Increase Funds for Academic Support Program (Both Campuses)



Initiative TitleIncrease Funds for Academic Support Program (Both Campuses)
Submitted in Previous Year(s)No
Critical Information, Notes, Justification, Rationale

Both the Middletown Tutorial Center and Newburgh Learning Centers have experienced a consistent increase in student use of support services over the past three academic years.  This steady increase in attendance has also spiked for the Fall 2019 semester from a roughly 13% increase to a 24% increase (both centers combined).  Likewise we continue to experience an increase in spending for the Academic Support program to maintain pace with student demand.  Further, we continue to proactively work to expand Academic Support programming offered to students to anticipate changing and increasing student needs.  

Currently, tutoring across campus is siloed by "session type" (for example, the Math Lab is drop-in help, whereas Math tutoring in the center is scheduled).  Scheduled tutoring within the Academic Support centers is currently application-based for a recurring, weekly session.  Beginning in Fall 2018, we have begun offering drop-in options for students within the centers, which accounts for part of our significant increase in attended sessions.  In order to continue to reduce barriers to support access, Academic Support aims to standardize its support model with comparable college support models (where students are able to book individual sessions on their own via TutorTrac, and students are able to book sessions not just for specific courses but also for session types such as Time Management, or Writing, where our English tutors can support writing across the curriculum).  This requires a restructuring of the current tutor schedule model and an increase in funds to support the forecasted increase in student use.  

In order to sustain our sharply increasing usage and make much needed program changes, we are requesting an increase of the Newburgh tutorial line to $110,000 (from $93,000) and an increase of the Middletown tutorial line to $160,398.61 (from $133,268.54).

On a final note, the structural barriers of accessing Academic Support is most felt and noticed on the student level.  From the Fall 2019 mid-semester evaluation cycle, below are notable comments to the question, "If we could improve one thing about the center, what would it be:"

1) "Fill in no show gaps with drop-ins." (Although we've currently begun outreaching to students to inform them to try for drop-ins, by allowing students to book on their own via TutorTrac they'd be able to schedule with tutors up to 2-3 hours in advance of an opening.)
2) "Knowing what kind of tutor we are receiving when applying." (With students given access to TutorTrac, they'd be able to schedule by availability of specific tutors they prefer to work with.)
3) "I see the tutor sometimes sitting alone since their session no showed or cancelled...It seems like a waste if there are other students that could benefit."

Consequences of this initiative not being funded

Student use of support is directly tied to increased student completion rates among 2- and 4-year institutions.  By investing in Academic Support, SUNY Orange ensures the continued enhancement of its retention efforts.

Department GoalsBuild and reinforce college-wide partnerships that enhance services, infrastructure, and the overall student experience., Support the recommendations of the Guided Pathways Re-Design Process., Increase awareness of and access to services and best practices that support holistic student success.
Programs
LocationsMain Campus, Newburgh Campus
Estimated Completion Date05/03/2021
Will this initiative span multiple budget years?Yes
ImportanceHigh
Funding SourceRequest for Prioritization
Created12/13/2019 3:44 pm
Updated12/13/2019 4:12 pm

Institutional Goals

Goal How will the initiative support this institutional goal?
The current model of student support at SUNY Orange must be enhanced in order to adapt to changing student need. Further, Academic Support has demonstrated through preliminary data from AY18-19 the GPA gains of students who are able to access our support services, vs. those who do not.

Action Steps

Action Step Responsible Party Order
Additional hiring, training, staffing Academic Support 1
Creation of training materials for staff Academic Support 2
Creation of instructional materials for students, faculty Academic Support 3
Ongoing community outreach via CTL, other opportunities to inform constituents of changes in service access Academic Support 4

Expected Outcomes

Outcome Order
Increased student service 1

Assessment Methods

Method Description Other Method Responsible Party
Tracking Usage of programs, services, participation can be tracked; demographic information may also be able to be collected. Academic Support
Observations Information can be collected while observing “events” (including, sponsored activities, student {office staff} sessions, etc.) in the natural setting. Observation can provide information on student behaviors and attitudes. Academic Support
Student Surveys: Satisfaction Need Surveys can be developed internally and administered to assess student frequency, importance, need and satisfaction institution’s staff, office and services and programming. Academic Support

Resources

INITIAL YEAR COST: $0.00
RECURRING COST: $44,130.07

Equipment

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Facility

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Supply

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Staffing

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
Increase to MT Budget Line: Acc# 7653 $27130.07 / 27130.07
  • Academic Support Middletown
Increase to NB Budget: Acc# 7653 $17000.00 / 17000.00
  • Academic Support Newburgh
TOTAL: $0.00 / $44,130.07

Training

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Marketing

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Other

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Combined From

Initiative Title Department
Increase Funds for Academic Support Program (Both Centers) Academic Support Middletown

Prioritization

Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Initiative Title Department
9
6
2
1

Increase Funds for Academic Support Program (Both Campuses)
$0.00 / $44,130.07
Learning & Student Success, AVP Office

Assessment

DateDepartment NameStatusCost to DateFunding Source 
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