Notes from phone conversation with Juanita Wright: January 30, 2009
Jump Start
· Originally initiated from recommendation from Provost in 1997
· Diversity Task Force found low graduate rates for African American students
· Minority students weren’t coming to orientation
· The result was a need for a retention program
· The intent was to include four groups of ethnic minority students (selfidentified from application): o African American o Hispanic o Native American o Asian
· 1998Jump Start program o Freshman invited o Includes transfer now o Looked at TRIO students 56 years ago o Opened it up to students involved with Upward Bound, lowincome, first generation o Every student is required to take Strategies for Success class (not based on academic proficiency)
· Class covers study strategies, calculating G.P.A., time management, plan of study
· Students take COMPASS test and StrengthsQuest
· Students’ academic backgrounds are evaluated via transcripts
· All minority students that have been admitted are invited to participate; some are required based on: o Academic background at discretion of admissions office o Consuela Cooper makes final decisions based on RAI, ACT
· There is no needs assessment taking place; however one is in progress.
· Social needs are identified because “the students aren’t sure what their needs are.” o The students create a community within the group. o Cluster housing and learning communities are available.
· Jump Start identifies the need for learning communities based on what faculty and students tell them.
· Students are not required to room with another Jump Start participant; however they do try to have 23 on the same floor. o “Students feel isolated without the program and wouldn’t know anyone.”
· “Needs of minority students have not changed a lot.”
· Path Finders: help assist with Jump Start students o Create sense of community o Network with people
· “Not all Jump Start students are as needy as others.” o They have different kinds of needs
Requested participant statistics
Notes from meeting with Kathy Peters: February 19, 2009
Jump Start
· Minority students and those in TRIO programs are invited to participate
· Admission exceptions are required to attend while it is optional for the others
· Approximately 60 students/year of all academic abilities
· Students are automatically assigned advisors in Academic Achievement and
Retention Services to provide generalist advising throughout 4 years
· Before students come to campus, courses are preselected and registration is done for them based on their transcripts (“sometimes” talk with students)
· Students required to take Strategies for Academic Success class – reserve a special Jump Start section to act as learning community o Paired with library orientation o How to read schedule o How to register o Can be hard to address different ability levels, refer some topics to individual advisors
3 Main Assessments:
· COMPASS academic o Students take this when they get to campus o Used to evaluate academic preparation and confirm their registration in appropriate classes
· CSI 194 questions o Measures needs, interests o Percentile rankings in 4 categories: academic motivation, ease of transition, receptivity of support services, recommendations (?) o Copies of results are given to student during oneonone meeting with advisor during 1 st three weeks of semester o Results are used to inform Strategies class, advising, referrals, and trends for the next year’s Jump Start
· StrengthsQuest o Results are used during Strategies course and academic advising
Requested electronic copies of Strategies course syllabus, summary of COMPASS and
CSI data, the 2008 Jumpstart full schedule, and a summary of program evaluations.
Notes from phone conversation with Nick Sullivan: March 13, 2009
Resources for Underprepared
· Student Support Services provides advising, tutoring, and other services to up to
200 students who have a demonstrated academic need and meet federal income guidelines ( http://www.uni.edu/unialc/sss2.pdf
). Twothirds of participants must be both low income and first generation, while onethird can be either. Students with documented learning or physical disabilities are also eligible.
· Limit is 200 – beyond that they have a sort of waiting list,
· Approximately 50% of participants are multicultural, those who participate in
Jump Start take the COMPASS to evaluate preparedness
· Publicize services through Orientation, Up Close, and those who participate in
TRIO program before coming to UNI. Admissions informs of conditional admits
· Academic Learning Center provides additional services for underprepared students
Offered to send CSI data
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