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| Student Affairs Matters :: Fall 2007 | ||||||
Student Affairs Administration UpdatesStudent Affairs Officers for the Future ProgramNieeisa Smith, UC Davis Bookstore, and Signe Morton, Student Disability Center, are two of the participants enrolled in the Student Affairs Officers for the Future Program. According to Staff and Professional Development Services (SPDS), the program "is intended to cultivate a diverse pool of highly talented and motivated staff interested in pursuing entry-level SAO positions." Signe Morton says most of the training she's received thus far has focused on the participants' own strengths and interests, rather than specific SAO issues. Says Morton, "I expected to be learning and developing skills centered around SAO job requirements. Instead, I'm learning new things about myself and developing valuable connections on campus." Smith says she enrolled because she wants to work in a position that gives her the opportunity to advise, motivate, and mold college students into educated, independent, well-rounded adults. "The program is educating us in all six competency areas: student advising, interpersonal communication, service orientation, diversity commitment, program administration, self-management," Smith says. "We have SAOs as our mentors to answer questions and shed light on what SAOs do on a daily basis. I thank SDPS for putting this program together!" Mark Foncannon, assistant director—Financial Aid, a mentor for the program, says that of the six core competencies identified as paramount to an SAO's professional success, he sees excellent interpersonal communication skills as particularly critical. "Having excellent interpersonal communication skills means, to me, that a person can effectively communicate with a wide range of people, from all levels of an organization," he says. "An SAO must call on honed written and verbal skills every day; this skill will also lead to a network of colleagues that will play a critical role in the SAO's success." Smith says she would recommend the program to anyone interested in acquiring the experience and skills to become a competitive candidate for professional-track careers. New AppointmentsStudent HousingEmily Galindo assumed the position of interim director of Student Housing on September 1 and will continue in the position until a permanent director is selected through a search process. Galindo received her Bachelor of Science degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco and her Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. She joined UC Davis in 1984, spending her first eight years on campus in the area of Central Stores' receiving and purchasing departments. Since 1992, Emily has held various positions of increasing responsibility within Student Housing, serving for the past 11 years as its associate director of administration. During her 23 years on campus, she has participated in numerous institutional and divisional assignments of significance. Her campus citizenship includes a wealth of university committee work, including, among many, the Student Transition and Retention Committee, Summer Orientation Committee, Tercero In-Fill Housing Building Committee, Segundo In-Fill Housing Building Committee, the Bookstore Program Review Team and the Student Judicial Affairs Program Review Team. She has also served as a Sexual Harassment Education Program adviser, campus mediator and chair of the Campus Media Board. Branden Pettit is the new associate director of Student Housing-Residential Education. Pettit has been a UC Davis staff member here since 1998, and for the past six years he has been an assistant director of Student Housing. Pettit received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. Director of Student Affairs Research and InformationIn July, Gillian Butler accepted the position of director of Student Affairs Research and Information (SARI). Butler joined UC Davis in 1988 as a program specialist in the Center for Cooperatives, where she developed education and research programs for and about consumer cooperatives. She then spent five years as an independent consultant, completing projects for the Agricultural Education Curriculum Project, the Agricultural Council of California, and California Almond Growers, among others. She also worked for a market research firm in San Francisco. She rejoined UC Davis in 1998 as an analyst in SARI. She has conducted surveys of admitted students, entering students, current students, parents and alumni and has analyzed data from campus and public sources to aid campus decision-makers. In her tenure here and in the field of research, Gillian has demonstrated an exceptional understanding of IR issues, strong analytical skills and the ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing to all constituencies. Her reputation is that of excellence and commitment as an IR professional. Educational Opportunity ProgramArnette Bates is now director of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and says she is excited about guiding EOP through its transitional period. Says Bates, formerly associate director of Undergraduate Admissions, "I have had the opportunity to participate in many discussions about student retention while in the interim role, and I realize the importance of programs like EOP in helping UC Davis students succeed both personally and academically." Leadership of Finanacial AidWith Director of Financial Aid Lora Jo Bossio's transition to interim associate vice chancellor, the four associate directors in Financial Aid are acting as interim directors, with responsibilities assigned as follows:
This arrangement allowed current Financial Aid teams to remain intact. Student Affairs InitiativesStudent Transition and RetentionThe Student Transition and Retention (STAR) Committee was appointed by former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Judy Sakaki, based on discussions with the provost, and was charged with the task of examining factors contributing to student persistence and recommending strategies that will positively impact the rate at which students persist and graduate. The committee, which was formed in spring 2006, consists of faculty, staff, and students, and is headed by Ward Stewart, director, Learning Skills Center. The STAR committee began its work by reviewing existing retention reports and then requested SARI investigate the current status of student retention on campus. The committee also asked SARI to conduct a quick survey that would address reasons behind potential student attrition. The committee found that on average most attrition (12 percent) takes place during the first two years students are on campus; however, certain groups had attrition rates ranging from 3 percent to 10 percent above the overall undergraduate average. The most common reasons students gave for why they might not graduate from UC Davis were academic difficulty, lack of mentorship and proper guidance, plan to transfer to another four-year institution, financial difficulty, not feeling like a part of the campus community, personal reasons, and being socially uncomfortable at UC Davis. The committee decided to make recommendations within the framework of a retention model that includes the following components: better connecting students to the university, creating a campuswide early detection system, implementing follow-up procedures for students in academic difficulty, and designing an exit procedure for students intending to leave the university. At this point, the committee has decided to continue meeting to develop, refine, and prioritize recommendations of actions the campus should take to improve undergraduate student retention. Committee members also plan to meet with stakeholders, committees, and other groups that are in positions to influence the likelihood of implementing the recommendations. Reservation for CollegeAn instructional and motivational program, Reservation for College helps fourth- through sixth-grade students, and their families, understand the requirements for entering college, as well as the relationship of a college education to preparing for and choosing a career. "The program empowers students and their families with the belief that college is a realistic goal and helps schools create a college-going culture," says Ed Aguilar, director, Academic Preparation Programs. Elementary school teachers and paraprofessionals teach the program both during the school day and after school. Reservation for College lessons are aligned with California standards and are integrated with the academic content of language arts, mathematics, and social studies. RFC activities, including field trips to campus, demystify the college-going process and help students begin to develop the tools they need to excel in school. The program is offered in English and Spanish. The five Reservation for College students accepted to UC began the college-going path in 1998 at Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary School in Sacramento. They then proceeded to Kit Carson Middle School, where they were enrolled in the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), and then continued enrollment in EAOP until graduation from Sacramento High School. Following this path qualified them for the Reservation for College Chancellor's Achievement Award that, combined with other forms of gift aid, will substantially reduce their undergraduate costs. To remain eligible, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 throughout their tenure at UC Davis. Read the 1999 UC Davis press release about the program.
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