Student Success in Higher Education—more than just an academic and personal responsibility issue

Great Regional College (GRC) was founded in 1950 and is the third largest college in the Midwest serving approximately twenty thousand students a semester. It is an urban institution serving a diverse population of students such as traditional, adult learners, occupational, online, urban and rural students. GRC is a major feeder to the university in the region. GRC has multiple campus locations throughout the various counties it serves. Great Regional College is an open admission college which means that most anyone is admitted. Applying to GRC is similar to other colleges where students must be admitted, take entrance exams, consult with an advisor, apply for financial aid if needed, register for courses, and attend student orientation.

Isabella is a student who recently went through the process of starting her college career at GRC. Isabella selected GRC for its reasonable cost per credit hour and small classes. She intends to transfer to a university where she would like to earn a bachelors degree in psychology. Isabella is somewhat proficient with a computer and has access to the internet from home. Isabella went to the GRC website to get information on how to enroll to the institution. While there she realized she could apply to the college online. Excited, Isabella went through the registration process for becoming a GRC student. She completed the registration process and was instructed she would receive an acceptance letter in the mail within days which contained next steps to getting started.

The next day she had learned from a friend who attends GRC that registration had began for fall semester and that she needed to schedule right away to get the classes she needed. Isabella remembered that she hadn’t received her acceptance letter telling her what to do next. In an attempt to expedite the process she called GRC and was transferred to admission where she waited over 30 minutes to speak to someone. After explaining her situation she was told that the letter was just a formality and that she needed to come to main campus to complete the process. Isabella got off the phone and headed right down to main campus as instructed. Once on campus she realized she did not ask where she needed to go. Fortunately, she encountered signs that directed her to the registration room somewhere the middle of campus.

While in the registration room she observed how busy it was with people waiting in line to get on a computer. This confused Isabella because she had already enrolled to the college online. She located someone to assist her and was asked what she needed to do. After explaining her situation she was directed the testing center three building away to complete her entrance exams. Isabella was not sure what all this meant but she headed off to take her exams. When getting to the testing center she was asked by the counter staff what she needed. After explaining yet again her situation, she realized that she wasn’t really sure what she was doing at the testing center. She was then asked what she planned on taking. Isabella felt quite off guard by the question and said she had not really decided and that she thought someone at the college could help her decide. The testing center staff explained that she would need to speak to an advisor and then administered the full battery of tests just in case they were needed. After two hours of testing Isabella learned that she met the required score for college courses, even though she didn’t know what all that meant. She was then instructed to go to advising where she’d receive help selecting her major and courses.

Relieved that she could now start her classes, Isabella went to the advising center down the hall. After entering the room she learned that the only way to speak to an advisor was to make an appointment, sometime the following week. This was a big letdown for Isabella because her goal was to register for classes as soon as possible before they were full. Not sure what to do next Isabella asked if there was another way to go about talking to someone today. She was directed to a peer advisor who was able to help her get some direction on her courses, though not all her career questions were answered. At this point she had everything she needed to register. She returned to the registration room three buildings away and began registering for her classes.

After completing her class registration Isabella realized that in order to pay for her classes she would need to apply for student aid. She was told that she needed her parents financial information and that the process would take anywhere from one to two hours to complete. And, that she will not know her award for about two to five days. Not having her parent’s financial information, and being forced to wait a number of days, she stopped what she was doing and began to head home. When asked what would happen to her classes she had registered for she was told that they would stay on her account for three days until paid otherwise, they would drop from her account and she would need to add them again. Asked if the courses could be held for a longer time due to her financial aid situation she was told they could not and that she would need to add them again after her financial aid is completed. Discouraged and frustrated Isabella returned home defeated on her attempt to schedule her courses. She returned a week later to meet with an advisor and to complete her registration.

Isabella had to go through three to four iterations an numerous trips to campus before she was able to start her course work for fall semester . A little discouraged and somewhat exhausted, Isabella began the fall semester just in time.

Isabella is one of many students who experience the inertia of a disjointed and fragmented system for enrolling at GRC. GRC is aware of the hurdles encountered by students and is also aware that these hurdles elevate student’s frustration, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Students feeling overwhelmed are a major influence to low academic success in higher education. In many instances students have given up altogether trying to enter GRC because they are overwhelmed with the enrollment process.

Although GRC understands how these disjointed processes adversely affect student success, there is no clear course of action or a comprehensive way to improve this systemic issue. Departments do attempt to work interdependently however are so consumed with their own operations that they fail to recognize the gaps created between their process and the rest of the student services group. However, a large degree of success is achieved in tightening up the gap during special enrollment events, such as one stops, when everyone is highly focused on working together to get students enrolled, but only during these events. Once the events have concluded each area returns to their respective corners and continues to do their own thing.

Root causing this issue there seems to be a lack of clear strategic objectives in addressing the gaps in the student services process. Although GRC recognizes this as a problem for some reason it does not seem to be bad enough to make the necessary changes for student success. For example, in recent years focus groups have been created including key stakeholders of each student service area to address this issue. Recommendations have been consistent with the need to have one location for students be serviced. There has been no action to date on these recommendations. Just recently when the Dean of students asked what major renovation should be considered for the upcoming year, a combined services area was mentioned. But in this case it was for the sake of facilities improvements and not process improvement.GRC is an innovative institution with competent staff and leadership with an expanding student population. What then will it take to address and overcome the student services issue?