Preparing Our Higher Education Institutions for the Future - 5 Recommendations

As we prepare for an upcoming year, I have to stop and think about the future of higher education. The pandemic changed our students, faculty, staff, and our campus as a whole. The Education Advisory Board (EAB) provides colleges and universities across the country with resources and ideas to help the students of the future.

I confess, I have been a complete fan of EAB and their resources for the past ten years. Their resources are at the forefront of higher education innovation.

One of their resources, "Campus 2030: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Multi-Modal Campus" projects the future of several services available at colleges and universities across the nation. These services include:

🏛 - Dining Halls and Food Spaces

🏛 - Modern Student Housing

🏛 - Hybrid and Flexible Office Spaces

🏛 - Tech-Enabled Classrooms

🏛 - Libraries and Learning Commons

🏛 - Interdisciplinary Research Facilities

Higher education institutions should also focus on the faculty and staff as well. When I ask most of my peers if they are comfortable with the numerous changes happening across their institution, most of them are uncomfortable. We need to prepare our teams for the future of higher education. 

Here's the Millennial Professor's Call the Action Statements for the Higher Education Industry

🌎 - Higher Education Conferences and Summits Need to Provide Trainings Focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Their Attendees

🌎 - Higher Education Institutions Need to Include Faculty and Staff as Part of Their Planning Process (an Important Part)

🌎 - Higher Education Institutions Provide Wellness and Holistic Support for Faculty and Staff Who are Having Problems With Change (You Need Us and We Need Help)

🌎 - Higher Education Institutions Need to Be Comfortable with Uncommon Spaces (Flexible Office Spaces)

🌎 - Faculty Need to Embrace Collaboration Opportunities with Faculty at Their Institutions and Other Institutions

Here are some additional articles about the future of higher education:

The Future of Higher Education: 5 Trends to Watch

EDUCAUSE 2023: How AI Could Impact Student Success in Higher Ed

Anti-DEI and the Future of Higher Education

How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Higher Ed?

The Future of College Policing and Security - Campus Safet

Higher education will continue to transition in an effort to meet the needs of our current and incoming students. 

Here's the link to the entire infographic - https://attachment.eab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PDF-FF-Campus-of-the-Future-2030-Infographic.pdf

For our particular university, we are striving to modify all of these items simultaneously. It is a challenge, but the changes are well worth the journey.

Here's the challenge for this post: "In your opinion, which one of the items on the list is MOST important for your institution?"

***. 

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

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. 

Texas community colleges have been funded at the same rate that was established over 50 years ago. Dr. Stephanie Murphy @Commit2Dallas @SMirandaMurphy #CCAAction #highered #HigherEducation #retention #edu #StudentSuccess pic.twitter.com/4xhJeYR1nJ

— Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards (@drjtedwards) June 8, 2022

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

Creating an Engaging Retention Resource for College Students

Can you believe it? The beginning of the fall semester is here and I am VERY excited about meeting the new students. Over the summer, I was tasked with creating an engaging powerpoint for freshmen students who were transitioning to Tarleton State University.

I did not want to create anything that was a mere power point, but I wanted to add some color, music, and movement to the presentation. Here's the list of Top 10 Study Resources for Tarleton Students:

Top 10 Study Resources for Tarleton Students

1 - Attend Study Skills Sessions

2 - Get to Know Your Advisor

3 - Attend Your Professor's Office Hours

4 - Go to Class On-Time

5 - Make a Tutoring Appointment

6 - Attending ARC-C Sessions (Formerly Supplemental Instruction)

7 - Pick Up a FREE Planner from Student Success

8 - Take the Learning Styles Assessment (LASSI)

9 - Form Study Groups with Students in Your Classes

10 - Check Out the Math Clinic

Also, Check Out the Writing Center and the Science Clinic.

Questions? Contact Student Success - 968-9480 Remember to Eat Healthy Food!

Also, here's another student success video that was embedded on the Blackboard Course:

Here's a Quick Video for first-year students focused on "Module 4 - Learning How to Learn/Study Skills/Support Services (Math Clinic, Writing Center, Tutoring, SI, Library, Blackboard)". This is the best week for first-year students (freshmen) at Tarleton).

Please let me know some additional ways that this format or the content of the video can be used by different areas. I am excited!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
Remember to Subscribe to Me on YOUTUBE
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
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University Faculty - We Have an Easier Way to Take Attendance!

Virtual attendance? Sign me up! I enjoy the Student Success Collaborative system to take attendance and I wanted to encourage others to do the same! It also functions as an early alert system.

If you take attendance on another system, the data just LIVES on that system and no one can know if a student is experiencing difficulty in multiple classes. The Student Success Collaborative system is a game changer for faculty who are concerned about student success.

Here's the email that I sent to faculty:

[University] Faculty,

We are excited about the new Student Success Collaborative system at Tarleton State! Through this system, you can:

- Raise early alerts for undergraduate students in your classes without logging into the system
- Take digital attendance
- Create events for undergraduate students in your classroom and remind them of the event via email/text.
- Send proactive email messages to your undergraduate students.

After you complete this form (and watch the video), we will provide you with access to log-in to the Student Success Collaborative system. - http://tinyurl.com/SSCFacultyAccess

If you have any questions, please email jtedwards@tarleton.edu or send a message to @drjtedwards on Twitter (at anytime).

Please share this form with your colleagues.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Assistant Vice-President for Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives
Tarleton State University

In English

The Result

We had a great response (viewers on the YouTube video) and accesses to the EAB platform. I am totally focused on academic analytics!

Have you adopted a similar campaign? Do you have any suggestions or questions for me?

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Higher Education Technology Campaign - How to Print Your Schedule and Email Your P

This semester, we are utilizing the Education Advisory Board's Student Success Collaborative software to communicate with students. I definitely love this software for communication campaigns! I mean, I LOVE the advising scheduling feature, but I completely admire the ability to message specific groups of students.

When I discovered that some students experienced difficulty accessing and printing their schedule, I jumped at the opportunity to incorporate the scheduling feature in the Student Success Collaborative software as a back-to-school campaign! I also made sure that the videos were captioned and in English/Spanish.

On the first day of school, I sent the following email to all FTIC students at 8:05 am:

Do you want an EASIER way to check (and print) your schedule for this semester? Log on to http://tarleton.campus.eab.com/

Watch this Video for Step-by-Step Instructions in English
How to Print Your Schedule and Email Your Professors on SSC@Tarleton State (English)
https://youtu.be/GfCAoFZMo5c

Watch this Video for Step-by-Step Instructions in Spanish
How to Print Your Schedule and Email Your Professors on SSC@Tarleton State (En Espanol)
https://youtu.be/WQtbHNkgADo

For more information, please contact Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives (968-9480) or just reply to this email.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Assistant VP for Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives

In English

En Espanol

The Result

We had a great response (viewers on the YouTube video) and accesses to the EAB platform. I am totally focused on academic analytics!

Have you adopted a similar campaign? Do you have any suggestions or questions for me?

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Why Did You Choose to Go to College? - A Technology-Focused Retention Campaign

It has been an INTENSE summer and I am excited about the fall semester. We have such an amazing group of students. In fact, over 90% of them submitted their first college assignment to the Provost...on-time! This is a very positive sign for our retention numbers.

My numbers are possibly skewed as well, because I utilized the Education Advisory Board's Student Success Collaborative to send the Provost's email to all of the first-time in college students (FTIC) students who experience our university during Transition Week. Here's her email:

Subject: Here's Your First Assignment (Due Thursday at 5pm) - Dr. Murray

Tarleton Student,

Here's your first assignment. Answer the following questions in an email and send to [specialemailaddress]@tarleton.edu by 5:00 pm on Thursday, August 24.

- Why did you choose to go to college?
- Why did you choose Tarleton State University?
- What are the five main things (goals) you want to accomplish here over the next four years during your journey at Tarleton?

Sincerely,

[The Provost]

I forgot to add...
I also sent a text message from my account the next morning from EAB and I received over 100 responses within a 1-2 hour time period. Most of those responses were from parents who wanted to make sure that their students had the information as well. So, I utilized the next three hours to update...each...cell phone number...for each student. Yup, I am dedicated to student success.

So, this was my week:
Monday (email was sent)
Tuesday (text reminder) at 9:00 am
Wednesday (walking around to random students to ask if they received the email)
Thursday (reminder text was sent to students)...more cell phone number updates from parents...

The results?
All week = a SUPER successful campaign! The impact of the email was amazing! We had a WEALTH of responses and I would definitely do it again!

Any questions about how our campus utilizes the Education Advisory Board's Student Success Collaborative to make our dreams work? Email me! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Available for Virtual Presentations, Conferences, Keynotes, & Workshops

Guess what? I am open for speaking opportunities again! I am definitely open to virtual presentations, conferences, keynotes, workshops, and consultant opportunities!

Check out my media sheet!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com