How do you feel those interested in creating a climate of student support deal with management that doesn't "get it"?
How do those interested in creating a climate of student support deal with school management that doesn't "get it"?
All too often, management in schools (I've been in proprietary education since 1983) deal with the numbers for THIS class start...and not for the long-term.
All too often they don't see that good student service is the right thing...and the effective thing...but is also good business.
Specifically, how do we introduce these ideas into becoming a real part of a company's culture?
A case in point...when I worked at Computer Learning Center, we made a point of amking clera that Student Services could go anywhere and talk to anyone...and had the backing of the Director to do so.
Other schools I've worked in would never allow this, given the atmosphere within their schools. A Student Services staffperson would never be allowed to go to a class and question a teacher that was scaring off students through a lack of appropriate attitude. Similarly, they would not be allowed to go to Admission and question what a student was being promised.
How do we make those in management understand that the bottom line that is such a concern for all managers...can be positively impacted by a Student Service staffer (and I do think that one person needs to be empowered to be in charge and direct a climate of student support) who is empowered to do the sorts of things I'm mentioning above?
At CLC, we cut our drops by 50% (using real numbers of drops) by simply addressing student concerns and insuring that students has the real perception that their concerns were being addressed.
Great questions, Robert, and ones that I share. As a former school owner who “got itâ€, I realized that it didn't make any sense to spend thousands of dollars to get a “customer†and then not do anything to keep him/her.
One analogy that you might use to make this point is customer loyalty campaigns in other sectors. Banks, airlines, retailers and countless other business sectors work hard to retain customers and build brand loyalty. Truly effective campaigns focus on improving customer satisfaction. They have learned that giving away “stuff†or feeding people [like most of our sector's student appreciation days] may drive traffic but this strategy doesn't have a significant long term effect on sales.
I encounter the same issues you cite when I present my retention improvement system to school administration. I frequently hear that “it's not in the budget'. My response is that the increase in tuition revenue isn't in the budget either. When I show them the return on investing in retention they frequently will reconsider. However, if the administration is not truly committed to improving student success these new initiatives are doomed.
In order to “get it†school officials must be able to see beyond the next start. They have to be able to understand the value of the full revenue stream and be prepared to invest front end dollars for a very short period [typically about 3 months] to realize a return. If they can't see that far or see students as disposable commodities, I suggest you look for another employer.
Agreed.
I think that schools need to be required by ACCSCT and ACICS to have student advisors as part of their accreditation standards.
Unfortunately, all too many schools often can't see beyond the next start...and see numbers as their only way of measuring success, whther those numbers are enrollments or placements. The people that make up those numbers aren't in their
Investment in the long-term seems like a foreign language to many companies within for-profit education.
Our company has lengthened program length to include "soft courses"...and increased various in-house standards, including increased attendance percentage as a condition of graduation; as well as refining expectations of in-house conduct to demand the student acts as a professional within her/his field.
So it's not as if they don't get certain aspects of the formula...but they don't seem to understand others. Giving instructors the long-term training to give them the tools to help in the retention process is one of those items.
I'm sure they aren't, however, alone.
For a business to grow OBJECTIVES are very important to establish. How we can reach that objective is a very tricky question that involves many criterias to be considered. It's not just Faculty that matters, but also the Finance dept., Admissions, counseling, job placement, Student RETENTION, and etc. We must consider growth from every aspect inorder to advance our educational institutions. There is no business which wants to go bankrupt, we all want success in our paths. Sometimes peoples (business man's)priorities regarding the achievements of success are a little derranged due to the fact that the individuals hired for a certain position are not adequate. If only each person would do what the were hired to do adequately then we'd be on track towards achieving success.
On balance, the for-profit sector is ahead of the traditional sector in investing in the long term, Robert. I work with schools across the higher ed community and although the problems may be framed differently the results are similar. Student support services are an evolving part of the campus landscape and many institutions are struggling to know how to define them, who delivers them and who is responsible for the outcome.
Accreditation standards and federal regulation may indeed be a driving force in the future, but you can only mandate the letter of the law. You can't mandate the spirit.
Schools are like any other endeavor, Katy. Having the right people in the right jobs is critical to success. Providing training allows people to continue to develop.
You're right, Robert. While we may understand that we need to put practices in place that deal with retention matters, the management is not always on board with signing off on training, such as courses like these or other avenues.
Courses like these in additon to more training for faculty, administrators and staff members can truly help the bottom line. The bottom line is often the driving force behind any collegiate or corporate changes. Colleges may receive state apportionment for retaining students and this is what I use as my main argument for more training for faculty and staff.
Instructors should also feel empowered to help their own students even if management is relatively unsupportive. This does not require much institution backing. I am finding that having a discussion in class or individually, if preferred, can help students overcome some barriers to academic success. I make myself open and available to address student issues which do not often have anything to do with the actual course. However, I am at an advantage because I have training in stress and conflict management. If your students know you care then you are more likely to retain them - it can be that simple (sometimes).
I agree with you, Cheryl. It can be so simple that people who control budgets but don't connect with students don't understand the importance of training and support. Does you institution have training programs? If so, what is covered? Who presents?
We have things like convocation where a myriad of issues are addressed. We also have a grant-funded mentoring program in which advisors assist students with personal and academic issues as a class or individually, as mentioned in Forum 2.
At this point, I am unaware of training programs and I chose to pursue my own training. I did "sell" paying for these courses by offering to give seminars at convocation and emphasizing, "more retention means more dollars."
Faculty members have the most contact with students which requires training. Speaking as an adjunct faculty member, we are paid less than full-time faculty and training takes time and money. The institution might not want to pay for the training and the adjunct faculty might simply not want to invest still more of their own time in addition to grading papers and creating courses. It's rather dismal, but unfortunately, it's reality.
Unfortunately, the reality you describe is not that unusual, Cheryl. I applaud your efforts to make a difference at your school. Eventually, you will see improvement. Keep up the good work and thank you.
