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College of Coastal Georgia 2023

Mission Statement

Revised and approved in November 2015 and reaffirmed by the Board of Regents in January 2021, the CCGA mission statement reads as follows:

As a state college of the University System of Georgia, the College of Coastal Georgia will be a college of choice for residents of Georgia and beyond by providing an accessible and affordable quality education. Advocating excellence in scholarship and community engagement, the College promotes student progression and timely graduation through student-centered programs that offer a rich and diverse student experience. Students are prepared for meaningful careers, advanced study, lifelong learning, and participation in a global and technological society. The institution will provide associate and baccalaureate degrees that support the intellectual, economic and cultural needs of the community and region.

This mission statement is fully aligned with the University System of Georgia’s (USG) mission, it represents the core principles and unique institutional characteristics of a state college, and it is accentuated by strong leadership, worthwhile community linkages, and exemplary student development. It underscores the College’s sustained commitment to community engagement that encompasses service-learning, volunteerism, practica, and internships, contributing to the cultural, economic and social well-being of the local community, southeast Georgia and beyond.
 

Fall 2023 Student Profile[1]

The College of Coastal Georgia’s fall 2023 enrollment stands at 3,200 students and an FTE of 2,599. In terms of self-declared race/ethnicity, 9.0% identified as Hispanic/Latino, 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, 20.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 60.7% White, 1.6% two or more races, and 6.5% undeclared. With an average age of 23.4, the College’s student body is composed of 70.1% female and 55.7% full-time students with 90.06% indicating Georgia residency, 8.28% out-of-state, and 1.66% out-of-country.

First-generation students (whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have not completed a baccalaureate degree) account for 55.8% of the 3,174 students for whom we know parent/guardian educational attainment. Adult learners (25 years of age or older) and military/veterans account for 24.0% and 6.8% of the total student body, respectively. Pell recipients account for 37.4% of students, while dual-enrolled students total 372, which is a 25.7% increase compared to fall 2022. Academically, the class of new freshman (for fall 2022) came to the institution with a 3.17 average high school GPA, attempted an average of 24.14 credits during the first academic year, and earned an average of 17.44 credits. This cohort persisted through fall 2022 at a 50.1% rate and had an average GPA of 2.1. The work on completion is imperative as we continue to support this student population.

Influence on Completion Work

CCGA’s institutional mission is a beacon that guides its completion priorities. First, by providing access and affordability, CCGA addresses the needs of the region and is particularly impactful for communities that are traditionally underserved by postsecondary education (data from the College’s First Destination Survey shows 76% of graduates remain in the state and 62% in the region). Secondly, the College promotes student progression and timely graduation by proactively engaging and supporting students at every stage of their collegiate journey (as evidenced by the process improvement, strategies, and activities, being implemented as part of the 2023 Momentum Plan). Finally, by increasing student campus and community engagement, the institution prepares students to engage in meaningful careers and to satisfy the economic and cultural needs of the community and the region (data from the First Destination Survey shows that 59% of respondents were employed full-time at or immediately after graduation, nearly equal to the national rate of 51.9% (class of 2021), which includes graduates of highly selective institutions).

In its commitment to student success for every student, every time, the College of Coastal Georgia continues to work with its Student Success and Completion Team to strengthen the services, activities, interventions, and communication protocols targeting students who may be at academic risk. The strategies reviewed and developed from this work not only focus on students exhibiting poor academic performance but also focus on proactively guiding students to maintain positive academic practices and mindset. The next sections provide an update on the work from this team and the progress on the programs/projects/activities/initiatives that were selected as part of the institutional Momentum plan for 2023.


[1] Total enrollment, FTE, and all demographic information are based on USG Semester Enrollment Report and persisted report data for fall 2023; the academic achievement metrics are based on Banner SIS data for the fall 2022 cohort.

Success Inventory

Post-Admit Checklist (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Post-Admit Checklist
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Mindset
Data & Communications
Strategy/Project Description: 

The College will create a roadmap to guide students on all the steps they need to take and the information they need to learn after they are admitted to the College, to ensure a successful start of their college career at Coastal.

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: Completion of a dynamic checklist that guides students after admissions, based on certain student characteristics

KPIs:

Development Stage: Number of checklists developed for the different student populations.

After implementation: Checklist completion rate per student population.

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

Development Stage: 1 checklist developed out of 6 populations identified (as of 10/26/2023).

After implementation: TBD

Current/most recent data (for each KPI):

Development Stage: 1 checklist developed out of 6 populations identified (as of 10/26/2023).

After implementation: Data will be available once checklists are fully implemented

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

Development Stage: Completion of checklists for all identified populations.

After implementation: This value will be determined after the checklists are in use for at least one term.

Time period/duration: Completion of development expected by the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. At that point, checklists will be launched to students. Fall 2024 is expected to be the first term of use by students.

Progress and Adjustments: 

The Student Success and Completion team created a subcommittee to focus on this project. The subcommittee has met regularly. First, to discuss the scope of this project and identify a scalable structure to maintain the checklists accurate and updated. Next, the members of the subcommittee were tasked with identifying the different activities and informational items that were important for the successful transition of an admitted student to the start of classes, with a focus on their specific units.
No adjustments have been identified at this point.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

As of October 2023, the checklist for one of the identified populations (New Freshman) has been completed and the work continues with the rest of the remaining populations. Once the checklists are complete, they will be posted online on the College’s website. Additionally, customized checklists will be assigned to students in their portal based on their population.

Challenges and Support: 

This project relies heavily on the participation of several members from the campus community. Although they have been active participants to this point, we recognize that there are competing priorities that could affect their ability to participate in the future.

Additionally, the Office of Admissions has  printed marketing materials that may not be in total alignment with the new checklists being developed. Although the website is easily updated, printed materials present a challenge that we are actively discussing.

Primary Contact: 
Diana Leal, Director of Enterprise Services
German Vargas, AVP for Academic Student Engagement

ENDEAVOR Launch (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
ENDEAVOR Launch
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Mindset
Data & Communications
Strategy/Project Description: 

Launch of the ENDEAVOR framework of student growth and development.

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: Engagement in the ENDEAVOR framework will be measured from the local database of Tag awards. From this database the institution will create various engagement measures, with the first two being: 1. number of faculty awarding ENDEAVOR Tags in at least one of their courses; 2. Total number of ENDEAVOR tags awarded to students per semester.

KPIs:

  • Number of faculty awarding ENDEAVOR tags
  • Number of ENDEAVOR tags awarded to students (per semester) from D2L or Presence

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

Fall 2022 (Pilot Year)

  • 7 Faculty awarded ENDEAVOR tags.
  • 598 Tags were awarded to students via D2L, and 420 via Presence

Current/most recent data (for each KPI) [NEW for 2023]:

Spring 2023 (Prior to Launch)

  • 14 Faculty awarded ENDEAVOR tags.
  • 613 Tags were awarded to students via D2L, and 651 via Presence

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

Fall 2023 (After Launch)

  • 20 Faculty award ENDEAVOR tags
  • 500 Tags awarded to students via D2L and 600 via Presence

Time period/duration: As the adoption of ENDEAVOR continues to grow, we expect to award at least 1000 tags to students each semester. By the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, the level of adoption will be reassessed, and new goals will be established.

Progress and Adjustments: 

After a successful launch during the collegewide Student Success Summit (May 2023), the ENDEAVOR framework was infused in the summer 2023 new student orientations. With the fall 2023 term not over yet, the College continues to see the adoption at the curricular and cocurricular level increasing, and we expect to award more than 1000 tags by the end of the term.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

With various adoption campaigns still underway, the College is now working on a reporting infrastructure to provide ease of access to “adoption and award information” for Deans, Department Chairs, and Unit Directors.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

The reporting infrastructure is established thanks to the support of Technology Services, and we recognize that there is limited bandwidth when this project is added to a list of competing priorities.

Supports needed:

The College has engaged with the University of Central Oklahoma to receive support and guidance based on their implementation of the STLR project.

Primary Contact: 
Mary McGinnis, Director of the Endeavor Center for High Impact Practices
German Vargas, AVP for Academic Student Engagement

DECK 1000: Diversity, Education, Culture, and Knowledge (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
DECK 1000: Diversity, Education, Culture, and Knowledge
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Pathways
Mindset
Strategy/Project Description: 

A first-year experience course, using high impact practices

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: First-time Full-time Freshman Retention Rates will be compared for students participating in DECK 1000, non-DECK students, and the retention from prior years.

KPIs:

  • Development Stage: Completion of the development of course and faculty training program.
  • After Implementation: First-time Full-time Freshman Retention Rates for DECK students compared to non-DECK students.
    • Fall-to-Spring
    • Fall-to-Fall

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

  • Development Stage: The steering group is determining revisions to the course and creating a faculty training program.
  • After Implementation:

For fall 2022 cohort of First-time Full-time Freshman:

  • Fall-to-Spring retention rate: 79.0%
  • Fall-to-Fall retention rate: 52.6%.

Current/most recent data (for each KPI)

  • Development stage: The pilot version of the course is running at this time, including faculty training.
  • After Implementation:

Fall 2023 data will be available once the course is fully implemented.

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

  • Development stage: Completing the pilot and construction of the course, as well as the faculty training program.
  • After Implementation: First-time Full-time Freshman students enrolled in DECK 1000 will have at least a 5% higher retention rate than students who were not enrolled in DECK 1000.

Time period/duration: Completion of development of the course will be in Spring 2024. We expect to fully scale and implement the course in fall 2024, and the evaluation of retention rates will be conducted in spring 2025 and fall 2025 respectively.

Progress and Adjustments: 

The course pilot has been successful; however, we feel there needs to be additional training for instructors and additional structure in the course syllabus and assignments. The group of instructors teaching the course has been meeting weekly, and we see that there are some changes that need to be made that will develop a community in the classroom earlier to increase student engagement and attendance. We would like to provide daily lesson plans to help guide the course more uniformly and to ensure that students enrolled in the course have a consistent experience.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

We intend to continue the pilot group meetings throughout 2023, and in those meetings, we will continue evaluating the course, planning changes, and discussing potential lesson plans that will improve the course. We also plan to brainstorm methods to create community in the next cohort early on.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

Student engagement and attendance have been an issue. This has hurt the sense of community in the class, so students don’t make attendance a priority. Those who have been attending seem to be succeeding.

Supports:

We need to partner more deeply with Student Life to ensure that we leverage their programming to assist the students in creating a community, and, perhaps, scheduling to place the course closer to times that have better attendance.

Primary Contact: 
Mary McGinnis, Director of the Endeavor Center for High Impact Practices
Robert Bleil, Chair of the Department of Arts & Humanities

Redesign of the Coastal Discovery Workshop (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Redesign of the Coastal Discovery Workshop
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Pathways
Mindset
Strategy/Project Description: 

Redesign the third stage of the orientation process: Coastal Discovery Workshop (CDW). Inspired by the Momentum Summit V presentation on Mindset activities in FYE from Nashville State Community College, the College of Coastal Georgia will completely redesign the CDW to incorporate elements of the “You’ve Got This!” OER created by NSCC.

Redesign was completed in April 2023 and You’ve Got This launched in May 2023. This course was briefly introduced at each Summer Orientation for new first year students.

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: Revisit and revise “You’ve Got This” based on student feedback, level of participation, and engagement score.

KPIs:

  • Participation level is based on the number of students who accessed the course. 
  • Engagement score is determined by the percentage of course activities completed. 

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

  • Baseline Measure for Participation Level:  66% of students enrolled in YGT access the course.
  • Baseline Measure for Engagement Score: 9.8% of students complete 70% or more of the course activities 

Current/most recent data (for each KPI) [NEW for 2023]:

  • Participation Level: 66% of students accessed the course.
  • Engagement Score: 9.8% of the students completed 70% or more of course activities

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

  • Participation Level: 70% of students access the course.
  • Engagement Score: 15% of the students complete 70% or more of the course activities

Time period/duration: Will assess in December 2023 and April 2024

Progress and Adjustments: 

You've Got This (YGT) was opened and available in May 2023, so students had access early to this crucial resource. Prior to 2023, the Coastal Discovery Works shop was opened in August of each year. Students had the opportunity to log on to the course during their summer orientation.  YGT needs to be promoted and marketed broadly to students using multiple modes of communication: email, texts from Salty. Scheduling a specific time for students to further explore the course at orientation would increase the likelihood that students would engage with the YGT and promote student success.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Review videos and other content in “You’ve Got This” for accuracy, fix any broken links, and update assignments that have due dates.

Refine and maintain “You’ve Got This” to coincide with DECK 1000. Incorporating the components of “You’ve Got This” will enhance the impact of DECK 1000.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges include time limitations and having a limited number of staff to work on this course. This course was redesigned and managed by a four-person team.  Current team membership is three. There are time constraints during the summer orientations. There is limited time to interact with students and promote You've Got This. The course is only briefly mentioned during the technology session at orientation.

Supports needed:

  • Additional funding to hire additional staff to work on these projects and other initiatives that contribute to student success.
  • A two-minute welcome video from the Chancellor introducing this course and stressing its importance as a resource for student success.  This video would be added to the robust collection of videos from Coastal Georgia administration: President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, Director of Financial Aid, etc., that are embedded in each course module and populate the course News feed.
Primary Contact: 
Niki Schmauch, Director of Academic Support
Lisa McNeal, Director of eLearning

Expanding Culturally Responsive Retention Strategies (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Expanding Culturally Responsive Retention Strategies
Momentum Area: 
Change Management
Data & Communications
Strategy/Project Description: 

Develop and strengthen strategies that address institutional performance gaps. Strategies to consider include: the creation of 1st Gen/Pell Eligible student transition support; summer bridge programs that support traditionally underserved or underrepresented populations, with the goal of reducing institutional performance gaps.

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: The College will evaluate the rate of new freshman establishing Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) during their first term, as evaluated by successful completion of at least 67% of the credits attempted, and an overall GPA at the end of the term that is at least 2.0.

KPIs:

  • Development Stage: Establishment of a high-touch student support system for traditionally underserved students.
  • After implementation: Institutional performance gaps related to SAP for New Freshman.

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

  • Development Stage: Support services are currently available for all students, but there was not a support system focused on traditionally underserved students.
  • After implementation:
    • Fall 2022 - New Freshman rate of SAP = 55.5% (All students)
    • Fall 2022 - New Freshman rate of SAP = 33.1% (Black or African American)

Current/most recent data (for each KPI) [NEW for 2023]:

  • Development Stage: Through an AmeriCorps VISTA grant the institution has hired a Diversity Academic Assistant and a Diversity Retention Assistant.
  • After implementation: Fall 2023 data will be available at the end of the term.

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

  • Development Stage: Fully established high-touch student support system that engages in early intervention strategies to increase the rate of traditionally underserved students making satisfactory academic progress.
  • After implementation: Targets will be determined after full implementation of the program.

Time period/duration:

  • Development Stage: 2023-2024
  • After implementation: 2024-2025 and ongoing
Progress and Adjustments: 

While support services are currently available for all students, the institution recognizes that targeted support mechanisms are necessary to reduce institutional performance gaps related to race and gender. To address these gaps the College initiated the creation of a high-touch student support system by applying for and receiving an AmeriCorps VISTA grant to hire a Diversity Academic Assistant and a Diversity Retention Assistant.

Other strategies and activities that are underway include: 1. The continuation of the Nursing Learning Community which is in its third year, and which will have for the first time a second semester of block scheduling; 2. The CTL held a faculty book group for focused on the book Grading for Equity, and held an workshop on takeaways from the book during fall 23 launch meetings.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Analysis and evaluation of current institutional performance gaps for benchmarking and goal setting.

Review current institutional intervention practices to align them with best practices.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

Loss of grant funding. Numerous external factors beyond the scope of action of our support mechanism but that can have large impacts on the ability of our students to succeed (e.g. job requirements, financial challenges, health challenges, etc.)

Support Needs:

Increase funding to support targeted retention strategies.

Primary Contact: 
Quinton Staples, Director of Diversity Initiatives – Director of Minority Outreach Programs
Laura Lynch, AVP for Faculty Affairs
German Vargas, AVP for Academic Student Engagement

Academic Improvement Plan (AIP) – Out of Classroom Experience (College of Coastal Georgia-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Academic Improvement Plan (AIP) – Out of Classroom Experience
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Pathways
Mindset
Strategy/Project Description: 

Revision and updating of the (out-of-class) videos and materials that support students completing an Academic Improvement Plan. The purpose of the revision is to better connect and engage students who are at academic risk.

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures: Rates of academic recovery will be tracked and evaluated: the rate of progression in the form of registration for the next term and the rate of return to Good Academic Standing.

KPIs:

  • Next term registration rate for students who start in Not Good Academic Standing (NGAS).
  • Rate of NGAS students who return to Good Academic Standing.

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

  • Next term registration rate for students who start in Not Good Academic Standing (NGAS).
    • Spring 2021: 56.2%
    • Fall 2021: 58.2%
  • Rate of NGAS students who return to Good Academic Standing.
    • Spring 2021: 28.1%
    • Fall 2021: 29.6%

Current/most recent data (for each KPI) [NEW for 2023]:

  • Next term registration rate for students who start in Not Good Academic Standing (NGAS).
    • Spring 2022: 50.4%
    • Fall 2022: 48.9%
    • Spring 2023: 44.0%
  • Rate of NGAS students who return to Good Academic Standing.
    • Spring 2022: 33.3%
    • Fall 2022: 27.9%
    • Spring 2023: 25.8%

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

  • Next term registration rate for students who start in Not Good Academic Standing (NGAS).
    • Spring 2024: 59%
    • Fall 2024: 59%
  • Rate of NGAS students who return to Good Academic Standing.
    • Spring 2024: 31%
    • Fall 2024: 31%

Time period/duration: 2023-2024

Progress and Adjustments: 

This year the modules were reviewed, and we began the process of updating information and videos.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

A review of the quizzes at the end of each module will take place as well as complete the review of all modules.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

There are numerous activities and student success campaigns that are critical, and this limits our capacity to review and update the content.

Supports Needed:

With limited time and resources, it would be very helpful to use the capacity of the USG to provide high quality videos that have students as the main target audience and that address important elements of momentum development like mindset.

Primary Contact: 
Pat Morris, Director, COMPASS Career and Academic Advising, QEP Coordinator
German Vargas, AVP for Academic Student Engagement

Campus Plans Supplemental Sections

Supplemental Updates

Beyond the detailed account of the institutional progress in the Momentum Plan for 2023, it is important to highlight that the College’s strength with respect to student success is not centered around this subset of strategies and activities, but it is a cultural commitment to supporting every student, every time, which is a golden thread woven throughout all college operations. In May 2023, this commitment was accentuated through the College-wide Student Success Summit – an event where faculty and staff came together to share ideas, to collaborate with colleagues, and to have strategic conversations on how to promote student success. Coordinated by core members of the Student Success and Completion team, this event resulted in numerous ideas and strategies to pursue, but most importantly, it unified participants around a common strategic purpose.

The Student Success and Completion team continues to meet, now in the form of workgroups with detailed action plans around student success, engagement, and guidance. Other strategies and activities not included in this report continue to be adjusted and revised to maintain a proactive approach to supporting students, and include (among many others):

  • Intrusive and proactive success monitoring campaigns:
    • Course engagement monitoring during the first week of classes,
    • Attendance monitoring during the second week,
    • Early alert reports during weeks 3-4,
    • Midterm course attendance and engagement evaluation during weeks 7-8,
    • Academic risk assessment during weeks 9-10,
    • Advising and registration support throughout the term, and
    • Weekly “Always Alert” referrals.
  • Through various communities of practice and engagements led by the Center for Teaching and Learning, faculty often engage in discussion and activities (like book groups) to promote best practices and identify opportunities to promote student success.
  • Administrative processes and procedures are regularly evaluated to ensure that they are not presenting roadblocks to students, and are helping the institution deliver a seamless and supportive student experience.

Observations and Next Steps

Through the work of the Student Success and Completion Team, the College has adjusted numerous processes to improve the transition to college, by reducing barriers, providing guidance, and promoting a sense of belonging through more supportive language in all communications. Additionally, intrusive monitoring campaigns and protocols have been devised and implemented to keep students on track to progress and graduate. However, while all the changes implemented in the last couple of years have been intuitively positive to promote student success, our fall-to-fall retention rate for First-time Full-time Freshman is still at 52.6% (Fall 2022), which is just a marginal improvement from the post-pandemic rate of 52.2% (Fall 2020) and far from the retention rate prior to the pandemic which was at 60.6% (Fall 2019). This is a concern recognized across the institution and faculty and staff have embraced this as a challenge to address collectively and from every interaction, process, and activity.

Institutional displays of commitment to promoting students success, like the creation of the Annual Student Success Summit, the creation of the Student Success and Completion Team, the creation of the ENDEAVOR Center for High Impact Practices, the establishment of First-Year Experience Course (DECK 1000), and the integration of career and academic planning as the Quality Enhancement Plan, are all indicators that the College continues to be a dynamic institution working to address emerging challenges and student needs. From this continuous improvement culture, the College will continue to evaluate processes, procedures, and structural elements of the educational enterprise to ensure that students are challenged in the classroom by the rigor of academics and not impacted by structural or motivational obstacles.