Enhance Campus Infrastructure to Help Students Navigate College WIG

Introduction to WIG

It all began when Provost Robertson read a book - The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals - and then invited many of her direct reports to read the book. The book concepts in a nutshell are to

  • Focus on the Wildly Important - prioritize above the "whirlwind"
  • Act on Lead Measures - the most high-impact things that will help reach the goal
  • Keep a Compelling Scoreboard - people play differently when they are keeping score
  • Create a Cadence of Accountability - hold regular and frequent short meetings

The Provost and the newly formed team then met in December 2017 to choose a Wildly Important Goal (WIG) that would be beneficial to the College. The WIG they chose was to increase the first-year first-time-to-college student to second-year student retention rate from 86% to 88% by October 2019. 

The WIG Team then expanded to include others outside Academic Affairs, and, in 2020, morphed the Wildly Important Goal to focus on three areas to ensure that every student has a comprehensive and individualized transition to college: 1) the comprehensive new student experience, 2) the coordination of care through EAB Navigate, and 3) the solving of obstacles.  

In 2021, the WIG morphed again to respond to students’ COVID-19-related stresses. Major projects include 1) continue the development and implementation of New Student Connections and Success, 2) develop rejuvenation and wellness programming, and 3) respond to Navigate alerts.

Our WIG in 2021-22 focused on enhancing campus infrastructure to help students navigate the college and make connections with our community.  WIG areas of focus included 1) streamlining student access to campus resources and opportunities to engage by developing the Navigate student app, 2) providing feedback and support to students by expanding campus familiarity with and usage of the Navigate Early Alert System, and 3) creating new opportunities for engagement and belonging.

Enhance Campus Infrastructure to Help Students Navigate College and Make Connections

Project 1: Streamline student access to campus resources and opportunities to engage by developing the Navigate student app

MEMBERS: Chip Matthews, Meg Reitz, Kristina Barsema, Corey Ha, Suzanne Miller

SUCCESSES:

  1. Developed key promotional events, e.g. a scavenger hunt, that encouraged students to download and use the student app.
  2. Trained professional and paraprofessional staff and residential assistants in the use of the app.
  3. Developed publicity materials, held tabling events, and conducted incentive drawings to encourage students to use the app.
  4. Engaged with student support offices to introduce/promote the app.

Project 2: Provide feedback and support to students by expanding campus familiarity with and usage of the Navigate Early Alert System

MEMBERS: Joe Cope, Celia Easton, Sarah Frank, Laura Swanson, Becky Patt, Christopher Popovici

SUCCESSES:

  1. Distributed a progress report summary and survey to faculty.
  2. Scheduled office hours on Friday mornings specifically to discuss Navigate.
  3. Conducted an enrollment campaign to identify and work with students who hadn't yet enrolled for spring classes.
  4. Revised language in alerts to be more student-friendly, more open, and more supportive.
  5. Developed Progress Reports for faculty to use with students mid-semester.

Project 3: Create new opportunities for engagement and belonging

MEMBERS: Costas Solomou, David Parfitt, Jessie Stack Lombardo, Keely Soltow, Megan Syfrett, Anne Baldwin, Tashi Sherpa

SUCCESSES:

  1. Hosted first-generation-student events in mid-November and on Study Day.
  2. Launched the Campus Colleague Connection to fund and facilitate opportunities for groups of faculty and staff to get together.
  3. Launched the First Generation Students web page.

IN PROGRESS:

  1. Work has begun on compiling data from the 26 departments across campus to build a Geneseo Atlas that will assist offices in directing students to the correct resource when they encounter an obstacle.
  2. Work has begun on bringing the Geneseo Points of Support (GPS) more to the forefront so that students may request a guide when needing assistance.

 

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