"Field Notes" is an occasional Connect column covering practical and philosophical issues facing admissions and registrar professionals. The columns are authored by various AACRAO members. If you have an idea for a column and would like to contribute, please send an email to the editor at connect@aacrao.org.
By Marlo J. Waters, Ed.D., Registrar, Pacific Union College
Undergraduate student mobility has been increasing in the current higher education environment. A recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse reported that more than one third of college students who started in the fall of 2008 transferred to a different institution during the next six years. Current trends appear to be pushing transfer rates even higher. For example, Tom Green and Michele Sandlin discussed the impact of free community college with AACRAO 2015 Annual Meeting attendees in their session entitled “What Would Free Community College Mean for your Transfer Policies?” As reported in this session, it is predicted that free community college will bring more transfers to 4-year schools as students seek affordable methods for completing baccalaureate degrees.
Those of us in the field know that transfer-friendly processes will be crucial to serve these students. Many institutions already are implementing streamlined processes to improve service and efficiency related to the transfer student process. However, the situation can be particularly challenging for small colleges that are unaccustomed to large volumes of transfer students.
At many small 4-year colleges, staffing and resources are limited. Some of these challenges were discussed by participants at the “Transfer Credit Best Practices” session presented by Nicole Kragt at the 2015 AACRAO Annual Meeting. Multiple attendees commented that transfer evaluation is assigned to only one employee, leaving no redundancy to account for employee absences. Large scale technology tools can provide methods for automated transfer evaluations, but such tools may not be feasible with budgetary constraints. Despite these challenges, offices are expected to provide rapid, personalized service to each transfer student in order to increase student yield and help the institution meet annual enrollment goals.
With these challenges in mind, what are some of the practices that small college registrars can implement in order to serve for increasing numbers of transfer students? Here are some ideas for consideration:
- Provide comprehensive transfer information on the institutional website. This puts all the basic information in a central place, making it accessible not only to students but to all campus employees.
- Automate the entry of credit as much as possible. If you can, implement technology to automate this process. If not, consider using less-skilled labor for data entry. This frees up time for professional staff to focus on handling complicated cases and working one-on-one with students.
- Create cross-training in as many areas as possible. In a small office, it may not be feasible to cross-train other employees on all the intricacies of transfer credit evaluation. However, it can help to have at least one employee who can provide back-up on basic tasks. Start small with the cross-training efforts, and expand as you are able.
- Build a strong partnership and training program with the recruitment and enrollment personnel at your institution. These individuals typically provide the first point of contact with incoming students and they need to have a solid understanding of your institution’s transfer policies.
- Identify a few advisors or faculty members who have extensive advising experience and enjoy working with incoming students. Ask these individuals to be “transfer advising partners” who are willing to talk with incoming students as needed. A panicked transfer student (or parent) is often reassured by a calming conversation with a personable advisor.
These are just a few examples of low-cost ways to build a stronger system for processing transfer students at small institutions. By using creativity and collaboration, the small college registrar can find ways to meet the needs of an expanding transfer student population.
Reference
http://nscnews.org/over-one-third-of-college-students-transfer-at-least-once/