Our Invitation to You
With enrollments in community colleges on the rise, the quality of the first-year experience for students is even more critical to their success. The Institute on First-Year Student Success in the Community College will provide attendees with the opportunity to discuss the current role of the community college in higher education and develop an action plan for creating or enhancing pathways to community college student success. Interactive sessions are designed with practical application in mind so that participants will be ready to implement strategic initiatives when they return to campus.
The content and organization of the Institute draws heavily on Fulfilling the Promise of the Community College: Increasing First-Year Student Engagement and Success, a forthcoming monograph from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Several monograph authors and other invited faculty will be on site to lead sessions and consult with participants about their action plans.
Focused Topics
- The American Community College Today
- Understanding Entering Community College Students
- What Works in Student Retention at Community Colleges
- Academic Advising/Career Development
- Effective Transfer Initiatives: Preparing Students to Move On
- Increasing the Engagement, Learning and Success of Underprepared Students
- Assessing the First-Year Experience at Community Colleges
About the Sponsor
Building upon its history of excellence as the founder and leader of the first-year experience movement, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition serves education professionals by supporting and advancing efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education. The Center achieves this mission by providing opportunities for the exchange of practical and scholarly information as well as the discussion of trends and issues in our field through the convening of conferences, institutes, workshops, and online learning opportunities; publishing books, research reports, a peer-reviewed journal, electronic newsletters, and guides; generating, supporting, and disseminating research and scholarship; hosting visiting scholars; and administering a website and listservs.
Setting
The University of South Carolina, where the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition began in 1986, serves the state from its flagship Columbia campus, three senior campuses, and four regional campuses. The University is committed to serving the citizens of South Carolina through its academic excellence and communityoutreach. It has forged a variety of cooperative relationships with other academic and health care institutions throughout the state, and a number of international connections for academic exchange and collaborative research. The University's efforts in the international arena, particularly important to the state's development of foreign trade and investment, continue to expand. Academic exchange programs and research linkages have been established with European, African, South American, Japanese, and Chinese universities. In keeping with both its 19th- and 20th-century heritage, the University continues to promote academic excellence while offering progressive responses to its educational responsibilities and the citizens of South Carolina. |
