19 Staff Members Offer to Assist Freshmen in Project Designed to Increase Retention

By TANYA CORNELL-KESTLER

Keuka College has long been touted for its family-like atmosphere.

And a new effort by the Office of Student Affairs just might bring the family closer together.

Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Jim Blackburn and Associate Dean of Students Tracy McFarland have recruited 19 staff members to serve as guides to this year’s freshman class, the Onondagas.

The role of the Onondaga Guides, as the staff members are called, is to “be a friend and a resource on campus, to help the students solve problems, and to maybe give them a touch of ‘home away from home,’” said Blackburn. 

“It’s a way for staff that might not otherwise be involved with students to make connections with them,” said Blackburn, who had a similar program at his previous college, where “staff really liked it.”

The Onondaga Guides are: Shawna Carey, Tanya Cornell-Kestler, Rebecca Dillon, Jeff Falter, Caryanne Farley, Jen Furner, B.J. Hill, Sue Losey, Monica Maddox, Amanda Pannelli, Gretchen Parsells, Caroline Seils, Christen Smith, Jeff Snow, Montrose Streeter, Penny Sutterby, Sally Anne Swartley, Kathy Waye, and Valerie Webster.

The idea for the Onondaga Guides was born in response to the retention rate (freshmen to sophomore year) falling (about 3 percent) for the first time in four years last year.

“Since the College is so enrollment-dependent, we were concerned by that,” said Blackburn. “Students are happy and have a better experience when they are involved in things other than coursework.” 

So, in addition to increasing and expanding student activities, Blackburn and McFarland came up with the idea for the guides.

During a training session for the guides earlier in the semester, McFarland suggested ways that the guides can reach out to their seven or eight assigned freshmen, including dinner or dessert at the guide’s home, lunch in the Geiser, D-box goodies, movie/board game night, pizza party, encouraging notes at mid-term, and “checking in” with phone calls or e-mails.  

Freshmen have student upperclassmen mentors who see them through the first six weeks of college and longer, according to McFarland, who added that mentors also keep in regular contact with their mentees’ faculty advisers (daily contact the first week of classes).

“Faculty advisers help students with academic adjustments and scheduling; they know their advisees’ interests and abilities and advise them as to which courses they should take and when,” said Blackburn. “Their secondary role is to be a personal adviser and many students go to their faculty advisers with personal issues. Some faculty even invite their advisees to their homes for dinner.”

For the Onondaga Guides, establishing a friendship is the primary focus, according to Blackburn.

Freshmen who participate in athletics or the ACE (Achieving a College Education) program through academic support  were not assigned to the 19 staff members since coaches and Jennifer Robinson, assistant director of academic support who oversees the ACE program, provide guidance to those students, Blackburn said.

ACEing the First Semester

Most students would agree that there’s more homework in college than in high school.

Figuring out how to get it all done can be a challenge for many first-year students.

However, a program initiated by the Academic Support Program, in its second year at Keuka College, is succeeding at easing that transition.

The goal of the Achieving a College Education (ACE) program is “to help first-year college students succeed academically and discover more about themselves,” said Jennifer Robinson, assistant director of academic support.

In the program, upperclassmen serve as “consultants” or “coaches” to first-year students who elect to participate during their first semester. The upperclassmen are available for individual instruction in time management, study skills, and to assist with other issues that might impact the first year students’ academic success. The Academic Support Program monitors the progress of the participants.

“In terms of recruitment of the ACE participants, last year the admissions counselors identified some people they thought might be at risk for various reasons and then we added students

based on uneven GPA and SAT scores,” said Director of Academic Support Carole Lillis. “This year we did much the same, plus we had parental suggestions since we had spoken about the program at Open House and New Student Orientation sessions.”

In fall 2005, 38 students were invited to participate and 11 chose to be involved. The combined semester grade point average (GPA) of those who participated was 2.7, while the combined GPA of those who declined the program was a 1.8.

“The clients who participated in the program agreed that they liked the individual attention and friendships that evolved with their student consultants or coaches,” said Robinson. “According to the clients, they were comfortable asking their consultant or coach anything, whether it was an academic or personal question. Not only did the clients believe the friendships that were formed were important, but the upperclassmen viewed those relationships just as valuable.”

So far this semester, 19 first-year students have been active in the program.

Robinson and Lillis submitted a proposal to present the ACE program at the New York State College Learning Skills Association (NYSCLA) conference in the spring.  

“There is no arguing that making the transition to college can be challenging for many students,” said Robinson. “The ACE program has proven to help participants face problems during the first semester.”

Penny Sutterby, community services coordinator/AmeriCorps VISTA in the Center for Experiential Learning, was eager to serve as a guide “to make a difference in someone else’s life.

“When I was a student at Finger Lakes Community College, the faculty and staff impacted my life so much that I really wanted to give someone else what they gave me,” said Sutterby.

Gretchen Parsells, manager in the Office of Communications, saw becoming an Onondaga Guide “as a way to help me get to know students who will be at Keuka for the next four years.

“Interacting with students is one of the things I like best about my job,” said Parsells. “I am looking forward to seeing my freshmen grow into young men and women. I hope to be a resource for them, and to tell their stories of success at Keuka.”

Director of Alumni and Family Relations Kathy Waye “wanted to enrich students’ Keuka experience as much as possible.

“I enjoyed the one-on-one interaction with the students and missed that interaction when the life coach program ended,” said Hill. “When Jim asked me to an Onondaga Guide, I was excited to have that personal connection with the students again.

“I hope my group of students will come to trust me as a person who can help them when they have a problem on campus and need help solving that problem,” added Hill. “I hope they will feel open enough to just pop their head into the office and say ‘hi’ as they are walking by. I value learning from them—their culture, lifestyle, latest technology craze, etc. Keuka wouldn’t have the close-knit family-type atmosphere without these bonds.”

“Any time I can help a Keuka student, I will,” said Christen Smith, associate director of communications. “I like getting to know them on an individual basis, so that’s why I thought this project would be a good fit for me.”

“I wanted to help because I remember what it was like getting accustomed to college life as a freshman—it was pretty scary at times,” said Caryanne Farley, assistant director of career services in the Center for Experiential Learning. “It would have been great if I had a support person with whom I felt comfortable, but going to a large university didn’t facilitate that.

“Also, it just so happens that I am a career counselor who can provide valuable resources for my group that they may not have known about had I not been selected as their guide,” added Farley.

“My experience as an undergraduate and as an employee has been very positive and I felt that I should give back and help others,” said Jennifer Furner, director of student activities and a 1999 graduate of the College (with a bachelor’s degree; she earned a master’s degree in 2004.) “My position goes hand-in-hand with retention and because this initiative is to help retain students, I felt that I should volunteer. As someone who helps oversee the student mentors, I thought it was appropriate to participate in this mentoring program to allow our mentors to see that I value the importance of their role on campus.”