WaACRAO 2007 PRESENTER/SESSION INFORMATION
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Presenter: Dr. Ron Leatherbarrow, Executive Dean of Instruction, Bellevue Community College
Dr. Leatherbarrow’s talk will focus on leadership in education, primarily on leadership concepts and misconceptions, expectations and styles. He will discuss discrepancies and conflicts that issue from varying approaches to leadership in education and the complex mythology that informs leadership in the world of education.
FERPA INFO SESSION
Presenter: Richard Backes, Senior Associate Registrar, Washington State University
This session will cover the basics of the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) including recent changes and additions. A question and answer session will follow.
TRANSFER ISSUES (Panel)
Facilitator: Kathy Gaer-Carlton, Assistant Director of Admissions, Central Washington University
Transfer Topics Include:
The difference in transfer efficiency between the DTA degree and the Associate in Science-Transfer degree -- How various universities accept the AS-T degree
Mandatory counseling for all community college sophomores -- Reasons why it should be implemented and practicality barriers against it
The Educational Opportunity Grant (EOG) -- Is it widely advertised and does it work as a significant incentive for eligible students to finish a DTA degree before transferring?
College-level math -- Which universities require it for graduation, regardless of major, and how does the DTA degree satisfy the requirement?
How GER-friendly are the various WA universities regarding transfer students who transfer without a DTA degree?
Major Ready -- What it means for transfer students and how important it is at various universities?
Teacher preparation / education programs -- commonalities and differences in program admission standards among various universities
Transfer resources -- Which print or Web-based resources offered by universities do community college counselors find to be the most effective?
What is the foreign language requirement (for graduation) at the 4-year schools?
How do the four year schools assess basic math competency (if they do so)? Entry Exam (also, with or without the assistance of a calculator)? SAT/AP scores?
How may/must students from 4-year schools prove math proficiency in order to take a General Education math class at a 2-year school for transfer to the home institution?
Transfer resources – which print or web-based resources offered by 2-year schools (e.g., course descriptions) do 4-year schools find to be the most effective?
USING TECHNOLOGY (Round Table)
Facilitator: Janelle Miner, Registrar, Whatcom Community College
This presentation facilitates discussions about the challenges that technology brings to institutions of higher education. What are institutions doing to stay on top of the latest technologies? How are we using technology to streamline processes and/or better communicate with students?
The HECB Online Advising Tool
Facilitator: Andy Smith, Associate Director of Academic Affairs
Andi Smith from the Higher Education Coordinating Board and Nani Jackins-Park from the State Board for Community and Technical colleges will provide an overview of current and future efforts to develop a statewide, web-based, advising system. The presentation will provide demonstrations of EdPlans (the system currently being used at Walla Walla, Yakima Valley, and Columbia Basin community colleges) and the Web Advising System (WAS) being piloted at Bellevue Community College and UW-Seattle. The session will also include discussion of the final report from seven focus groups held across the state to help prioritize the "must haves" of a web-based system. There will also be time for discussion of next-steps in the implementation process, including discussion on how EdPlan and WAS would work together.
HELICOPTER PARENTS
Presenter: Wendy Peterson, Director of Admissions, Washington State University
Presenter: Becky Bitter, Senior Assistant Registrar, Washington State University
When you hear the sound of those chopper blades descending in your direction, do you run toward the helicopter parents—or do you run away? Drawing from research on the millennial generation and our collective experience, we will discuss strategies for meeting these involved parents half-way, noting parents’ desires and students’ responsibilities.
TEAM BUILDING
Presenter: Kenda Gatlin, Associate Registrar, Seattle Pacific University
We all have held various roles depending on what team we are part of, whether it is a family unit, sports team, or a project oriented team. When hiring new staff, we often look for traits that indicate the individual will be a team player. Why is it important to focus on the team? This session will explore some of the key reasons why and some steps to building your own dream team!
What are the benefits of working as a team? Benefits include:
Utilizing more resources, ideas and energy than one person could provide.
Maximizing people’s strengths.
Providing multiple perspectives on how to meet a need or reach a goal.
Keeping the group accountable for the established goal(s).
A team can simply do more work than an individual.
Whether you are a hiring manager, or a member of an existing team, this session will explore how to get the best out of your team members.
RESIDENCY WORKSHOP
Presenter: Virjean Edwards, Associate Registrar, University of Washington
This session will include updates by Anne Shaw from the State of Washington’s Attorney General’s Office and invite questions and discussion from the attendees. Bring your Residency Handbook’s and questions for this interactive workshop.
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING: Working with International Students: Concepts and Strategies
Presenter: Ginger Villanueva, International Student Advisor, The Art Institute of Seattle
Presenter: Machelle Allman, International Student Advisor, Highline Community College
This session will address several topics relating to serving this unique cohort of students. Concepts of the role of the ISP or ISS office on campus will be presented, as well as the basic regulatory context surrounding this group. Session members will discuss strategies for point-of-contact service without multiple referrals to other offices, nonobtrusive ways to determine immigration status, changing residency for those who gain citizenship, working with nonnative speakers of English, and more.
FERPA, CASE STUDIES
Presenter: Richard Backes, Senior Associate Registrar, Washington State University
Case studies from the presenter’s institution and a number of national cases will be presented about the application of FERPA. Questions and situations from the audience will also be discussed.
THE USE OF WORK-STUDY STUDENTS AND PART-TIME HELP
Presenter: Betsy Abts, Director of Admissions and Registration, North Seattle Community College
Presenter: Chris Melton, Interim Registrar, Shoreline Community College
This interactive presentation shares the stories of how two community colleges make the most of using work-study student and part-time help and kindle the notion of retention through these efforts. Attendees are also invited to share their own experiences as part of the presentation.
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WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE REGISTRARS AND ADMISSIONS OFFICERS
WaACRAO Second Annual Conference 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
St. Martin's University, Lacey, Washington
Norman Worthington Conference Center
Agenda
8:00-9:00 – Check in and Networking
9:00-10:00 – Welcome, Ice breaker and Key Note Speaker
10-10:15 – Break/Coffee Connections
10:15-11:30 – Breakout Session One
Session Title Presenter/Facilitator Room
• FERPA Info Session Richard Backes
• Transfer Issues (Panel) Kathy Gaer-Carlton
• Technology Issues (Panel)
• Helicopter Parents Becky Bitter
11:30-12:30 - Lunch
12:30-1:45 – Breakout Session Two
Session Title Presenter/Facilitator Room
• Team Building Kenda Gatlin
• Residency Workshop Virjean Edwards/Anne Shaw
• International Training Ginger Villanueva
1:45-2 – Break/Coffee Connections
2-3:15 – Breakout Session Three
Session Title Presenter/Facilitator Room
• FERPA, Case Studies Richard Backes
• Helicopter Parents Becky Bitter
• Work-study Students Betsy Abts/Chris Melton
• SBCTC and HECB Online Advising Tool Project Andi Smith/Nani Jackins-Park
3:15-3:30 – Break/Coffee Connections
3:30-4 Wrap Up Session
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INTERNATIONAL TRAINING SESSION
Role of the ISP/ISS Office
Which students do we serve? (Non-immigrant, F-1, international students)
Immigration:
• Designated School Official (DSO)
• Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reporting, record keeping, responding to Dept. of Homeland Security, for prospective students, applicants, continuing students
• Reporting requirements: why we do certain things (for example, if a student withdraws)
New International Student Admissions
New International Student Orientation and cultural adjustment advising
Academic Advising: could be first quarter only, could be throughout
Advocate on campus: problems with testing center; transcripts not showing College level GPA
Conflict resolution: misunderstandings, different expectations
Short-term Programs
Communication Issues
Will take more time
Multitasking can be distracting
Engage with student first
Divide instructions into phrases, with space between
Past, present, future tenses all in once sentence can be unclear
Part of it is English, part is unfamiliarity with U.S. education system
Use checklists
Break things down into steps
Have examples (laminated) – add/drop forms, bank checks
Translation resources
• when appropriate?
• list of people on campus who speak certain languages (Spreadsheet that’s sent around periodically, campus internal phone directory)
• If there is a problem: ISP office is happy to help, but our goal is to assist students in navigating the system on their own
These techniques will help with any student (i. e. 1st generation).
Determining if a student is “international”
& Directing students who ask for “ESL”
Legal concerns
We ask for this information in order to serve students better, not to get them in trouble.
• Explain why you’re asking.
• Or, don’t ask questions - show the information. Depending on response, direct further or give more information.
(See brochure example: BCC’s Programs For Non-Native Speakers of English)
Examples of potential confusion:
• Various orientations for different programs
• Students being sent to ISP/ISS or intensive English program when they actually need the Adult Basic Education free English classes.
Assumptions about international students, immigrants, etc.
• Statistics
Technology and Coding
How do technology and school database codes affect international students?
Dept. of Homeland Security & SEVIS requirements (a few examples):
• Must be full-time (with limited exceptions)
• Must notify immigration (through ISP office) of any change of major, degree, address, etc.
• ISP must “register” each student in SEVIS each quarter.
School technology is a vital aspect of required student tracking, and can affect a student’s status.
• Due to SEVIS, information must be as accurate as possible.
• When “batch-filing” must be extra careful – information goes directly to SEVIS. ex.: hyphens in names, drop below 12 cr.
• Systems need to be in place to notify ISP office.
Different solutions for different schools.
• Ex.: block int’l students after add/drop deadline; quarterly reminders to Registrar; notify ISP if a student’s address changes, either through technology or email/phone.
When making changes to technology that might affect int’l student information, communicate with ISP/ISS office
Coding matters!
• Make sure everyone understands the big picture, especially when training new staff – i.e., what information is for statistics, what information is vital.
Examples of how coding/technology can affect a process:
• F-1 to Permanent Resident: codes, SEVIS, tuition rate, advising
• How to handle HB 1069?
Wrap-up
Good communication with ISP office
• attend staff meetings (both directions) – not all meetings, but maybe every month or so, at an appropriate time
• participate in campus-wide committees
o The Art Institute’s At-Risk Student Committee - representatives from Educational Services, faculty, and other departments including ISS and Registrar
o BCC’s Advising Committee –reps from each academic division, advising services, career services, ISS, Registrar
• attend orientations (AIS – registrar comes to Int’l Orientation to talk about attendance/drop policy) Bring and explain commonly used forms; remind students to keep their email up-to-date (at BCC, only way students are contacted by school, by the system)
• Develop relationships: know who to call at the ISP office
o have business cards on hand for go-to people in other departments
Questions and Discussion