College and Student Services Subcommittee

Recommendations
Charge
Membership
Comments

Recommendations
Preliminary Recommendations of the
College and Student Services Subcommittee
as of October 22, 2003

1. In offices where multiple tasks are performed (i.e. all offices), there should be cross training so that more than one person is capable of carrying out each task.

2. Compose and compile a procedures manual for each office.

3. Strengthen the Alumni Affairs Office to enable us to better gather feedback from former students.

4. Upgrade existing college owned housing units. Furnishings, decor, etc.

5. Designate certain housing units for specific demographics of students, e.g. Dead Cats, Honors program, etc., then scholarship quality students to provide this housing.

6. Replace personnel as they retire, as opposed to closing ranks, particularly in maintenance and grounds.

7. Require the Start Smart experience of all entering freshmen.

8. Improve Academic/Career goals investigation opportunities for students. Encourage students to choose a major emphasis early on.

9. Encourage (require) academic advisors to entering freshmen who have chosen a major to contact each student by phone or e-mail prior to their arriving on campus.

10. Add personnel to the personal counseling office.

11. Encourage a "varsity experience" opportunity for each student.

12. Form more special interest clubs similar to the Dead Cats Society.

13. Put more effort into getting outside funding for athletic programs.

14. Provide space for a dance studio and increase our dance offerings.

15. Add soccer to the athletic program.

16. Move cautiously in building a new football stadium. Should Dixie decide to join the NCAA as a four-year school, Snow would be the only two-year football program in the mountain west outside of Arizona.

17. If funding can be found from private sources, reinstate baseball as a varsity sport.

Charge
The College & Student Services Subcommittee is responsible to provide recommendations to the Executive Planning Council on the following:

1. How can we enhance college services?
In our efforts to provide better service to each other on the Snow College campus, the following recommendations are suggested:

    a. Replace personnel as they retire as opposed to closing ranks. This is far too common of many offices across campus, but maintenance and grounds are particularly understaffed.

    b. Effectively cross train employees on key functions at the college. It would be helpful to compose and compile training manuals for each office on campus, detailing office functions.

    c. Work closely with college services that are privately contracted. Food services are utilized not only by students, but also faculty and staff. The bookstore also works closely with particularly the faculty. It is imperative that the bookstore manager communicate one on one with faculty for book orders. It is also critical that a college representative is responsible to communicate with these contracted services to insure quality service and reduce frustration

2. How can we enhance student services?
 Enhancing service to students is a critical issue on any college campus. Students are affected by and make decisions about the whole college based on the day to day service they receive. In a time when Snow College is losing enrollment, an improvement in Student Services would create a student-oriented environment. It is recommended that:
    a. Snow College needs to upgrade existing on-campus housing units or get out of the housing business. The dormitories have not been upgraded in many years. Though there are several nice off-campus housing facilities, our on-campus housing is approximately 70% occupied. In addition, we host many conferences during the summer. These students are given their first impression of Snow College by residing in dormitories that are very very clean, but not modernized and definitely not air conditioned. When these students attend their first high school college day, their first impression of Snow College will surely affect their decision of which college to investigate.

    b. Consider designating certain housing units for specific demographics of students such as honors program students, science majors, music students, etc. Scholarship quality students for housing in these dormitories.

    c. Improve academic /career goal investigation opportunities for students. Encourage students to choose a major emphasis early on.

    d. Add personnel to the on-campus wellness office. Currently we have one counselor serving the entire student body.

    e. Provide space for a dance studio, increase our dance offerings, and hire a full time faculty for this department.

    f. Work closely with student services that are privately contracted. The bookstore and food services can be a source of enjoyment or frustration for a student. These services are privately contracted and subject to the policies of their respective companies. However, there needs to be a college representative that is closely involved and communicates needs and desires of the students.

3. How can we enhance students’ sense of belonging and needs for co-curricular and other activities?
Snow College offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to be involved in extra-curricular clubs and activities. These give a student a sense of connection to the campus community. The following would add additional strength to existing programs:
    a. Require the Start Smart experience of all entering freshman. There are certainly some students who are more prepared for the collegiate experience than others, but all could benefit from the curriculum. Start Smart offers good practical advice to entering students, gives them an immediate connections with an adult on campus, and introduces them to a small group of their peers before classes begin. This fosters a sense of belonging before classes begin.

    b. Students who have chosen a major would feel an immediate connection to the college if faculty advisors for the appropriate major were to contact each student by telephone or e-mail prior to their arrival on campus. This would require some summer involvement for faculty.

    c. Though there are many clubs on campus, more clubs that dovetail with curriculum such as Dead Cats Society, DEX and NAHB would have meaning for major-directed students.

    d. If every student feels they have made a contribution that was important while on campus, the sense of belonging will be an obvious outcome. The Varsity Experience concept of the past had this precept as its objective. An expanded service organization would provide a stronger service ethic for students.

    e. Reinstate the successful forensics program.

4. How can we enhance athletics?
The Athletic Department and respective coaches do a quality job in the sports programs that Snow College offers. Realizing that the availability of funding is critical to implementing most programs, the following is recommended:
    a. Invest more effort in obtaining outside funding for athletic programs. In addition, community support of our athletic programs is not as strong as it should be. We need to advertise and “court” the county community.

    b. If funding can be found from private sources, reinstate baseball as a varsity sport.

    c. Consider adding competitive soccer to our list of athletic events. This seems to be a relatively inexpensive sport to adopt and could have the possibility of attracting a more culturally diverse group of participants.

5. What should our service ethic be and how can we ensure a friendly atmosphere?
Student first should be our service ethic. We should provide friendly and courteous service, but it should also be service that is fair to all students and is delivered with integrity. This same excellent service should also be extended to each other as colleagues in our college community.
    a. Allow (and require) staff and faculty to attend training in customer service and provide consistent service oriented training. This training needs to be consistent and in a brief format. Some employees resist any type of training because they feel it is unimportant or too time consuming.

    b. Place value on every employee and improve morale. If an employee feels valued, they will value those they are serving.

    c. Increase communication and cooperation between faculty and staff. We are sometimes more friendly to students and parents than we are to each other.
6. What are our measures of success with regard to college and student services?
We have several measures of success in regard to our student services including an exit survey administered to graduating students and a non-returning student questionnaire sent to all students who do not return to Snow College and have not graduated. When asked on the graduating student survey, 98% of the students reported that all, most, or some felt that the college counselors, advisor, and department secretaries they had contact with were helpful, considerate and knowledgeable. 85% had made an appointment with an instructor, 93% talked with a counselor/advisor, and 87% reported that if they could start all over again, they would attend Snow College with 11% reporting a maybe. That left only 2% indicating that Snow College would not be their first choice.

The comments on the Fall 2000 Non-returning Student Survey that made any comment (good or bad) about Snow College were equally balanced with negative and positive comments.

While the statistics work in our favor for providing quality service to students, there are always areas in which we can improve.

Membership
Margie Anderson, Co-Chair
Bart Nelson, Co-Chair
Lynn Schiffman
Bob Trythall
Bonnie Edwards
Dave Lanier
Gary Arnoldson
Michael Seibt
Paul Harnett
Other members to be selected by Co-Chairs (students, community, etc)


Comments