I appreciate tha information about CAN-SPAM. I often have to reach out to graduates and current students regarding a variety of topics.  I appreciated the details regarding how to ensure I am following the CAN-SPAM Act.

I appreciated the information regarding what types of information are required to be provided to enrolled students and staff regularly because I was not aware of all of them. I did not realize that alcohol abuse prevention materials need to be provided to enrolled students. I also was not aware that schools must districute an annula security report to all students and employees by October 1st. I will seek to ensure my institution is doing this yearly.

I found the information regarding financial aid very informative. I did not realize that they can not assist a student in completion of the FAFSA. I tmakes sense that it could sway a student from providing accurate information! I also appreciated the example of the visual misrepresentation with the 300 students placed this year. It really put in to perspective how mindful you need to be to avoid misrepresenting your school or exaggerating. Selecting a school for higher education is an important decision and it is so crucial to act with integrity and being truthful in the realistic representation of… >>>

This topic really reinforced the importance of accreditation and doing the right thing for a student for me. I was aware of some of the implications of misleading or withholding information from a student but this module really solidified the importance. I also was not aware that the Department of Education did not determine state education standards. I previously believed they were to driving force for the education standards per state. It is clear that compliance is not just important to meet regulatory standards but really for the benefit of the institution: honesty and integrity bring in students, positive word… >>>

I learned the importance of a multi-faceted approach.  There is no one easy solution.  It takes multiple different components to support student success with all staff and faculty on board.  I like how seemingly 'little' changes or implementations when done all together can make a substantial impact.

I learned the importance of not only having resources and support services in place but ensuring that everyone in the organization is aware of what is available and can refer a student to support.  Having a way for students to get help or even just talk about what challenges they are facing helps them feel as though the problems are more manageable and shows faculty and staff care. I also learned ways to make the student feel comfortable and trusting to open up about their issues and how to effectively use the 8 stages of intervention model.

I learned how to better identify the different stages of stress response and that while we all go through the stages, some are better equipped to cope with it.  I also learned the importance of everyone at the institution contributing to show committment to students and encouragement. Postivity, demonstrating the importance of their chosen profession and helping students keep focus on the end goal can help in keeping students from making rash decisions.

I learned that there is no one definition for retention and that even different departments throughout the institution may view retention differently.  I plan on using what I learned to focus on unnecessary attrition and better identify early on warning signs of attritrition so that we can get ahead of it. Ensuring everyone understands the importance of attritition so we are all working together to minimize it.