Incoming students registered as undeclared liberal arts majors will be the beneficiaries of the newly-created Exploratory Student Program (ESP). ESP, which in this case does not stand for extra-sensory perception, will nonetheless provide students with an improved ability to envision their futures.
The Exploratory Student Program, developed by the Office of Enrollment and Student Success, targets new freshmen and transfer students who are uncertain enough about their academic and career direction to be unwilling to commit to a major. Because the campus registration system requires them to be assigned to some academic program, they register in undeclared liberal arts (“UL”). There are about 230 such students who enter each fall.
“In some ways,” says Dean of Enrollment and Student Success Thomas Taylor, “all freshmen are ‘exploratory students.’ A recent analysis of our students shows that 65 percent of them graduate in a major other than the one in which they started.
“A study of the fall 2005 entering freshmen also revealed that a significant percentage of our student population still do not have a parent who graduated from college, so they are likely to need extra help figuring out what they want to do and how to get there,” Taylor says. “The ESP program is a proactive initiative that gives us a couple of ways to provide support to our undeclared students at the outset of their academic career. We can help them make progress toward their degree while they’re exploring their options.”
Until now, all UL majors – a total of about 450 a year – shared limited resources. All were assigned for advising to Assoc. Prof. Nick Minton and Assoc. Prof. Emeritus Joyce Denning (who came back from retirement half-time to continue this role), who relied on the Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services (CLASS) for help.
“These folks do a great job,” says Beth Donaghey of Admissions and Enrollment Services, “but they are out-numbered! ESP is a way to expand the services focused on these students as they join the campus and throughout their first year. We want to become their ‘supporters without borders.’”
The program has three elements in place so far: clustered courses, access to career guidance software, and attendance at a summer job fair.
The goal of course clusters is to keep groups of 25 to 45 students together for three of their first-semester classes. Course clusters would be comprised of College Writing 1, an introductory humanities or social sciences course, and an introductory course in an area in which students have expressed some interest. Ideally, both introductory courses would satisfy general education requirements.
The goal, Donaghey says, is to “keep these students ‘in our pockets’ for a while and help them connect with the University. The key to retention is connection. If we can focus these students and help them establish a network of support, through CLASS, Career Services and individual faculty, we have a much better chance of retaining them.
“Lots of students, especially freshmen,” Donaghey continues, “don’t know what careers are connected to what majors. Part of the job of ESP is to help them see the value of a liberal arts education by demonstrating the job possibilities.”
That process will begin immediately.
The Office of Career Services is opening up the April 26 “Summer and Beyond Job Fair” to accepted students who have not identified a major. Participants will rendezvous at the Admissions Office and be accompanied by admissions counselors to the job fair.
“Being exposed to a variety of jobs is clearly another way to explore your career options,” says Taylor. “We want to help these students have as much opportunity to experience the options as possible. Career Services recommended this fair in particular because it will demonstrate that employers value students with a liberal arts background.”
This summer, accepted students who have not chosen a major or who have registered during orientation as a UL major will be given access to an on-line career exploration tool called Focus. They can access the service through the password-protected web site, Passport, which was developed for accepted students.
Focus, administered through the Office of Career Services, is a vocational self-evaluation and assessment tool designed to assist in career exploration. The instrument matches the student’s interests, skills and life/work values with compatible careers. Each career is described briefly and includes its academic requirements. The Focus site offers links to multiple other sites that provide fuller discussions of jobs, recommended academic preparation, and job prospects.
“All students have access to Focus once they start classes,” says Yates. “One big difference with ESP is that we are making this resource available to students before they get to campus. We are actively encouraging them to use this tool.”
The Career Services staff is encouraging students to make an appointment with a career counselor, here or elsewhere, once they have feedback from the on line service. “The results need some interpretation,” says Yates, “and it’s another opportunity for connection.”
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