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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Twin Cities updates (March 2018)


Complete Drop Initiative - ASR Collaboration
Nate Peterson (OSSS) and Cathy Schuster (OSF) have been working collaboratively on an initiative to prevent students from dropping all classes without contact with their advisor. Starting in fall 2018, Twin Cities and Rochester degree-seeking students who attempt to drop below 6 credits will get an error message preventing the drop and prompting them to meet with their advisor.

The minimum credit threshold of 6 credits will be applied the day after the 100% refund date and remain indefinitely. Athletes and international students will be excluded from this (due to NCAA and visa requirements). The student will be warned that their action would drop them below the minimum required credits, and refer them to their college advising office, International Student and Scholar Services, or Veteran’s Services. After the advisor or college staff has contact with student, the minimum threshold can be reduced or removed so the student can complete the drop.

Once a communications plan is completed, materials will be shared with system campuses in the event that they would like to duplicate any portion of the process.

One Stop annual survey results
Each year, One Stop Student Services sends out a student satisfaction survey to students who we have served during our busy time in the fall. We seek feedback from our students so we continue to keep our finger on the pulse of how students can best be served. There is no better way than to simply ask them! View the survey infographic.

The survey consists of a rating scale for our three modes of contact (phones, walk-ins, and emails). We also determine how well we are meeting our service standards of Knowledge, Empathy, Efficiency and the our newly added standard of “Welcoming” (which has replaced “Friendliness”).

We asked students to comment on how we are doing overall. We received many comments such as "I felt that the One Stop representative was on my side and cared about my problem. Also they took care of my issue in no time. Thank you very much for friendly service." We are proud that the overall satisfaction rating is 80%!

There were some minor changes to our survey design that may have impacted our final results, which we will keep in mind as we continue to improve our survey procedure. We are taking a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats) approach in reviewing the students’ comments and looking to make One Stop even better in the future.

One Stop West Bank renovation
One Stop Student Services on the West Bank has a fresh look and improved functionality. Updates to the space include more privacy for counseling conversations, better accessibility for visitors in wheelchairs, triage space for periods of peak traffic, and an additional "hotel" workspace. If you are near the West Bank Skyway, stop by and check it out.







Twin Cities submitting the PPA for recertification
The Twin Cities campus will be submitting their Program Participation Agreement (PPA) for recertification to the Department of Education (ED) by March 31, 2018. The campus is allowed to administer aid through the end of June, but often the recertification review process can take several months. Recertification is required for the campus to continue to administer Title IV financial aid. Through the recertification process the campus affirms that they are still meeting the requirements set forth by ED and reflects any relevant changes to academic programs and program delivery. The Twin Cities campus anticipates hearing back from ED in early June.

Staff Updates

  • ASR Student Data and Analytics has two new data analysts starting on April 2.
    • Alex Rose is joining the team from the College of Biological Sciences.
    • Pa Thao will be coming to us from St. Olaf College.
  • Jen-Hoe Ng will be starting on April 11 in OSF undergraduate unit. Jen is a Minot State University graduate and presently works at Argosy University in Eagan. He has also worked at the Minnesota School of Business and Capella University. He volunteers at YouthLink Minnesota, providing financial aid counseling to homeless youth.
  • Meghan Czarniecki will be starting April 9 in OSF undergraduate unit. Meghan is from New York and worked at the University of Rochester as the assistant director of financial aid before moving to Minnesota. She has been working at North Hennepin Community College since July as a data coordinator for financial aid.

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