FOUR-YEAR DEVELOPMENT
– A Path for Every Ole
The four-year path cultivates a channel of meaningful touchpoints for all students throughout their time on the Hill while championing student agency in the curricular and co-curricular realms of their St. Olaf experience. The Four-Year Development Path advances students through four co-curricular Threads – Belonging, Holistic, Career, and Impact – all anchored by the Curricular Core.
THE FOUR-YEAR PATH
- Launch For Every Ole with incoming students – enhancing New Student Orientation for first years and NSO: Transfer Track. Begin to implement additional class year specific programming.
- Begin roll out of GROW program (mentoring between supervisor and student employee linking academics to employment and future career) student with a focus on first year student employees.
- Collaborate with Carleton College to revise the Northfield Community Partners student employment program
- Develop and implement for first year and transfer students (a) an onboarding workshop for student employment; (b) a workplace expectations and communication workshop; and (c) a transferable skills/resume workshop, primarily
- Reevaluate all student employment jobs and address the issue of a pay differential for roles with different levels of leadership and responsibility
- Develop sophoMORE experience; continue to offer Quo Vadis, Sophomore Experience programming
- Develop Junior Jumpstart
- Develop New Alumni Orientation, continue to offer and enhance Senior Week and Commencement
- Begin rollout of Life After Olaf series
THE ADVISING MODEL
- Link the transition from the new Orientation & Transition and Common Read programs to pre-major advising teams
- Address retention through a new team-based advising model, adding success coaches to the current advising structure. (Faculty Pre-Major Advisor + SOAR Peer Leader + Success Coach); Hire CAAS success coaching staff in summer 2022; Hire Associate Dean of Advising and Mentoring
- Develop extended SOAR curriculum and conduct a rigorous evaluation and assessment of student learning using several models for enhancing pre-major advising, SOAR program; share all findings with faculty
- Roll out a third- and fourth-year advising team (major advisor, industry specific Piper Center coach, alumni mentoring pods)
- Expand pilots of alumni/student mentoring pods (industry and identity) based on feedback from students and faculty involved in the inaugural program.
- Identify and support faculty pre-professional advisors
- Collect ‘Plan of Study’ samples from each department, concentration, pre-professional program
ELIMINATION OF THE GAP
- Address retention through increased support for the ~800+ students with temporary or permanent disabilities (physical, learning, sensory, health, psychological)
- Focus attention on implementation of the Retention and Success Committee’s recommended strategies for increasing retention, inclusion, and belonging
- Fund foundational needs programs outline in Appendix C: Transitional Grant, Emergency Fund, Taylor Center Equity Fund, Food Insecurity and Equitability, Access to Transportation, Access to Technology
THE FOUR-YEAR PATH
- Fund and staff faculty positions for the First Year Seminar.
- Continue roll out of GROW program to student employees
- Continue to review and implement a pay differential for roles with different levels of leadership and responsibility
- Develop and implement (a) a DEI in the workplace workshop and (b) an application and interviewing workshop for sophomore student employees
- Trial a first-year student employment “service” program to introduce first year students to St. Olaf’s mission and servant leadership
- Initiate rollout of Leadership Arc
- Expand Life After Olaf series
- Develop Leadership Practicum
- Assess student satisfaction related to the College’s residential experience
THE ADVISING MODEL
- First Year Seminar is funded and staffed. SOAR is funded, staffed and expanded based upon evaluation and assessment of student learning. If applicable, the new SOAR program would go to the Curriculum Committee and, if approved by that committee, to the faculty for a vote. Advising and SOAR program continues to undergo evaluation and assessment.
- Configure a new enterprise information system (EIS) for comprehensive student information management (one portal for advising, success, academics, financials).
- Further expansion, evaluation, and revision of alumni mentoring pods (industry and identity) based on feedback from students, faculty, and success coaches, as well as data from outcomes, retention, and surveys about belonging.
ELIMINATION OF THE GAP
- Address retention of BIPOC, first generation, students with disabilities, men, and low financial need/high academic need students by benchmarking and developing cohort programs for these groups
THE FOUR-YEAR PATH
- Conclude implementation of GROW as part of all student employment jobs
- Roll out the first-year student employment “service” program to all first-year students
- Develop Senior Summit
- Expand Life After Olaf series
- Develop I-Term, Interim Pathway in collaboration with faculty. Test various models of Interim Pathway.
- Catalyst Seminar
- Experiential Connections
THE ADVISING MODEL
- Continue to expand and adapt Pre-Major Advising model/SOAR (based on student and faculty evaluations, assessment data, success metrics). Advising and SOAR program continues to undergo evaluation and assessment.
- Implement a new enterprise information system (EIS)
THE FOUR-YEAR PATH
- Expand Leadership Arc
- If I-term, or Interim Pathway proves to be a model worth adopting, it would go to the Curriculum Committee and, if approved by that committee, to the faculty for a vote.
- Catalyst Seminar
- Experiential Connections
- Senior Capstone
THE ADVISING MODEL
- Review Pre-Major Advising/SOAR program (updates and adjustments made on an annual basis).