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Background
Galveston College serves the 60,000 residents of Galveston, TX, a barrier reef island in the Gulf of Mexico near Houston. The college’s enrollment of 2,300 students reflects the one-third white, Hispanic and black make-up of the community’s population.
In recent years the college’s foundation has offered $2,400 tuition scholarships to ensure that every local high school graduate has the opportunity to attend college or receive technical training. However, most entering students are academically under-prepared and have difficulty navigating the college environment. The 1:800 ratio of advisors to students has left students with little guidance in making the transition to college. Half of the black students drop out between fall and spring semesters; only 35 percent of all students persist from fall to fall.
Achieving the Dream Goals
The College’s data analysis identified an overall fundamental issue regarding the recruitment and retention of students particularly academically underprepared students. As a result, efforts are focused on enhancing student support systems, providing faculty training directed at increasing student success, and implementing new methodologies for addressing the needs of underprepared students. The three focused strategies of the College are:
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To increase the level of Emotional Intelligence (EI) of students
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To increase success and retention rates of developmental education students
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To promote the successful transition of students into the college environment.
Activities within these strategies will include implementing a new faculty advisement model, restructuring developmental education curriculum, offering student success seminars, revising student orientations and implementing a college survival skills class.
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