Draft submitted by Standard 5 Committee: Charles Salas (chair), Amin Gonzalez, Tony Hatch, Scott Houser, Mike Whalen, Mike Whaley, Alison Williams, Michael Whitcomb
STANDARD FIVE: Consistent with its mission, the institution sets and achieves realistic goals to enroll students who are broadly representative of the population the institution wishes to serve. The institution addresses its own goals for the achievement of diversity, equity, and inclusion among its students and provides a safe environment that fosters the intellectual and personal development of its students. It endeavors to ensure the success of its students, offering the resources and services that provide them the opportunity to achieve the goals of their educational program as specified in institutional publications. The institution’s interactions with students and prospective students are characterized by integrity and equity.
ADMISSIONS & FINANCIAL AID
Description
The Offices of Admission and Financial Aid collaborate closely to bring to campus undergraduates who are poised to both thrive in Wesleyan’s rigorous academic environment and make substantive contributions to our dynamically diverse community. Using various mediums, print and digital, the Office of Admission actively recruits students from diverse geographic, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds with a wide range of academic and cocurricular interests. Each year, the Wesleyan admission committee carefully considers approximately 13K candidates in three application programs: two binding early decision and one regular decision that allows admitted students to weigh options in the spring. Financial aid is based on a combination of the student’s and family’s ability to pay, and awards consist of federal and state aid, and institutional grants. Committed to access and affordability, Wesleyan meets 100% of admitted students’ demonstrated financial needs. The proportion of newly enrolled students receiving aid in academic year 2020-21 was 42%, where aid is defined as “grant or scholarship aid received from the federal government, state/local government, the institution, and other sources known to the institution.” The prior year (2019-20), it was 37%.
Appraisal
The second overarching goal of President Roth’s Toward Wesleyan’s Bicentennial is to “build on our reputation as a leader in pragmatic liberal education,” and one of the ways we measure whether we are making progress to this end is by the number of talented young people seeking admission to our community. Application numbers have increased significantly over the last decade. The growth of the pool is attributable to several factors: aggressive outreach in both new and established domestic and international markets, the collaborative efforts of Admission and University Communications to rebrand, a fruitful partnership with QuestBridge, and the adoption of a test-optional admission policy aimed at expanding access.Although for several decades Wesleyan proudly admitted domestic first-year candidates regardless of their ability to pay, in the spring of 2012 President Roth introduced an initiative that changed Wesleyan’s approach to financial aid. The initiative established a “discount rate” that intended to be simultaneously as generous as possible and financially sustainable. Whereas just under a third of the University’s tuition charges went to financial aid at the time of adoption, today the discount rate approaches 37%. Leveraging a budget of nearly $65M, Wesleyan remains committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of admitted students without increasing required student indebtedness. The maximum amount a student would need to borrow on their journeys to the alumni ranks is $19K. Although the initial reviews of applications by admission deans do not consider students/families ability to finance a Wesleyan education at all, committees are somewhat conscious of budget constraints when deliberating to craft the class. Thanks to impressive fund raising and gifts to the endowment, Wesleyan has built a more generous and sustainable financial aid program during President Roth’s tenure. Recent initiatives have simultaneously sought to increase access, reduce families’ and individuals’ long-term financial burdens, and ensure that high need students in particular are appropriately supported. Beginning with the class entering in 2021, Wesleyan increased its No Loan threshold for domestic students whose families earn $60K or less (with typical assets) to $120K. At the same time, we committed to providing “start-up” grants of $500 for high-need students regardless of citizenship. Beginning with the Class of 2024, high need students who could not demonstrate proof of comparable health insurance were provided grants affording them access to care while enrolled.Keenly aware of shifting demographics, Admission has sought to broaden its geographic reach and stimulate applications from international students as well as those in the U.S. outside the Northeast. For only the second time in history, Wesleyan received more than 13,000 applications during the 2020-2021 admission cycle. In addition to challenges posed by the pandemic, colleges and universities like ours are bracing for a much-feared “demographic cliff”—a steep drop-off in potential first-time full-time first-year students projected to arrive in 2025-2026. Our goal is to maintain or grow applications in the Northeast while continuing to increase applications from farther afield. Despite a 23% increase in applications since 2010, the Office of Admission has only expanded its professional staff by 1 (14 deans as of FY 2021). Clearly, further application growth will require support and assistance from many other University partners. Wesleyan continues to think of “diversity” in all its manifestations and seeks to create a diverse undergraduate community. As champions of equity, inclusion and belonging, Admission takes special note of strong applicants who are of extremely modest means, first-generation-college, international, from outside the Northeast, and of varied educational backgrounds, as well as those whose race and/or ethnicity have historically been marginalized in the Academy. Wesleyan’s longstanding commitment to bring more domestic students of color to Wesleyan was bolstered by our partnership with QuestBridge. Over the past thirteen years, we have enrolled more than 300 Quest Scholars through both the National College Match and regular decision processes. While our QuestBridge partnership is focused on bringing to campus talented low-income students, the majority of those who end up coming are students of color. Making Wesleyan more international and affordable remain important institutional priorities. International applications have increased 100% since 2010. In 2014 Wesleyan partnered with Posse and committed to bringing 10 Veteran Scholars to campus annually.Wesleyan’s six-year graduation rate for first-year students who entered in the fall of 2014 is 91% overall. Details can be found in Standard 8.
STUDENT SERVICES & CO-CURRICULAR EXPERIENCES
Description
In 2008 Student Affairs articulated a mission statement and set of co-curricular learning goals with assessment rubrics; in 2017, Academic Affairs and Student Affairs collaborated to develop one set of institutional learning goals. While the development and delivery of programs and services in support of students are guided by this mission and these goals, most of the assessment work to date (see Student Affairs Assessment dashboard) fails to capture students’ progress toward proficiency in the stated goals. This is a challenging problem on which Academic Affairs (through Institutional Research) and Student Affairs continue to work. (See Standard 8, p.??)
As a residential liberal arts institution, Wesleyan expects to extend students’ learning beyond formal academic settings and to provide a robust co-curricular experience. Over the past decade Student Affairs and Academic Affairs have partnered on a number of pilot programs designed to enhance co-curricular learning as well as build stronger faculty-student connections. Such programs included Living Learning Seminars in select FY residences, a Faculty Fellows program in some residence halls, and a Residential College. While each of these efforts had its merits, none generated the student interest and impact necessary to sustain it. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the Provost and the Vice President for Student Affairs jointly convened a task force of faculty, staff and students to develop proposals for enhancing applied and integrative learning in the curriculum and co-curriculum. That task force recommended that pre-major advising include elements of the Ideals Into Practice developed by Career Resources, that a larger group of faculty be convened to articulate mechanisms for infusing more experiential and applied learning into the curriculum, and that faculty liaisons be appointed to existing co-curricular programs with the goal of enhancing educational impact. These recommendations will be moved forward by appropriate committees and staff in the coming year.
Appraisal
New student orientation has evolved into a hybrid program, providing virtual/remote content prior to students’ arrival followed by in-person, community-building on campus. Orientation programming provides introduction to curricular and co-curricular services. An important component of orientation is the annual common reading program, whose theme alternates annually between environmental and E&I issues. Each student is asked to write and submit (in their portal) a reflection paper on the chosen book prior to arrival. On campus, there is typically a keynote address by the book’s author with follow-up small group discussions facilitated by faculty and staff members. Participation in this program is consistently at 90% or better.In Fall 2016, Student Affairs partnered with the Office of Equity & Inclusion (OEI) to launch the First Things First (FTF) pre-orientation program for FGLI students, informing them of available resources, highlighting strategies for academic success, introducing them to faculty and staff who identify as being or having been FGLI, and building a supportive cohort. Roughly 30 students per year participate, though during the pandemic, when the program was virtual, it was about 50. Beginning in 2021, the program has been extended beyond orientation to include regular academic success programming throughout the school year.
Student Government and Leadership
One of the objectives of the institution is to meaningfully involve students in institutional decision-making. Toward this end, the administration has built a strong relationship with the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) and established myriad standing committees that include student representatives. For its part, the WSA has enacted structural changes to enhance student access and the diversity of its representatives. Faculty and administrators also reach out to include other student representatives where appropriate. Students serve on search committees, departmental majors committees, various student life committees, and even on the subcommittees of the Board of Trustees.In 2020, Student Activities and the WSA implemented WesNest, a software making the creation and registration of student groups more accessible and easier to understand. Physical signatures and meetings are no longer required, and the registration process is now automated. As a “one stop shop” or hub for student involvement, WesNest also allows students to reserve spaces, register events, and track co-curricular involvement over time in co-curricular transcripts. The Student Activities and WSA offices have formally merged since to form the Student Involvement Office, thus creating a cohesive structure supporting Wesleyan’s wide variety of student clubs and organizations. All student groups also have a designated faculty advisor within the WesNest system. A notable example of the many ways in which Student Affairs and the WSA have collaborated closely is the public health awareness campaign related to the COVID pandemic. WSA leadership worked closely with the VPSA to develop a COVID Code of Conduct and a peer-to-peer educational campaign.
Residential Life
In 2018 the Office of Residential Life launched the Residential Curriculum which resulted in a major shift of responsibilities for our three student leadership positions (resident advisors, community advisors and house managers). Student staff now engage with their residents according to a semester-long educational plan designed to intentionally address students’ developmental needs. The educational plan follows an adapted version of the University’s learning outcomes that is more accessible to student staff and provides a basis for the residential curriculum:
- Navigating Complex Environments (Mapping) is Increased Self Awareness
- Writing and Communication (Expressing) is Effective Communication
- Empirical Analysis and Interpretation (Mining) is Critical Thinking
- Negotiating Cultural Contexts (Engaging) is Residential Engagement.
The Office of Residential Life has developed rubrics for each learning outcome, and each lesson plan facilitated by student staff addresses a particular learning outcome. Student staff submit an evaluation after facilitating each lesson plan. Since 2016, all program house residents complete a Community Engagement Contract each semester which guides how the members will work towards the house mission and ensures participation by all housemates. In addition, beginning in spring 2019, houses have been encouraged to offer credit-based learning for their residents. Although hampered by the pandemic, there has been at least one student forum or faculty tutorial in a program house each year. Area Coordinators work with the house managers in the fall to develop proposals to be implemented in spring.As noted above, Wesleyan has a diverse housing stock to accommodate all undergraduates. Wood frame houses are a popular option, but their condition continues to deteriorate. A number of houses sit vacant for that reason, and several more are not occupied to capacity because they lack sprinkler systems. Many have accessibility challenges, lack consistent Wi-Fi access, and suffer chronic issues related to heat/insulation, security and pests. The University plans to turn to this issue of investment in residential facilities once the major academic building projects now underway are completed. The institution has become increasingly aware of the ways in which institutional practices incorrectly assume that students have access to safe and stable housing elsewhere during periods when classes are not in session. Even prior to the COVID pandemic, Wesleyan had begun to offer support to students with housing insecurity by providing on-campus housing to approved students for free or at reduced rates. Now the pandemic has led to a more robust understanding of – and response to – students in this situation. Wesleyan has a small number of Greek houses, and Greek organizations play a lesser role on our campus than they do in the social life at some of our peers. In 2014 the President and Chair of the Board of Trustees issued a mandate that Wesleyan’s two remaining all-male residential fraternities must co-educate if they wished to remain part of Wesleyan’s program housing portfolio. This decision came because of concerns about student safety as well as reports of sexual harassment and assault in these historically male spaces. The WSA also expressed support for the shift in policy. Psi Upsilon immediately moved toward coeducation and now has equal numbers of male-identified and female-identified members living at the house. Delta Kappa Epsilon eschewed the requirement and remains in active litigation with Wesleyan – the DKE house has been closed to students since Fall 2015.
Note: GLS (Graduate Liberal Studies) and BLS (Bachelor of Liberal Studies) are part-time programs for working adults and as such operate outside of Wesleyan’s residential experience.
Physical Education and Athletics
Over the past decade, varsity athletics has been enjoying increasing competitive success. At the same time, the University’s 30 varsity programs never lose their focus on the pursuit of academic excellence and personal growth. Participation in intercollegiate athletics is more than just competition. Student-athletes build lifelong relationships and develop skills in areas of leadership, time management and communication that serve them well beyond graduation. For example, our athletes have initiated crucial conversations with respect to diversity, inclusion and mental health, and in response the Athletic Department has recently launched a number of programs with respect to bystander intervention, mental health awareness, and DEI. (A summary of Wesleyan Athletics’ recent DEI work can be found in the workroom here.)
A challenge facing many liberal arts institutions with broad based athletic programs is how to successfully integrate student-athletes into the social and academic fabric of the institution. Wesleyan athletes – like their peers dedicated to the arts, music, or theatre – spend considerable time honing their skills. Still, they are expected to find ways to take advantage of the expansive curriculum and other co-curricular activities, and they are encouraged by coaches to engage in the greater campus community and develop relationships with professors and staff. Another challenge is the growth of club sports. Over the last decade Wesleyan has seen an increasing number of matriculating students with a background in team sports. Many of these students are seeking non-varsity competition opportunities more rigorous than our intramural program. Because the Athletic Department is not able to financially sponsor a full complement of junior varsity teams, it is receiving more requests to accommodate club sports. In recent years we’ve added multiple club sports, such as our women’s water polo, women’s rugby, martial arts/kung fu/Jiu jitsu, badminton, figure skating, basketball, volleyball, and co-ed tennis. Naturally these additions place tremendous stress on field space and indoor activity areas. The Department is exploring the addition of a third synthetic surface field with lights to provide additional activity space; tiering club sports into three divisions may also prove to be of help. As mentioned in Standard Four, Wesleyan teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), the strongest NCAA Division III athletic conference. Fielding winning teams in NESCAC requires a year-round recruiting commitment from Wesleyan coaches. Equally important is the need for quality assistant coaches to assist in recruiting. Fundraising to bridge gaps in the operations budget has become an additional priority for the athletic department. The Wesleyan A+ Athletic Advantage Program is helping the student-athlete prepare for life after college through Gordon Career Center mini clinics, internal programming and alumni mentoring. Former Wesleyan athletes are enthusiastic about engaging with current students and providing guidance and advice for the post Wesleyan journey.Community engagement is an important component of our athletic program. Teams regularly volunteer in support of local nonprofit agencies, area schools, and youth sports teams. Through the Student Athlete Advisory Council and Student-Athlete of Color Leadership Council, the Department works closely with student leaders to support the athletic experience, promote sportsmanship, stress the importance of the intersection of athletics with student organizations, and engage in community service activities. (For more on Athletics, see Standard 4.)
International Students
One of Wesleyan’s goals has been to increase its percentage of international students. As the size of the international student population has grown (59% increase in enrolled international students over the past 10 years) and immigration compliance has become more complex, Wesleyan expanded the Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) to provide more robust support for these students. A new full-time Director for OISA, hired in 2019, has assisted with the challenging immigration compliance work as well as developed new programming initiatives to support international students, including an e-newsletter and involving OISA in International Education week. Terra Dotta, a third-party cloud-based immigration compliance data management system, was implemented in October 2020. The software allows the University to batch register F-1 students at the beginning of each semester and keep all immigration/compliance information in one secured location. The immigration advising and compliance needs of F-1 students have changed significantly in recent years due to the COVID-19 global pandemic’s impact on governmental policies and regulations. Beyond immigration needs, support pre-departure is provided through a peer mentorship program for first-year international students before they arrive for International Student Orientation. OISA provides substantial and specific trainings for orientation staff (mostly returning international students) to support these students coming from diverse linguistic/cultural backgrounds and value systems. With increased staff, the office is now able to do more proactive outreach, and there are now a number of workshops (workroom link), for example, on legal compliance for those seeking work authorization in the United States both during their time at Wesleyan and after graduation. An active International Student Advisory Board comprised of student leaders identifies issues confronting international students and collaborates with the professional staff on supportive interventions.
One of those issues is the tension between liberal arts education and career. This is a tension felt by liberal arts students, generally, and not just at Wesleyan; but it seems especially strong amongst students from abroad. Many international students want to remain in the country post-graduation, and adding a STEM major to a degree in the Humanities, for example, widens career options and allows them to qualify for the two-years STEM Extension and extend their employment period as an F-1 visa holder. In directing their education, international students must navigate not only the US immigration system but also often pressure from family to stick with a short list of prestigious, lucrative career paths and their own desire to explore academic interests and please their professors, some of whom see “careerism” as “neo-liberalizing” their education.
Academic Support
Wesleyan offers a wide array of academic resources to support students’ success. Some of these programs (e.g. Shapiro Writing Center, Math Workshop, Quantitative Analysis Center, etc.) are run by faculty. There are also several support programs that are housed within the Student Affairs area, including the academic peer advisors who provide peer-to-peer academic support and skill-building workshops with a focus on metacognition and academic success strategies. Wesleyan’s peer tutoring program has been enhanced to provide support for all students rather than just those who are struggling academically. In 2017, tutoring in STEM fields was expanded via creation of “The STEM Zone” in collaboration with STEM faculty. The class deans provide personal and academic support as well as monitor progress toward degree completion. In 2021, the class deans transitioned from conducting academic review after each semester to instead reviewing student performance annually. This change provides greater opportunity to plan and implement support and intervention strategies for “at risk” students since such students are not necessarily required to resign after a single poor semester in which they earn failing grades.
The Academic Advancement team is currently conducting an in-depth review of academic performance within specific academic disciplines and majors to better understand possible inequities across historically excluded groups. The results will inform academic support and outreach initiatives. During the 2020-21 academic year, the team also reviewed communications about academic support to reduce stereotype threat/unconscious bias and increase access.
Wesleyan has experienced increases in the number of students with documented disabilities who require accommodations. Currently, 20% of undergraduate students have registered with the Office of Accessibility Services (a 270% increase since the last reaccreditation). In 2015 a full-time FTE was added in this office to process accommodations in a timely way and also to provide additional support for faculty needing test proctors for students requiring additional time as an accommodation. The expanded use of assistive technology across campus has improved access for all students.
Graduate Programs
In recent years, Wesleyan has taken steps to better integrate and highlight its graduate programs. Admission to Wesleyan’s PhD, MA, and BA/MA programs is coordinated by the office of Graduate Student Services (GSS). In 2013, Wesleyan replaced a decentralized graduate application system with a shared, web-based undergraduate and graduate admission system (Slate). Graduate applications as well as supporting materials are now submitted, monitored and reviewed by faculty and departments online. Applicants are tracked from initial engagement to final decision, enabling better data collection and reporting. Since the fall 2014 entry term, 3,189 graduate applications have been processed using Slate. Departmental websites for all graduate programs have been enhanced to provide better information to prospective applicants, including clearly articulated degree requirements. Requests for program information are managed in Slate and automated emails are sent with information about the program. GSS facilitates the departments use of GRE Search Service to recruit potential applicants and has experimented with using this service to email graduate program information to 1,000 prospective students who opted into being contacted in this manner. Graduate departments identified search criteria based on their departmental needs. Slate enables tracking of the number of emails sent, delivered, unique opens, those who started applications and submitted applications.
To better understand graduate students’ experiences, GSS has implemented exit interviews for graduate students as well as an exit survey. The quantitative and qualitative data have informed the office about ways to enhance support and services. To improve the one-year completion rate for Wesleyan’s BA/MA program, GSS implemented BA/MA-specific orientation programming, periodic check-ins, and created a Guide to Successful Completion. Since increased efforts to proactively address BA/MA students to help them transition from undergraduates to graduate students – highlighting the difference in department expectations, for example, and outlining the increase in responsibility for self-directed work – the one-year completion rates are regularly over 90%. For MA students, completion rates are more variable: 73% to 100% with an average time of 2 years. Rates for PhD students have been in the 70s over past two years with average time ~7 years. (See the Data First Forms under Std 8.1.)GSS has focused on improving graduate student advising through clarifying advisor/advisee expectations, improved communication, and relationship-building. The office partnered with CAPS to host workshops on difficult conversations and conflict resolutions strategies, facilitated a retreat for graduate students and faculty on graduate advising, and added advising resources on its website.
The GSS has worked with other offices to enhance support services for graduate students. The Gordon Career Center now offers consultation appointments to graduate students and hosts two workshops each semester planned by GSS to help graduate students find employment after Wesleyan. And the Shapiro Writing Center provides writing support for graduate students – including writing tutors, weekly writing circles, writing retreats, and a course each fall on academic writing for graduate students whose first language is other than English. The Center also trains two graduate writing tutors who run the weekly graduate writing circle.
Health Services
The Davison Health Center (DHC) provides a range of medical services to Wesleyan students. DHC is open when classes are in session, Monday-Thursday 9am – 6pm, Friday 9am – 5pm, and Saturday 10am – 2pm. The clinical staff includes two board-certified physicians, a board-certified nurse practitioner, a certified physician associate, three registered nurses and a medical assistant. Routine care is provided for illness and injury, with specialty services offered for gynecological care, wellness and sexual health services, travel consultations and immunizations, allergy and immunotherapy services, and nutritional counseling. Four office staff members assist with scheduling follow-up care, referrals to specialists, insurance claim support, and billing. The staff at DHC collaborates closely with CAPS and WesWELL, which are housed in the same building.
The importance of having medical expertise on staff was especially critical during the COVID pandemic, both in terms of supporting Wesleyan students and also in terms of planning. Thanks to close collaboration between the medical team and the Pandemic Planning team, Wesleyan was able to have a safe on-campus experience during the 2020-21 academic year (80% of our students were in residence) and a full return to in-person learning for the 2021-22 academic year.
Mental Health Support and Students at Risk
Student demand for mental health services continues to be challenging for the institution. Over the past decade, Wesleyan has incrementally increased the size of the staff by XX FTE in this important area, but students still express concern about access and types of care offered. In 2015 the Dean of Students implemented Maxient software to track students of concern as well as confidential judicial information. Wesleyan has formed a student “CARE Team” that brings together a cross-functional group of Student Affairs staff weekly to review students of concern, share information, and plan supportive interventions.
24/7 mental health support via ProtoCall was made available to students in 20XX, and local partnerships with Root Center and Middlesex Memorial Hospital support students with intensive mental health needs. Recent staff additions in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) include a Mental Health Education and Prevention Coordinator focused on resilience-building, the addition of a therapist with specialty in issues of racial trauma, dedicated liaisons to graduate students and athletes, and a case manager position (search currently in progress) to help coordinate external referrals. CAPS partnered with Ujamaa and interested faculty/staff of color to launch a BIPOC mental health collective in 2021. The group is undertaking a needs assessment to inform future initiatives by the collective.
An external review in 2017 recommended separating counseling and advocacy work instead of having one person fill both roles. An advocate for crisis intervention for sexual violence and prevention was hired through the creation of the Office of Survivor Advocate and Community Education (SACE) and the hiring of a new director. When the Federal government changed Title IX regulations in 2020, the SACE office was reconfigured and is now the Office of Support, Healing, Activism and Prevention Education (SHAPE). In compliance with Federal requirements, this office now provides support to all parties in Title IX cases instead of just the survivors (as was the case for the SACE office).
Equity & Inclusion
While Student Affairs has for many years provided emergency funding to low-income students when they experience unexpected financial difficulties, the office formally established an Emergency Fund in 2014, publishing information online about the types of unanticipated costs for which students may seek institutional support. The Class Deans and VPSA work closely with the Financial Aid office to vet requests from students. While typical annual disbursements from the emergency fund are ~$50,000, the Fund covered more than $150,000 of unexpected expenses during the pandemic.
In partnership with the Student Dining Committee, the University’s meal plans have been adjusted to better support needy students, some of whom run out of meals/points before the end of the semester. Plans that provide meals at all meal periods throughout the semester were implemented and are covered by financial aid. Continuation of the dining program through break periods – supporting students who cannot leave campus during recess periods – is another recent adjustment. Wesleyan’s dining program, run by Bon Appetit, consistently enjoys high student satisfaction ratings; for the class of ‘21 it was 84% (vs. peer median of 67%)
Student Affairs conducted a division-wide equity audit in 2020-21. The goal of this work was to review all policies and practices through an anti-racist lens and to make adjustments to ensure equity for historically underrepresented populations. This work dovetailed productively with a list of demands that Ujamaa (Wesleyan’s black student umbrella organization) issued during summer 2020. Progress in this area is detailed in the year-end report [link], and efforts will continue.
The Resource Center opened in September 2017. The Center’s areas of focus include promoting campus-wide dialogue, programming and coalition building around the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, sexuality, sustainability, spirituality, and social and political activism. The Center includes a food pantry, clothing closet, library, kitchen, study and conference rooms, and a computer lab. The Center also manages the FGLI Textbook Request Program and co-coordinates our First Things First pre-orientation program with the Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion and Success.
In addition to our First Things First pre-orientation program, the OEI runs a number of pipeline programs combined under our Pathways to Inclusive Education programs. We have two Upward Bound Math and Science programs for FGLI high school students, helping them enroll in 2 and 4 year higher-ed institutions.
Wesleyan’s Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program assists students from under-represented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through post-graduate education in STEM fields. Students (McNair fellows) receive academic and personal advising, financial support, research opportunities, opportunities to present at conferences, help with the graduate school application process and, for those planning to pursue PhDs, support in completing graduate school. Since 2007, 11 McNair fellows have earned a Ph.D, 50 have earned a Master’s degree, 17 have earned a professional graduate degree and 21 are currently enrolled in graduate school programs.
The Wesleyan Mathematics and Science Scholars (WesMaSS) Program is a selective academic program designed to provide support for students from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields who intend to pursue undergraduate degrees in mathematics and natural sciences. Since 2014, WesMaSS has served approximately 30 students per year, focusing on the first two years of a student’s Wesleyan experience. The Program fosters community building and provides the Scholars with mentoring and academic resources which encourage and facilitate their sustained involvement in these fields. Many of the WesMaSS students continue in our BA/MA program and receive a master’s degree at Wesleyan before moving to a Ph.D. program.
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is the centerpiece of the Andrew Mellon Foundation’s initiatives to increase the presence of traditionally underrepresented groups in the faculty ranks of institutions of higher learning in the U.S. Wesleyan has participated in the program since 1989. Our Mellon Mays program has produced 25 PhDs and 7 tenured faculty with an additional four who are in tenure-track positions. Each year we admit 5 emerging juniors who will normally participate in the program during their last two years of study at Wesleyan. These students (Mellon Mays Fellows) enroll in a research seminar with the coordinator and receive a monthly stipend, modest research funds, additional summer funding and, upon successful completion of graduate study, up to $10,000 to assist in repayment of student loans. The Fellows present their research at the Northeast Regional Mellon Mays Conference and at a symposium at Yale. Junior Fellows are required to attend a structured MMUF-supported program for their first summer; the seniors are required to design a research program for the second summer.
Public Safety
In 2014, the Office of Public Safety was moved from the Administration and Finance Division to the Division of Student Affairs, allowing for a re-framing of the office as a service-oriented unit focusing on building campus and community partnerships. This proactive community engagement has been especially important given the national critique of policing, especially as relates to disproportionate treatment of BIPOC populations. The role of sergeants on campus has expanded to include dedicated time for programming with students as well as promoting educational forums. Public Safety sponsors activities for the student population that are remarkably successful and result in broad support for the office. Public Safety is completing a formal accreditation process and anticipates making additional upgrades and adjustments based on peer review.
WesWell: Health Education
Through donor support of the WesWell office, a full-time, ten-month, Alcohol and Other Drug Specialist was hired in 20XX. As is the case at most of our peer schools, high-risk alcohol use is a concern at Wesleyan. While marijuana use has historically been an issue on campus (with surveys regularly indicating 48% of students using marijuana), we expect this to become a bigger issue with the recent legalization of cannabis in Connecticut. WesWell continues to provide education around safer alcohol use via individual consults, social media, training of Residential Life staff, and a grant-funded Peer Health Coach program. Cannabis education and harm reduction remain priorities, and WesWell seeks to address false or misleading claims surrounding the drug. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alcohol and Other Drug Specialist has shared virtual education resources regarding substance use through social media platforms and the WesWell website. The Recovery@ program has expanded to support those who are seeking recovery, and a recovery ally training is in the process of being created to help Wesleyan become a more recovery friendly community.
Impact/Assessment
In recent years, the Student Affairs team has worked together to define key assessment metrics, and each office has developed an assessment dashboard. Key indicators “roll up” to an overall Student Affairs dashboard as well as to the University dashboard. As noted earlier, the Student Affairs team is partnering with Institutional Research to develop measures of educational impact that align with Wesleyan’s learning goals and outcomes. The assessment dashboard drives divisional decision making as well as annual goal setting. To cite some recent examples, new student orientation programming has been adjusted to include both virtual content delivered over the summer and in-person sessions after students arrive on campus. The orientation planning team utilized orientation survey data to determine which virtual sessions developed during the pandemic should continue to be delivered virtually after we returned to a fully on-campus experience this year. Assessment data was also used to develop a peer health coaching program shown to reduce high-risk drinking among our first-year students – Wesleyan subsequently received a grant from the State of Connecticut to fund this program. Two final examples in the Academic Advancement area are adjustments made to summer course registration for first-year students (resulting in greater student satisfaction and less stress among students) and changes to the peer tutoring program that transitioned to small group sessions rather than individual tutor meetings (again resulting in improved efficacy and student satisfaction). The division must continue to rely on data as new programs and initiatives are developed, but the principal work ahead is to find ways to assess the educational impact of our work.
PROJECTIONS
While Wesleyan enjoys high visibility domestically and abroad, Admission will build on the increase in brand recognition it has achieved through persistent and collaborative efforts to attract even larger, more qualified, and diverse applicant pools. By fully leveraging both human capital and technology, the Admission team will – with the support of campus partners and dedicated alumni volunteers – continue to assertively promote Wesleyan in-person and online. We believe that recent initiatives aimed at increasing access and affordability are compelling and will be immensely helpful with extending Wesleyan’s recruitment reach. As a member of the American Talent Initiative, Wesleyan will continue to strive to enroll 20% or more Pell eligible students annually while maintaining revenue levels that sustain the institution.
The OEI has expanded staffing to build capacity for addressing the challenge of creating a truly inclusive institution where all students can thrive regardless of identity or background. We have developed a menu of workshops aimed to address antiracist practices, minimize the impact of implicit biases, incorporate inclusive pedagogical techniques, and improve the overall climate at the university. Improving accessibility for students with disabilities and providing resources for our undocumented students (both populations that are increasing on our campus) are areas of focus. We continue to review policies and practices to meet these challenges and address the needs of all Wesleyan students.
Student Affairs and Academic Affairs will continue to collaborate on ways to enhance co-curricular learning. The landscape of opportunities in this area is vast. Certainly, tremendous learning already takes place beyond the classroom as students interact with others and engage with myriad groups reflecting the varied interests of Wesleyan’s diverse community. Still, we are always looking for ways to make cocurricular learning more robust; this will involve identifying strategies for assessing the impact of the activities we promote.
Sometimes students have difficulty in taking advantage of the opportunities Wesleyan provides, and in recent years, the institution has made strides in addressing the needs of FGLI students, DACA/Undocumented students, trans students, and students with housing insecurity. The issues involved here are complex, and continued attention to them will be necessary.
Wesleyan hopes to further increase the number of international students through focused recruiting in Africa, where we anticipate that over the next decades more and more excellent students will be seeking the kind of education we provide. As the international population grows, the institution will need to allocate adequate resources through financial aid and general support to ensure the success of these students.
The Academic Advancement team expects to increase academic support for students, so that every undergraduate can thrive. This work will include continued analysis of populations that may require additional support, especially as our assessment strategies related to student learning become more sophisticated.
Providing mental health services to our students will likely continue to be a challenge given the increasing numbers seeking these resources as well as the increasing complexity of the health issues presented. Hiring a case manager should help students access mental health resources beyond campus when their needs exceed what we strive to provide through CAPS. Close connections between CAPS and the CARE team will continue to be important.
Finally, graduating students who are adept at engaging meaningfully in civic life is an important objective of the institution and figures prominently in the new strategic plan. Those who work with students will have various opportunities to contribute to this goal and seeking to understand how best to take advantage of those opportunities will be important.