Year-One Summary

• To provide an overall evaluation and determine a plan for year two implementation, we facilitated interviews with campus and community partners, held focus groups for transfer students, and conducted a survey of all transfer students.
  • Research Exploring FHSU Transfer Success: Dr. Elodie Jones, Dr. Taylor Kriley, and Tre’ Giles worked to examine research and develop a study with IRB approval.
  • Transfer Data FHSU: Working with institutional research to understand our transfer population.
• We conducted a survey sent to all Fort Hays State University transfer students. There were 207 student respondents to the survey.
• This survey found:
  • 55% of respondents had not attended any sort of orientation event
  • 58% have joined an organization on campus
  • 87% felt they would benefit from FHSU creating a full-time transfer coordinator position focusing on supporting transfers (after being admitted)
• Full Survey Report: https://fhsu.campuslabs.com/app/ClientWeb/Results.aspx?ProjectId=326892
• A Tiger Link page was created called The Transfer Community. On this page the goal is to provide population specific information to transfers while simultaneously building a social community of support. Information, programs, resources, and support will be facilitated through this page. After students are admitted to FHSU, this would serve as their start of their transition/orientation process. Here is the link: https://tigerlink.fhsu.edu/organization/transfercommunity

• Summary of the Strategy(ies):
  • Conduct internal review and analysis of the current advising model and practices at FHSU. (Complete)
  • Conduct an external review of current advising practices/solutions, using peer institutions and national data. (Complete)
  • Considered and narrowed down two ideas for an advising program/model/solution that addresses the components in the charge. (Complete)
  • Working on considerations for financing the two advising solution(s). (Complete)
• Forward Thinking Strategy(ies): Improve transition programming for new students.
• Summary of the Strategy(ies):
  • The Orientation/Onboarding Mapping Team facilitated a comprehensive review of transition programming for new students. (Complete)
  • The Mapping Team presented a proposal to improve transition programming for new students with a focus on decreasing our summer melt population. (Complete)

The plan was developed and a process is in place for future years. (Complete)

The year-one Strategic Initiatives are:

• New Athletic Training Masters of Science: After KBOR and HLC approval, offer an on-campus Athletic Training graduate program starting in summer 2021. This Strategic Enrollment Plan provides funding for a faculty position and marketing money to support the launch of the program.
  • Plan is meeting deadlines.
• Expand the Computer Science Bachelors of Science: Over the past three years, the university’s fastest-growing program has been the undergraduate Computer Science. As growth continues, this Strategic Enrollment Plan provides funding for two new faculty positions and a professional advisor over the next three years.
  • The advisor has been hired.
  • The search for the faculty member is in the interview stage.
  • Digital marketing has begun.
• New Computer Science Masters of Science: Leveraging our undergraduate population, and meeting market demands, FHSU will begin offering an online Computer Science graduate program in the fall of 2021. This Strategic Enrollment Plan funds a faculty position to support the launch of the program.
  • On schedule to be launched the fall of 2021.
• Expand the RN to BSN Program: Add a faculty position to one of the high-demand, high-need areas for the region.
  • Search is in final stages.
• New online History Bachelors of Arts: Develop the remaining course needed to offer the program online. The success of the program in FY2021 will fund a faculty position in the fall of 2021.
  • Website updates are beginning and a marketing meeting has been scheduled.
• New Online Bachelor of Social Work: Currently underway, the BSW is scheduled for launch in the fall of 2020. The success of the program will fund a faculty position in the fall of 2021.
  • Program can now launch after accrediting body approved in July.
• Experiential Learning: Funding for the first phase of this initiative transitions the current Internships Coordinator from temporary to permanent for FY 2021. (Partnered with Goal 2) (Complete)
• eSports: Provides funding to assist with program management, equipment start-up, recruitment, and association membership.
  • The plan is progressing as scheduled.
  • NACE guidance has been sought for the fall.
• FHSU Online – Competitive Scholarships: Provides funding to assist FHSU Online in recruiting new students to FHSU.
  • Program design is ongoing with Kathleen Cook and Kristin Herl in the lead.
• FHSU Online – TAGGS: A recruiting strategy for graduate students; this plan covers the gap between military tuition assistance and the cost of graduate credit.
  • Scheduled to be offered starting this summer.
  • FHSU made the announcement of the plan at the beginning of March.
• FHSU Online – Virtual Events: A retention strategy for online students, funding includes a GA position in FHSU Online. (Partnered with Goal 2)
  • Scheduled to fill the position in the fall, the GA job description is posted and recruiting has begun.
  • Research into best practices and student preferences is being completed by the Virtual College and VC Senate.
• High School Counselor Outreach: Funding will allow the Office of Admissions to expand the successful Counselor Lunch initiative to other areas.
  • Plans for the spring were canceled.
  • Going forward, the office will be using fall events to increase prospects and spring SRPs as a yield initiative.
• Hispanic Recruitment: Phase one funding of this plan provides funds to develop multilingual online and paper recruitment and retention materials.
  • Marco Macias has received approval to Chair the steering committee.
    • Clothing has been added to the Tiger Spirit Shop.
    • A coordinated trip at part of the Sister City program has been put on hold.
• Short Courses: Funding of online sections to meet the needs of students in need of starting courses during a traditional semester.
  • Changing name to 8-week courses.
    • However, we have some additional opportunities that are not 8-weeks
  • Program to begin in fall. Some departments have already volunteered.
• Student Onboarding/Orientation: Transitioning the Coordinator of Freshmen Seminar to the Assistant Director of Retention, moving to the Division of Student Affairs, and expanding the position to 12-months. Transition a current Student Affairs position to the Director of Retention. (Partnered with Goal 2)
  • Freshmen Seminar position transitioned to Student Affairs.
• Student Relationship Management: Funding for this plan brings three technologies together. Customer relationship management (CRM) system, Chatbot, and texting will interface with each other and Workday to support new student recruitment and ongoing student support.
  • Both the CRM and Chatbot are live and working.
    • CRM communication plans are being developed and are meeting deadlines.
    • Chatbot is being used for text messages and the bot itself are live on the site. (Complete)
• Transfer and Military Center: Primarily a recruiting strategy, funding includes a position to provide unofficial transcript analysis and follow up for prospective transfer students. The plan also funds a part-time academic military program support position and military recruitment position.
  • Waiting to launch the searches that are involved in the Center.
  • Other operations are active.

Enrollment outcomes of this plan are pending. (Ongoing)

A small taskforce has been developed and will begin work in fall 2020. (Ongoing)

• Legislative action resulted in $2.1 million added to the State General Fund base. Negotiations resulting in the increase eliminated tuition rate increase for FY 2020.  Growth in credit hour production currently projected a 1% resulting in increased tuition revenue of $460,000.  Enrollments did not increase to the level anticipated and the Board did not allow tuition rate increases for FY 2020. (Not met)

• Will work continue into 2020-21 on the master plan process.

Allocated $690,000 for the rehabilitation of University facilities. Additional funds have been allocation through EBF funding by the Board of approximately $600,000 which are to be used for highest need additional funding.

EBF expenditures are anticipated and described below.

1. FY ’20 Rehabilitation & Repair List

Following is the proposed list of projects:  

• The Crisis Incident Policy Group (CIPG) has met throughout the year and began the process of evaluating the Continuity of Operations Plans that are in place. The process of refining existing plans and developing new as needed continues. (Ongoing)

Summary of the Strategies:

• Melissa Hunsicker-Walburn created a template for presenting information about FHSU’s contributions to economic prosperity through Kansas Small Business Development Center (Kansas SBDC) and Management Development Center (MDC), and provided to Tisa for submission to the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR).
• Donnette Noble used the template to document the economic prosperity value provided by the Center for Civic Leadership.
• Janet Stramel used the template to create a similar presentation for Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SMEI) as a contributor to regional economic prosperity.
• Donnette Noble is evaluating best examples of community/global engagement that advance economic prosperity with some demonstrable metrics so that the overlap between strategies under the outcomes and goals is clear.
• Donnette Noble and Janet Stramel participated in a workgroup session with KBOR President Blake Flanders and representatives from other regent institutions. FHSU was given cybersecurity as the focus area of KBOR Pillar III. Proposals in the Economic Prosperity Pillar III matrix indicated measures that are common metrics at all institutions in jobs and capital investment. The meeting then focused on establishing common definitions and reporting timeframes for the shared metrics. As a follow-up, Dr. Flanders asked for the following:
  • How are we tracking and defining new jobs and retained jobs?
  • How are we defining and tracking capital investment?
  • Are we measuring the investment and jobs on a fiscal year or calendar year? What is our recommendation moving forward?
  • Should the 2019 calendar year could be used as a baseline year?
  • What items from the Supporting Metrics are we tracking?

Summary of the Strategies:

• The implementation team met monthly to develop a survey instrument. The instrument was circulated among team members at various points along the way for testing and feedback.
• Data gained from the “FHSU Community Engagement Survey” will include engagement activities in classrooms, though extra- or co-curricular organizations, or connected to university-supported experiential learning from April 1, 2019 to April 1, 2020.
• The survey was approved through FHSU’s Institutional Review Board and deployed on March 30, 2020. ( Ongoing as data is now being reviewed in order to identify gaps at the institution.)