational asset in and of itself.

The department accepts its responsibility to administer, score, and report the results of assessment tests mandated by the University and the College in order that students can be placed at the appropriate level of instruction, receive the necessary support to maximize the likelihood of persistence and retention in the College, and have a successful academic experience.

Writing Center Statistics (based on Spring 2005 and Fall 2005)

●60 tutoring appointments per week plus 25-30 drop-in tutoring sessions per week

●1000-1100 tutoring hours per semester

●110 e-tutoring submissions per semester (excluding Task 2 CPE e-tutoring)

15% of tutees are in CESL courses;

05% of tutees are in English 095.0;

32% of tutees are in English 110;

11% of tutees are in English 120;

18% of tutees are in Writing Intensive courses;

20% of tutees are in other courses.

33% of tutees are freshmen

20% of tutees are sophomores;

25% of tutees are juniors;

13% of tutees are seniors;

8% of tutees are Graduate Students.

Academic Support Lab Statistics (2005)

●Approximately 40,000 student visits to the lab per year

●Reading/ESL tutoring: 85 students per year

●Content tutoring in non-science courses: 330 students per year

●Content tutoring in science courses: 275 students per year

●Study Skills Workshops: 320 students per year

CPE Miniclasses: 185 students per year

CPE Intensive Class: 20 students per year

CPE tutoring: 35 students per year

CPE e-tutoring: 15 submissions per semester for Task 2 of the CPE

Queens College has an experienced Academic Support Center (ASC) staff, who are involved with all aspects of undergraduate education. The ASC offers a variety of programs in basic skills support, ACT and CPE test preparation, ESL, reading and study skills, writing, and tutoring across the curriculum. Services are delivered through the Writing Center, the Academic Support Lab, the Content Tutoring Centers, and the College ESL Program. The ASC has developed strong linkages with academic departments and programs to best serve QC students.

The strength of the ASC is very much tied to the amount and quality of interaction with academic departments and programs whose students rely on our services. Rather than wait for departments and programs to approach us, we have taken an active role in reaching out to them to inform them of our services and explore ways in which we can work collaboratively to assist our students. Such outreach on our part cannot be overstated. We need to do more of it. We need to have the Director of the Writing Center be fully engaged with academic departments and faculty on issues of writing across disciplines and its implications for general undergraduate education.

Presently the Director of the Writing Center also serves as the Chief ACT Reader for the Borough of Queens. We grade 25,000 essays in 70-75 reading sessions per year for the University, a complex, time-consuming responsibility with tight deadlines. We very much need an additional staff member to assist with this function, thereby allowing the Director to concentrate more fully on academic support program development, help set policy for the College’s composition program, develop the Writing Across the Curriculum program, and plan and implement faculty development initiatives in writing.

Over the last few years, we have been developing our content area-tutoring program. The ASC offers tutoring in a selection of gateway courses, writing-intensive courses, and other offerings across the curriculum. We inaugurated our Science Tutoring Center (STC) last year, in which tutorial support in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics is offered. But space is a problem. We have outgrown the meager space that has been allocated to us for the STC, and the space in which we conduct tutoring for courses in the Social Sciences and Humanities is overflowing with students. We need to address the space problem for these programs, which are in high demand, so that they can continue to grow.

The ASL has demonstrated its effectiveness in basic skills preparation through its immersion and ESL programs, CPE preparation through its various intervention types (workshops, mini-classes, intensive classes), writing support in the Writing Center through its tutoring and e-tutoring services, reading, study skills, and research support through the Academic Support Lab, and tutorial support across disciplines through the Content Tutoring Centers.

Having met the University standards for basic skills is not to say that such students are fully prepared to engage the undergraduate curriculum. Students require ongoing support in their general education courses to succeed at higher levels. We need to further develop tutorial support across the curriculum. Such development, however, depends on expanded collaborations between the ASC and academic departments, appropriate physical space, and staff time to develop such linkages.

Most of the content courses that are supported are 100-level courses that students take as they are beginning a major. Students often seek assistance in 200- and 300-level courses, which presently is unavailable. Expanding content tutoring to serve the “forgotten” sophomores would offer uninterrupted support for students as they move into their majors.

Consideration should be given to embedding teaching assistants in targeted lecture classes. The assistants could meet with students immediately after or before class to model appropriate study strategies and answer questions on the spot. Courses such as Biology 107 and Chemistry 113, which have a limited number of sections taught in a large lecture format and have low rates of successful completion, would be excellent candidates for such an initiative.

We need to continue to reach out to academic departments for ideas on what support services could best serve their students, and departments need to collaborate with the ASC in designing and delivering academic support services to students. In the past we have offered some Math workshops for introductory Chemistry and Physics courses with mixed success. This is an area that is still worth developing in cooperation with the academic departments.

Adult Collegiate Education Program (ACE)

Ms. Elizabeth Hennessey, Acting Director

Queens College's Adult Collegiate Education Program (ACE) at Queens College was established in 1963 to offer highly motivated students age 25 and over a rich and innovative program, which is carefully structured to assist adult students in successfully completing the Queens College Bachelor's degree. The ACE Program is designed to support adults in making up for lost time, to make transitions: ...to a new career, to empowerment with new skills, to brush up self-esteem and good habits of the mind, and to open oneself to the notion that an examined life is far more worth living.

The program was based on the conviction, relatively new in higher education at that time, that a college education should be available to all who want it – whatever their age. At its inception, ACE was one of the very few special baccalaureate programs for adults in this country, and as such, ACE has been defining education for adults for over 40 year by building on a rich adult experience with a balanced program in the arts, natural sciences, and social sciences. ACE is committed to the idea that learning is a life-long adventure. ACE is also aware that adults are busy with family, jobs, and community involvement, so scheduling, counseling services, and the pace are all tuned to adult needs.

The foundation of the ACE Program is a special series of basic ACE Seminars in the liberal arts. These courses satisfy most of the College’s primary college competency and liberal arts and science requirements. After completion of these seminars, the ACE student can then apply for up to 36 tuition-free Life Achievement credits. The student then chooses a field of concentrated study – the major. While working on the major, the student will complete the remaining requirements in the following areas: foreign language (or an alternate plan), physical education, and, finally, the ACE student takes electives from all across the curriculum to bring the total credits up to 120 for graduation and the baccalaureate degree.

Number of Students Served in ACE Program

Currently there are 564 students enrolled in the ACE program. Our Fall 2005, Spring and Summer 2006 graduates total 58 females and 21 males.

Services Offered to ACE Students

All ACE applicants are considered direct admit students. ACE applicants do not filter their applications through the central admitting CUNY Office of Application Processing Center. They forward their application directly to the ACE office which keeps the application on file until all applicant requirements have been are met. These include the requirement of passing or waiver of the CUNY Assessment Tests. Students are counseled as to when to test and follow-up takes place in the event of passing or failing. If failure occurs in any of the three areas of Reading; Writing; Math, an Immersion class is offered free of charge to prepare the applicant for re-testing.

Upon being admitted, all first-semester freshmen and transfer ACE students are registered by the ACE department, thus enabling the adult to adapt as seamlessly as possible into the new environment of college. There is an orientation held prior to registration which advises students on what to expect in the world of college; important dates; identification of buildings; tours etc.,

In collaboration with the College’s Advising Center, ACE students meet with a specific academic advisor who is specially cross-trained in the general education and ACE curricula. This enables the adult student to be knowledgeable of all college requirements as he/she transitions from ACE coursework into non-ACE LASARs as well as into the individual’s chosen major and CUNY Proficiency Examination preparation.

Additionally, ACE students are uniquely offered the opportunity to apply for Life Achievement credits. The decision to grant or to not grant credits (after initial completion of 36 ACE required credits) is made by academic departments upon receipt and review of a student portfolio. Each work is documented and backed by proof of completion of task and knowledge gained from completion. Students are offered a workshop once each semester in which they are fully advised on the application process for Life Achievement Credits.

An open door policy is on going in the ACE office with the director/staff and the ACE population. Evening office hours (Wednesday, 5 – 7pm) are available to ACE students when classes are in session, which is in common with other administrative offices such as Admissions; Financial Aid; Registrar etc. Advising is available three full days a week, a well as on Wednesday evenings in the Center on an appointment or drop-in basis.

Student Progress and Retention

There are no current resources/efforts to track ACE student progress and retention.

Additional Thoughts on Student Progress and Retention

There is a need for student tracking in terms of the ACE population, their progress, and their retention. This could possibly be implemented with the new Degree Works program whereby the ACE office would, perhaps each semester, download the ACE students cumulative grade point averages and registration norms with the idea of offering guidance and/or setting up academic assistance to those who are in jeopardy or heading in that direction. The Office of Academic Skills and/or the Learning Lab could possibly play a more significant role in the life of the ACE student at Queens College.

Another thought would be to incorporate a new introductory course, which would be a required by all adults who have been away from academics for a to-be-determined number of years. This course would offer skills preparation in areas such as writing, library usage, internet use for research, and conversation/discussion groups and the like.

Massive recruiting events are needed in the area of gaining new adults into the ACE program at Queens College. The Acting Director will be embarking on this and other projects during the Spring/Summer/Fall 2006 with the dual goals of increasing the ACE population and providing possible new incentives as noted above.

The Advising Center

Ms. Laura A. Silverman, Director

The Advising Center offers academic information and centralized advising services to all matriculated undergraduate students through the clarification and navigation of degree requirements and academic program planning thereby leading to the timely receipt of the baccalaureate degree. (See attached “Pathways to Graduation” for overview of services and initiatives.) Advising sessions provide information and assistance to students that provide a clear understanding of the College’s general education requirements, major offerings, and policies and procedures that impact the selection of programs and classes. It is also the juncture through which 100% of freshmen enter the institution and upwards of 73% of all new transfers enter thereby positioning it as a function of both new and continuing student services.

Since its inception in 1995, the Advising Center has significantly and exponentially expanded in terms of its charges and mandates, scope of activities, volume of those whom it serves, and quantity of personnel (particularly part-timers). In general terms, the Center’s team of professionals negotiate and articulate on behalf of undergraduate students the College’s requirements, procedures, and academic offerings; and, most notably, as above-mentioned, following fall and spring admissions, the Center is the primary point of entry for new freshmen, transfers, and re-entering students via our orientation, advising, and registration programs.

In its provision of services to new students, Advising Center staff work closely with the Freshman Year Initiative Program to place freshmen into communities for their first semester at the College and with academic departments to facilitate entry into the major for transfers. The Advising Center is often the first point of contact for new students upon admission to Queens College, and, as such, is key in the representation of the College to prospective students and their families.

Additionally, the Advising Center has introduced activities and programs, such as the Sophomore Initiative, including Sophomore Advising Week and the “Milestones” workshops, as well as the anticipated planning of divisional information sessions for second-year students, and the annual pre-graduation audit of nearly 3400 students’ academic records through its Academic Progress check program to inform them of their academic status. Thus, beginning with their acceptance and throughout their tenure at the College, students are counseled and advised of degree requirements, course selection, long-range academic planning, major/minor selections, transfer articulation, retention requirements, graduate study, and overall strategies by which to achieve academic success. Our comprehensive academic advising services extend to the entire undergraduate population, which includes students in special programs, such as Weekend College, ACE, and CESL.

Initiatives of the Advising Center’s New Student Services

• A dedicated new student phone line (718-997-5573) for incoming students to call to get information/sign up for workshops (freshmen, transfer, re-entry, reactivating).

• Outreach to and preparation for admitted students prior to their registration: includes determining testing placements, exemptions and waivers, immunization status, transfer credit evaluations, anticipated majors, holds and stops.

• Collaborative new-student advising and registration programs: offer special groups a forum for and our assistance with incoming students (Time 2000, Honors Experience, CESL, etc.).

• 100% of all entering freshmen attend an advising and registration workshop where they are introduced to the College, general education requirements, programs of study, and other academic offerings and opportunities. Expanded to include students’ families through collaboration with Student Affairs for five sessions in June. The remaining workshops are conducted solely by the Advising Center in the months of June, July and August.

Freshman Orientation and Registration Workshops – Fall 2005

Date of Registration Number of Students

Registered Totals

June 1, 2005 w/ Student Affairs

138

June 8, 2005 w/ Student Affairs

138

276

June 15, 2005 w/ Student Affairs

141

417

June 22, 2005 w/ Student Affairs

175

592

June 29, 2005 w/ Student Affairs

190

782

Total for June

(Including Honors College)

809

July 20, 2005

138

947

July 27, 2005

1035

August 10, 2005

1132

August 17, 2005

1191

August 24, 2005

1260

First Week of Classes (1 wkshp day)

1324

Total Freshmen Registered Fall ‘05

1,324

Freshman Orientation and Registration Workshops – Spring 2006

Date of Registration ` Number of Students Totals

Registered

December 21, 2005

January 18, 2006

January 25, 2006

1^st week of school and

One Stop Admissions Programs

(1 wksp per day)

128

Total

128

• After having attended an orientation session, new freshmen can only make changes to their schedules with advisor accompaniment. This prevents incorrect registration into higher-level classes for which they do not have prerequisites, proper maintenance of FYI communities, correct course placement, attempted and encouraged full-time retention in courses, overall retention at the College, and encouraged maintenance of 15-credit schedules (or, if registered for fewer, the addition of credit to create full-time or 15-credit schedules after discussion of the pros and cons of doing so).

• New transfers offered flexible workshop options. The workshop presentation covers all aspects of the College’s general education degree requirements, major requirements, the transfer credit and evaluation processes, the telephone and on-line registration systems, how to navigate tuition, financial aid, books, parking, ID cards, grading policies, graduation with honors, and information on special programs.

Fall 2005 Transfer Advising Workshop Statistics

Workshop date Time # Attended Special Program

Friday, May 6^th 10:00am 39 NCC/QCC

Friday, May 13^th 10:00am 22 NCC/QCC

Thursday, May 19^th 10:00am 33

Monday, May 23^rd 6:00pm 24

Tuesday, May 24^th 10:00am 18

Thursday, May 26^th 10:00am 26

Monday, June 6th 6:00pm 34

Thursday, June 9^th 10:00am 43

Monday, June 13^th 9:00 – 5:00 22 on the spot

Tuesday June 14^th 9:00 – 5:00 19 on the spot

Thursday, June 16^th 10:00am 28

Monday, June 20^th 6:00pm 41

Thursday, June 23^rd 10:00am 37

Monday, June 27^th 6:00pm 24

Thursday, June 30^th 10:00am 42

Monday, July 11^th 6:00pm 45

Thursday, July 14^th 10:00am 38

Fall 2005 Transfer Advising Workshop Statistics (continued)

Workshop date Time # Attended Special Program

Monday, July 18^th 6:00pm 45

Thursday, July 21^st 10:00am 47

Monday, July 25^th 6:00pm 30

Thursday, July 28^th 10:00am 50

Monday, August 8^th 6:00pm 46

Thursday, August 11^th 10:00am 57

Monday, August 15^th 9:00 – 5:0032 on the spot

Tuesday, August 16^th 9:00 – 5:00 32 on the spot

Thursday, August 18^th 10:00am 42

Friday, August 19^th 10:00am 28

Monday, August 22^nd 6:00pm 46

Thursday, August 25^th10:00am 52

Friday, August 26^th 10:00am 22

Totals 30 Workshops 1064

First week of school:

Workshop date Time # Attended

Monday, August 29^th 10:00am 21

Monday, August 29^th 2:00pm 24

Tuesday, August 30th 10:00am 19

Tuesday, August 30^th 2:00pm 23

Wednesday, August 31^st 10:00am 22

Wednesday, August 31^st 2:00pm 20

Thursday, September 1^st 10:00am 16

Thursday, September 1^st 2:00pm 19

Friday, September 2^nd 10:00am 6

Friday, September 2^nd 2:00pm 10

Totals 10 Workshops 180

Grand Total ` 40 Workshops 1244

^{Comparison
Statistics}

^{Fall ’04 33
Workshops 1063}

^{Fall ’05 40
Workshops 1244}

^{Difference: +7 Workshops +181}

Spring 2006 Transfer Advising Workshops

Workshop date Time # Attended Special Program

Friday, Dec. 2nd 10:00am 62

Friday, Dec. 9th 10:00am 46

Friday, Dec. 16th 10:00am 20

Monday, Dec. 19th 6:00pm 20

Thursday Dec. 22nd 10:00am 27

Monday Jan. 2nd 6:00pm 48

Thursday, Jan. 5th 10:00am 57

Monday, Jan. 9^th 6:00pm 64

Tuesday, Jan. 10^th 9:00 – 5:00 54 on the spot

Wednesday, Jan 11th 9:00 – 5:00 56 on the spot

Thursday, Jan. 12^th 10:00am 61

Spring 2006 Transfer Advising Workshop Statistics (continued)

Workshop date Time # Attended Special Program

Tuesday, Jan. 17th 10:00am 45

Thursday, Jan.19^th 10:00am 47

Monday, Jan. 23rd 6:00pm 57

Tuesday, Jan. 24th 10:00am 59

Totals 15Workshops 723

First week of school:

Workshop date Time # Attended Special Program

Thursday Jan. 26th 10:00am 28

Thursday, Jan. 26th 2::00pm 28

Friday, Jan. 27^th 10:00am 28

Friday, Jan. 27^th 2::00pm 26

Monday, Jan. 30^th 10:00am 19

Monday, Jan. 30th 2:00pm 11

Tuesday, Jan.31^st 10:00am 5

Tuesday, Jan. 31^st 2:00pm 7

Wednesday, Feb. 1st 10:00am 3

Wednesday, Feb. 1st 2:00pm 9

Totals 10 Workshops 164

Grand Total 25 Workshops 887

^{Comparison Statistics}

^{Spring ’05 26 Workshops 623}

^{Spring ’06 25Workshops 887}

^{Difference: -1 Workshop +264}

• Through workshops, transfers are given an opportunity to register with advisor accompaniment as well as take care of as much new-student business as possible while on campus, i.e., bill pay-ment, ID cards, books, etc. through collaboration with these service offices.

• Transfer Class Reservation Program (saving seats in high-demand, “gateway to the major” courses). The Center works with academic departments to save seats in high-demand courses for incoming transfers through our Transfer Student Class Reservation Program

• Faculty-Assisted Transfer Workshops; a pilot program for Spring 2006 entrants that brought faculty assistance from ten high-demand majors to one location to assist academic advisors with transfer student advising and registration.

Faculty – assisted Transfer Workshops/Faculty Advising

Please note that the numbers do not reflect actual number of students; rather, as some majors are interdisciplinary, figures reflect number of necessary advising interactions with faculty.

Date	Acct	Bio	Chem	Comp Sci	Econ/BBA	Engl	FNES	Phys Ed	Math	Elem Ed	Ling	DayTotal
Jan 5th	14	6	2	1	17	11	2	4	7	6	0	70
Jan 12th	31	5	4	6	13	6	0	11	7	4	3	90
Jan 19th	34	7	7	8	11	5	12	0	10	5	3	102
Jan 24th	24	7	6	5	8	2	7	0	6	7	2	74
Program total	103	25	19	20	49	24	21	15	30	22	8	336

• Special and advising and registration workshops for transfers from our two top feeder schools, Queensborough and Nassau Community Colleges.

• A mechanism for Re-entries. Through workshops, we help re-entries re-acclimate to the institution and register—including those matriculated under curricula prior to LASAR–as well as assisting them in creating a long-term academic plan and graduation projection.

Initiatives of the Advising Center’s Continuing Student Services

• Increased advising availability for non-traditional students: Center is open five days a week with expanded evening hours three nights a week until 7pm , phone appointments, weekend hours through a collaboration with Weekend College, “e-mail an advisor.” Maintenance of a regular schedule of appointment and walk-in services while classes are in session.

DAY OFFICE HOURS SERVICE SERVICE HOURS

Monday 9am – 5pm Walk-in 9:30am – 3:30pm

(including ACE)

Tuesdays 9am – 7pm Appointments 9:30am – 6:30pm

(including ACE)

Wednesdays 9am – 7pm Walk-in 11:30am – 6:30pm

(including ACE)

Thursdays 9am – 7pm Appointments 9:30am – 6:30pm

Fridays 9am – 5pm Appointments 9:30am – 12:30pm

•Unevaluated Transfer Credit Intervention (done in collaboration with Transfer Credit Evaluation Programs organized by Admissions Office)

•English 110 Intervention - a program to ensure completion of this very important college requirement early in the college career; guaranteed placement into English 110 for second-semester freshmen and collaborative program with Academic Support for students transitioning from CESL)

Fall 2005 English 110 Intervention

Students who complete more than 60 credits w/o English 110 45

Students who completed 45 – 59 credits w/o English 110 33

Students who had 0 – 27 completed credits w/o English 110 212

CESL students ready to transition into English 110 60

Total 350

Spring 2006 English 110 Intervention

Students who complete more than 60 credits w/o English 110 41

Students who completed 45 – 59 credits w/o English 110 26

Students who had 0 – 27 completed credits w/o English 110 31

CESL students ready to transition into English 110 83

Total 181

Continuing Student Volume Statistics Fall 2005

THE ADVISING CENTER AT QUEENS COLLEGE

MONTH

WALK-INS

APPTS

TRANSFER

WORKSHOPS

FRESHMAN

WORKSHOPS

SOPHOMORE

WORKSHOPS

ENGLISH 110

REGISTRATION

MONTHLY TOTALS

DECEMBER

12-01-05 to

12-15-05

201

167

SEE TRANSFER REPORT

N/A

368

NOVEMBER

891

251

N/A

11-14-05 to 11-23-05

30 x 8= 240

2^NDSEMESTER FRESHMAN WORKSHOPS

11-07-05à 24

11-09-05à 23

11-11-05à 24

11-07-05à 87

11-07-05à 76

163

1616

OCTOBER

242

164

N/A

406

SEPTEMBER

09-06-05 to 09-0-05

373

SEE TRANSFER REPORT

SEE FRESHMAN REPORT

09-19-05

126

N/A

578

AUGUST, JULY &

JUNE

NEW-STUDENT WORKSHOP MONTHS FALL 2005 ENTRANTS

See separate

reports

TOTAL CONTINUING STUDENTS SEEN FALL 2005

2968

FALL SEMESTER 2005

NOTE: For the months of September through November there are several days in which the college was closed or there were “no classes” were scheduled. With that in mind the numbers of continuing students seen during these said months are affected. The following is a list of those days:

Ø 09-05-05à Labor Day; Walk-in day

Ø 09-18-05à Sophomore Kick-Off; Walk-in day

Ø 09-30-05à Special Projects day

Ø 10-04-05; Appointment day

Ø 10-05-05; Walk-in day, No classes schedule

Ø 10-10-05à Columbus Day; Walk-in day

Ø 10-12-05; Walk-in day

Ø 10-13-05; Appointment day

Ø 11-24-05à Thanksgiving Holiday

Ø 11-25-05à Thanksgiving Holiday

Continuing Student Volume Statistics Spring 2006

THE ADVISING CENTER AT QUEENS COLLEGE

MONTH

WALK-INS

APPTS

TRANSFER

WORKSHOPS

FRESHMAN

WORKSHOPS

SOPHOMORE

WORKSHOPS

ENGLISH 110

REGISTRATION

MONTHLY TOTALS

MAY

410

103

See Transfer Report

N/A

513

APRIL

347

114

N/A

Second Semester Freshman Workshop

04-24-06 to 05-26-06

N/A

551

MARCH

323

172

N/A

03-20-06 to

03-23-06

04-03-06 & 04-04-06

615

FEBRUARY

266

N/A

356

JANUARY

NEW-STUDENT WORKSHOPS MONTH FOR SPRING 2006 ENTRANTS

See separate report

TOTAL CONTINUING STUDENTS SEEN SPRING 2006

2035

TOTAL CONTINUING STUDENTS FOR ACDADEMIC 2005 - 2006à

5003

SPRING SEMESTER 2006

NOTE: For the months of February through May there are several days in which the College was closed or there were “no classes” were schedule. With that in mind the numbers of continuing students seen during these said months are affected. The following is a list of those days:

Ø 02-13-06à Lincoln’s Birthday

Ø 02-20-06à Presidents’ Day

Ø 04-12-06 to 04-23-06à Spring Recess

Ø 05-05-09 à CUNY Conference

Ø 05-09-06à Transfer Workshop

Ø 05-12-06 à Transfer Workshop

• Academic 2005 – 2006 Undeclared Majors Intervention. Number of advising letters sent to students who did not declare their majors:

Students who completed more than 60 credits 747

Students who completed 45- 59 credits 573

Total 1315

• Sophomore Initiative Program including the Sophomore Milestones workshops; The Sophomore Initiative focuses on the sophomore student population in transitioning from freshmen activities to the completion of general educational requirements/LASARs. It is a goal that by the end of the sophomore year, students declare majors that match their interests. “The Sophomore Road Map” (see attached) was established as a visual guide to assist student on a successful path to academic consideration and success and the "Sophomore Milestones Workshops” were designed to introduce these goals and concepts to second-years students. (Students who attend these workshops receive an updated degree requirement sheet, which informs them of what requirements they have/still need.) The Office of Career Development & Internships participates in the Milestones Workshops and students earn a CLIQ point for attendance.

Fall 2005 Sophomore Milestones Workshops during Sophomore Advising Week: November 7 – 11, 2005

Workshop Dates	Attendance
November 7, 2005	24
November 9, 2005	22
November 11, 2005	20
Total	66

Spring 2006 Sophomore Milestones Workshops during Sophomore Advising Week: March 20 - 24

Workshop Dates	Attendance
March 20, 2006	18
March 21, 2006	19
March 22, 2005	23
March 23, 2006	15
Total	75

• Centralized information services: Provision of campus-wide information through Center (handouts, pamphlets, leaflets) and important internally authored and generated publications for use by students, faculty, and staff (QC Majors Book, Writing Intensive Course list; How to Choose a Major; A Guide to Academic Policies and Procedures; Freshman Handbook, etc.)

• Academic Progress Checks: outreach to juniors and seniors through a degree audit of their records by Center’s advisors. Nearly 3400 students with 75 or more completed credits received a personalized inventory of their academic records informing them of the status and completeness of their General Education Requirements, which include the Primary College Competencies, LASARs, writing intensive units, and the CUNY Proficiency exam, as well as any stops/ holds/issues on their records.

Academic Progress Checks for Academic 2005 – 2006 (completed by December 31, 2005)


Registration Group 6: equal to or greater than 75 credits and less than or equal to 89 credits	1,032
Registration Groups 7 and 8, equal to or greater than 90 credits.	2,286
Total number of academic progress checks	3318

• Long range academic planning to honor the CUNY mandate of CUNY to CUNY graduation within 60 credits by designing an advising sheet to plan out a student’s time at QC, taking into account prerequisites, sequential majors, college requirements remaining, etc.

• Second-semester Freshman Registration and Academic Planning Workshops; for first-semester freshmen who need assistance in choosing courses for their second semester at the College and long-term academic planning. These workshops are given two weeks prior to their registration day during "free hour." At this time, students are given a worksheet indicating which requirements are met and indicating those that are not yet satisfied. If an interest in a major is expressed at the time of sign-up, a major sheet is given with course suggestions to begin the major; students earn a CLIQ point for attendance.

Fall 2005 Freshman Workshops for Second-Semester Planning

Date of Workshop Number Attended

November 14, 2005

November 15, 2005

November 16, 2005

November 17, 2005

November 18, 2005

November 21, 2005

November 22, 2005

November 23, 2005

Total

240

Spring 2006 Workshops for Second-Semester Planning

Date of Workshop Number Attended

April 24, 2005

April 25, 2005

April 26, 2005

Total

Business and Liberal Arts Program (BALA)

Ms. Barbara Sandler, Director

BALA is a rigorous interdisciplinary minor that connects liberal arts students to the world of business. BALA combines study of arts and sciences with exposure to basic business principles. The BALA curriculum reaffirms the importance of the liberal arts, while offering a series of courses designed to bridge study in the traditional liberal arts with a business career. BALA helps to develop the creative thinking skills needed to succeed in any business environment.

Currently there are 627 students enrolled in BALA: 379 females and 248 males. We have 1021 alumni who have completed the BALA program.

We monitor each student’s transcript every semester. We input all BALA coursework completed each semester into our own database. BALA grades, BALA GPA and overall QC GPA are also put into the database. Any student who falls below the honors criteria is called in for a conference with me. We discuss what problems they might be having and how we can work together to help them stay in the program.

The major problem we have in maintaining this process is losing our budget. We need a part time computer expert to maintain and upgrade our database.

Financial Aid

Ms. Rena Kiawu Smith, Director

Many Queens College students need some sort of financial aid to help pay the costs of attending college or graduate school. Financial Aid at Queens College includes grants, work and loans from NY State and the Federal government, and can help pay expenses beyond tuition and fees. Its mission is to provide accurate and current information regarding the financial aid process and programs, and to assist students in obtaining appropriate aid for which they are eligible in an efficient and student-friendly manner. Students receiving TAP are particularly affected as registration is closely monitored for financial eligibility, as non-attendance, dropping classes, and changing one’s program can alter financial aid eligibility for the current semester as well as for future semesters. In some cases students may have to repay money already received.

Freshman Year Initiative

Dr. Martin Braun, Director

The Freshman Year Initiative is a program of learning communities designed to enhance the freshmen experience. Each community is made up of approximately 40 students, four professors and a handful of mentors and teaching assistants. Students in the community take a series of three courses together during their first semester. By attending three classes as a group with the same people students begin to share experiences both in and out of the classroom. FYI professors also provide learning experiences in and out of the classroom that span the curriculum of these three courses. Some communities are targeted toward particular areas of study thereby connecting students early on in their college careers with major(s) and faculty. FYI provides special “reacting” classes to students in the second semester.

The Freshman Year Initiative is a program open to all incoming freshmen at Queens College who are eligible to take English 110, freshman composition. The program places students into communities that consist of several courses, the usual structure being that of English 110 plus two courses that meet general education requirements. The instructors in these courses are expected to cooperate in the scheduling of exams and major assignments. In many cases, the instructors also develop activities and events outside of the classroom that bridge the materials covered in each class. FYI seeks to recruit faculty who presently teach courses with high numbers of freshmen, and who are willing to address the challenges of teaching students in their first semester of college. When FYI has been at its strongest, it has complemented its faculty recruiting efforts with faculty development efforts that emphasized students’ transition from high school to college.

The Freshman Year Initiative has a proven track record of improving student retention and graduate rates at Queens College. This was documented by studying freshmen that entered the college in 1996 and 1997. In these studies, FYI students who did not bring to the college more than 12 credits of college course credit were compared to similar freshmen who were enrolled in English 110, the freshman composition course, but participating in FYI. Tables 1 and 2 show the results:

Table 1: Fall 1996 FYI versus non-FYI after Spring 2001 semester (10 semesters)

Grad

denied

pending

enrolled

Part-time

Part-time grad

Returning

enrolled

Returning grad

trans

mil

Drop-out

retention

Non-FYI

190

40.5

1.1

12.1

1.1

2.1

1.1

14.7

57.4

FYI

320

45.3

1.6

10.6

2.8

22.5

14.4

62.7

N=the number of students

All other numbers are percentages

Denied=filed for graduation but was denied

Pending=filed for graduation and still under review

Table 2: Fall 1997 FYI versus non-FYI after Spring 2001 semester (8 semesters)

Grad

denied

enrolled

Part-time

Military

Returning

enrolled

trans

Drop-out

retention

Non-FYI

127

17%

38%

24%

16%

61%

FYI

389

21%

41%

0%*

17%

15%

68%

*2 individuals joined the military

The outcomes represented in the above tables have become consistent. Table 3 also indicates that in many respects 1996 was an important year in the development of FYI. It was during this year that FYI received its own office with a stable office staff. As will be discussed later, the FYI office plays an important role in the success of the program.

Table 3: 5 Year FYI Outcomes:

Year first enrolled	n	Dropped out	Trans-ferred	Military/ fire/ airlines/ police	Still Enrolled	graduated	Retention (enrolled + graduated)	Average GPA	Average sems to grad
1992	31	32%	23%	7%	2%	36%	38%	2.48	8.5*
1993	121	24%	12%	2%	16%	46%	62%	2.64	9
1994	327	26%	21%	>1%	14%	39%	53%	2.45	8.5
1995	332	19%	26%		13%	42%	55%	2.49	9
1996	319	14%	24%	0%	14%	48%	62%	2.65	8.5
1997	437	15%	22%	1%	16%	46%	62%	2.66	8.5
1998	445	13%	20%	1%	20%	46%	66%	2.70	8.5

FYI has also grown substantially over its history. Table 4 charts this growth.

Table 4: Enrollments in FYI

Year	Total enrollment
Fall 1992	31
Spring 1993	50
Fall 1993	121
Fall 1994	327
Fall 1995	337
Fall 1996	335
Fall 1997	410
Fall 1998	458
Fall 1999	393
Fall 2000	341
Fall 2001	671
Fall 2002	588
Fall 2003	587
Fall 2004	592
Fall 2005	710

As Table 3 indicates, during the growth phase through Fall 1998, the performance of the program was sustained along with the growth. Since the evaluation of FYI’s performance is done in terms of 5-year retention rates, there is presently no evaluation in terms of retention of the expansion that took place in Fall 2001, much less the expansion in Fall 2005.

During the past several years, FYI has developed two new programs: reacting pedagogy and the student mentor program.

The reacting pedagogy teaches historical controversies through students adopting roles. While the historical parameters of events are an important part of each scenario, the outcome is not determined. At the end of the unit, there are “winners” and “losers” and this leads to discussion of how the re-enactment replicated or deviated from the actual course of historical events. FYI has secured funding for this initiative, and has provided support and training for instructors who wish to use this pedagogy.

The student mentoring program was largely a student initiative that grew out of a cohort of students who informally helped around the FYI office. Funding was found to support these students to provide support to communities, act as liaisons between faculty, students, and staff, and to serve as guides for freshmen. Currently, every English 110 in FYI has a student mentor, and these mentors announce college events, assist Academic Advising in summer registration, work in the FYI office, and help direct new students to the college services that they need.

The successes of FYI since 1996 can be summarized as follows:

1. increase in retention

2. support for the reacting pedagogy

3. steady growth

4. development the student mentor program

These successes are due to several important efforts made by the administration to support FYI.

1. Providing FYI with an office suite large enough to run the program and mentor students

2. Providing FYI with computers

3. Hiring a full-time secretary for FYI

4. Continued funding.

FYI has faced several significant challenges, however. First, in 1999 a new course scheduling matrix was introduced without consulting FYI. This matrix made it difficult for FYI to coordinate communities, and for faculty within FYI communities to meet with one another. This schedule had the consequence of ending the frequent FYI faculty lunches that were crucial to the programs efforts at faculty development and the recruitment of new faculty to the program. Unfortunately, even with the change in the scheduling matrix, efforts at recruiting and developing faculty have not matched pre-1999 levels. Consequently, there are proportionately fewer full-time faculty participating in FYI, and this is compounded by pressure from the administration to expand the number of students served by FYI without a commensurate effort at recruiting and retaining faculty in the program.

This problem has been getting worse, and is noted by the student mentors. In crucial ways, the sense of community that now exists in FYI derives from the efforts of these mentors who have taken up this challenge as communalism among the faculty has dwindled. If the faculty development efforts of FYI can be rekindled in concert with the student mentors, then FYI will continue to be an exciting and dynamic program.

In the Fall 2005 semester, FYI was asked to expand beyond what its structure could manage. This involved the creation of “non-traditional” FYI communities known as “dyads.” These dyads were matched non-English 110 courses, and their students chose English 110 from a menu of options. The evaluation of these dyads by the student mentors and FYI staff is that they were not nearly as successful as traditional FYI communities. The student mentor supervisors reported that these “menu” English 110s sometimes had instructors who were hostile to the student mentors, and unaware that their section was associated with FYI. FYI is still struggling to figure out how to manage these dyads.

Expansion also created problems for the mentoring system. More sections meant the need for more mentors, which meant the need for more mentor supervisors, and the more supervisors there were, the more difficulty they had in scheduling meetings to coordinate their efforts. The mentor supervisors agree that if they can work as college assistants in the FYI office, it greatly increases their ability to work together as a team to manage the program. In the Fall 2005 semester, the supervisors that worked in the FYI office were able to coordinate with themselves much better than with the supervisors that worked elsewhere on campus.

It should be noted that the dyad idea was tried once before, in 1996. It was viewed as a failure then because it did not create a sense of community. The lesson that can be taken from the two attempts at dyads is that the zeal of administrators to expand a successful program must be accompanied by a commitment to provide the resources and support to sustain the expansion. FYI is successful because of committed faculty and student mentors, and expansion must be founded upon expanded numbers of participating faculty and mentors, not simply on a push for a paper expansion.

Finally, an on-going Achilles heel for FYI is the instability in the English 110 teaching staff. English 110 is staffed largely with adjuncts. Every summer, after the FYI communities are set, there is a large amount of turnover among these adjunct ranks, often with some adjuncts being hired at the last minute to teach FYI English 110s without any knowledge of FYI. Any effort that can be made to stabilize the instructor pool that teaches English 110 will greatly enhance FYI’s ability to prepare for the fall semester.

In sum, recommendations for FYI are:

1. Revive efforts at faculty development and recruitment

2. The College administration must recognize that expansion of FYI can only successfully occur with an expansion of efforts at faculty development and of the student

mentoring program—both of these will require additional resources.

3. Mentor supervisors should be given college assistant positions in the FYI office.

4. Stabilize the English 110 teaching pool.

There are a set of other issues that remain under discussion. Some want FYI to include all freshmen, yet the student mentors made it clear that there is a sizeable proportion of entering freshmen who do not want to be part of FYI communities. Others wish to extend FYI into the spring semester, or even the sophomore year. Yet, the further students progress toward graduation, the more difficult it is to identify courses that they all need and would want to take. In both of these cases, such expansions can only be entertained once the faculty development and recruitment issues have been resolved.

Health Professions Advisory Services

Ms. Valli Cook, Director

Members of the Committee on Health Professions are faculty and administrators who are willing to provide advisory information to students interested in a career in the health professions. They can be contacted through the HPAS office. Members assist the chair in writing the college letter of evaluation, provide opportunities for students to participate in mock interviews, and are a resource for students preparing for a career in the health professions.

The health professions include medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, as well as nursing and its specialties, occupational and physical therapy, and physician assistant. To become a practitioner in any health profession, a student usually completes pre-professional studies at a four-year college or university, and then applies for admission to an accredited professional school.

Honors College

Dr. Patricia O’Connor, Director

Each year, the CUNY Honors College accepts a select group of outstanding freshmen - called University Scholars - to participate in a special and challenging program. University Scholars study with the best of the College's outstanding faculty, participate in interdisciplinary seminars that combine cultural experiences with academic study and make use of the vast resources of New York City. Students admitted to the program receive free tuition for four years, an academic expense account to assist them in studying abroad or other intellectually enriching activities, a textbook allowance, and a free laptop computer. Students also receive special academic advising, early registration priority, a Cultural Passport offering free or reduced admission to museums, theater, dance and other performances, and numerous additional educational benefits

Honors College accepts approximately forty students a year. Thus, if all of them required four years to graduate (they do not: a significant number graduate in less than four years) and all were retained (they are not, but I can't tell you what the attrition rate is from the program because the previous Director kept no data on this; generating these data is part of my work this summer) we would have about 160 students at any one time to be "served." As it is we have about 145.

All see a professional for academic advisement at least twice a year (prior to registration).

The required GPA at end of freshman year is 3.3; at end of sophomore and thereafter, 3.5. Students who do not meet these standards are placed on probation. While on probation they see an academic advisor three times during the semester. We also ask their professors for a progress report once a semester. If the student has not reached the mandated standard after a semester on probation, s/he is dismissed from the CHC. S/he is not dismissed from QC, of course, and some students continue to graduation in the general College population.

I currently have no info on whether males are disproportionately dismissed from the CHC at QC

Honors and Scholarships (Office of)

Dr. Ross Wheeler, Director

Honors programs are distinctive in their emphasis on interdisciplinary study, which encourages students to forge connections among the ideas introduced from different disciplines. This process of forging connections helps students to develop an independence of thought and a broadness of perspective in their education and on the world. The Office of Honors and Scholarships serves to support the Queens College Scholars and provides advisement for students in the College’s honors programs, including the Freshman Honors Program and the Queens College Divisional Honors Programs (includes: Honors in the Humanities, Honors in the Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and Honors in the Social Sciences. The Office maintains a website with an extensive list of scholarships and assists students in identifying and applying for awards that are appropriate to their academic and career goals. The Office mentors students for prestigious awards and scholarships by reviewing their essays and holding mock interviews to help them hone their interview skills. Queens College students have been highly successful in winning national scholarship competitions. Among the many prestigious awards Queens’s students have won are the Marshall, the Fulbright, the Truman, the Jack Kent Cooke, the Boren, and the Goldwater Scholarships.

Freshman Honors (Dr. Ross Wheeler, Director) sets the foundation for a student's education by providing a specially- designed liberal arts curriculum of interrelated classes that emphasize critical thinking, writing and presentation. The program incorporates experiences, such as visits to cultural events and institutions, and interactive student-centered pedagogies, which help students to integrate the work they complete in their honors classes. Students from all majors participate in Freshman Honors; the program therefore creates an interactive community where students share ideas across disciplines. On completing Freshman Honors, students may enter one of the divisional honors programs offered by the college.

Honors in the Humanities (Dr. Richard McCoy, Director) is open to students in all majors on campus, emphasizes the use of careful reading, critical writing and discussion to study the origins of contemporary artistic and intellectual culture. In small classes that are interdisciplinary in orientation, students focus on classic works of literature, philosophy, and art in the context in which the works emerged. Honors in the Humanities places great emphasis on the exchange of ideas between students and faculty, and encourages students to examine the implication of the ideas they explore in their classes on the contemporary world around them. Students in this program enjoy access to an extensive honors library, and receive special advisement and early registration priority.

Honors in the Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Dr. Wilma Saffran, Director) provides students with strong interests in math and science opportunities to develop close mentoring relationships with research faculty. Students in the program gain early access to research options and are encouraged through faculty guidance to pursue a research project to its successful conclusion. The program also provides a forum for interaction among students pursuing degrees in the natural and physical sciences and helps foster interaction among students with similar abilities and interests. Students who participate in Honors in Math and Natural Sciences frequently continue on to medical school or pursue other advanced degrees in the sciences.

"The objectives of Science Honors are to enhance the undergraduate education of students who are interested in a career in the mathematical and natural sciences by helping them choose a major, obtain early access to research opportunities, pursue a research project to a successful conclusion, and become participating members of the community of scholars at Queens College."

40-60 per semester registered in HMNS courses.

As an honors program, retention is not really a problem. Of the 260 students who have participated over the past 6-8 years, 146 have already graduated or will do so this year. Of the remaining 114 students, most are still registered at the college, 5 were second degree students, 1 died, and 10 left without graduating (2 went to medical or veterinary schools abroad).

For the current semester: 56% female, 44% male registered in HMNS courses For current year's graduates: 71% female, 29% male completing the program 56% female, 44% male graduating overall.

Honors in the Social Sciences (Dr. Robin Rogers-Dillon, Director) introduces students to the traditions and methods of social science investigation. Students are able to design a course of study around a topic of special interest to them, and then to pursue the study of this topic through a series of theme-related courses taken from across the fields of the social sciences. The courses emphasize the critical analysis of social science research, and prepare students to design and conduct their own advanced research projects. Students in the program receive advisement and mentoring from teaching faculty members and from the program's director.

Labor Education Advancement Project (LEAP)

Dr. Gregory Mantsios, Director

Since 1984, the LEAP program has offered matriculated students over the age of 25 the opportunity to enroll in a special sequence of courses that meet the College's general education requirements. These courses link liberal arts study to the life experiences of students, covering such topics as: Work, Class, and Culture; African American Literature; Latin American Literature; and Writing and the Literature of Work. The LEAP program establishes a strong learning community based on pro-active counseling, a unique curricular structure, and course content which draws on the life and work experience of students. The program provides access to a rigorous academic environment, while recognizing the special interests, needs and contributions of working students.

The following "Mission Statement" is adapted from a Worker Education Program document prepared in 2001: The mission of the Worker Education Program is to provide educational opportunities for working adult students and union members. This includes: a) offering students a liberal arts education so that they may advance their careers and enhance their lives, and b) providing students with opportunities to develop their leadership skills so that they may play a more active role in their communities and unions. As a field, Worker Education is committed to democratizing higher education and making it more readily available to working adults. Worker Education recognizes the importance of higher education credentials for upward mobility and seeks to meet the educational needs of workers seeking to adapt to technological, social, and economic change.

Queens College Worker Education focuses on the liberal arts and especially the social sciences, emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills, integrates labor studies into its curriculum, encourages civic participation, and relies on a close collaboration with labor unions. The program's commitment to access to higher education is coupled with an equally deep commitment to providing students with the level of academic support they will need to succeed in an academically demanding environment. This requires special attention to pedagogy, exemplary teaching, pro-active counseling, and an extensive tutoring program for those who need it.

The Worker Education Program serves approximately 600 undergraduate and graduate students per semester at two locations. About 200 take classes at the program's mid-Manhattan site; about 400 are in the LEAP program at the Flushing campus.

Our student population of working adults includes a large number of returning students who may have been away from school for a considerable period of time. To help such students remain in the program and continue on to graduation, we provide substantial one-on-one counseling as well as a range of skills development programs. At the Manhattan site, this level of academic support is provided by two full-time counselors and a skills specialist, who teaches reading, writing and math skills as well as test-preparation classes. At LEAP, we operate on a caseload model, in which each academic staff person is assigned a number of students to follow throughout their academic careers. At both sites, we maintain individual student files, each with an academic-progress checklist. These files are checked at regular intervals during the term in order to spot cases of academic jeopardy and intervene quickly. we also seek to maintain a strong and supportive community of teachers and learners, especially at the Manhattan site where all classes are held in a single location. This allows us to offer a range of skills seminars, study groups and cultural programs, including films and lectures on current topics of interest.

Adult learners, such as our students, undertake education under very difficult circumstances. Most have full-time jobs and demanding schedules, including childcare, elder care and other personal obligations. These circumstances coupled with financial burdens cause some students to "stop-out" one or more times before finally graduating. A few, of course, are so overwhelmed by these problems; they are forced to drop out altogether. Older students also often start out with academic handicaps. They may have lost study skills acquired earlier in life; or they may have had inadequate secondary education. In cases like these, the CUNY assessment test has proved to be a very serious obstacle. We offer free test preparation classes, but even with this support, some students become discouraged and decide to abandon their educational goals.

Additional resources in the following areas would greatly enhance our ability to promote academic retention and academic success: additional full-time counseling services; greater access to skills immersion courses and test-preparation classes; more computers and computer lab space; resources to expand our on-site library; more access to career-counseling services; more financial aid for students and more flexible payment plans

The overwhelming majority of Worker Education students are women.

As of Spring 2006:

Campus Undergrads: 31 full-time, 232 part-time

Extension Center Undergrads: 11 full-time, 53 part-time

Campus Graduates: 1 full-time, 64 part-time

Extension Center Grads: 1 full-time, 164 part-time

Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK)

Mr. Frank Franklin, Director

The SEEK Program provides a unique opportunity for academically motivated students who need substantial financial assistance in order to attend college.

Mission Statement/Services Offered – The Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program was designed in 1966 to provide a unique educational opportunity for academically motivated students who needed substantial financial assistance in order to attend college. Today, the Program continues to serve young adults who eagerly seek a higher education.

SEEK is a gateway to Queens College for those who would not otherwise qualify for admission as full-time matriculated students. The Program helps students achieve academic success by developing, reinforcing, and enriching skills through a credit-bearing curriculum. In addition, a number of support features are available to students throughout their tenure; individualized academic, personal, and career counseling; tutorial assistance and; financial support.

Students entering the SEEK Program will benefit from the expertise of faculty and staff who for more than three decades have worked with culturally diverse student populations to address their many complex needs.

The curriculum is designed to strengthen academic skills while challenging students to realize and develop their full learning potential in a structured and supportive atmosphere. Supplemental instruction in various departments is provided to ensure successful completion of college-wide course offerings.

SEEK provides an excellent educational opportunity for students who wish to achieve academic success…a bachelor’s degree from Queens College and preparation for the challenges of the 21^st century.

Number of Students Served – The SEEK Program serves over 800 students at Queens College. The academic, financial and tutorial support services are provided throughout their enrollment at Queens College. The counselors see students for all activities regarding their academic and personal life at the College. They also see students who are trying to re-enter the College.

Efforts/Strategies Employed Towards Progress and Retention – See Report on Academic, Academic Services and Student Affairs (pg. 8).

Obstacles Encountered in Student Progress and Retention – One major problem is the student to counselor ratio is very high. For the population served, we would like to make a more concerted effort to have more contact with students and provide more services for juniors and seniors. In terms of tutoring, we need more space for group and individual tutoring and more funding. The goal of the additional funding will be to provide academically under-prepared students with increased workshop hours. Additionally, limited financial assistance requires many SEEK students to seek part-time employment to meet their educational and personal financial needs.

Resources Needed to Promote Student Progress and Retention – The Program is requesting more funds to increase supplemental instruction and tutoring.