This Plan of Action from the Division of Student Success (DSS) is the result of 18 months of comprehensive research, reflection, discussion, and planning that began when the DSS was formed in September 2006. This document defines our role in promoting student success at New Mexico State University and presents a synthesis of the extensive information collected from efforts across our institution to understand our students and their educational and developmental needs. This synthesis has informed our planning and will direct our future efforts.
The Division priorities for action (2008–2012) focus on the following ways to improve services for students.
Immediate (2008) and ongoing priorities
- DSS staff: Continue emphasis on professional development and communication (online and among DSS staff), and secure sufficient staffing and funding to meet the service needs for a growing and increasingly complex student population.
- Faculty and staff: Train and support faculty and staff to improve administrative systems support in and out of the classroom.
- Recruitment: Expand our definition of prospective students, develop a strategic enrollment council to advise and coordinate recruitment and retention practices, and expand communication with students’ families.
- Retention: Increase student engagement in learning through improved pedagogy, expand learning outside of classrooms, and develop a centralized student success center to improve access to support services.
- Assessment and evaluation: Use data to inform decisions that affect daily practices, budgeting, planning, holistic student development, student persistence, and degree attainment.
Longer-term priorities (2009–2012)
- DSS staff: Evaluate resources and unique challenges facing all DSS units as we work to promote success for students.
- Faculty and staff: Collaborate with faculty and staff to develop a transformative educational experience using data to determine critical needs and with well defined learning outcomes.
- Recruitment: Coordinate recruitment across colleges and campuses, expand outreach and services to the military, and increase and leverage resources for low-income, first-generation students.
- Retention: Continue to advance transformation of education at NMSU by coordinating all campus advising and recruiting, helping students financially, expanding academic support, and promoting physical, social, mental, and spiritual wellness.
The above priorities build on significant progress the DSS has made in the past five years. This progress bridges DSS functions, and specific advancements include:
- Communication: Improved communication among Division leadership facilitated development of a cohesive mission, vision, and goals for the DSS and development of unit goals and learning outcomes aligned with DSS goals and NMSU’s Living the Vision. Communication has been facilitated through outreach such as leadership retreats and UpClose, the Division newsletter.
- Collaboration: Increased collaboration across DSS and academic lines dramatically improved practices. Academic advisors and campus recruiters now share ideas at monthly meetings. Enrollment Services collaborated with the Creative Media Institute on a new recruiting video. The Student Success Center, opening in the Zuhl Library in 2008, will represent a collaboration between DSS units, the Library, and NMSU colleges.
- Enrollment Management: Implementation of new prospect management software allowed NMSU to personalize recruitment materials and streamline practices. Future recruitment will be expanded by emphasizing transfer students, coordinating with community colleges in West Texas and New Mexico, and identifying new definitions of prospective students.
- Retention: Division programs provide services that help students persist at NMSU. Campus Tutoring Services is seeking to expand, and an academic support center is being developed within the Zuhl Library to provide tutoring, cross-college advising and services that target at-risk student populations. The WAVE Program, Counseling Center, and Student Health Center promote student physical and mental wellness and informed decision-making.
- External funding: The Division aggressively pursues external funding to promote retention and access. Enrollment Management’s grant from the Lumina Foundation funds financial aid workshops, and a grant to Career Services promotes student employment. Both Dr. Gonzales and the Student Success Center were recently recognized for exemplary fundraising.
- Business practices: The establishment of consistent practices in fiscal accountability greatly improved DSS stewardship of resources. This standardization of practices will facilitate allocating and leveraging resources, since budgetary practices are now comparable and transparent.
- Synthesis of studies: In the past five years, NMSU examined institutional practices affecting student recruitment and retention. Many recommendations from those studies were implemented and are reported here. This examination demonstrates to stakeholders the importance and consequences of their input.
- Focus on measurable learning outcomes: Division-wide, we are measuring the effect of our efforts on achieving our goals. This focus will help us understand the needs of our growing and increasingly complex student population and to make effective use of resources.
To implement these actions, the DSS is committed to continuous improvement. As a team, we developed division learning outcomes that reflect the long-range vision of the Division. The analysis of these outcomes and the improvement plans that emerge will further indicate DSS’s commitment to student success.