At a glance
“The training, the programs, and our faculty and staff are making a difference. We are seeing amazing increases in our retention rate of first-time, full-time students. We are thankful for this grant and the opportunities it has provided us to better serve our student population.”
Francine Staba - Interim Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Development
Alfred State College (ASC) academic faculty and staff gathered recently to highlight the programs developed through a Title III grant and learn about the retention success garnered through these initiatives.
Alfred State was awarded a five-year $2.25 million grant from the US Department of Education in 2019. The Title III Strengthening Institutions Program is designed to help colleges and universities expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.
Through this grant, Alfred State has focused on improvement to academic advising, retention efforts of first-time, full-time students, and the onboarding of new students to college. Initiatives and programs developed through the grant include the addition of two academic advisors, expansion of the peer mentoring program, development of the ASOP Jumpstart program, the start of a Rebound program for conditionally dismissed students, and faculty/staff professional development.
Interim Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Development Francine Staba is pleased with the innovative programs and is encouraged with the results seen thus far. “The training, the programs, and our faculty and staff are making a difference. We are seeing amazing increases in our retention rate of first-time, full-time students. We are thankful for this grant and the opportunities it has provided us to better serve our student population.”
Coordinator of Tutoring and Academic Success Coach Casey Cowburn highlighted the ASOP Jumpstart program which saw an over four percent increase in retention from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022. He also presented on the benefits of the Rebound program, the peer mentoring program that was expanded into the dorms, and the use of the Starfish program by faculty and staff to assist students with referrals to academic services.
Coordinator of Academic Advising Matthew Hollis spoke on the expanded work done by the academic advising office while Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Dan Jardine shared with faculty and staff data that illustrated the gains the college has seen due to the initiatives started through the Title III grant.
Jardine highlighted one of the statistics that shows the success of programs thus far. “Fall to fall retention of at-risk students improved by nine percent last year and is on target to reach 70% this year, or a fifteen-point improvement in just two years.”
This presentation was part of Alfred State’s Professional Development Week. Prior to the start of every semester, faculty and staff spend time through presentations, meetings, and seminars honing their skills and working on ways to continually promote student success.