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1. Bridging the Gap Advisors and Faculty facilitating the transition for "at-risk" students Mark Archibald, Colleen Opal, Anthony Ramos Loyola University Chicago

2. Overview Introductions Discussion of “at-risk” Related Literature Bridge to Loyola Program Details Student Achievement and Retention Data Student, Faculty and Staff Feedback Future Plans Brainstorming on resources for your campuses

3. “At-risk” In small groups: What does “at-risk” mean on your campus? How are students defined as “at-risk”? What programs or strategies does your institution currently use? What challenges do you encounter in providing support to at risk students?

4. Relevant Theories Preparedness Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure Astin’s T heory of Student Involvement Nancy Schlossberg’s Theory of Transition Baxter- Magolda & King’s Self-Authorship & Learning Partnerships Model

5. Program History LEAP/STEP….

6. Selection Process High School GPA/ACT Accepted, Denied, forward to committee Committee Review Process

7. Summer Residential Component Two-day orientation Retreat / Community Building Program staff 3 credit hour course; Anthropology/Psychology

8. Summer Residential Component Academic Skills Workshops Guided Study hours Social Programs Faculty/Staff meetings One-on-ones with students Post-summer recommendations

9. Fall and Spring Seminars Fall: UNIV 101: First-Year Seminar Cohort sections of Biology & Composition Spring: UNIV 102: Leadership D evelopment seminar Cohort sections of Biology

10. Assessment Data To date, no students from our two years have been dismissed from Loyola due to academic reasons 9% on dean’s list in first semester, 17% in second semester (2010 cohort) Average cumulative GPA at end of 1 st year: 2.97 ( 2010 Cohort)

11. Student Experiences Noted benefits: Community development F amiliarity with campus R elationships with faculty and staff A wareness of resources Awareness of academic expectations Challenges: Negativity N eed to adapt quickly during summer component M otivation

12. Faculty & Staff Experiences The Faculty as Faculty What they do What they see The Staff as Staff What they do What they see Collaboration! What we do What we see

13. Challenges Cost Group Size Differing needs of student population Student value of workshops Role of Peer Mentors

14. What’s Next? Further research on progress of students in program Benchmark with other institutions Programming throughout the school year Speakers Social events One on ones with students 1-2 times each semester Interweave workshops with class sessions in summer Create action plan with specific students

15. Brainstorming for your Campus What type of program would meet the needs of your students? What resources do you already have on your campus? Who are the stakeholders who can help you build/enhance your program?

16. Student Experiences You don't realize it until you have graduated Bridge and have been a student for a while, but it helps your study skills. It made the transition into college easier and helped me to know where everything was before everyone else and gave me some of my best friends I have today. Overall the most beneficial part of the program to me was learning how to study and take notes in class. Also, it really helped me organize my time during the day so that I can study and have fun as well. I made great friends. Which is weird since I have such a hard time making friends I never thought I'd make such powerful connections and I have. All of the study strategies during the summer helped me figure out which ones worked for me and which didn't, which is better than trying to figure them out during the school year which could have cost me my grades.