Minority-Serving Institutions Develop Retention-Action Plans at Symposium

Approximately 170 administrators from 57 postsecondary institutions serving large numbers of minority students participated in the USA Funds^® 2005 Symposium “It Takes a Campus to Retain a Student” Feb. 23 — 25. The event was the fourth-annual symposium sponsored by USA Funds to promote dialogue among administrators of minority-serving institutions.

Eight Tribal Colleges and Universities, 19 Hispanic-Serving Institutions and 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities were represented. Participants included presidents; chancellors; deans; vice presidents; department chairs; and directors of retention, student-support services, admissions and financial aid.

Revisiting education's importance
Testimony from two students and a recent graduate set the stage for the symposium. The following students and graduate discussed the challenges they faced in obtaining an education and the role that education has played in their success:

• Tazha Sumpter of Dillard University, New Orleans.
• Bryce Lawrence of Ft. Belknap College, Harlem, Mont.
• Jose Angel Araguz, a graduate of the College of Sante Fe in New Mexico.

“This year we thought it would be helpful and important to remind us of why we're in the business,” said Marshall Grigsby, president and CEO of Grigsby and Associates, LLC, and a member of USA Funds' board of trustees. “So many of us in education administration get caught up in the bureaucratic process. These great student speakers reminded us of what it's really all about.”

Taking quick action
Campus teams worked to develop practical plans to help their students complete their education. The teams divided into groups to identify and prioritize student-retention issues.

Juan Perez, director of student life, Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Mont., said that his team learned much from the group activity.

“We want our students to do the same exercise so that we can see if our staff and faculty are on the right track,” said Perez. “There are lots of little things that we're fired up about going back to our campus and doing. We're really going to shake things up!”

Just days following the symposium, Perez's team already had put the the ideas they gleaned from the symposium to use on their own campus. The team met with the school's key administrators right after the event to gain approval to move forward with their retention plan, which now will be part of the college's overall strategic plan.

Sharing experiences
Susan Carroll, president of Feather River College, Quincy, Calif., and her team conducted a presentation about the college's use of USA Funds Life Skills^® during a session about financial literacy and success. She explained that with a small staff and limited resources for professional development and travel, attending the symposium was a careful decision.

"This is a powerful conference, and one of the most-valuable experiences in the professional development of our staff,” Carroll said. “The cross-fertilization among types of schools and the ethnic diversity is amazing.”

Leslie McClellon, assistant to the vice president for student services, Langston University, Langston, Okla., said that while her campus has a retention plan in place, her team attended the symposium to learn about other formats that could meet measurable goals. She explained that interacting with other teams and sharing best practices was helpful.

“We felt like we were out there spinning our wheels,” McClellon said, “but we've learned here that we're on the right track. We spend so much time putting the responsibility on us, but students have to engage with us. It's their responsibility too.”

Hearing fresh perspectives
On the third morning of the symposium, campus teams worked separately to develop action plans. Some teams shared plans with the entire group.

“We've been looking for innovative techniques that we can use to get our retention rate up,” said Paul Janda, director of financial aid at The Victoria College, Victoria, Texas. “The symposium has been very helpful in providing that, and it's really going to help us develop an effective retention plan for our students.”

As incoming president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten, N.D., Cynthia Lindquist found the symposium helpful as the college is preparing for the accreditation process.

“The symposium was wonderful,” she said. “I appreciated the interaction among the various institutions, and the team building as we worked together on activities. It also was helpful to get outsiders' perspectives and validation about the issues we face.”

Additional articles about symposium presentations will be published in future issues of USA Funds Education Access Report.