Showing posts with label Higher Education Innovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Higher Education Innovation. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

A Review of Complete College America's ACT Conference (June 2022)


In June 2022, I was very excited to attend Complete College America’s ACT: Policy & Action Summit in Louisville, Kentucky. This was my first time visiting Kentucky and everything was beautiful! 


Apparently, this conference is "where the magic happens. Where ideas come to life, decisions are made, and plans for impact take shape" and this was definitely true. Usually, when I attend a higher education summit, it is just focused on current information and best practices, but this conference took a different turn. It was all about action and implementation.

Several of the key groups from the Complete College were able to come together and to take action. These groups included: state teams of higher education leaders and policymakers came together. 



The content was amazing and the conversations were even better.  Our conversations focused on Time to Degree, Corequisite Support, Guided Pathways, and more.

Here was the schedule:

Day 1

Welcome from the CCA President: Dr. Yolanda Watson-Spiva

Bringing in Those Left Behind in the College Completion Movement

Continued Progress and New Frontiers

No Middle Ground - Advancing Equity Through Practice

ACT I - Start, Stop, Continue


Day 2

The Politics of Equitable College Completion

Equity and Public University Funding


No Middle Ground - Advancing Equity in All States

ACT II & III - Policy Recommendation and Development

Innovation in Systems Change

New Opportunities for Your Complete College Alliance Team



I learned so much through this summit and the networking was great. One of the aspects of the conference that served as a highlight for me was the placement of several flags around the room to represent the institutions of each Complete College America member/partner.


This was evidence of intentional support and success.



The sponsors for this event included: The Lumina Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ascendium, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Barr Foundation


***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

 Sincerely,

 Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication
Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

 My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
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Monday, August 5, 2019

Course Navigation Guide - Higher Education Student Services



Welcome to the Higher Education Student Services course at Tarleton State University. In this course, we focus on everything student services including student activities, student success, and retention!

This course at Tarleton State University is located in the Educational Leadership Department.



Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

 Sincerely,

 Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

 My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
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Monday, March 4, 2019

Academic Affairs and Student Affairs - Innovative Ways to Work Together to Embrace Student Success


This is part two! In July 2018, I had a wonderful opportunity to present the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs - Innovative Ways to Work Together to Embrace Student Success. This session focused on student engagement strategies, answers "What is Student Engagement?", and ultimately increasing student engagement in academic and student affairs. This session was presented at the American Association of Colleges and University's Summer Conference, "Public Universities in Challenging Times". This was an incredible opportunity, because it was the last AASCU conference that I would attend.

You ask why? Well, it was because I transitioned from an administrative role back to a faculty role after the death of my mother (but more on this later).

So, I traveled to San Antonio from the Fort Worth area with my prepared presentation in hand. It was an incredible conference and I learned so much! Also, I had a chance to network with my administrator colleagues. YES!

I was very fortunate to present on this topic because it is definitely a passion of mine. I've served in student affairs and academic affairs for almost 20 years. Sometimes, it is difficult to realize how long I've served in higher education, but believe me - every year has been worth it. I've learned a lot through this process and I've had the pleasure of meeting outstanding faculty, staff, and students through the process.


During my time in administration, I had the pleasure to spearhead the American Association of State Colleges and Universities's National Reimagining the First-Year experience initiative. Forty-three additional institutions from states across the nation were included in this initiative and three of them are Texas institutions. I have had personal experience with three of the four institutions. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and Sam Houston State University and then I've been a faculty member at Tarleton State University for the past 11 years. So, this conference has special place in my higher education heart.

Here are some sample tweets from the conference:

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley definitely had a presence at the conference!

Then, of course I had to contribute on Twitter! I wrote a tweet about my session.

Then, I always contribute additional information (and resources) for other attendees. Conferences are great opportunities to share resources and to network with others!

Here's some additional information about my session:

Academic Affairs and Student Affairs - Innovative Ways to Work Together to Embrace Student Success
Evergreen C
Student Affairs and Academic Affairs can work together to positively affect the success of first-year students at institutions of higher education. However, the continued disconnection between academic affairs and student affairs may negatively affect first-year students. This session provides participants with "25 Ways to Connect Academic Affairs and Student Affairs", research-based strategies to promote student success for first-year students, and participants will have an opportunity to share strategies from their respective campuses. Presenter: Jennifer Edwards, Associate Professor of Communication, Assistant Vice-President for Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives, Tarleton State University

Presenter(s): Jennifer Edwards, Tarleton State University

Here are a few slides from my presentation:


During the presentation, we had a lot of engagement and then attendees had a chance to ask questions. I enjoy presenting about academic affairs and student affairs because I believe that both of these topics are very important for higher education. 

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
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Monday, February 25, 2019

Implementing Student Success Technology: A Presentation at the AASCU Summer Meeting 2018


In July 2018, I had a wonderful opportunity to present "Just Send a Text Message: Innovative Ways to Reach College Students Through Student Success Retention Technologies". This presentation focused on online student engagement and student retention. This presentation was facilitated at the American Association of Colleges and University's Summer Conference, "Public Universities in Challenging Times". This was an incredible opportunity, because it was the last AASCU conference that I would attend.

You ask why? Well, it was because I transitioned from an administrative role back to a faculty role after the death of my mother (but more on this later).

So, I traveled to San Antonio from the Fort Worth area with my prepared presentation in hand. It was an incredible conference and I learned so much! Also, I had a chance to network with my administrator colleagues. YES!

Shout out to all of my AASCU RFY colleagues!


During my time in administration, I had the pleasure to spearhead the American Association of State Colleges and Universities's National Reimagining the First-Year experience initiative. Forty-three additional institutions from states across the nation were included in this initiative and three of them are Texas institutions. I have had personal experience with three of the four institutions. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and Sam Houston State University and then I've been a faculty member at Tarleton State University for the past 11 years. So, this conference has special place in my higher education heart.

Here are some sample tweets from the conference:

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley definitely had a presence at the conference!

Then, of course I had to contribute on Twitter! I wrote a tweet about my session.

Then, I always contribute additional information (and resources) for other attendees. Conferences are great opportunities to share resources and to network with others!

Here's some additional information about my session:

Just Send a Text Message: Innovative Ways to Reach College Students Through Student
Success Retention Technologies
San Juan A

Communication is a vital part of a college’s retention plan. Through this interactive session,
participants will discover best practices for higher education institutions who implement student
success retention technologies like the Education Advisory Board’s Student Success Collaborative
and Hobson’s Starfish Retention Solutions. Sample templates for emails and text messages,
campaign analytics, an annual academic nudging communication plan, and social media retention
resources will be shared. The Student Success Engineers program, a training program for
implementing retention software, will highlighted in this presentation. Academic nudging (email,
telephone calls, and texting) incorporates theories and processes from healthcare to motivate and
influence individuals to complete items quickly. Participants will leave with a list of action items
that administrators and faculty can easily incorporate in their on their campus.

Presenter(s): Jennifer Edwards, Tarleton State University

Here are a few slides from my presentation:


During the presentation, we had a lot of engagement and then attendees had a chance to ask questions. I enjoy presenting about student success and communication because I believe that both of these topics are very important for higher education. 

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

 Sincerely,

 Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

 My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
No comments:
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