Enrollment, Retention, Hiring Pause, and Support Services Review
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As the fall term comes to a close, we find ourselves continuing to grapple with the challenges posed by a continuing enrollment decline. This fall, we saw a 5% decrease in enrollment (particularly among transfer and First Year returning students). As we set our sights on reaching goals in the new year for increasing new and continuing student enrollment, I remain focused on addressing these challenges, both through attention to our financial sustainability and through continuing efforts to support improvements in enrollment and retention. I discuss these challenges further in Addressing Our Enrollment Challenge and Announcing a New ReImagine Initiative. Erica Wagner, Vice Provost for Student Success, lays out work to increase retention on the Student Success in Academic Affairs webpage . This newsletter includes elements of our path forward in Academic Affairs, such as exploring Huron's Administrative Activity Study regarding federated service centers, the PSU hiring pause, and highlighting programs that will advance our goals for student success, diversity, and inclusion.
— Susan Jeffords, Provost
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Federated Service Center Design Begins in January 2023
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As part of the institution-wide Support Services Review, the Huron Support Services & Operational Review identified that one of PSU’s key challenges is our highly decentralized operational structure. This structure has yielded, per their analysis, duplications of effort, significant reliance on generalists, inequity in service delivery, and — ultimately — less effective service to students, academic and support units, and the institution. It was further acknowledged that the structure has limited career growth opportunities, increased the feeling of burnout and contributed to low employee morale. One of the resulting recommendations is to adopt federated service centers.
As a next step in the Support Services Review, Academic Affairs will be moving forward with exploring federated service centers in order to ensure operational excellence, support of our employees in their career growth and job satisfaction, and that our human and financial resources are optimized to support our mission and values. While cost savings may be an outcome of this exercise, the core purpose of this work it is to add value to the institution through improved delivery of our services that support our students, faculty and staff.
This work will require broad engagement of staff and faculty to ensure that the outcomes are informed by the expertise of PSU employees. Good work has already been done by staff in CLAS as part of their Exploring Shared Services in PSU’s Largest Multidisciplinary College: A ReImagine CLAS Staff Narrative ReImagine project. Their recommendations provide a great foundation for our discussions. We look forward to engaging with faculty and staff on this important project starting in January.
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Academic Affairs Creates Guidelines for the Institution-Wide Hiring Pause
President Percy announced in his PSU Fall 2022 Financial Update a comprehensive hiring pause in response to the greater-than-expected decline in enrollments this fall term and the impact the shortfall has had on our revenues. The President has asked each Vice President to develop reduction plans for their divisions, focusing specifically on the elimination of some vacant positions. In response to that request, Academic Affairs will approach the hiring pause in two phases, including an immediate freeze on hiring and the development of a revised strategic hiring plan for Academic Affairs. For more details, click on the “Read More” button below.
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High-Impact Retention Projects for the 2022/2023 Academic Year
In addition to our ongoing work to support student persistence and retention, Erica Wagner, Vice Provost for Student Success, is leading several high-impact small-group projects designed to increase retention. Simultaneously, Portland State has been invited to join a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded learning community focused on working to achieve equitable outcomes for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students. This cohort community is facilitated by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AASCU). It enables teams from multiple institutions to work collectively on student success, learn from one another, and access tools and strategies through engagement in national networks. For more information regarding projects led by the Vice Provost for Student Success this academic year, click on the “Read More” button below.
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2022 HECC Transfer Council Report to the Oregon Legislature Now Available
The Transfer Council was established in Senate Bill (SB) 233 and ORS 350.426 with a focus on impoving transfer and articulation across the public institutions in Oregon. The Council, co-chaired by PSU Provost Jeffords and Umpqua College CAO, Teresa Rivens, is charged with developing recommendations on a common course numbering (CCN) system, Major Transfer Map (MTM) work, and other credit transfer-related concerns. We want to acknowledge and thank the many PSU faculty and staff who contributed to this important work. You can review the report by clicking the “Read More” button below.
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Tell Us Your Ideas and Get Involved in Student Success and Retention
Student success is a strategic priority for the institution, and a core tenet of the work is that every one of us has a role in supporting the success of our students. Our work is grounded in equity, evidence, and the student voice. Below are just a few of the ways you can participate in this work. Learn more about the work of the Office of Student Success by clicking the “Learn More” button below.
- Let us know when a student could benefit from holistic support through the use of Early Alerts
- Tell us your ideas and provide feedback by filling out the Students First - Ideas & Interest Form.
- Participate in upcoming faculty development or embedded student supports led by Vice Provost for Student Success, Erica Wagner (elwagner@pdx.edu).
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Basic Needs Hub Available to Students
The Basic Needs Hub provides students with one place to stop for all concerns related to providing for their basic needs. Our mission is to connect PSU students to resources in the moment of need so students can focus on academics, career goals, and interpersonal relationships. Visit the Basic Needs Hub website to connect your students with resources and support services including emergency funds, food assistance, housing services, and education and training. You can learn more about Basic Needs Support at Portland State by clicking on the “learn more” link below.
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Multicultural Retention Services Build Community and Belonging
Multicultural Retention Services (MRS) strives to ensure the academic success, retention, and graduation of students through culturally inclusive programs and services that are designed to build a strong sense of community and belonging. MRS provides academic support, advising, referrals, and advocacy for first-generation, low-income, and/or historically underrepresented students. Multicultural Retention Services also offers first-year cohort-based retention programs to incoming first-generation, low-income, diverse and multicultural PSU students. These programs are designed to support students in their transition to PSU by providing structured and culturally relevant support for the first year. For more information regarding MRS, click the “Read More” button below.
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Cultural Resource Centers Retention Efforts
The Cultural Resource Centers (CRC) cultivate a sense of belonging and support by providing a communal space for studying, resting, and community engagement for PSU’s largely commuter demographic. There are six culturally-specific resource centers that include the Multicultural Student Center, the Pan-African Commons, the Pacific Islander, Asian & Asian American Student Center, La Casa Latina Student Center, the Native American Student and Community Center, and the Middle Eastern, North Africa, South Asia Student Center. All of the resource centers provide student leadership development, employment, and volunteer opportunities for BIPOC, underrepresented students. The CRCs also create social justice awareness through intentional, culturally specific programs and events. The events and programs engage students on a variety of different subjects and aim to accomplish five main goals: Leadership, Intercultural Communication, Identity Development, Social Justice, and Healing. You can find more information about the Cultural Resource Centers by clicking on the “Read More” button below.
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TRIO Offers Tools For Students To Achieve Degree Completion
TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is a college retention and graduation program for undergraduate students, which helps them develop the academic skills and personal development necessary to pursue and complete their Bachelor's degree successfully. We currently have two TRIO - SSS programs—"Classic" and "STEM" (for those in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math majors, including Public Health Studies). Both programs are 100% US Department of Education funded, totaling $3,443,510. The grants' objectives are to increase the retention, graduation, and good academic standing of students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or have a documented disability. SSS programs provide wrap-around services such as high-touch advising, scholarships, 24/7 tutoring, computer labs, study spaces, graduate school/internship/employment support, and financial literacy. For more information, click on the “Learn More” button below.
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