By Paige Selman-Boucher, AACRAO Community and Volunteer Manager
"From Retention to Re-Entry: A University of California Strategy to Provide Second Chances at First Bachelor’s Degrees" Presented by Michael Pierick, Director of Extension and Degree Completion, and Dr. Erin Webb, University Registrar from the University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) developed a program to help students who stopped out in their degree progress. The university is also a part of the University of California Re-Engagement Consortium. Michael Pierick led this project intending to help students finish out their final few requirements to earn a degree. The program included a small enrollment management team housed in the extension office. The extension office team has experience working with non-traditional learners and having that expertise was key. The program was also done in partnership with the university registrar and enrollment management team. Having strong campus partnerships made the program smoother for students and reduced duplication of resources.
This program focuses on meeting the learners where they are. The presenters shared that for learners who are re-enrolling, the traditional recruitment and admissions funnel does not work. The learners are frequently working full-time and many of them had families so contacting them outside of Monday - Friday from 8 am - 5 pm window via text or call was ideal. These learners need high-touch, individualized support. For example, at UC Merced, they used a student ambassador to call students to help them set up their first advising appointment to discuss re-enrolling. The ambassador is a student in the program, which increases the learners' sense of belonging and relatability.
Another strength of the program was using a one-stop model. This meant that learners re-enrolling at the University of Merced had one point of contact from the point of interest to re-enroll to graduation. This person did not have all of the answers for the learner, but they made sure to connect them with the right person on campus. Learners were given up-front, tailored information. For example, Pierick’s team would share the estimated cost and time to complete the degree. This reduced the barrier of the unknown and surprises for the learners re-enrolling at Merced.
One of the big things Pierick stressed is, “Talk to your students. Data is a good start, but you will learn so much more about the context from them.” He shared stories about how by talking to the students they were able to identify holes in the system that made it harder for learners to persist. When Pierick and his team looked into these barriers they were able to help create solutions and remove barriers for future learners. His team’s goal is not only to help learners who stopped out re-enter the institution but to help prevent other learners from stopping out in the first place.
This program has been an overall success and Pierick and his team plan to continue this work. While they had grant funds to begin the project, they have worked to find a sustainable funding model. They are also working on sharing their success stories with the campus and explaining the correlation between the program and removing barriers.