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.

STUDENT SUCCESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE

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 has developed a Student Life curriculum draft as part of the Community Goal.
Two units of Community Engagement (CE) credit can now be earned to fulfill part of the Physical Education and Community Engagement (PEACE) requirement at Reed.
New Program of reduced fare TriMet passes now available to students
New funding launched to support students wishing to explore areas of interest through job shadowing local alumni and other professionals

1. Community Goal: Foster a campus community and culture that support students as well-rounded individuals and productive community members.

Objectives

Help students establish meaningful connections to one another and to the college and its campus.
Create, repurpose, and utilize new or existing spaces in ways that support community.
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.

People

Subcommittee contacts: Tawana Parks (tawanap@reed.edu) and Amy Schuckman (schuckma@reed.edu)

Activities

Begin implementation of the co-curricular education program under design by the Student Life division.
Strengthen systems of support, funding and visibility for identity-based student organizations.
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.
Centralize information about campus activities, news, and events: weekly student events newsletter curated by the Office of Student Engagement.

2. Diversity Goal: Sustain diversity, equity, and inclusion as institutional priorities to ensure that all community members have equitable access to the resources, tools, and support they need to thrive at Reed.

Objectives

Increase the diversity of students, staff, and faculty.
Deepen the cultural competence and skills of all members of the campus community in communicating, learning, and working across difference.
Identify and resolve institutional barriers that create disparities in the experience and success of students from historically marginalized and/or underrepresented groups.
Take steps as needed to ensure that students from historically marginalized and/or underrepresented backgrounds can develop a strong sense of belonging on campus.
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.

People

Subcommittee contact: Mary James (mjames@reed.edu)

Mary James, Institutional Diversity
Aziz Ouedraogo, Student

Activities

3. Academic Goal: Cultivate a vibrant and vigorous learning environment with clear goals and expectations, equitable opportunities, and accessible pathways.

Objectives

Identify, clarify, and communicate the goals, methods, and intended outcomes of the Reed education and its key components.
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.
Scaffold classes, the major, and the curriculum more consistently to support all students at each new level of challenge.
Create structured opportunities to engage and support students in intentional co-curricular academic and creative communities.

People

Subcommittee contacts: David Gruber, Tamara Metz.

This goal is being worked on by the Academic Success Committee.

Activities

These activities are being conducted by the Academic Success Committee.

The committee paused review of the current Griffin Guide program during the pandemic and will revisit review at an opportune time.
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.

4. Advising Goal: Provide accessible, comprehensive, equitable, and effective academic advising for all Reed students.

Objectives

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.
Ensure that students have equitable access to comprehensive and effective academic advising.
Ensure that students know where to access different types of advising, including other resources beyond their academic adviser.
Harness technological aids that increase the transparency, efficiency, and sharing of knowledge between students and advisers and among advisers.

People

Subcommittee contact: Tamara Metz.

This goal is being worked on by the Academic Success Committee.

Activities

These activities are being conducted by the Academic Success Committee.

The committee plans to write a white paper in Spring 2020 regarding advising
The committee will take on the role of the ad-hoc committee on advising
Meetings between Institutional Research and the committee are planned, and all committee members have contributed to a list of data we'd like to have. A subcommittee has been created to dedicate time to this work
The committee will make recommendations to the Orientation group about small improvements in the specific areas noted
The committee is reviewing the timing of registration during Orientation to determine what would potentially open time in the schedule

5. Health and Well-being Goal: Integrate student health and well-being as institutional priorities and provide equitable access for all students to the resources, skills, and support they need to thrive.

Objectives

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.
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.
Establish a sustainable campus wellness program with a strong foundation in equity.
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.
Promote collaboration among academic and student services departments and develop an integrated process for communicating health and wellness information to students.
Create and maintain systems and processes designed to promote safety and prevent and respond to harm between and among members of the campus community.

People

Subcommittee contact: Carrie Baldwin-Sayre (cbsayre@reed.edu)

Carrie Baldwin-Sayre, Health & Well-being
Mike Brody, Student Life
Britt Hoover, Student Support
Pax Lloyd-Burchett, Student

Activities

Carrie Baldwin-Sayre, Reed's first Associate Dean for Student Health & Well-Being, arrived on campus in January 2020. Carrie will anchor a multidisciplinary team of professional staff and student leaders to provide resources and programs designed to help all Reed students enjoy better health.

Carrie's primary areas of focus for the Spring 2020 semester are to:

Build relationships with the student leaders interested in student health and well-being
Initiate the formation of a student advisory board
Oversee the searches for a Director of Counseling Services and a Program Director for Community Wellness

Planned Activities

Carrie will:

Work with staff in the Health & Counseling Center (HCC) to stabilize counseling leadership and staffing
Link services in Athletics, Fitness & Outdoor Programs; Sexual Health, Advocacy, and Relationship Education; Wellness; and the HCC in order to have the most positive impact on students

6. “Beyond Reed” Goal: Encourage students to explore and engage with other communities and opportunities off-campus.

Objectives

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

People

Subcommittee contact: Alice Harra (harraa@reed.edu)

Alice Harra, Center for Life Beyond Reed
Shulav Neupane, Student
Tara Sonali Miller, SEEDS
Sandy Sundstrom, Financial Aid

Activities

Objective #1: create opportunities off-campus

New program of reduced fare TriMet passes now available to students (Student Work and Business Office)
New funding launched to support students wishing to explore areas of interest through job shadowing local alumni and other professionals (Center for Life Beyond Reed)

Objective #2: embed community activities in collaboration with academic program

Students now able to complete one PE credit through community service (SEEDS)

Objective #3: encourage and support academic, civic, professional, and research opportunities outside of the classroom

Underway Spring 2020: create 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
Encourage students (through departments) to attend professional conferences, whether presenting (Opp Grant) or not presenting (CLBR)

7. Data Goal: Collect, understand, report, and use data to better meet institutional goals.

Objectives

Clarify the roles, tasks, and priorities of Institutional Research in assessing student-centered programs and outcomes.
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.
Share and explain data relevant to the student experience and student success throughout the institution.

People

Subcommittee contact: Anna Ritz (aritz@reed.edu)

Marianne Colgrove, Information Technology
Kerri Creager, Information Technology
Ellen Kotler, Institutional Research
Pax Lloyd-Burchett, Student
Shulav Neupane, Student
Mike Tamada, Institutional Research
Anna Ritz, Biology
Kelsey Wirtzfeld, Student Life

Activities

Work with the Student Data Inventory Project to identify what data is currently available and determine a process for disseminating this information to the community.
Aggregate data needs across the other six goals to consolidate data planning and collection.
Update the website as a platform for sharing student success committee updates with the community.
Learn more about the decennial academic program review, including what data is typically gathered for the review and how programs benchmark student success.

Planned Activities

Update the website at the end of every semester with student success committee activities.
Plan and prototype a Student Dashboard that will communicate data relevant to student success to different constituencies across campus. Consider ways to keep it nimble to respond to changing priorities, but also persist for long-term information review.
Make recommendations for academic program reviews with regards to student success.