Beyond the First Year: Meeting the Needs of Second Year Students

1. Beyond the First Year: Meeting the Needs of Second Year Students Ana Romero, Residence Hall Director Matthew Tombaugh, Area Coordinator Northern Arizona University

2. Overview • Introduction • Why is this topic relevant • Second year student needs • Our journey • Developing your own model

3. Why is this topic relevant • Sophomores continue to struggle with transitions • Moving into a less structured environment • Retention continues to be a strong focus area • Second highest drop (2009: 71% 1st yr vs. 60% 2nd yr.) • Performance based funding • Furthering identity development • Character, personality and value development

4. Second Year Student Needs Transition Issues Academics • May begin to feel unimportant • Begin to question if college was the right choice • Seeking sense of belonging and meaningful experiences • More critical of peer relationships • Continued exploration of majors • Lack of satisfaction with faculty interaction • Interest in connecting classroom material with out-of-classroom experiences • Unsure of how to improve grades

5. Second Year Student Needs Engagement Career Development • Interest in taking on more leadership opportunities • Service and giving back to the community becomes more important • Desire to study abroad • Interest in making more clear career decisions • Want to gain applicable career skills • Need preparation for internships and future employment

6. Our journey • Our Departmental Model • Progression from Freshmen Connections • 2007 SYE Conference • Impact and Cost • Last Year: First Four Weeks • The structure and what it accomplished • The year in overview • This Year: First Four Weeks and Beyond • Creating structure and accountability: Programming and one on one conversations and where we’re going.

7. Connections to the World Connections to NAU Connecting with Residents Educate: Academic Success Inclusive Communities Community & Civic Engagement Health, Wellness & Personal Development Residents Connect with Each Other

8. Our journey • Our Departmental Model • Progression from Freshmen Connections • 2007 SYE Conference • Impact and Cost • Last Year: First Four Weeks • The structure and what it accomplished • The year in overview • This Year: First Four Weeks and Beyond • Creating structure and accountability: Programming and one on one conversations and where we’re going.

9. Freshman Connections: First 6 Weeks! • Week 1: Connect to NAU • Week 2: Community Living • Week 3: Academic Success • Week 4: Health & Wellness • Week 5: Community Service • Week 6: Explore Your World Each week comes with suggested activities, conversation starters and expectations.

10. Our journey • Our Departmental Model • Progression from Freshmen Connections • 2007 SYE Conference • Impact and Cost • Last Year: First Four Weeks • The structure and what it accomplished • The year in overview • This Year: First Four Weeks and Beyond • Creating structure and accountability: Programming and one on one conversations and where we’re going.

11. Last Year: First Four Weeks • Week 1: (Re)connect to NAU • Week 2: Academic Success • Week 3: Personal Growth • Week 4: Global Citizenship

12. Our journey • Our Departmental Model • Progression from Freshmen Connections • 2007 SYE Conference • Impact and Cost • Last Year: First Four Weeks • The structure and what it accomplished • The year in overview • This Year: First Four Weeks and Beyond • Creating structure and accountability: Programming and one on one conversations and where we’re going.

13. Second Year Experience: the First Four Weeks and Beyond! Year Overview: • First Four Weeks focus on Connection Building and giving a “taste” of 3 focus areas. • Academic Success: “Minute to Win It” • Personal Growth: “Photo Hike” • Global Citizenship: “Amazing Race” • End of September through end of October: Engage each resident 1:1 in reflection. • November: Create activities focused around Personal Growth and Development. •  January to mid-February: Engage each resident 1:1 in reflecting about academic success. •  Late February to Spring Break: Create activities focused around Inclusive Communities • Returning from Spring Break: Create activities focused around Global Citizenship. • April: Engage residents 1:1 in reflecting on their year to assist closure and transition.

14. Lessons Learned • Planning can’t begin too early • Creating investment and buy-in takes time • Expectations need to be clear and understood • Training and on-going skill building is key • More yet to be learned 

15. What’s next? • Further development of assessment to measure outcomes (possible creation of focus groups) • Continued and revised staff training • Looking at the timing and ratio of programsto conversations • Proposal of a SYE focused community • Review alignment between the first and second year experiences • More communication up-front to incoming students

16. Developing your own model • Consider: • Institutional/departmental values. • Where have you been? • What is your population? • What are you trying to achieve? • Resources available. • How do you get buy-in? • How do you provide initial and on-going training? • How will you assess?

17. Questions? • Thank you for attending this session! • Presenter info: • Ana Romero (Ana.Romero@nau.edu) • Matthew Tombaugh (Matthew.Tombaugh@nau.edu)