Student Services
The student services category includes such functions as the registrar and office of admissions that exist for the primary purpose of contributing to students' emotional and physical well-being and intellectual, cultural and social development outside the context of formal instruction. It includes cultural events, student newspapers, intramural athletics, student organizations, intercollegiate athletics (if the program is not operated as an essentially self-supporting activity), counseling and career guidance (excluding informal academic counseling by the faculty), student aid administration and student health service (if not operated as an essentially self-supporting activity). In recent years, some institutions have created an office of enrollment management. For purposes of review, the chapter addresses the following areas:
Part 1
3.A. Student Services Administration
3.B. Recruitment and Admissions Processes
3.C. Enrollment/Registration Processes
3.D. Student Records
3.E. Financial Aid/Affordability
3.F. Health ServicesPart 2
3.G. Counseling and Guidance Services
3.H. Enrollment Management
3.I. Student Organizations and Other Activities
3.J. Student Grievances
3.K. Extracurricular Activities
3.L. Contract ServicesPART 2
3.G. Counseling and Guidance Services
This category includes formally organized placement, career guidance and personal counseling services for students as well as vocational testing and counseling services and other activities of the Placement office. Academic counseling is not included in this category, but is rather discussed in the Instructional and Academic Support section of the review.
Data Needs
- Policies and procedures (local, state and federal) pertaining to the operation
- Financial reports
- Departmental budgets
- Organization and staffing charts for the operation
- Job descriptions for employees of the department or operation
- Copies of contracts for outsourced or contracted services
- Compliance/audit reports
- Productivity reports/participation rates for each program
Possible People to Interview
System administrator with assigned responsibility or president
Vice president(s) with organizational responsibility for the counseling and guidance services functions
Chief administrative officer for Student Affairs
Director of Counseling and Guidance
Students and student organizational leaders
Counselors
Test administrators
Internal AuditorActivities to Perform
3.G.1. Prepare a chart showing the distribution of counselors by campus or school and determine whether counselors are allocated equitability according to some formula or guideline? Is a defined and adopted guidance program provided for all pupils? Questions to Ask
What are the defined roles and responsibilities of organized placement, career guidance and personal counselors? Are these defined roles and responsibilities being consistently used by all counselors? How much time are counselors spending in direct contact with students? On other administrative activities?
Are there locally adopted policies and procedures supporting counseling and other student services? Does the institution perform a regular review of the level and cost of these services and exploration of alternatives for delivery? Does the institution seek external funding to augment or pilot student services programs?
Has the board adopted a policy on organized placement, career guidance and personal counseling services? Student/staff ratio? Testing? Establishing an advisory committee? Does the district have an appeal process?
How are students counseled regarding future career opportunities? Who conducts the counseling services? Is counseling adequate? At what grade level does counseling begin?
3.H. Enrollment Management
The section of the review examines enrollment growth, student retention, enrollment trends and diversity management.
Data Needs
- Policies and procedures (local, state and federal) pertaining to enrollment management
- Departmental budgets
- Enrollment trends for the last 10 years
- Retention rates for the last 10 years
- Copies of contracts for outsourced or contracted services
- Copies of any studies or reports done examining the enrollment of the institution
- Copies of any planning documents pertaining to enrollment management
- Enrollment forecasts/actual figures from past 10 years and forecasts for the next five years, or as available according to the institution's records retention guidelines.
- Institutional Strategic Enrollment Management Checklists for last three years
Possible People to Interview
System administrator with assigned responsibility or president
Vice president(s) with organizational responsibility for the enrollment management
Chief administrative officer for Student Affairs
Enrollment Management Vice-presidentActivities to Perform
3.H.1. Examine the Institutional Strategic Enrollment Management Checklist and any other institutional planning documents and prepare a list of the strategies, activities or programs being used by the institution to manage enrollment. 3.H.2. Prepare a chart showing enrollment trends for the institution for the last ten years broken out by ethnicity and gender distribution and by school or course of study. Highlight those areas of rapid decline or expansion. 3.H.3. Prepare a chart showing the student retention rates for the last ten years of available data broken out, to the extent possible, by ethnicity and gender distribution and by school or course of study. Highlight those areas of significant deviation. Questions to Ask
Enrollment Growth and Trends
Is enrollment in the institution increasing or decreasing? What specific areas of the institution's enrollment are increasing or decreasing? Which are increasing or decreasing at the greatest rates? What ethic and gender categories are increasing or decreasing? Why? Are the plans aligned with enrollment goals of the state such as "Closing the Gaps"?What strategies are contained in institutional planning documents to address enrollment growth? How is the institution encouraging enrollment growth? Discouraging enrollment growth? Are strategies working? How is success measured?
What staffing allocation formulas are used for budgeting purposes that are directly tied to projected student enrollment? How does the institution adjust staffing patterns based upon projected enrollment? How does the institution adjust staffing patterns once actual enrollment figures are known?
How accurate are long-range projections? How are facilities needs addressed based upon future enrollment projections? What proactive steps are being taken by the institution to manage future enrollment?
Student Retention
How does the institution record and track retention data? What are the student retention rates for the institution? Are there schools or course offering that are experiencing lower than acceptable retention rates? Higher that expected retention rates? Why is this happening? Could the contributing factors to success be replicated in other programs? Are certain ethic or gender groups having more difficulty than others? Why?What strategies are contained in institutional planning documents to address student retention? How is the institution encouraging students to stay in school and complete their degree plan? What is discouraging students from continuing? Are strategies working? How is success measured?
Diversity Management
How diverse is the student population of the institution? What policies, plans or strategies employed by the institution are designed to encourage diversity? What discourages diversity?How are minority and economically disadvantaged students recruited and encouraged to attend? What specific programs are available to minority students that would make this institution a desirable place for them to attend?
What strategies are contained in institutional planning documents to address student diversity? How is the institution encouraging minority students to enroll? What is discouraging minority students from enrolling? Are strategies working? How is success measured?
3.I. Student Organizations and Other Activities
This area of the review examines activities organized for the students' social and cultural development outside of the formal academic program such as cultural events, student newspapers, intramural athletics and student organizations. Intercollegiate athletic programs are not discussed in this section, but can be found in the Auxiliary and Service Departments chapter of the review.
Data Needs
- Policies and procedures (local, state and federal) pertaining to the operation
- Financial reports and budgets
- Organizational charts for oversight of functions
- List of programs considered to be social or cultural in nature
- Job descriptions for employees of the department or operation
- Copies of contracts for outsourced or contracted services
- Copies of student newspapers
- Brochures or other advertising material for cultural events
- Schedule of intramural athletics
Possible People to Interview
System administrator with assigned responsibility or president
Vice president(s) with organizational responsibility for this function
Chief administrative officer for Student Affairs
Students and student organizational leadersActivities to Perform
3.I.1. Prepare a list of activities organized for the students' social and cultural development showing the target audience, budgets and number of annual participants. 3.I.2. Prepare a list of student organizations showing the organization's mission and/or purpose, membership and leadership. Show which have the most significant levels of participation and/or the strongest voice with the administration. Questions to Ask
How is the institution providing for the students' social and cultural development? How does the institution define "social and cultural development"? What strategies are contained in institutional planning documents to address students' social and cultural development? How is the institution encouraging students' social and cultural development? What is discouraging students' social and cultural development? For example, if the institution's goal is to provide cultural opportunities, are there a variety of cultural experiences available free or at a reduced rate for students? Or, do they charge a market rate that is prohibitive for students? Are strategies working? How is success measured?
How does the institution ensure that activities like intramural athletics remain available to any interested student regardless of economic position? Are facilities and fields available for activities? How are these resources allocated? What mechanism is in place to ensure equitable distribution of resources? How are students involved in determining the kinds of events or programs they would like to have offered?
How do the administration and board treat student organizations? Are there formal or informal opportunities for student organizations to communicate their concerns with institutional leaders? What prevents open communication?
How are leaders elected to student organizations? Under what rules and guidelines do student organizations exist? What rules, policies or guidelines are in place to sanction student organizations when rules are violated? Is there a hearing process for such occurrences?
3.J. Student Grievances
The section of the review examines the student grievance process.
Data Needs
- Policy and procedures for student grievances (i.e., academic and disciplinary issues)
- Publications detailing grievance process for students
- Any pertinent institutional self-study reports
Possible People to Interview
System administrator with assigned responsibility or president
Vice president of student services
Chief administrative officer for student services
Chief academic officer
Registrar
Students and/or student organization leaders
Counselors
Internal auditorActivities to Perform
3.J.1. Prepare a chart illustrating the student grievance process for academic and disciplinary issues. 3.J.2. Examine a sample of grievances filed with the institution and determine if procedures have been followed. Questions to Ask
Are grievance policy and procedures evaluated on a periodic basis? Do the grievance policy and procedures differ for academic issues and disciplinary issues?
How is the grievance process communicated to the students? What mechanisms are used for publication (course catalog, student handbook, institution web site, department publications, other)?
Is the grievance process clear and understandable? How does the institution ensure that all faculty and staff are aware of the grievance process and is systematically made available to students?
3.K. Extracurricular Activities
Activity to Perform
3.K.1. Prepare a list of the major extracurricular activities of the institution and show the budgets and source of funds for the programs. Questions to Ask
How does the institution ensure that the cost of extracurricular programs is recovered? How are associated clubs and associations controlled or supported?
If the institution is supporting certain extracurricular activities, determine what prompted that decision? When was the last time the decision to support the program reassessed?
3.L. Contract Services
Student Service functions can be purchased or contracted for through private companies or interlocal agreements with neighboring institutions or other governmental entities. It is important to regularly evaluate whether there are goods or services that can be obtained from the private sector at a lower cost, higher quality or both. It is equally important to continually evaluate existing contracts to determine if the institution is getting the best value possible through the contracting arrangement. Further, institutions are subject to the state's contract workforce provisions, consequently all contracted positions must be tracked and reported to the state. This contracting and evaluation process is discussed in great detail in the Purchasing Chapter.