IMPROVING TRANSFER STUDENT SATISFACTION ~ Creating a Transfer Student Services Center ~

1. IMPROVING TRANSFER STUDENT SATISFACTION ~ Creating a Transfer Student Services Center ~ January 31, 2013 Maria Campanella, M.A., M.S. Director, Transfer Student Services Center Stephen E. Joyner, Ph.D. Vice President for Enrollment Management

2. Brooklyn College – Fast Facts • A senior college within the CUNY System • Approximately 17,000 Students – 13,000 undergraduates • Voted top 50 most diverse campuses in the United States • One of the top 50 most affordable – Princeton Review • Graduate more African-Americans than any other NY institution • Centralized admissions process; transfer admits received via • monthly allocation • Two-thirds of incoming class comprised of transfers • Approximately 1600 enrolled Fall 2012; 1330 Spring 2013 • Admissions criteria - 2.3 transfer GPA; < 24 credits must also • meet high school criteria • Mean transfer GPA = 3.1; mean transfer credits = 70 • Approximately 1800 transfers accepted during Spring 2013 • Transfer yield rate = 75%

3. Transfer Student Trends

4. Identifying Problems Within the Transfer Process • Baccalaureate colleges differ in which courses they will accept for transfer credit; College A = 32.5%, College B= 9.5% nontransferable • Transfer staff housed in the Office of the Registrar • No deadlines for completion of transfer evaluation; no clear guidance on how to follow-up on unevaluated courses • Serious delays in having transfer credits evaluated • Transfer evaluation not entered in SIS until complete • Repeated courses due to late evaluations seen as “mis-advisement error” and resolved by making transfer course elective credit • Faculty habitually “re-evaluated” courses without precedence • Transfer staff prohibited from evaluating one-to-one matching, lower- level courses for faculty • Campus culture unfriendly to transfers

5. Transfer Student Services Center - GOALS • Create a centralized and separate office under EM for new and continuing transfer students to resolve issues (decrease the “run-around”) • Provide a seamless transition to BC by collaborating with Admission, Advisement, The Registrar, Financial Aid, and the Peer Mentoring program • Service prospective transfer students regarding admission, financial aid, and transfer credit information • Streamline the credit evaluation process • Improve communication with students, administrative departments, and faculty

6. Transfer Student Services Center – The “Nuts & Bolts” • Director was hired in January 2012; actual center was created in mid June 2012 • Staff were originally members of the Office of the Registrar • Complete transfer credit evaluations for all admitted transfer students, including prior colleges, AP, IB, CLEP, college courses in high school, yeshiva/seminaries, and international credentials; complete evaluations for enrolled freshmen • Service an average of 23 students “in person” per day (range from 2 to 150 per day over a six month period) • Receive approximately 27 calls per day (range from 2 to 81 calls per day over a six month period) • Staff: One director, two professional administrators, two full- time office assistants, and three part-timers

8. Reviewed Transfer Credit Policies and Improved the Efficiency of the Process • Double monitors were added to ease the posting of credits • Procedures were clearly written out and given to the staff • Divided admitted students by alpha after each allocation so each staff member “owned” their group - created “teams” among the staff • Instituted a schedule for due dates of credit evaluations after each allocation of admitted students • Trained staff on international credit evaluations • Created a letter for international students who needed to provide an evaluation of their credits from a member of NACES

9. Reviewed Transfer Credit Policies and Improved the Efficiency of the Process – Continued • Instituted a Transfer Credit Deadline • Included the Transfer Credit Report (TCR) in the acceptance packet • Created a general cover letter for the Transfer Credit Report to address issues (See HANDOUT) • Revised the Transfer Credit Report itself that is mailed to students (See HANDOUT) • Entered partial evaluations to a student’s record to aid in the advisement process

10. Clarified Processes with the Admission Office and Information Technology Services • Added a next step to our online admission checklist called “Review Your Credit Evaluation” • Created a process by which TSSC staff enter a comment in the recruitment database, which generates the admission letter. The TCR cover letter and TCRs are sent to Admission to be included in the acceptance packet • Adjusted Direct Admission (similar to “one-stop” events): • Issue : Students making registration appointments without a credit evaluation • Solution: Names are emailed daily from Admission for those students who have been admitted through Direct Admission – They are completed in within 48 hours

11. Added / Revised Transfer Specific Events • Added a Transfer Workshop at the Fall Open House • Added speakers from the TSSC, Advisement, and the Career Center at New Student Receptions – yield events • Created information tables at New Student Receptions • Revised Transfer Evaluation Day (TED) – Created a smoother event with “check-in”, “check-out”, clear signage, and specific assignments for staff members • Invited the Office of the Registrar and the Peer Mentoring program to host information tables at Transfer Evaluation Day

12. Collaborated with Peer Mentoring and Orientation Programs • Met with TransferNation - Peer Mentoring group for transfers – to discuss transfer specific events for continuing students based on major • Presented at TransferNation events about the new TSSC and important procedures for students • Included a TransferNation information table at Transfer Evaluation Day • Conducted a workshop at Transfer Orientation about the new TSSC

13. Created Helpful Forms for Students and for the Center • Transfer Credit Information Request Form • Evaluate Your Transfer Courses – for courses listed as TBD on the Transfer Credit Report • Submitting Official Transcripts • Forfeiting AP Credit • AP Equivalencies • IB Equivalencies • Re-Evaluation Form - for students to have a transfer course • re- evaluated from the original equivalent • *All are available on our website, except for the • Re-Evaluation Form*

14. Improved Communication • Created a Transfer Services Committee: • Mission: • To ensure that students have a seamless transition to Brooklyn College from recruitment, to evaluation of transfer credits, to advisement and registration, to commencement. The committee will open lines of communication between departments to discuss transfer policies, procedures, admission events, issues of concern, and other matters. All members of the committee will be aware of each other’s role in working with transfer students and then distribute the information to the rest of their department • Members consist of staff from: The TSSC, the Office of the Registrar, Admission, Advisement, the Peer Mentoring Program, the Honors Program, and the Associate Provost’s Office. Guest speakers also attend

15. Improved Communication - Continued • Goals were created during the first TS Committee meeting • Each department presented to the rest of the Transfer Services Committee about their role on campus and their impact on transfer students • Created a Bulletin Board for students with important transfer credit information • Created a TSSC website, including Important Forms: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/administration/enroll ment/transferservices.php

16. Getting “Buy-In” – Internal & External Community • Recruited with the Admission Office at Community Colleges – Created a TSSC flyer for prospective students and BC students • Conducted information sessions at Community Colleges with the Admission Office • Presented at the President’s Council which included faculty from various departments on campus, including the VP’s and Provost • Collaborated with the Peer Mentoring Program (TransferNation) and conducted workshops for new and continuing transfer students • Hosted a Transfer Student Services Center Open House for BC faculty, staff, and students (with snacks and refreshments). Five faculty members and seventy-four students attended.

17. Future Goals • Meet with prospective students to complete an unofficial preliminary credit evaluation on a daily basis • Host a Transfer Open House for prospective students, including a credit evaluation and advisement component. This would include presentations from Admission, Advisement, Financial Aid, and the TSSC. Faculty members from our top majors would be available to answer questions and a campus tour would be available • Organize Faculty / Staff workshops to review policies and procedures of the TSSC and to stress the importance of transfers to the college • Work with faculty to create an international student policy for an exemption of the core requirements (based on countries with a known liberal arts curriculum)

18. Future Goals - Continued • Create a “Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” (suggested by John Gardner from the JNGI Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education) • Conduct online chats with students to answer questions regarding their transfer credits • Highlight transfer student success stories or “Transfer Testimonials” on our website • Create a Facebook page • Create a TSSC brochure

19. Future Goals - Continued • Create a “team” of enrollment management professionals to assist new transfer students, including a representative from Admission, Advisement, TSSC, and Financial Aid • Create a special Phi Theta Kappa scholarship for transfers • Increase full-time staff from 4 to 5, not including the Director • Conduct assessments to determine how effective the changes were to the transfer credit process. Utilize focus groups and student/faculty surveys

20. QUESTIONS? • Maria Campanella, M.A., M.S. • Director, Transfer Student Services Center • 718-951-5263 • mcampanella@brooklyn.cuny.edu • Stephen E. Joyner, Ph.D. • Vice President for Enrollment Management • 718-951-5114 • sjoyner@brooklyn.cuny.edu