by Stephen Schultheis, Ed.D.
Dean of Student Services and Retention, Monroe College
In a Tuesday afternoon session at the annual AACRAO Conference, Dr. Len Archer, Stefanie Johnson, and Yvette Saliba from Adventist University of Health Sciences shared their work on identifying and serving at-risk students.
The presenters discussed a problem they saw with the high volume of applicants being accepted into their institution who needed to be served as at-risk. Concerns of low retention, high student debt, and the use of financial aid prompted concern. Len, Stefanie, and Yvette worked to identify a smaller group using additional steps in the admission’s process which would in turn allow greater service delivery and more targeted support services.
They instituted a proctored writing sample which was modeled more after a college writing experience as the first change. Instead of having a strict time proctored essay, they provided applicants the ability to write the essay with the opportunity to engage with a writing tutor. This experience measured a student’s ability to reach out for assistance and was more in line with how an essay is developed and evaluated once a student attends the college. The essay was coupled with an interview aimed at determining a student’s fit with the institution and ability to once admitted meet the necessary requirements to successfully persist. Once the student is admitted they provide a specific advisor dedicated to work with the at-risk students and ensure that the student is connected with the academic support services available.
Their change in process, desire to improve retention results, and the incorporation of a proctored writing sample with tutors brought about great discussion and questions from the attendees.
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