“Low retention rates are a continuing problem for UMass Boston,” reads the 121-page self-study the university has prepared for its upcoming reaccredidation evaluation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Concerns regarding UMB’s ability to keep first-year incoming freshman from prematurely exiting from the university remain chief among retention goals.
Dr. Steven Schwartz of the Psychology department and faculty representative to the UMass Board of Trustees sits on the steering committee for the reaccredidation. However, before preparation for the April 9 visit began, Schwartz spearheaded the creation of a program, which hopes to, at least in a small way, help curb UMass Boston’s concerns with freshman student retention.
The pilot version of a freshman mentoring program is scheduled to begin this coming fall and plans to accommodate up to 50 freshman students with mentors from both UMB faculty and professional staff.
According to Schwartz, who is heading the project along with Director of the University Advising Center John Applebee and Donna Neal of Student Life, students will be given the opportunity to sign up for the pilot study during freshman orientation before the start of the fall semester. The goal of the study is to recruit 100 student volunteers and compare the retention data for those with and without mentors.
The pilot program is funded through the issue of a Student Affairs Resources for Success (STARS) grant. According to Student Affairs the grants are offered to provide resources for collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and a Student Affairs staff member in order to increase the potential for student life on the UMass Boston campus.
Faculty and staff are invited to attend an informational luncheon either on Wednesday, April 20 at 12:30 p.m. or Thursday, April 21 at 1p.m. to which the details of the program will be outlined in a distributed handbook.
The handbook will also contain information on services at the university, and relay information regarding where volunteers can direct their students having issues with financial aid or any other issues.
The program will match between 25 and 50 new incoming freshman with a like number of faculty or staff volunteers. Faculty and staff choosing to take part in the program will be partnered with incoming freshmen expressing interest in having a university mentor for the duration of their first year at UMB.
The mentors will receive two vouchers per semester to take their freshmen to lunch at the Campus Center’s faculty lounge at both the start and close of the spring and fall semesters. The students and staff will exchange contact information, and UMB employee volunteers will be available to their designated students to help with both academic and adjustment issues.
“The idea of the program is for the student to make a connection with a specific person at the university. That doesn’t mean the student can’t also make a connection with their advisor,” says Applebee. “But, for this connection the faculty member actually reaches out to the student proactively,” he continues, citing that the student contact with the university’s advising department is often student-initiated.
Schwartz says that freshman students often come in to the university without a declared major and therefore are without connection to a faculty advisor within their department. He continues that if the demography of the student and staff volunteers allows, students with declared majors and interests could be partnered with corresponding faculty.
“Research has shown that students who form a relationship with a faculty or professional staff member tend to have a better retention rate,” says Schwartz.
UMB’s reaccredidation self-study reinforces Schwartz’s assertion and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data: “an increased emphasis on building one campus community [is] partly the result of an analysis of NSSE data that showed UMass Boston students are significantly less involved with campus life than those at other research intensive universities.”
“This might be particularly important at a university like ours where so many students are the first in their families to go to college,” explains Schwartz.
The pilot study aspect of the program will come into play in the Fall of 2006 when the drop-out rates among those who were mentored is compared with those freshman navigating the campus on their own.
“The notion is that if it is successful it can expand the following year,” says Schwartz.
Any faculty or staff interested in participating in the mentoring program should contact the university advising center.