Student Success

line of people coming down a staircase with a wall of windows in the background

Onboarding

Project Status: Implementation

This project aims to implement a clear, comprehensive, and consistent onboarding experience for first year and transfer students during their first year at PSU. With a supportive plan in place, students will know who their ‘success’ team is and the knowledge and access to resources that support student success. This project is a collaborative effort between Advising & Career Services and the Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center. 

Accomplished

  • Integrated learnings from Welcome Week and launched Winter Welcome Week efforts in collaboration with Academic and Career Services (ACS), Office of Student Success (OSS), and academic service units to support student navigation and connection to resources.
  • Consolidated feedback from advising community on First Year Mandatory Advising (FYMA) and developed a list of student outcomes and recommendations for enhancing First Year Mandatory Advising (FYMA)  practices in Academic and Career Services.
  • Presented Project findings and progress to Academic and Career Services community in Nov 2023.
  • Presented First Year Mandatory Advising (FYMA)  outcomes and recommendations to Academic Advising Council in Jan/Feb 2024.
  • Launched Phase II Kick-Off meeting in January 2024 with additional key stakeholders, including Honors, Learning Center, Financial Aid, Financial Wellness Center, Registrar’s Office, Student Affairs, Student Success, and University Studies. 
  • Met with Orientation and New Student Programming to discuss onboarding project updates for alignment, consistency, and support.

In Progress

  • Coordinate plans for Welcome Week efforts in Spring 2024.
  • Synthesize learnings from journey mapping the ideal onboarding experience during the first three term by modality, timeframe, and first year vs. transfer experience.
  • Engage with stakeholders for input and feedback on onboarding design and plan for implementation.
  • Workgroup to refine practices and implement interventions in preparation for 2024-25 launch.
  • Drafting recommendation for an update to the First Year Mandatory Advising Requirement for review by the Advising Council and the Vice Provost for Student Success.
  • Develop a coordinated onboarding communication plan to be implemented beginning Summer/Fall 2024
     

Project Team

Sponsors: Andrea Garrity, Lynell Spencer, and Erica Wagner
Project Leads:  Ilka Bailey and Randi Harris
Project Manager: Kara Hayes
Team: Brianna Avery, Shawna Chambers, Saori Clark, Beth Harris, Elijah Herr, Brittany Montana, Luke Norman, Krys Roth, Aimee Shattuck, Shay Snyder, Ryan Wagner
Collaborators: Advising and Career Services, Office of Student Success, Transfer and Returning Student Resource Center