Philadelphia Research Institution Summit [Presentation] - John Holcomb: How Connecting Alumni with Academic Departments Can Boost Student Success_June 2018

1. How Connecting Alumni with Academic
Departments Can Boost Student Success
John Holcomb, Ph.D.
Cleveland State University
Philadelphia, PA
June 19, 2018

2. What is Cleveland State University?
•Comprehensive public
university (one of 13 in
Ohio)
•Urban University
•Approx. 17,000 students
• 12,500 Undergraduates
• 4100 Graduate students
• 400 Law students
•8 Colleges/Schools

3. FTFTF
•In 2010, 6-year graduation rate 29%
•In 2017, 6-year graduation rate 43%
•45% qualify for Pell grants
•25% take at least one developmental course
•30% minority
•37% First Generation

4. Who am I?
•Statistician by training
•Joined CSU in 2000
•Chair of the Department of Mathematics from
2010-2017
•Currently Associate Dean of Curriculum and
Facilities for the College of Sciences and Health
Professions

5. What is the College of Sciences and Health
Professions?
• Biology, Geology, and Environmental
Science
• Chemistry
• Health Sciences
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech and Hearing
• Health Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology

6. College of Sciences and Health Professions
• Approximately 30% of University SCHs
• 19 undergraduate majors/tracks
• 19 master’s degrees/tracks
• 3 research Ph.D. programs
• 1 clinical Ph.D. program
• 24% of university degrees
• 3 of the top 5 undergraduate degree programs
• Health Sciences
• Psychology
• BGES

7. Department of Mathematics
•Or how I failed as Chair of
the largest department
on campus
• 140 Mathematics Majors
• 54 Statistics Minors
• 28 MS Statistics
Specialization Students

8. Failure 1: Creating an annual Banquet
Celebration of Mathematics & Statistics
•Goal: Faculty/Students/Alumni
•Hoped Alumni/Faculty could subsidize cost for
current students
•Partial Success – did create event in evening for
math department honorees.
•Unable to reach alumni successfully

9. Failure 2:Creating internship opportunities for
our data students
•I did try …
• Worked with COSHP Advisory Committee
• Set up 2 focus groups with employers
• Held 2 events for our students to showcase talents
• Relied on a few alumni I know personally

10. Failure 3: Creating an Advisory Board for the
Department of Mathematics
• Vision was to include
• Actuaries
• Teachers
• Statisticians
• academics from other schools

11. Failure 4: Speakers, Speakers, Speakers in
STEMM
Programs in my college
• Operation STEM
• McNair Scholars Program
• Urban Health Fellowes
• STEM Fellows
• Math Club
• Society of Physics Students
Programs at the university
• Choose Ohio First
• Mandel Honors College
• TRIO
• Key Bank Scholars (STEP)
• STEMM Center
• Engineering Clubs

12. So What Happened?
•Promotion of course!
•As Associate Dean charged with working with
WISR to strengthen alumni relationships for
students, faculty, and chairs.

13. Student Success
Getting a job
• About 85% of freshman this year said getting a better job was a major reason
for going to college, and six in 10 considered a college’s ability help its
graduates get good jobs when deciding where to attend, according to the
survey published by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the
University of California at Los Angeles. (Time.com 2016)
• Washington Post – “One day, two students: What college looks like from
opposite ends of the income gap.”

14. Student Success
•Linking with Faculty
• One of the hardest puzzle pieces in student success is faculty
involvement
• Connecting with alumni is a way to utilize faculty in a way they
enjoy
• Capstones!
• Faculty run the organizations mentioned earlier

15. Student Success
•Mentoring
• Done well, it can be life changing
• Very challenging
• Connecting with Alumni can help students persist as it provides a
clearer roadmap to degree completion
•Recruiting tool

16. Student Success
•Another tool in the box for
• Advising
• Career Services
• Internal Internships as a retention tool

17. Student Success
•Breaking down silos by linking
• Alumni Relations/Advancement
• Career Services
• Academic units
• Colleges
• Departments
• Faculty
• Admissions
• Advising