Student Affairs Assessment

The Division of Student Affairs has built a comprehensive assessment program to document student learning outside of the classroom and our effectiveness at providing opportunities and services, as well as to tell our story.

We have a vision, Student Affairs mission, and understanding about our “why” (missions, priorities, and outcomes) that guide our work.

Social justice and an equity lens is central to all of our work, and the assessment process explicitly incorporates this lens. Each department tracks key performance indicators, a kind of dashboard that tells a story over time about priority data points. And each department develops annual goals (what we want to accomplish in a year) and objectives (how we will measure success) to guide and focus that year’s work. 

In addition to the priorities, outcomes, key performance indicators, and annual goals, we will be conducting comprehensive self-studies of each functional area using guidance from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. Some departments will also seek accreditation or review from professional associations in their functional areas. 

Our process mirrors academic assessment at Fitchburg State in terms of definitions, structure, and time horizons. It is designed to contribute to the University mission, priorities and accreditation in addition to accomplishing divisional and departmental priorities, including the Fitchburg State 2020-25 Strategic Plan.

Departmental Goals 2022-23

Each year, the departments in the Division of Student Affairs focus on annual goals and objectives that address either student learning or effectiveness of operations. While some goals may be repeated over multiple years, they are designed to be accomplished in a single academic year, contributing to the attainment of longer term priorities and outcomes.

Here are the 2022-23 annual goals for the Student Affairs departments.

  • Increase athletic coaches and staff ability to assist student-athletes with mental health concerns.
  • Submit a plan to increase and support student-athletes’ academic success.
  • Adjust intramural sports and recreational programming to reflect the needs, interests and availability of today’s students.
  • Conduct a CARE Team review of scope, procedures and protocols.
  • Enhance communication efforts to educate the campus community, particularly faculty, on the advocacy and support services offered by the Community Standards and Case Manager.
  • Assess the effectiveness of the Dean’s Probation (DP) readmittance program.
  • RAs will understand the mechanics of an incident report and how to write a well written unbiased and complete incident report.
  • The Center for Diversity and Inclusiveness will Increase the number of offerings provided to students through the Student Organization Grant Fund.
  • CDI will assess, research, and develop new signature initiatives that are grounded in best practices, theory, and informed by student needs.
  • Ensure that CDI student staff demonstrate an ability to reflect on their identities, facilitate programs, engage effectively with peers, and establish collaborations.
  • Introduce structured and intentional implementation of treatment plans, identify treatment goals, and monitor progress made by clients during the counseling process.
  • Offer regularly-scheduled, timely, and intentional in-service training for staff, trainees, and other university staff/organizations as appropriate throughout the academic year.
  • Explore and identify effective alternative ways in which to deliver counseling and wellness interventions.
  • Assist with increasing the capacity for students to be better self-advocates and consumers of healthcare.
  • Explore methods by which to better manage “crisis” services.
  • Build effective collaborations between the Disability Services office and a variety of academic departments and support services to create accessible instructional and social environments.
  • Students associated with the Disability Services Office will demonstrate the development of self-advocacy skills and a healthy disability identity.
  • Reduce structural and access barriers to campus physical and instructional environment.
  • Student staff will learn to engage in dialogue on diversity and inclusion.
  • Facilitate an academic success environment within the residence halls.
  • Support a Residential Learning Community program to facilitate a co-curricular experience.
  • Promote occupancy and retention in the residential population through strategic communication and high touch services.
  • Assess the impact of the on-campus living experience.
  • Promote critical thinking, conflict resolution skills, and communication skills to meet the expectations of today’s employers.
  • Implement a pilot curricular model, strengthening our students' knowledge acquisition, career readiness, social mobility, and lifelong learning.
  • Incorporate histories, cultures, and identities of traditionally marginalized students throughout the co-curricular experience.
  • Assess the needs and desires of graduate students.
  • Adopt best practices for advising, mentoring, and teaching all students, especially students from marginalized populations.
  • Identify evidence based programming to guide our work.
  • The TRIO Student Support Squad learn Degree Works tools and the TRIO SSS Blackboard Course and share that knowledge.
  • Increase the visibility of TRIO SSS campus partnerships through social media posts before and after the events.
  • Collaborate with financial literacy partners to host financial literacy events in Fall and in Spring semesters (Bags of Dough) (Financial Intelligence Training (FIT)).
  • Students learn about their own motivations, strengths, and challenges by taking the Life Skills 101 and LASSI surveys, assessing their results, and creating their own personalized action plan.
  • To the extent possible, assess the (emotional?) impact Odin (K19) has on those students he is introduced to or engages with, and the student’s overall perception of a University Police Officer.
  • Students employed by UPD’s Student Security Team will be aware of the various security and safety measures in place at Fitchburg State University.
  • Implement IACLEA’s 5th Edition Standards for Accreditation June 30, 2023.
  • UPD staff members will be aware of the various policies that govern police operations at Fitchburg State University.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Selected Departmental Goals, Results, Implications and Actions 2021-22

  • Increase student-athlete leaders’ awareness of LGBTQ inclusion:
    • Hosted a speaker focusing on the NCAA One Team Initiative targeted for emerging student-athlete leaders. Participants shared many takeaways about LGBTQ+ support on campus and in the NCAA, as well as more knowledge of matters that affect trans* students and student-athletes. Participants also committed to taking at least one action as a result of the training.
    • The Athletics and Recreation Department received good feedback about how to share information with students, in particular being more direct. 
    • More training will be provided on this topic, and policies have been updated to receive higher point of emphasis in the handbooks as well as inclusive language.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
  • Adjust intramural sports and recreational programming to reflect the needs, interests and availability of today’s students:
    • Recreational opportunities emphasized shorter events and tournaments and changed the timing. In addition, more virtual activities and fantasy sports were offered.
    • Survey results indicate that there is a mixture of preferences for shorter seasons and longer seasons.
    • Planning for 2022-23 to determine which events will be extended and which will be truncated. Also will plan for recreation programs that are less rigid than an intramural schedule but perfect for a drop-in user or more casual participant. 
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
  • The Center for Diversity and Inclusiveness will increase the visibility through social media engagement, collaborations, presentations, and trainings:
    • All engagement (social media, programming, presentations and training, and traffic into the Center) raised significantly in 2021-22.
    • This work achieved the goal of establishing the Center as a resource to students, staff, and faculty. Intentional collaborations with campus entities and departments yielded positive results.
    • The 2021-22 experience will help CDI be more intentional about the types of opportunities provided to the campus. Feedback about the students' experiences with the department are very positive. Now there can be more focus on what specifically makes their offerings successful and how to prepare other staff and students to be co-partners in facilitating.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.
  • CDI will assess, research, and develop new signature initiatives that are grounded in best practices, theory, and informed by student needs:
    • Conducted qualitative research to discover specific examples of what makes it difficult to navigate campus and what improvements are desired. Explored preferred topics, format, and timing for programming.
    • Identified information about students' lived experiences on campus as well as guidance on what worked and what did not related to programming.
    • CDI will continue this exploration to provide further clarity about students' lived experiences and the effectiveness of all aspects of programming. Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month will pilot different delivery times and dates. Students' suggestions will inform CDI's dialogues, training, and programs. CDI will also explore creating affinity spaces for student identity groups.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.
  • Ensure that CDI student staff demonstrate an ability to reflect on their identities, facilitate programs, engage effectively with peers, and establish collaborations:
    • Due to challenges in hiring and maintaining student staff, the focus ended up being on training about their role and the office, with more limited time spent on components of their identities.
    • Created a norm of training and development.
    • Create an onboarding document for new student staff. Continue to facilitate monthly training. Plan to invest in the skill development of the student staff related to reflecting on their identities, facilitating programs, engaging effectively with peers, and establishing connections.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
  • Study the withdrawal and re-entry process and populations, and strategically revise as needed:
    • A small group from Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, Community Standards, Financial Aid, and Student Success are collaborating on efforts to better understand and shepherd the process when students express an intention to withdraw from the University, as well as how to re-engage and re-enroll them when appropriate.
    • By examining our processes and populations, we will be able to learn more about why students are withdrawing, address concerns, and re-engage them when appropriate.
    • This work will continue into 2022-23.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 6: Adopt an integrated approach to enrollment management to achieve more systemic and centralized coordination of student recruitment and retention efforts.
  • Introduce structured and intentional implementation of treatment plans, identify treatment goals, and monitor progress made by clients during the counseling process:
    • 33 students took the symptom severity questionnaire in both Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. This scale showed movement toward problems they had identified lessening in creating barriers for them to do their work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people.  
    • Those who completed both symptom severity questionnaires were not only able to track their symptoms, but overall symptom severity improved over the course of the counseling relationship. 
    • Counselors will continue to monitor symptom severity with their student clients, not only by verbally checking in during counseling sessions, but also by tracking client perspective of symptom severity over time. It is likely that counselors will continue to use the BHQ1 and BHQ2 to assist with treatment planning during the next academic year. a designated space to document clear treatment goals as well as tracking the negotiation of such goals should be included in the clinical documentation to make more use of this data collection. 
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.
  • Offer regularly-scheduled and intentional in-service training for staff and trainees throughout the academic year:
    • Staff and trainees were surveyed about interest in topics. Previous year's treatment data also guided selection of topics for the team. Individual staff and trainees also selected individual topics of interest.
    • While ongoing training is an expected part of a clinician's practice, this annual goal assisted in prioritizing trainings pertaining to specific topics addressed in counseling at Fitchburg State was prioritized.
    • This shall remain an annual goal for the department.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 4, Strategy 4: Provide faculty and staff professional development opportunities and appropriate tools, including technology, to ensure they can be effective in their roles.
  • Explore and identify effective alternative ways in which to deliver counseling interventions:
    • Activities focused on increasing the use of Instagram as a source of information and marketing, and evening hour appointments for added flexibility for students.
    • Social media will continue to be cultivated as a means to increase reach and potential connection with students. Evening hours appear to be minimally "needed".
    • Social media will continue to be cultivated. Evening hours may be useful for methods like groups, workshops, or drop-in stress-reduction.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 5, Strategy 3: Proactively reach, engage, and recruit prospective students through marketing efforts whose reach extends regionally, nationally, and globally.
      • Goal 6, Strategy 2: Align academic and co-curricular program plans with long-term demands by taking a data-driven, mission-focused approach to evaluate performance of current offerings and guide development of new programs
      • Goal 2, Strategy 4: Ensure all processes and support services are adequate to meet the unique needs of transfer students, non-traditional students, online learners, and graduate students.
  • Assist with increasing the capacity for students to be better self-advocates and consumers of healthcare:
    • Established a baseline of a new contact log created to track student checkpoints and follow through. 
    • A majority of students sere able to successfully follow through with the clinical onboarding process in each semester in 2021-22. It is unclear how accessible the students found this contact log system.
    • After conducting a DEI audit of the Counseling Services Policies and Procedures, staff identified ways in which we could be even more accessible for a diverse student population. 2022-23 may allow alternative markers to be identified to understand whether a student-client is learning about self-advocacy when it comes to managing their healthcare (in addition to those checkpoints tracked this year).
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
  • Explore methods by which to better manage “crisis” services:
    • Established a baseline number of urgent and Extended Urgent Hour appointments, as well as tracking whether students had a preference for the traditional Urgent Hour time slot vs the Extended Urgent Hour time slot.
    • It appears that students do not prefer the original Urgent Hour time (2-3 p.m.) over the alternative hour (3-4 p.m.) or vice versa. Students were able to request same-day appointments by filling out the SAF and indicating their appointment type preference. This process was beneficial as it allowed for both autonomy for the student client, and also provided the counselors with more information regarding the nature of the emergent issue ahead of time. 
    • Continue to explore a streamlined way to best track contacts that result in scheduling urgent/same-day appointment. 
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.
  • Build effective collaborations between the Disability Services office and a variety of academic departments to create accessible instructional environments: 
    • Established solid relationships with both academic and administrative departments, provided training and support for faculty and staff regarding captioning, assisted departments in adding accommodations statements in public facing documents, collaborated with a faculty member on disability history.
    • A growing number of campus partners are aware of the services offered by Disability Services and are proactively learning how to serve students with disabilities better.
    • Continue to expand the number of partnerships and presentations with academic and co-curricular departments.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 3: Provide faculty and staff training around equity and inclusiveness both in and out of the classroom.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 4: Provide faculty and staff professional development opportunities and appropriate tools, including technology, to ensure they can be effective in their roles.
  • Students associated with the Disability Services Office will demonstrate the development of self-advocacy skills and a healthy disability identity: 
    • 80% of students who received Accommodations Agreements copied the office on their email to professors regarding the agreements; 90% of students with flexible attendance accommodations or occasional extension accommodations emails professors regarding flare ups as outlined in the agreements, and copied the office.
    • The high numbers of students following through with instructions demonstrates that students have greater understanding of their accommodations and greater comfort with requesting accommodations. In addition, some of the students communicated with professors without prompting, demonstrating that they are internalizing self-advocacy. 
    • The office tracks students’ self-advocacy skills, comfort with the office and ability to participate in the accommodations process. The office has begun to use this data as “selling points” of the office and be able to advertise that students with disabilities registered with our office learn the successful implementation of self-advocacy skills. Implement further programming about disability disclosure, self advocacy, time and stress management.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
  • Reduce structural and access barriers to campus physical and instructional environment:
    • Capital Planning and Maintenance (CPM) is an active partner with the office, at times reaching out regarding how construction may impact accessibility of campus.
    • As Fitchburg State continues to be proactive related to physical and other access, we will improve the environment for our students. By making campus aware of accessibility fixes, current and future students with disabilities feel more welcome on campus. With ongoing fixes, the inclusive and physically accessible environment of the campus could become a major recruiting tool for students with disabilities.
    • Continued collaboration with Capital Planning and Maintenance and other campus partners to continue to address physical and built accessibility issues both proactively and as they arise.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 7: Advance the use of innovative technology that improves teaching, learning, student life, and simplifies administrative functions.
  • Student Staff will learn to engage in dialogue on diversity and inclusion:
    • Student staff reported 114 DEI-related interactions with the following themes: LGBTQIA+ student support; mental health awareness; racial injustice, inequality, and systemic racism; cultural awareness and engagement; a few staff members also expressed a feeling of discomfort and lack of perceived competency in having meaningful conversations related to DEI; 74% of student staff were able to define "what diversity and inclusivity means to them"; Student staff made spaces/events inclusive by asking beforehand if residents need special accommodations, setting guidelines for spaces to ensure it is a positive and safe environment, offering multiple levels of engagement at events to support various levels of physical mobility, ensuring the physical space is accessible, allowing residents opportunities to disengage from certain materials if need be, and a wider variety of dietary options at events.
    • As student leaders, the student staff in Housing and Residential Services have a significant impact on the residents they serve. Tending to their growth and development in areas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion not only provides them with skills and competencies that they will use the rest of their lives, but also improves the environment in the residence halls. 
    • Professional staff in the department will use the results to enhance training for 2022-23. In addition, they will be able to use these results to strengthen their supervisory relationships. Finally, the results can be marketed to prospective student staff candidates to highlight what they may learn from the position and will be able to use in their professional careers.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 3: Provide faculty and staff training around equity and inclusiveness both in and out of the classroom.
  • Promote occupancy and retention in the residential population through strategic communication and high touch services:  
    • HRS has been enhancing technological services for the convenience of residents (electronic payments, room condition reports, virtual front desk) and increasing the use of social media and engagement programs to open communication channels and build a sense of belonging. Returning students increased by 2.9% comparing Fall 2020 to Fall 2021. Returning students increased by 3.7% comparing Spring 2021 to Spring 2022.
    • Providing active, two-way communication channels between residents and the Housing and Residential Services office has been a powerful tool to understand the residential student experience and engage residents. These efforts must be continued to enhance the on campus living experience.
    • Continue to work with Admissions to increase the number of students living on campus. Continue to provide excellent customer service, open communication, and engagement opportunities.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
      • Goal 4 Strategy 4: Provide faculty and staff professional development opportunities and appropriate tools, including technology, to ensure they can be effective in their roles.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 5: Promote a culture of transparent organizational communication and decision-making so that all members of the campus community feel heard and valued.
  • Strengthen departmental operation documents for inclusion and equity:
    • The department conducted an equity audit of all policies and procedures.
    • It is important to review policies and procedures with an equity lens to discover any implicit or explicit bias and correct it.
    • Update policies and procedures identified in audit prior to the start of the 2022-23 academic year.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 4, Strategy 5: Promote a culture of transparent organizational communication and decision-making so that all members of the campus community feel heard and valued.
        Strategic Plan Contributions Goal 4, Strategy 5: Promote a culture of transparent organizational communication and decision-making so that all members of the campus community feel heard and valued.
  • Promote critical thinking, conflict resolution skills, and communication skills to meet the expectations of today’s employers:
    • Student leaders in leadership positions demonstrated the following skills when serving in these roles: critical thinking skills, conflict resolution, active listening, and verbal/non-verbal communication.
    • Having evidence of the skills that student leaders are learning and using is helpful for not only them as individuals and student organizations, but also for the university to be able to demonstrate the tangible impact of engagement on campus.
    • Continue to observe individuals and groups of student leaders to further understand the impact and outcomes. Use this information to market to prospective student leaders.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2 Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful, personal, and professional lives.
  • The TRIO Student Support Squad learn to develop and lead the spring sessions of the First Four Weeks Program (FFWP):
    • Squad leaders reported feeling ownership of their content week and the concepts they were teaching.
    • TRIO Student Support Services learned what methods of training the Squad leaders are most effective, and how to define success with this task.
    • This will continue as a learning goal for TRIO SSS, focusing on opportunities for Squad leaders create their own curriculum and measure how well they are able to present it.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2 Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful, personal, and professional lives.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 7: Advance the use of innovative technology that improves teaching, learning, student life, and simplifies administrative functions.
  • Increase campus partnerships by way of collaborative programming: Each month in 2021-22, partners from across campus participated in trainings and events with TRIO SSS students.
    • TRIO Student Support Services students gained familiarity and comfort with campus partners while the staff fostered and strengthened relationships. TRIO SSS also changed the way it views its role on campus from one that focuses on interactions with offices that directly serve their population to one that educates other offices about TRIO SSS and its students while learning from those offices.
    • Continue to monitor and evolve TRIO SSS relationships with campus partners.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 3: Promote greater interdisciplinary teaching and develop innovative combinations across academic departments.
      • Goal 1, Strategy 4: Leverage existing curricular strengths to develop new programs that meet demand and forge deeper connections between our curriculum and community needs.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
  • TRIO SSS participants develop a greater understanding of their financial aid package and their student accounts statements and translate that understanding into action by filling out FAFSA by February 1, 2022:
    • Pre- and post-tests were administered to first year students that measured their knowledge of FAFSA - 100% of students increased their knowledge after attending the training and 86% of students achieved a 100%. 80% of students received financial aid counseling by May 2022.
    • Some good lessons were learned about incentivizing students to participate and the efficacy of pre-post tests to help students focus on the knowledge that they should take away from the workshop. 
    • Results have been shared with the Financial Aid Office who are considering broadening their educational outreach surrounding financial literacy (and particularly the FAFSA and student debt) to reach more students.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful, personal, and professional lives.
  • TRIO SSS partners with the Library, Tutor Services, and Athletics to pilot a Student Athletes’ Study Hall:
    • Three offices organized a weekly study hall for 35 football players, inviting many campus partners to share information and services in this space. Each week participants experienced a guest speaker, and then were given individual support by staff from Tutor Services, the Library, and TRIO SSS.  
    • This pilot showed that student-athletes who participate will gain knowledge of the opportunities and services available to them. We hope that the results will assist Fitchburg State in encouraging a culture of help-seeking behaviors on campus. 
    • The Athletics and Recreation Services Department is doing work in 2022-23 to promote and support student-athlete academic success. These results will inform that work.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 1, Strategy 3: Promote greater interdisciplinary teaching and develop innovative combinations across academic departments.
      • Goal 1, Strategy 4: Leverage existing curricular strengths to develop new programs that meet demand and forge deeper connections between our curriculum and community needs.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
  • Create and deliver a pilot de-escalation program for the university community by December 31, 2021:
    • Developed the core curriculum to deliver a pilot version and identify any necessary revisions to the curriculum, which are appropriate for the intended audiences.
    • This program is intended to provide members of the Fitchburg State University community skills and knowledge in de-escalating situations. The pilot provided good feedback.
    • The program will be updated based on the feedback from the pilot deliveries. After revisions, it will be shared with targeted audiences in the broader campus community.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 4, Strategy 2: Strengthen the sense of community, institutional pride, and shared accountability on campus.
      • Goal 6, Strategy 2: Align academic and co-curricular program plans with long-term demands by taking a data-driven, mission-focused approach to evaluate performance of current offerings and guide development of new programs.
  • Develop students working for UPD’s Student Security Team to be aware of the various security and safety measures at Fitchburg State University:
    • The curriculum in the SST academy seems to be helpful in achieving the desired learning objectives. Results from the pre-, post-, and retention tests: Pre-Test Average:  68%  Post-Test Average:  97.3%   Retention Average:  96.5%
    • The current model appears to be helpful for the students to understand their role in the Student Security Team program.
    • Continue with the Academy model.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.
  • Create a College Assessment Rubric (CAR) that students will use to guide their college exploration:
    • During the Fall semester, 23 out of 46 (50%) active participants completed the CAR at least once. Based on student feedback, the questions on the CAR have been modified since its creation.
    • The intention behind the CAR may need to shift from a data generator that immediately impacts and drives programming to a more, long term reflective piece used by students as they narrow their college search.
    • Consider expanding the CAR to capture impressions of other institutions that students may have heard about but have NOT had the opportunity to visit in person.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 6, Strategy 2: Align academic and co-curricular program plans with long-term demands by taking a data-driven, mission-focused approach to evaluate performance of current offerings and guide development of new programs.
  • Assess student progress throughout the academic year utilizing student grades, standardized test scores, and qualitative feedback from school staff:
    • 3.27 overall average GPA reported on APR (Nov 2021)
    • We will utilize these results to determine efficacy of best practices when monitoring student academic performance.
    • Based on the results, we will make sure that all systemic processes put in place to monitor and impact student success are effective and well thought out.
    • Strategic Plan Contributions
      • Goal 1, Strategy 2: Establish a learning environment in which academic and co-curricular programs work in synergy to offer applied learning experiences that prepare students for purposeful personal and professional lives.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 1: Achieve a cultural shift around how we advise, mentor, and teach all students, especially traditionally underrepresented and underserved students, so that we meet them where they are.
      • Goal 2, Strategy 2: Develop and implement a purposeful and holistic model of student support services grounded in evidence-based practices.