What Works at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Nine Strategies for Increasing Retention and Graduation Rates will have broad appeal within the field of education and beyond. While the primary audience for this book is the faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and campus community of the current 105 HBCUs in the United States, this book is written to appeal to all professionals in the field of higher education, guidance counselors and administrators in P-12 education, sociologists and social scientists, and scholars who study change management, outcomes assessment, and success in any organized structure or system.
Acknowledgments Preface Introduction: HBCUs: Legacy and Historical Context HBCUs: Historical Context Morgan State University: A Brief History Morgan's Office of Student Success and Retention Who is This Book For? What is This Book About? Chapter 1: Leadership: You Are Only As Good As Your College President The College Presidency in America: A Profile HBCU Presidents: The Best of the "Old Guard" HBCU Presidents: The Best of the "New School" Morgan State University: A Tale of Two Presidents "Old Guard" vs. "New School" Navigating Changes in Senior Leadership New Leadership = New Opportunities The Future of the HBCU Presidency Chapter 1: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 2: Branding: Understanding What Makes Your University Great & Putting it Out There Branding by Mass Media What is Your Brand? Development of a Brand Perception: The HBCU Renaissance To Be an HBCU, or Not To Be an HBCU - That Is the Question Let Data Inform the Brand Re-branding New Student Orientation Brand Cohesion: Alignment with Strategic Goals of the Institution "Putting it Out There": Communicating the Brand "We Are the Bears!" Chapter 2: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 3: Data Mining: Who are your students and what do they need? Who are the students at Morgan State University? Trust the Data, Don't "Second-Guess" the Data Where's the Data? What is the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)? What Data Comes from Accuplacer? Use Data to Answer Questions Data and Strategic Retention Goals Data Driven Decision Making So What Do Your Students Need? Write the Data Narrative for Your Own Institution Chapter 3: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 4: Frontloading: Freshmen, First Impressions, and Foundations Foundations Frontloading Summer Orientation - Begin at the Beginning HBCU Orientation: A Cultural Transition Model Goals & Objectives of Summer Orientation Measuring Success: Student Orientation Outcomes Benchmark Study CASA Academy - A Model Program The Quest for StrengthsQuest Six Weeks of "Math Boot Camp" Foundations of Excellence (R) in the First College Year First-Year Advising Tutoring and Collaborations Don't Forget the Parents College GPS: the Freshman Orientation Course What Follows the First Year The Final Impression of First Impressions Chapter 4: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 5: Case Management: Systematic Tracking and Monitoring of Students by Cohort Predictive Analytics Why Cohorts? Predicting Success at Morgan Navigating the Bill Payment Process The Origins of Case Management at Morgan To Drop or not to Drop - That is the Question Education on "HOLD" Tracking & Monitoring Transparent Record Keeping "Fishing" for Students Case Management: A Proven Strategy A Winning Combination Chapter 5: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 6: Strategic Initiatives: Programs Designed Specifically to "Move the Data" Embrace the System Common Academic Support Programs Are They Working? The Genesis of Strategic Programming at MSU A Bright Idea is Born The Reclamation Initiative The Results Are In... A Model Program One Step Away An Exit Strategy Degree Auditing Software Other Strategic Initiatives The Genesis of a Philosophy Moving the Data Becoming and Remaining Strategic Chapter 6: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 7: Leveraging External Resources: Getting the Most Out of Grants Grants Are Worth Much More than Money Public Grants: Funding That's A Strong Foundation AmeriCorps*VISTA: A Non-Traditional Grant for an HBCU A Game-Changer: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation IPAS Grant Lumina Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) The Kresge Foundation Southern Education Foundation (SEF) USA Funds Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Promote Student Success with Grants Chapter 7: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 8: Technology: Tools and Systems Help Us Work Smarter Not Harder The Foundation: A Student Information System (SIS) A Smooth Switch to Google IPAS: A New Acronym IPAS Benefits and Outcomes Transition and Buy-In Change Management A User-Friendly Tool The Results Are In.... Manual Degree Auditing Why Degree Auditing Software? Google Apps Starfish Retention Solutions Degree Works (TM) by Ellucian Blackboard Oracle Campus Labs SmarThinking Civitas Learning (TM) Hobsons GradesFirst Chapter 8: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 9: Networking: Documenting and Sharing Your Successes and Failures Being the Only HBCU to Attend... No Need to "Reinvent the Wheel" Getting the "Real Deal" from Colleagues Why Attend Conferences? The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Annual Regional HBCU Summit on Retention National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) National Orientation, Transition, and Retention Association (NODA) Ruffalo Noel Levitz American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) The College Board Complete College America The Education Policy Institute (EPI) NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) Chapter 9: Questions & Next Steps References Chapter 10: The HBCU Success Recipe HBCUs and the College Completion Agenda Should HBCUs Just Admit "Better" Students? Blaming the Students Overcoming the Impact of Students' Financial Hardships Georgia State University: the "Success Recipe" at Work What Will Work: the Future of Retention, Persistence & Completion at HBCUs Chapter 10: Questions & Next Steps References
