Proposal to Improve Retention and Graduation of USF Latino Students

Submitted by the USF Latinos Association and ENLACE

Plus

September 2006

PurposeThis proposal was developed as a result of the meeting between the USF Latinos Association and President Judy Genshaft which took place on July 31, 2006. The Association was asked by President Genshaft to develop a plan for a mentoring program for Latino students in order to increase Latino student retention and graduation at USF. President Genshaft’s remarked that USF should look ahead and consider what actions it must take to increase the graduation of Latinos. The USF Latinos Association, in collaboration with the Office of ENLACE Plus is pleased to submit this proposal to President Genshaft for consideration and feedback.

The proposal weaves a path for Latino success, in several ways expanding and strengthening the existing pipeline created at USF by several initiatives including the partnership with the Kellogg Foundation through the ENLACE program and the Latino Scholarship Program among others.

The proposal adds two critical programs; Compañeros and ExiTo that would provide additional opportunities to underserved Freshmen and Transfer Latino students at USF. The proposal also reviewed the conclusions and recommendations included in the ENLACE final evaluation report 2005.

Why This Proposal Now?There has been considerable discussion on the increase demographics of Latinos nationally and in the State of Florida, and particularly their effects on education. Chancellor Mark Rosenberg remarked that the fact that Hispanic students account for 16% of the university system’s enrollment and it is a positive trend (Gainesville Sun August 10, 2006). Rosenberg said he will next examine retention and graduation rates of Hispanic students, hoping to encourage universities to adopt strategies that will help Hispanics students complete their degrees: “We are going to follow up and take a much closer look at retention rates.”

Also this year the State Office of K-20 Equity and Access expanded the funding for improving the access to higher education by Latinos and also graduate opportunities through the Florida Education Fund. These events clearly indicate that the continuing growth of Latinos in the State of Florida and nationally is being felt and more opportunities must be pursued to accommodate for the rise and success of Latinos in K-20.

Why This Proposal Now?A critical purpose of the two proposed programs are

to increase the graduation rates, and decrease the number of years it takes to complete the undergraduate

degree, while increasing the quality of the academic performance and preparation

for success.

A variety of data about Latinos USF is presented in Table 1 through 6. Table 1 is a snapshot of Latinos at USF, number of degrees awarded and the composition of the 2005-2006 class which includes freshmen (FTIC) and transfer students.

Table 2 shows a comparison of degrees awarded to Latinos at USF versus other Florida SUS shows that USF has lost ground in the rankings awarded to Latinos according to the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

Tables 3 through 6 depict the graduation rate at year 6 which is another reason to invest in these programs to increase the graduation rates while decreasing the time to graduation.These tables show the opportunity USF has to contribute to those areas where improvements can be made to overall Latino graduation rates, degrees awarded and decrease time to graduation. The two pilot programs proposed here would facilitate this opportunity for success.

Latinos At USF

Table 1 A Snapshot of Latinos at USFUSF Total Hispanic Students Fall 2005 New Students-HispanicAcademic year 2004-2005Undergraduate 3,445 Freshman 484Graduate 526 Transfer 431Professional 36 Graduate 202Unclassified 212 Total 1,117Total 4,219 (11%)

Spring 2006 New Students-Hispanic USF Degrees Awarded to Latinos Freshmen 282003-2004 Transfer 272Bachelor 551 Graduate 69 Masters 159 Total 369Doctoral 10

Table 2 Rankings of 6 Selected Florida Universities in Hispanic Bachelor CompletionSource: Data reported by the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education

1

11

21

31

41

51

61

71

81

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

Academic Year

Ran

kin

g

FIU

UF

USF

UCF

FSU

FAU

  1995/1996 1996/1997 1997/1998 1998/1999 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005

All First-Time-In-College (B, E, H) 287 323 330 332 436 419 518 568 662 592

Dually Enrolled (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Community College AA Transfers 95 119 131 123 148 159 194 210 197 232

Community College Non-AA 124 97 101 85 102 93 85 99 71 122

Other Undergraduate

Transfers 104 115 120 133 128 183 205 197 183 198

Non-Degree Seeking 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total All Cohorts 611 654 682 673 814 854 1002 1074 1113 1145

  1995/1996 1996/1997 1997/1998 1998/1999 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005

Table 3 All USF New Latino Students 1995-2005

All Hispanic Tampa Campus, Departments, Colleges, Gender (source Infomart 2006)

Table 4 Graduation Rates of USF Entering

Freshmen Latinos at Year 6 (Source Infomart 2006)

 

1995/1996

1996/1997

1997/1998

1998/1999

1999/2000

2000/2001

20012002

20022003

2003/2004

20042005

Results after Year 6

Total Enrolled

58 74 56 74 82 0 0 0 0 0

Number Graduated

25 33 30 27 36 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Graduated

115 121 136 132 204 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Graduated

39.79% 37.46% 41.21% 39.52% 46.58% 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Retained

148 162 162 179 250 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Retained

51.21% 50.15% 49.09% 53.59% 57.08%

         

Table 5 Graduation Rates of USF Community College Transfer with AA at Year 6 (Source Infomart 2006)

1995/1996

1996/1997

1997/1998

1998/1999

1999/2000

2000/2001

2001/2002

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

Results after Year 6

Total Enrolled 7 9 11 10 8 0 0 0 0 0

Number Graduated

3 5 3 4 2 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Graduated

70 79 89 76 89 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Graduated

73.68%

66.39%

67.94% 61.79% 60.14% 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Retained

74 83 97 82 95 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Retained

77.89%

69.75%

74.05% 66.67% 64.19% 0 0 0 0 0

Table 6 Graduation Rates of USF Other Undergraduate Transfer at Year 6 (Source Infomart 2006)

1995/1996

1996/1997

1997/1998

1998/1999

1999/2000

2000/2001

2001/2002

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

Results after Year 6

Total Enrolled 8 10 5 7 10 0 0 0 0 0

Number Graduated

4 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Graduated

67 45 60 81 77 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Graduated

64.42% 39.13% 50.00% 60.90% 60.16% 0 0 0 0 0

Total Number Retained

71 54 64 86 84 0 0 0 0 0

Total Percent Retained

68.27% 46.96% 53.33% 64.66% 65.62% 0 0 0 0

 

ENLACE PlusThis proposal is focused on undergraduate students. The two pilot programs proposed have been designed to compliment the existing programs under ENLACE Plus which has been supported by the university. The proposed programs would also link with other programs that serve Latinos, however the administration of the program will be under ENLACE Plus under the Office of Student Success.

The next slide shows how the proposed programs fit into the model of ENLACE Plus as a model that is holistic and includes four essential themes:

• Latino Students Readiness, Access and Success

• Cultural Competence

• Community Engagement and

• Alumni Pride

The ENLACE Plus program has demonstrated that a targeted, culturally competent program is the best fit for Latinos, and has the support of our Latino Community Partners. This approach has been used by other universities because they have understood that One Model for All Students does not fit all students. This model will add to the overall success of the institution in retaining and graduating Latinos with an undergraduate degree and contribute to the goals set by the Office of Student Success in Undergraduate Studies. Students in the ExiTo program would also be a feeder for the graduate school.

ENLACE Plus

Compañeros + ExiTo

USF Latino Students Success

Other USF programs for Latino Students

Target populations

•Middle school•High School•College Freshmen•Transfer Students

Needs

•Academic guidance•Tutoring•Mentoring•Financial Aid information•Advisement•Understanding Academic culture and the university•Personal Support•Growth opportunities•Family linkages•Success with Standard tests•Monitoring progress•Cultural Understanding•Role Models

Outcomes•Increased opportunities for Latino students K-16•Raised expectations foracademic success K-16•Increased High School GPA’s, dual enrollment, test scores•Increased High School graduation •Increased Number of USF applications •Raised USF GPA •Increased USF enrollment and retention•Increased USF graduation•Stronger family involvement in students educational pursuits•Strengthened institutional capacity to serve Latino students•Increased services to students•Greater community involvement•Increased potential for Latino Advanced degrees•Increased Latino Role Models

Latino Scholars Success•Advising Latino Scholarship, CAMP and Office of Student Success•Partner with Latino Scholarship program, Center for Migrant Education, TAPS and Student Success

DAR Program•Tutor/mentor Outreach 9th--12thin 3 high schools•Middle school and Parent outreach •Partner: School District Hillsborough County

College Link•Outreach to GEAR-UP students in SDHC•Partner with USF School of Social Work

Compañeros•2 year Pilot Program Enternig Freshmen•Peer Mentoring •Partners: USF Latinos Assn. Student Government & Student Organizations

ExiTo•2 year Pilot Program Transfer students •Mentoring •Partner with ISLAC and USF Graduate School

Assessment, Tracking, Follow up and Evaluation of Outcomes

Sustainable Pipeline for Latino Student Success at the University of South Florida

ENLACE Plus

Program Benefits The programs will strengthen the success of Latino students

at USF.

The programs will increase the retention of Latino freshmen and transfer students.

The programs will increase the number of Bachelors degrees awarded to Latinos at USF.

The programs will decrease the time to graduation

The programs will serve as a model for strengthening the educational pipeline for Latinos in higher education.

The programs will improve the climate for Latino students at USF.

The programs will expand the pool of potential Latino graduates available for USF graduate school.

Program Outcomes Increased retention of program cohorts

Increased cumulative grade point average of cohorts over admission cgpa

Increased graduation rates of cohorts when compared to all Latino students

Decreased time to graduation when compared to Hispanics not in the program

Increased community engagement with USF as a result of program

Increased student satisfaction and connectedness with USF as evidenced in survey

Timely response to Chancellor’s Rosenberg directives to improve retention and graduation of Hispanics statewide

Demonstrated institutional commitment to the goals set in collaboration with the Kellogg supported ENLACE program

Increased Latino Alumni support

Increased data and participant information with potential to submission of publishable academic research and national recognition

Program EvaluationThe Compañeros and ExiTo programs will be assessed and evaluated in the same manner that ENLACE Plus evaluates its programs and includes additional outcome measures previously listed in this proposal. See next slide for a flowchart of the evaluation process.

Annual Report Level of Achievement in Outcome Measures

Annual review of programmatic success: Evaluation of program components Success of mentoring component Student success self-assessment Program review data

Latino Scholars Success

•Latino Scholarship students•Office of Student Success

CAMP Program students

Compañeros• 2006 Entering Freshman 2 year cohort

ExiTo2006 Transfer students2 year cohort

USF SuccessfulLatino Students

•Demographic Data•Personal Story

High School orCollege Forms

Institutional Data

•Performance Data CGPA Retention data Graduation data

•Tracking Data

Program Review Data

ENLACE

Assessment and Evaluation

StudentAssessment,Tracking and

Follow Up

Evaluation & Feedback

ENLACE Pilot Mentoring Program for Latino Student Success

Compañeros

Compañeros Program DescriptionThe Compañeros is conceived as a pilot mentoring program to run for two years---from September 2006 to September 2008. The cohort will consist of approximately 60-70 students from the entering 2006 freshman class. Ms. Norma Cano-Alvarez, Coordinator of ENLACE Plus, will provide coordination and oversight. The Latinos Association Executive Committee will serve as an advisory committee to the program and several university offices (Student Affairs, Admissions, EPM, TAPS, Scholarship Office, etc.) will serve as consultants.

The word "compañero” is Spanish for companion, classmate, or comrade in arms. It conveys that compañeros are engaged in an effort together or share a common goal. Thus, the compañeros program involves peer mentors who will offer support and guidance to newly enrolled freshmen through their first year at USF. Peer mentors will be seniors recruited from Latino student organizations, Student Government, and Latino Scholarship recipients. There will be no compensation for serving as a mentor; however, the mentors will have the opportunity to participate in the Student Activities Leadership Development Program (to be confirmed) and will be given a $50 gift certificate to the USF bookstore at the end of the year.

CompañerosProgram Description ContinuedRecruitment for the program could begin during Fall semester. The goal is to recruit approximately 10% of the entering freshman class.

No academic or need-based criteria will be applied for selection but students must be enrolled for a minimum of twelve hours and be graduates from high schools in USF's five-county service area. Students will self-select to participate.

Both participating students and mentors will be required to sign a Compañeros compact agreement at the beginning of the program. An electronic mentor training manual, based on the tutor-mentor training manual used by ENLACE, will be developed. One live training session will take place for mentors and thereafter, contacts will, for the most part, take place electronically between the ENLACE office and the mentors.

CompañerosProgram Description Continued

Each mentor will have five students in his/her charge. Details of the mentoring year (activities, frequency of contacts, calendar of events, etc) will be outlined in the manual and shared with the freshmen. A code of ethics will be included in the manual as well. Two meetings of all Compañeros participants will occur each semester. One will take place before the end of drop/add and the other will occur toward the end of the semester. After the first year mentorship is over, Ms. Cano will remain in contact with the participating students through their second year, starting Fall 2007, to ensure they stay on the track to success.

Compañeros Program Evaluation

Evaluation of the program will be completed by May 15, 2007 and 2008 and will consist of the following measures: Average GPA of participating students (compared to the

entire freshman 2006 cohort) Hours completed (compared to the entire freshman 2006

cohort) Major of participants, noting changes Membership in organizations (compared to cohort) Offices held by participants (compared to cohort) Student surveys completed by each participant (both years)

& mentor (2007only)

Based on the success of the program, the Latinos Association Executive Committee, with input from the consulting offices, will make recommendations to the President regarding the continuation of the program to include another cohort by the end of the first week of classes, Fall 2008.

Compañeros Program Budget IN-KIND --Staff --Program Coordination $6,000

15% of Coordinator time for example @$40K(These are not new funds but rather allocation of release 15% advising time from current line)_________________________________________________

Expenses Refreshments for training session

$50 Refreshments for two meetings per semester

@ $500 per meeting $2,000 Door prizes for end of semester meetings

$1,000bookstore certificates for mentors(based on 13 mentors) $650

Office supplies $250 Total

$3,950

ENLACE Pilot Mentoring Program for Latino Student Success

ExiTo……A Success Program for USF Latinos!What Does ExiTo mean?

ExiTo in Spanish means Success. It can also be a variation of Exit To which in English denotes that you exit to, in this case the student exits to a career or graduate program having successfully graduated from USF with an undergraduate degree.

What is the Purpose of ExiTo?

ExiTo is designed to increase the number of Latinos attaining college degrees at USF. ExiTo Strengthens the Success of Latino Transfer Students through opportunities that provide leadership, mentoring and success strategies. These opportunities maximize their college experience and prepare them for success in a global society.

Is there a need for ExiTo?

Approximately half of Latino students accepted to USF in 2005 actually enrolled. While the admissions standards have increased, the overall enrollment of Latinos has continued to increase to 11% in 2006. The graduation rate is approximately 42% which, along with African Americans the lowest of all groups at USF. Culturally competent services for Latinos are very limited and students often request more bilingual professional staff for themselves and/or family members. Finally, research studies indicate that generally transfer students often do not feel connected to the universities, but they credit assistance, advising, and mentoring among the reasons for doing well when they graduate.

ExiToExiTo addresses the needs of transfer students who are not served in other programs and it is part of the sustainable pipeline for Latino Success at USF. Fall 05 and Spring 06 are good examples of the large enrollment of new Transfer students to USF.

Exito is also a pilot mentoring program to run for two years---from September 2006 to September 2008. The cohort will consist of approximately 50-60 students from the entering transfer class.

The program is proposed to be run by a professional bilingual (English/Spanish) staff. Since there are individuals who already advise students in undergraduate studies it could be feasible to create a cohort of Latino students advised in US and assign these students to the coordinator. This can accommodate the need of the program while also not creating a new line.

The Latinos Association Executive Committee will serve as an advisory committee to the program and several university offices (Student Affairs, Admissions, EPM, TAPS, Scholarship Office, Diversity and EO ) will serve as advisory committee.

USF Retention & Graduation

Initiatives

ExiToA Success

Program forUSF Transfer

Latino Students

First GenerationStudents

Project ThrustMentoring Program

Program AdministrationThe program will be a part of ENLACE Plus Sustainable Pipeline developed for the success of Latino students at USF. The program will augment the capacity of USF to provide opportunities for success of Latino students and provide a unique and culturally sensitive model for these students that will lead to improved academic and personal outcomes.

ExiTo Program Components

ExiTo Strengthens the Success of Latino Students through Mentoring Relationship Noche de Familia-Family Night Career Success Strategies Faculty Involvement Graduate School Access Linkages within and external to USF Connect with Community Leaders Understanding the Culture of the

University

Exito Programming

Mentoring opportunities; personal mentoring and eMentoring

Academic Enhancement Latino Success Round Table series with

successful Latino faculty & professional staff Graduate School Panel:

Application Process & Financing graduate school McKnight Doctoral Fellows Program

Noche de Familia-Family Night Leadership Seminar Referrals to services throughout the university Distribute Information materials Meet Community Latino leaders Opportunity to participate in Briefings on Latino

Culture/History through ISLAC

ExiTo TimeLine 2006-2007 Academic Year One

Fall Semester 2006 September Orientation welcome; Assessment September Begin Personal Mentoring Oct/Nov Latino Success Round Table December Noche de Familia-Family Night

Spring Semester 2007 Feb/March Latino Success Round Table March Leadership Seminar March Meet & Greet Community Leaders April Wrap up for the year & Assessment_________________________________________________________ On-going Meeting with mentor, e-mailing mentor etc. On-going Referrals to services throughout the university On-going Distribute Information materials On-going Briefings on Latino Culture/History

ExiTo TimeLine 2007-2008 Academic Year Two

Fall Semester 2007 September Welcome Back Activity; Assessment September Begin eMentoring Oct/Nov Graduate School Panels December Noche de Familia-Family Night

Spring Semester 2008 Feb/March Latino Success Round Table March Career Seminar March Meet & Greet Community Leaders April Wrap up for the year & Assessment_________________________________________________________ On-going Meeting with mentor, e-mailing mentor etc. On-going Referrals to services throughout the university On-going Distribute Information materials On-going Briefings on Latino Culture/History

ExiTo Unique Features

Mentoring Personal and eMentoring Cultural Competence

Bilingual professionals Family night-Noche de Familia Opportunities for cultural/historic briefings Community Partners Students are not served in other programs

ExiTo Program Participants Selection Criteria:

Students receive invitation to join program and they self-select if they wish to participate in the program: USF Latino Students enrolled in Tampa

Campus with a minimum transfer or institutional cgpa of 3.0

Transfer students from local community colleges (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Hernando),

Transfer students from other institutions who have returned to the 5 county area

Transfer students who are new residents to the 5 county area and now pursuing degree at USF

Students are not enrolled in other service programs at USF.

ExiTo Program MentorsBecoming a mentor in the ExiTo Program is open to

anyone who is:

Willing to commit to a mentoring relationship Has competence with Latino culture Is sensitive to the needs of Latino students adheres to the guidelines of the program, and policies

of the University of South Florida Understands that mentors will not be monetarily

compensated

These persons are especially encouraged to become mentors:

Community partners USF faculty & staff USF alumni

ExiToPotential Community Partners

Hillsborough Community

College

City of Tampa

Corporate Sponsors

FDOE Office of K-20 Equity

and Access

Latin Community Advisory

Committee

Hillsborough

County

Hispanic Professional

Women Association

Tampa BayHispanic

Chamber of Commerce

ExiTo

ExiToPotential Community Partners

The function of the community partners will be to support the programs in many though opportunities for members to become mentors, provide valuable networking and opportunities to engage community members to participate in the program.

Latin Community Advisory Committee Hispanic Professional Women Association Hillsborough Community College Tampa Bay Hispanic Chamber of Commerce County of Hillsborough City of Tampa DOE Office of Equity and Access Corporate Sponsors

ExiTo-USF Linkages

College of Medicine

Diversity & Equal

Opportunity

Undergraduate StudiesOffice of Student Success

USF Student Organizations

Student Government

CareerCenter

Counseling Center

Student Affairs

Enrollment Planning

and Management

Office of Admissions

Graduate SchoolDiverse Student

Success

ExiTo

ExiTo-USF LinkagesThese internal offices will provide support through linkages that assist in information sharing, student assistance, providing role models, communicating to students and providing linkages and networking opportunities and valuable data for assessment and evaluation.

Office of Student Success, Undergraduate Studies Diverse Student Success, Graduate School Office of Admissions Enrollment Planning and Management Division of Student Affairs USF Student organizations Student Government Career Center Counseling Center Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity Diversity Office, College of Medicine

ExiTo Proposed Program Budget for 2006-2007--Year One

IN-KIND Staff-Program Coordinator 50% program coordination from existing line

17,500 (at 100% line is $35,000)

___________________________________________________________

ProgrammingConcession funds-family night refreshments 500

Operating Budget

Leadership Seminar 1,000

Webpage development and maintenance 200

Printing 400 Mailing 200 Office Supplies

200 Brochure/ other marketing 500

Total $3,000