University of North Georgia Campus Plan Update 2021

SECTION 1. INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND STUDENT BODY PROFILE 

The University of North Georgia, a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college, provides a culture of academic excellence in a student-focused environment that includes quality education, service, research and creativity. This is accomplished through broad access to comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia.

Table 1: University of North Georgia Fall 2021 Demographics

Enrollment trends:

UNG enrolled approximately 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students in fall 2021. Enrollment continues to fluctuate, especially at the associate degree level. Fall 2019 to fall 2020 undergraduate enrollment was flat (-17 student decline, -.09%), with a steep decline in associate degree seeking students. Graduate enrollment grew 8.7% in fall 2020. Spring 2021 enrollment fell 3.4% driven mainly by academic performance and experiences as student’s adapted to hybrid learning model. For fall 2021 (add/drop), enrollment was down by 4.2% in comparison to fall 2020, equaling -809 students overall. When broken down by degree level, UNG saw a -869 decline in undergraduate, and a 60 student increase in graduate enrollment. The breakdown of undergraduate students is a decline in associate degree-seeking students (-1,595, -27%), and an increase in baccalaureate degree-seeking students (726, 5%). The GPA Only Admission model shifted enrollment towards 4-year programs, while reflecting the continuation of a multi-year downward trend students interested in 2-year pathway options.

Benchmarks & Goals:

The completion goals and strategies chosen for UNG reflect the breadth of its mission to provide broad educational access through multiple academic pathways, including program certificates, associate degrees, bachelor degrees, graduate education, and online courses. UNG also provides greater access to higher education through a strong dual enrollment program.

UNG performs well in comparison to its peers, institutional, aspirational, and competitive. There were noteworthy gains in several areas for bachelors-degree seeking students. The 4-year graduation rate increased approximately 2% over 2020. A larger number and percentage of underserved students graduated in comparison to previous years as well (Table 2).

Table 2: First-Time Freshman Cohort Graduation Rates (3-Year Associate (150%), 4-Year Baccalaureate (100%), and 6-Year Baccalaureate (150%)

+Asian-American students not included.

Table 3 provides data on UNG’s performance compared to institutional (State Universities), aspirational (Comprehensive Universities), and competitor institutions. UNG consistently outperforms its institutional sector in retention and graduation rates for both Associate and Bachelors-degree seeking students. In comparison to its aspirational and competitive peers, UNG remains competitive in its 1-year retention, while outpacing both sectors in its 4-year graduation rate.

Table 3: Institutional Peers (Benchmark, Aspirational, Competitor)

Source: USG Qlik, CCG Retention Comparison dashboard & CCG Graduation Comparison.

As an institution with an access mission and selective bachelor’s programs, UNG continues to serve diverse student populations. The number of credit hours students earned through exams in 2021 increased in 2021 (Table 4). The number of Co-requisite students also grew in Academic Year 2020-2021 to levels near those of fall 2019. Success rates declined from previous years, with the pandemic likely being a significant contributor to the change. Changes to the admissions model also likely influenced the shift in success rates, as did the high number of withdrawals among co-requisite students in fall 2020.

Table 4: Credit by exam (CLEP, DSST, AP, IB)

Table 5: Co-requisite Success

There was a noticeable increase, approximately 52%, in the number of students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2021 (Table 6). While students taking online courses as part of their academic programs has long-been a strategy encouraged by the university, it appears that the advances made in response to pandemic circumstances accelerated a historical trend in online course enrollment. Likewise, as shown in Table 7, there was a significant increase in both the count and percentage of adult learners meeting program requirements and earning degrees through online courses in AY2020-2021. While the pandemic inflated the count of students taking and graduating through online courses, UNG has made steady progress in serving adult learners by offering more flexible course modalities.

Table 6: Online course

Table 7: Number of degrees conferred to adult-learner students in which at least one course has been fully online

The overall number of Dual Enrolled students declined slightly in fall 2021, though the university still provided access to higher education for more than 1,500 students (Tables 8 & 9). The number matriculating to UNG dipped as well; this may be a result of altered admissions policies for fall 2021 starters.

Table 8: Dual Enrolled Students

Table 9: Dual Enrolled Students Matriculating to UNG

SECTION 2: IMPROVEMENT PRACTICES – UNDERSTANDING CHANGE MANAGEMENT

UNG Student Success Team includes:

In addition to this task force, key senior leaders have integrated elements of UNG’s Momentum Approach plan into the work of key groups and bodies, such as Provost Council, Deans Council, and the Strategic Enrollment Management Council. Elements of the Momentum plan were foundational components for annual planning at the Academic Affairs retreat and UNG’s professional development event, LEADS day; both were held in August prior to the beginning of classes.

UNG engaged student voices effectively in the past year in many ways. Among the most insightful efforts were surveys asking students about their academic experiences during the pandemic as well as the Mental Health study conducted by faculty and staff. The data generated from both were critical components in planning for this academic year. The pandemic compromised students’ resiliency and ability to adapt; one recommendation to mitigate this effect on students coping skills was deliberate planning to provide more structure in the academic experience, while promoting wellbeing and growth mindset.

Other efforts, such as the withdrawal project designed to mitigate the number of full withdrawals in a term, also became a vehicle for identifying barriers affecting students’ educational journeys. Because of this program the institution identified a number of opportunities to improve business processes in serving students and identifying those “off track” earlier. Responding to the volume of needs has been a challenge, however, given shortages in personnel.

Data collected directly from students as well as other internal institutional sources highlighted some systemic issues requiring changes to institutional policies, an overhaul of how the institution monitors academic progress, and the identification of intentional methods to redirect students. Particular attention to withdrawal data, course success rates (DFW grades), overall GPA of students in programs with specific requirements, program alignment scores, and retention rates is being used to adjust institutional practices and processes. Many of these metrics were also disaggregated for analysis including race/ethnicity, gender, financial aid, admit type, degree level, full-time/part-time, by academic college, first generation status, campus, and academic status. Institutional Research continues to expand data availability through dashboards that can be accessed by faculty, staff, and administrators. Using common data sets improves data literacy, informs decision-making and planning.

SECTION 3: YOUR BIG IDEA

At the Momentum Summit, your institution came up with a Big Idea (or 5!). In this section, provide an update on your progress toward implementing your Big Idea. Indicate your progress toward full implementation and any barriers to completion, identify any changes you have made in your plans, what you have learned along the way, and what measures you are using to assess your progress and eventual success. 

During the summit, UNG identified full-scale integration of student success elements from the 2020 plan as the most pressing Momentum needs. Specifically, the institution needs to improve how it communicates Momentum goals, followed by coordinated implementation of plan elements. Since the Momentum Summit, UNG made substantial progress in implementing NEST’s communication plan, which provides information to new and transfer students (and parents/families). Implementation began with a full communications rollout for transfer students, focusing on the transition experience from application to the first day of classes. Communications to these students then shifted, with transfer coaches regularly messaging transfer students throughout the year. In addition, parents/family communications began in August. Parents/families will receive monthly updates throughout the academic year. Phase two of the plan focuses on Adult Learners and Veteran students. Finally, the Enrollment Optimization Task Force created under the Strategic Enrollment Management plan is collaborating with NEST, providing feedback on communication drafts for each student group to improve effectiveness.

The university also launched its redesigned website, which highlights the student journey for each program, allowing prospective students to consider their academic journey by learning about the journey of a current student. Since launching the new website, engagement and traffic are up significantly as are requests for information. The most recent data shows that new user traffic increased 15.6% over the previous year.

As part of its overall approach in communicating the goals of the Momentum Approach plan, UNG integrated specific elements into professional development for faculty and staff as part of LEADS day. Thirteen of the twenty sessions focused on academic excellence, student success, and diversity and inclusion.

SECTION 4.1: MOMENTUM WORK RESILIENCE UPDATE

University College Pathway+

Since the Momentum Summit, the Pathway+ model was approved by the USG. The associate pathways included in the model have been identified. One new pathway is in the review and academic approval process, and will be in place for students matriculating fall 2022. At present, units supporting the Pathway+ model are mapping out the student experience, including the orientation process, academic advising, and mandatory activities supporting academic success.

Continue HiPs integration in the curriculum

UNG is continuing to refine its system for capturing HiPs at the course level. While still a work in progress, the number of students enrolled in courses with a High Impact Practice based on spring 2021 Census data was 7,189 (duplicated).

Pilot Early Alert system through University College

University College developed an Early Alert pilot for students enrolled in College Algebra. The pilot is part of ongoing and proactive interventions to support students in courses that are critical for retention and degree progression.

SECTION 4.3: GLOBAL MOMENTUM SUPPORT

Improving communications was an essential element of the big idea identified in the Momentum Approach Plan. Specifically, the implementation of the NEST Communication Plan and rollout of the new website has already been addressed in Section 3. Professional Development offered through events such as LEADS day has been well received and may be a springboard for ongoing conversation or workshops throughout the year that focus on best practices or process improvements. The LEADS committee is reviewing feedback on these proposals and will make a recommendation to senior leadership for ongoing professional development. In the area of data, a specific goal of the plan was improving data fluency and access to data. Institutional Research has expanded access to data and developed additional tools that address many components of the Momentum Approach. Toward that end, IR has rolled out a Student Success dashboard that provides access to information such as persistence rates, GPA, and the like that can be disaggregated along many variables; for instance, student type, race/ethnicity, enrolled campus, and major.

One of the many lessons learned over the course of the last year is the need to revisit policies, especially related to Satisfactory Academic Progress and academic standing. The pandemic experience exposed several systemic gaps where there are opportunities to intervene and redirect students before they get off track. Academic Affairs is reviewing all of its policies this year and collaborating with Student Affairs to systematically intervene earlier in the student journey to support students as part of an institutional retention strategy.