Reed College
Reed College

Student Success

Goals and Objectives

Each of the goals included in the plan is associated with objectives necessary to its achievement. The objectives, which are described below, will in turn be supported by a series of activities or tactics that must be fulfilled in order for the objectives to be achieved, and which will be detailed in the implementation/action plan. Some of the resources needed to support the activities will derive from reallocation of existing program priorities and budgets, but additional resources will also be needed to meet Reed’s student success goals. The plan does not contain recommendations for resource allocations (new or reallocated); each individual, team, or office assigned to implement an activity will be asked to assess the resources needed to do so. They will be asked to produce two resource statements in support of the activity: 1) a plan that includes no additional resources but explicitly addresses reallocation of current resources to meet the new objectives, and 2) a plan that includes additional resources to support the activity.

  • Keeling & Associates, LLC (K&A) consulted to document, assess, and understand student success, including
    • Interviews with community members (Jan & March 2018)
    • On-site conversations to review findings (Sept 2018)
    • Draft of goals, objectives, and activities (Oct 2018)
  • The Board of Trustees approved the K&A plan and adopted it for implementation (Feb 2019) 
  • The committee held an all-campus community forum (Sept 2018) and small-group discussions (Fall 2018) on student success
  • An Academic Success Committee was formed to focus on the Academic and Advising Goals (Fall 2019)
  • The Student Success Committee formed subgroups for each goal to review and prioritize activities (Fall 2019)
  • The faculty body voted to amend Chapter VII.C of the Faculty Code to require that each syllabus should include a statement of course goals (Fall 2019).  A Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) workshop was held for faculty on how to write course goals (Spring 2020).
  • Student Life developed a Student Life curriculum draft as part of the Community Goal.
  • Two units of Community Engagement (CE) credit can be earned to fulfill part of the Physical Education and Community Engagement (PEACE) requirement at Reed.
  • Reduced fare TriMet passes are available to students
  • New funding launched to support students wishing to explore areas of interest through job shadowing local alumni and other professionals
  • Evaluation of current space useage through the lens of the student experience: Student Senate and OSE are working on an audit of student spaces looking at use, accessibility, guidelines, and equity.
  • The college centralized information about campus activities, news, and events through weekly student events newsletter curated by the Office of Student Engagement.
  • Committee members extended invitations to all academic departments and met with about a dozen groups to get feedback on the current model of tutoring. Additionally, the committee met with student representatives from SCAPP and senate. With this feedback, a new model for hiring and training tutors was implemented by the Office for Academic Support for the 2021-22 year. 
  • The committee wrote a white paper in Spring 2020 regarding advising.
  • Communicate clearly what physical and mental health resources are available on campus and what resources are available in the larger Portland community. Support students in understanding how to find, apply for, and use off-campus resources including community-based physical and mental health-care providers, privately-funded health insurance, SNAP, state health insurance plans, etc.)
  • Created and centralized health and well-being resource guides, FAQs, and accessible information for students available online
  • Created a single webpage for students to find funding to support above opportunities through Center for Life Beyond Reed (CLBR), Office of Institutional Diversity (OID), Multicultural Resource Center (MRC), and Undergraduate Research Committee (URC), and SEEDS
  • Encouraged students (through departments) to attend professional conferences, whether presenting (Opp Grant) or not presenting (CLBR)
  • Students can gain internship or practicum credit (including CPT) for off-campus work during the academic year
  • Formed a Survey Committee charged with developing and sustaining culture of assessment around student success

Objectives

  1. Help students establish meaningful connections to one another and to the college and its campus.
  2. Create, repurpose, and utilize new or existing spaces in ways that support community.
  3. Work with students to plan and provide a spectrum of events and activities that bring students together in celebrations, dialogues and debates, recreation, and entertainment.

Objectives

  1. Increase the diversity of students, staff, and faculty.
  2. Deepen the cultural competence and skills of all members of the campus community in communicating, learning, and working across difference.
  3. Identify and resolve institutional barriers that create disparities in the experience and success of students from historically marginalized and/or underrepresented groups.
  4. Take steps as needed to ensure that students from historically marginalized and/or underrepresented backgrounds can develop a strong sense of belonging on campus.
  5. Through broad consultation with and in partnership with the entire campus community, develop and implement a five-year plan that identifies aspirational goals, institutional commitments, and assessment metrics to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Reed.

Objectives

  1. Identify, clarify, and communicate the goals, methods, and intended outcomes of the Reed education and its key components.
  2. Clearly articulate for students what is expected of them in courses, assignments, and other academic work. Establish more consistent and transparent practices for providing feedback and recommendations for improvement to students.
  3. Scaffold classes, the major, and the curriculum more consistently to support all students at each new level of challenge.
  4. Create structured opportunities to engage and support students in intentional co-curricular academic and creative communities.

Objectives

  1. Define and map the advising experience at Reed through gathering, sharing, and analyzing data. Develop and implement sustainable methods, policies, and practices to improve academic advising.
  2. Ensure that students have equitable access to comprehensive and effective academic advising.
  3. Ensure that students know where to access different types of advising, including other resources beyond their academic adviser.
  4. Harness technological aids that increase the transparency, efficiency, and sharing of knowledge between students and advisers and among advisers.

Objectives

  1. Establish a strong leadership team to coordinate efforts of the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) and other offices that will work together to improve the overall health and well-being of individual students and the student body as a whole.
  2. Develop and implement strategies for enhancing mental health and well-being for all students, with particular attention to providing culturally responsive resources for students of color and trans/gender-non-conforming students.
  3. Establish a sustainable campus wellness program with a strong foundation in equity.
  4. Strengthen current services and infrastructure to support students’ overall health and well-being, and to help students navigate and access medical, mental health, and basic wellness resources on and off campus.
  5. Promote collaboration among academic and student services departments and develop an integrated process for communicating health and wellness information to students.
  6. Create and maintain systems and processes designed to promote safety and prevent and respond to harm between and among members of the campus community.

Objectives

  1. Make opportunities to engage with communities, organizations, and activities beyond campus systematically and equitably available to all students.
  2. Work with faculty to embed guided community engagement and/or community-based learning within existing courses, as appropriate.
  3. Encourage and promote more academic, civic, and research opportunities for students to engage meaningfully in outside of classroom and off-campus experiences.
  4. More systematically provide and encourage students to explore and engage in study abroad options for every major.

Objectives

  1. Clarify the roles, tasks, and priorities of Institutional Research in assessing student-centered programs and outcomes.
  2. Develop a comprehensive plan for assessment and data collection and management that allows Reed to know itself better on all levels, and to engage in data-informed decision-making.
  3. Share and explain data relevant to the student experience and student success throughout the institution.