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PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST
   IN CONNECTICU T
        FEBRUAR Y 202 1
      by Christopher Baldwin
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST............................................................................................................................................... 4

PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD	��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12

HIGH-LEVEL LESSONS AT THE MID-POINT OF IMPLEMENTATION	�������������������������������������������������������������������������19

IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS AND KEY NEXT STEPS.................................................................................................20

ENDNOTES.. ......................................................................................................................................................................................22

                                                                                                     ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
                                                                                                     The author would like to express deep appreciation
                                                                                                     to the faculty, staff, and system leaders who participated
                                                                                                     in the interviews for this project. This work would not
                                                                                                     have been possible without their thoughtful and forthright
                                                                                                     contributions. The author would also like to thank the
                                                                                                     CSCU leadership for their partnership in developing a
                                                                                                     publication that would present an honest assessment
                                                                                                     of the Students First initiative, the challenges and
                                                                                                     opportunities of implementing significant change for
                                                                                                     Connecticut’s community colleges, and the long-term
                                                                                                     prospects of success.

                                                                                                     More specifically, the author thanks Greg DeSantis (Vice
                                                                                                     President of Student Success and Academic Initiatives)
                                                                                                     and Ken Klucznik (Vice President for Academic Affairs) for
                                                                                                     their invaluable input and feedback throughout the project.
                                                                                                     Finally, the author would like to thank Three Trees Studio
                                                                                                     for designing the final report and Rachael Baldwin for her
                                                                                                     meticulous copyediting.
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
hrough a reform strategy called                     concerns have arisen with the plan and its implementation,

 T        Students First, the Connecticut State Colleges
          and Universities (CSCU) has embarked on a
                                                              and how system leadership might make adjustments that
                                                              will help the effort be more successful.
process of restructuring the 12 community colleges in
the state. This effort involves the consolidation of the .    Before summarizing the main themes from the interviews,
12 separate colleges into an institution with a single        the report begins with an overview of the Students First
accreditation and the adoption of the Guided Pathways         plan including:
framework for student success across the campuses.            chevron-circle-right The national trends that have influenced the work
The intent of Students First is to equitably improve the
outcomes of students enrolled in the system by                chevron-circle-right The rationale for the changes in Connecticut
streamlining processes and procedures and centralizing        chevron-circle-right The components of the Students First plan
back-office functions so resources can be reallocated to
                                                              chevron-circle-right The approach to organizing the implementation process
provide greater student supports at the campus level.
                                                              Following a rundown of the interview themes, a few high-
This report primarily aims to document how the
                                                              level lessons are shared about what has been learned at
work of Students First is occurring at the mid-point of
                                                              the rough mid-point of the Students First implementation.
implementation and to share some early lessons. The
                                                              The report concludes with a summary of the actions that
target audiences are the various stakeholder groups
                                                              have been taken and the items that have been put in place
within Connecticut (including college faculty and staff,
                                                              through Spring 2020 and an overview of the key next steps
policymakers, and community leaders) as well as
                                                              in the implementation process.
individuals across the nation who may be considering
similar initiatives. The core of this publication comprises   It is important to note that the interviews summarized
insights about Students First drawn from individual           in this report were conducted in early 2020 before the
interviews with faculty and staff across the system.          COVID-19 pandemic took hold and upended everyday lives.
Fourteen interviews were conducted to gain an honest
assessment of how Students First is being received, what

                                                                                                            INTRODUCTION                   3
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
OVERVIEW
                            OF STUDENTS FIRST

NATIONAL TRENDS INFLUENCING                                     While the number of college mergers has increased,
                                                                most of these consolidation conversations emerged first
STUDENTS FIRST                                                  among private, non-profit colleges that have small student
                                                                enrollments and whose financial margins have been
         ven before the economic downturn

 E
                                                                tight for some time. However, in the past few years, these
         resulting from COVID-19, higher education              conversations have become more pronounced among
         institutions faced considerable financial              public sector higher education institutions as well. One
challenges. In the public sector, state support for colleges    of the more prominent examples has been the 10-year
and universities has not recovered from the 2008 Great          process in Georgia to merge institutions in the University
Recession. In fact, in all but three states, 2018 funding per   of Georgia System and the Georgia Technical College
student was still below the pre-recession level. In             System. This effort has led to a decrease in the number .
Connecticut, the funding per student in 2018 was 20             of institutions from 35 in 2011 to 26 in late 2019.4
percent less than before the financial crisis.
                                                                Several other states are also contemplating merging
The diminished state funding has translated into an             or consolidating public institutions including Alaska,
increased tuition burden for students, which on average         Maine, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, and, of
has risen by $2,651 nationally (36 percent) since 2008.1        course, Connecticut. A recent article in the Chronicle
During this same period, rising student debt has resulted       of Higher Education notes that not all consolidations
in calls from state policymakers for tuition restraint.         are the same and vary based on local context: “In some
Further exacerbating the financial problems community           cases, like Georgia, it [consolidation] means a wholesale
colleges, in particular, have experienced decreased             reorganization of the institutions in an existing public
revenue due to declining enrollments. Sinking state             system into a smaller number of new ones. In others,
support, modest tuition increases, and dwindling student        like Maine and, potentially, Pennsylvania, consolidations
enrollment have put institutions in an incredible bind          involve merging a few colleges that are part of a larger
financially. Again, all this was before the pandemic.           system. But the strategy can also call for combining
In 2018, the late Clayton Christensen famously predicted        institutions under a single accreditation, an approach that
that “half of American colleges will be bankrupt in 10          is being pursued in Maine but was rejected in Alaska.
to 15 years.”2 Even before the enrollment drops due to          Or it might be some combination of features, as is being
the pandemic, an analysis by the Chronicle of Higher            considered in Connecticut.”5
Education indicated that 6 in 10 colleges or universities       It is unclear what the best model or approach for
were missing their enrollment targets. These enrollment         consolidating might be, but, given the deepening fiscal
declines have only exacerbated a precarious financial           challenges in higher education due to the pandemic,
situation, leading some institutions to pursue mergers          these deliberations are likely to emerge in other states .
or close their doors altogether. According to ongoing           as well.
tracking by the Education Drive blog, 65 colleges have
closed or merged across 28 states since 2016.3 Given .          Another important national trend that is also playing
the current environment, this number is projected to only       out in Connecticut relates to increased questions
increase. These trends appear to confirm the beginning .        about institutional graduation rates. Since the federal
of Christensen’s prediction.                                    government began collecting graduation data in the .

                                                                         OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                           4
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
NATIONAL TRENDS INFLUENCING STUDENTS                                          Put simply, Guided Pathways is a holistic approach to
FIRST (CONTINUED)                                                             redesigning the student experience from initial enrollment
                                                                              through the completion of a credential and into employment
late 1990s, there has been greater awareness among the                        or further education (for transfer students). This framework,
general public about mediocre student outcomes. This                          which was developed and endorsed by all major national
scrutiny has led to mounting pressure on higher education                     community college intermediaries and organizations, is
institutions — particularly community colleges — to                           focused on an institution-wide approach to streamline the
improve completion rates. These demands have gained                           students’ experience so they can make clear choices about
more urgency over the past decade as it has become                            their program of study and receive support when they
increasingly clear that some postsecondary education                          need it.6 The pull-out section on the next page provides a
is required for individuals to be competitive in the global                   concise summary of the four common-sense components
economy and secure a family-sustaining income.                                of the Guided Pathways framework.
In the past 15 years, there has been considerable federal                     Guided Pathways has truly become a reform movement.
and state policy action and substantial philanthropic                         As Figure 1 below emphasizes, there are hundreds
investment to help students complete a postsecondary                          of colleges across the country working to adopt this
credential. While these efforts have been met with modest                     framework. In 2015, the American Association of
success and led to an uptick in educational attainment,                       Community Colleges launched the first of two national
there are still wide disparities nationally along racial, ethnic,             cohorts of colleges to implement the best practices
and socio-economic lines. One of the primary critiques                        described above. There are also a significant number
of early reform efforts is that they have been focused on                     of state-level initiatives aimed at implementing Guided
discrete pilot programs that focus too narrowly on isolated                   Pathways at all the community colleges. Similar to
student challenges and/or do not impact enough students.                      Connecticut, the 16 Student Success Centers (SSC) across
As reform efforts have evolved in the past decade, it has                     the country have played a leading role in supporting all the
become clear that adjustments on the margins would not                        colleges in their respective states as they embrace these
result in the needed changes to equitably improve student                     transformational reforms. These SSCs are small state-level
outcomes and that institution-wide transformation is                          organizations that are designed to help all community
needed. The Guided Pathways framework has emerged as                          colleges adopt evidence-based practices. There are also a
the most prominent college-wide reform effort.                                growing number of individual colleges implementing this
                                                                              holistic approach to improving student outcomes.

                   FIGURE 1: GUIDED PATHWAYS COVERAGE MAP
                        WA
                        WA                                        ND
                                             MT
                                                                             MN
                                                                                                                                         ME
                                                                  SD                    WI
                      OR
                                   ID             WY                                                 M
                                                                                                     MI                   NY
                                                                                                                          N Y              NH
                                                                  NE          IA
                                                                               A                                                           MA
                                                                                                                     PA
                                                                                         IL     IN        OH
                                                                                                          OH                                  RI
                              NV
                                        UT             CO                                                                                  CT
                                                                       KS         MO
                        CA                                                                            KY            VA                     NJ
                                                                                                TN
                                                                                                T                                           DE
                                                                        OK                                          NC
                                                                                                                    NC
                                                   NM                             AR
                                                                                  A R                                                      MD
                                        AZ
                                        A                                                                      SC
                                                                                        MS     AL
                                                                                  LA                      GA
                                                                   TX

                             AK
                                                                                                               FL
                                                                                                                L

                                                            HII

                                                                                                                          Updated December 2020
                                         Source: Unpublished map created by the Community College Research Center

                                                                                              OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                           5
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
THE FOUR PILLARS OF GUIDED PATHWAYS7
Pillar #1: Mapping Pathways to Student                                      Pillar #3: Keeping Students on the Path
End Goals                                                                   Reform efforts in this area focus on implementing
Reform efforts in this area focus on implementing clear                     processes and systems to know if students are on their
maps for all college programs to ensure students know                       chosen program path and ensure they have adequate
which courses they need to take in what sequence.                           supports along the way. Best practices for this pillar
Best practices for this pillar include:                                     include:

chevron-circle-right Establishing meta-majors/career clusters to align      chevron-circle-right Developing an approach for ongoing, intrusive
                     and communicate college programs.                                           advising to proactively monitor and engage
chevron-circle-right Developing clear connections between programs                               students as they progress through their program .
                     and careers and transfer pathways/outcomes.                                 of study.

chevron-circle-right Creating course schedules that align with program      chevron-circle-right Establishing a system (including technology) for
                     maps and delineate the course sequences that                                students to easily track their progress.
                     include critical courses, embedded credentials, .      chevron-circle-right Creating procedures to identify students at risk of
                     and progress milestones.                                                    falling off the path and protocols to provide needed
chevron-circle-right Aligning math requirements (and other core                                  supports to get them back on track.
                     courses) with each program of study. Integrating       chevron-circle-right Designing a structure to redirect students who are
                     streamlined information on the college’s website .                          not progressing to a more viable path.
                     to reflect the new program maps, meta-majors, .
                     and career/transfer information.

Pillar #2: Helping Students Choose and Enter                                Pillar #4: Ensuring that Students are Learning
A Pathway                                                                   Reform efforts in this area focus on enhancing the
Reform efforts in this area are focused on making                           college learning environment and ensuring students
changes to the college’s processes and policies around                      possess the knowledge, skills, and competencies
onboarding students to ensure they have adequate                            that will help them succeed in their career or further
support and information to get the best start. Best                         education. Best practices for this pillar include:
practices for this pillar include:
                                                                            chevron-circle-right Developing learning outcomes that are program
chevron-circle-right Developing a robust first-year experience to help                           specific and align with the requirements for
                     students explore career options and the connection                          success in further education and employment
                     to relevant programs of study.                                              outcomes.
chevron-circle-right Implementing full program plans for students that      chevron-circle-right Establishing systems and procedures for the
                     are based on requisite career exploration and                               college and students to track mastery of learning
                     include potential transfer pathways.                                        outcomes leading to credentials, transfer, .
chevron-circle-right Integrating the use of multiple measures to assess                          and/or employment.
                     students’ needs and academic preparation for           chevron-circle-right Creating a learning environment that allows
                     college-level courses.                                                      students to apply and deepen their knowledge
chevron-circle-right Adopting an approach for contextualized, integrated                         through project-based opportunities and promote
                     academic support to help students pass program                              collaborative learning.
                     gateway courses.                                       chevron-circle-right Utilizing learning outcomes assessments (and
chevron-circle-right Extending partnerships with high schools to                                 other data) to improve teaching and learning
                     motivate and prepare students to enter college-level                        through program review, professional development,
                     coursework in a program of study when they enroll                           and other intentional campus efforts.
                     in college.

                                                                                  OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                                            6
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
RATIONALE FOR CHANGE                                          In terms of the financial situation, CSCU and the colleges
                                                              have been challenged by several intersecting issues.
IN CONNECTICUT                                                First, like many states, the Connecticut legislature has
                                                              disinvested in public higher education. Based on publicly
          ith the national context in mind,

W
                                                              available CSCU data, funding had recovered somewhat
          the underlying rationale for Students First .       after the 2008 recession, but peaked in 2015-16 at $269
          in Connecticut is to address two significant,       million for the 12 colleges, and has since declined to $20
interrelated problems: Low student outcomes —                 million less in 2017-18.10
particularly among underrepresented groups, and
considerable financial constraints at colleges due to state   Normally, when states cut funding, colleges partially .
budget cuts and enrollment declines. This section briefly     cover the difference through tuition increases. Connecticut
elaborates on both of these issues.                           colleges have increased tuition some, but they have
                                                              attempted to hold tuition down to avoid shifting the .
In 2017, President Ojakian was charged by the Board of        burden to students. This approach has been complicated
Regents to develop a management plan to put the CSCU          by declining enrollments. Again, using CSCU data, the fall
system on a predictable and sustainable path for the          2018 enrollment was just under 48,000 students at the 12
future. As they outlined Students First, CSCU leadership      colleges compared to more than 55,000 in fall 2014.11
focused in particular on the financial problems within the
community college system and efforts to avoid closing         Some of the enrollment declines can be attributed to the
individual campuses, though student success was also          improved economy that leads to fewer people pursuing
part of the charge.                                           postsecondary education. However, Connecticut is also
                                                              contending with a decline in college-age students as a
As highlighted in the interview summary below,                result of a declining population. It is projected that the
this initial emphasis on finances rather than student         colleges, which are already struggling financially, are likely
outcomes became a considerable sticking point                 to see another 8 percent decline in enrollments over the
among the opponents of Students First. Regardless of          next decade.12
the shortcomings in messaging, when you couple the
student outcome trends with the college financial issues,
it becomes clear why the CSCU leadership as well as
                                                              CONNECTICUT’S RECENT JOURNEY
policymakers in the state were looking for a new approach     TO REFORM HIGHER EDUCATION
to providing postsecondary education in Connecticut.
                                                                        efore turning to an overview of the
According to CSCU analysis, Connecticut community
colleges in 2017 had the lowest three-year graduation
                                                               B        Students First plan, it is important to first .
                                                                        place its development in a larger context for
rate compared to other states in the region. Furthermore,     higher education policy in the state. Students First
NECHE flagged graduation rates at 9 of the 12 colleges        emerged as a concerted strategy in spring 2017, but it .
in the state as a concern.8 A closer look at the student      was preceded by substantial gubernatorial and legislative
outcomes data by race, illustrates that the state and         changes to restructure higher education governance in .
colleges also have a significant equity problem.              the state. The most prominent action was the creation of
                                                              the CSCU system, which was proposed in early 2011 by
Using publicly available data from CSCU for the 2018-19       then-Governor Dannel Malloy (D) and approved by the
academic year, the success rate (i.e. completions plus        Democratic-controlled legislature that same year.13
transfer) for white students was 39 percent compared to
25 percent for Black students and 27 percent for Latinx       The act merged two existing separate systems – the 12
students.9 You could argue that results for White students    community colleges and the 4 state universities – with
are nothing to brag about, but the 14- or 12-percentage       an online college (Charter Oak State College) under the
point difference between them and the Black and Latinx        newly created Board of Regents for Higher Education
population is very problematic. It is even more alarming      (BOR). The University of Connecticut, as the flagship
when you consider that two-thirds of minoritized              institution, maintained its independent board.
postsecondary students attend community colleges
in Connecticut. Low student outcomes are leading to           The governance changes were, in large part, a reaction .
legitimate questions about college performance from           to the significant budget challenges resulting from the
policymakers and the general public.                          great recession from 2007-2009, but also frustration
                                                              among policymakers that student outcomes and transfer

                                                                       OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                              7
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
CONNECTICUT’S RECENT JOURNEY TO REFORM
HIGHER EDUCATION (CONTINUED)
                                                                  THE STUDENTS FIRST PLAN
                                                                            s mentioned earlier, having been charged
between public institutions were not where they needed .
to be. The goal of the 2011 governance change was
to create greater oversight of public higher education
                                                                   A        by the BOR to come up with a plan to put the
                                                                            system on sustainable path for the future in April
                                                                  2017, Mr. Ojakian initially proposed two broad strategies to
institutions in the state and to realize cost savings from .
                                                                  address the challenges CSCU faced:
the consolidation of the various system offices.
                                                                  chevron-circle-right Administrative consolidation of non-student
In the four years following the adoption of the 2011
                                                                                       facing/administrative personnel across the CSCU
governance changes, the newly-formed CSCU experienced
                                                                                       college, university, and system offices.
considerable instability and turnover in senior leadership.
During this period, there were four different system heads        chevron-circle-right Operational consolidation of the 12 community
before Mark Ojakian was named as the new President of                                  colleges into one that is centrally managed and
CSCU in 2015.                                                                          maintains its unique mission, geographic locations, and
                                                                                       local community connections.14
Ojakian has held this position since 2015 but announced
                                                                  The first strategy, while not necessarily easy to accomplish,
his retirement in the summer of 2020. As the former chief
                                                                  was largely within the purview of the BOR and the CSCU
of staff to Governor Malloy, Ojakian not only brought stability
                                                                  leadership. The second strategy of consolidating the
to CSCU, but he also brought key political connections
                                                                  community colleges, however, would require the approval
and firsthand knowledge of the thinking that led to the
                                                                  of the regional accrediting agency — NECHE.
governance changes in 2011. With the new leadership in
place, Ojakian and his team turned their attention to the         CSCU leadership and NECHE (at the time, still called New
lingering budgetary and performance challenges that had           England Association of Schools and Colleges or NEASC)
led to the creation of CSCU four years earlier.                   staff held a series of informal conversations in the summer
                                                                  and fall of 2017 for the purposes of communicating CSCU
The state budget was still problematic. State investments
                                                                  Students First strategies to NECHE staff and receiving
in higher education had partially recovered from earlier .
                                                                  advisement regarding how to proceed with the formal
in the decade, but those gains peaked in the 2015 fiscal
                                                                  community college merger proposal. The NECHE staff
year as state policymakers again were wrestling with
                                                                  recommended preparing a substantive change proposal,
budget constraints. At the same time, enrollments were
                                                                  which CSCU then submitted in February 2018.
declining as the economy recovered and people went
back to work, which exacerbated the financial challenges          The NECHE Commission, an elected body of at least 27
for community colleges.                                           individuals from member institutions as well as the public,
                                                                  reviewed the substantive change proposal. Two months
Amid these budget challenges, student outcomes were
                                                                  later, in a setback for CSCU, the NECHE Commission did
not improving overall and the equity gap between Black
                                                                  not approve this initial proposal. Two primary concerns
and Latinx students and White students was getting worse
                                                                  were cited. First, despite the advisement to CSCU from
instead of better. CSCU leadership was primarily looking
                                                                  the NECHE staff, the NECHE Commission argued that the
for a way to address the problem of financial instability,
                                                                  substantive change framing was incorrect because they
but there was also growing concern about low student
                                                                  perceived the change to be the establishment of a new
outcomes. Students First emerged as the main vehicle to
                                                                  college, rather than a merger. Second, the Commission
address these issues.
                                                                  felt the original two-year window, which was a little over
                                                                  a year when they reviewed the proposal, was too short to
                                                                  adequately address all the organizational, curricular, and
                                                                  student support questions from the consolidation. As a
                                                                  result of the NECHE Commission’s response, the CSCU
                                                                  leadership had to regroup.15

                                                                  In June 2018, the BOR approved a resolution that
                                                                  reaffirmed their support for a singly accredited college
                                                                  but with three regions and 12 local campuses as the best
                                                                  approach to serving students in the state. The resolution
                                                                  also extended the timeline for implementation to fall 2023.

                                                                             OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                                          8
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
THE STUDENTS FIRST PLAN (CONTINUED)                                                     chevron-circle-right Aligned college curricula statewide .
It was also at this point that student success became                                                        The plan called for continued work to align curricula
a much more central focus with the revised Students                                                          statewide. A general education core curriculum for
First plan calling for “a dynamic community college                                                          the merged community college is being developed
that leverages talents and capabilities to help students                                                     through relevant statewide committees. Faculty
attain their individual educational goals within available                                                   workgroups are engaged in making all curricular
resources and responds to community and state .                                                              decisions in consultation with campus faculty senates
needs.”16 The revised Students First plan, which is                                                          and academic administrators. The curriculum revisions
summarized below, was further refined, and resubmitted .                                                     are occurring in three rounds between September 2018
to NECHE in Spring 2020.17                                                                                   and May 2021 to allow additional time for updating
                                                                                                             registration and student data systems and addressing
chevron-circle-right New community college leadership                                                        any financial aid considerations ahead of the single
                     and regional structure                                                                  college launch in August 2023.
                     To satisfy regional accreditor standards, the plan
                                                                                        chevron-circle-right Student enrollment and completion initiatives
                     maintains the 12 college-based chief executives, chief
                                                                                                             The Students First plan uses Guided Pathways as the
                     financial and chief academic officers until the transition
                                                                                                             framework to improve student enrollment, retention,
                     to a singly accredited institution in fall 2023. With the
                                                                                                             and completion. Guided Pathways, as previous
                     transition to the single Connecticut State Community
                                                                                                             described, is a national reform movement that involves
                     College there will be one CEO, CFO, and CAO that will
                                                                                                             streamlining college processes and procedures to help
                     oversee all 12 campuses.
                                                                                                             students navigate the institution more efficiently.
    The plan also establishes a structure with three
                                                                                              Through various committees, faculty and staff are
    regional presidents, who were hired in spring 2019.
                                                                                              collaborating with the CSCU Success Center to design
    The 12 campuses will each have a local CEO who
                                                                                              new practices for the single college. In fall 2019, these
    reports to one of the regional presidents. The role of the
                                                                                              efforts resulted in recommendations for a single
    regional presidents is to promote greater connection
                                                                                              application to the community college and consistent
    and collaboration within their respective regions. The
                                                                                              websites at both the system and the campuses to
    three regions, which are illustrated below, are based
                                                                                              support enrollment, transfer, and transparency. The
    on an analysis of the communities served, employer
                                                                                              work will also involve adopting technology to enhance
    partnerships, and student enrollment trends. .
                                                                                              advising and student supports.
    See Figure 2 Below

                                                                                                           ASNUNTUCK
                                                                                                             Enfield
                                                                  NORTHWESTERN CT
                                                                      Winsted

 FIGURE 2 – MAP
                                                                                                                                                QUINEBAUG VALLEY
                                                                                                                                                    Danielson
                                                                                                     CAPITAL
                                                                                                     Hartford

 OF CONNECTICUT
                                                                                                                              MANCHESTER
                                                                                                                               Manchester
                                                                                         TUNXIS
                                                                                        Farmington

 STATE COMMUNITY                                                     NAUGATUCK VALLEY                                                                 THREE RIVERS

 COLLEGE REGIONS
                                                                         Waterbury                                     MIDDLESEX                        Norwich
                                                                                                                       Middletown

                                                                                  GATEWAY
                                                                                  New Haven

                                                               HOUSATONIC
                                                                Bridgeport

                                                                                                                                             Region 1: Capitol-East
                                                  NORWALK
                                                   Norwalk
                                                                                                                                             Region 2: North-West

                                                                                                                                            Region 3: Shoreline-West

                                                                                                       OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                                      9
PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST - IN CONNECTICUT FEBRUARY 2021 by Christopher Baldwin - Connecticut State Colleges ...
Additionally, to reverse enrollment declines, improve
    retention, promote timely completion, and generate
                                                                                 HOW THE WORK OF STUDENTS
    revenue, CSCU hired a Vice President of Enrollment                           FIRST IS GETTING DONE
    Management to serve the colleges and implement new
                                                                                          iven the magnitude of the changes that

                                                                                   G
    strategies across the regions to support enrollment.
                                                                                          will be made to implement Students First, the
chevron-circle-right Shared services and shared resources                                 CSCU leadership has created several statewide
                     across campuses.                                            committees, workgroups, and taskforces to manage .
                     A core feature of the Students First plan is the            the work.18 Figure 3 (see page 12) highlights the
                     integration and centralization of key administrative        workgroup structure.
                     functions. Institutional research, marketing, facilities,
                     financial services, human resources, and information        The group that is providing oversight for the whole process
                     technology will be consolidated with leadership             is the College Consolidation Implementation Committee
                     provided centrally to functional teams at the campuses.     (CCIC).19 The day-to-day work of implementation is
                     Cost savings from the consolidated functions are to be      managed by two steering groups: The Students First
                     redirected to student supports on individual campuses.      Academic and Student Affairs Consolidation Committee
    In addition to the efficiencies to be realized through                       (SF ASA CC) and the Guided Pathways Task Force
    statewide shared services, the regional presidents will                      (GPTF). The CCIC has 17 members and is primarily
    also be working to achieve savings and economies                             composed of CSCU leadership and college presidents.
    of scale by sharing resources across colleges in their                       This group receives reports from and provides approval .
    areas including both administration and academic                             for all proposals from SF ASA CC and GPTF as required.
    programming. By making better use of the talent in                           The CCIC also elevates proposals to the BOR as needed
    the system, any savings identified in the region will be                     and appropriate.
    reinvested in teaching and student supports.                                 With 46 members, the SF ASA CC is focused primarily on
    The plan also calls for building the capacity to identify                    needed changes to the curriculum and policies and sorting
    new funding streams to support student success and                           through the process of consolidating the approaches at 12
    programmatic initiatives and dedicated resources                             colleges into one.20 More specifically, this group, which is
    for the hiring of a college-wide development officer                         composed of faculty, staff, and administrators from across
    to lead these efforts. The individual campuses will                          the state, guides the alignment of academic programs,
    maintain their local foundations to raise resources                          assessment, institutional data, websites, catalogs, etc.
    from their communities. The regional presidents and                          The SF ASA CC was formed in January 2018. Several
    campus CEOs will support the campus foundations                              workgroups are operating (or planned) under the purview
    while looking for opportunities to share costs where                         of this committee:
    appropriate as well as best practices.
                                                                                 chevron-circle-right Mission and Vision
As part of the ongoing work to implement Students First,                         chevron-circle-right General Education
CSCU provided progress reports to NECHE in April 2019
and June 2020 and continues to pursue a substantive                              chevron-circle-right Faculty Discipline
change to merge the 12 community colleges into a single                          chevron-circle-right Academic and Student Affairs Governance
accredited institution. Per feedback from NECHE, a critical
                                                                                 chevron-circle-right Academic and Student Affairs Policies
aspect of securing approval for the consolidation will require
that CSCU demonstrates that the “one” college is, in fact,                       chevron-circle-right Community Connections
operating as a single institution as 2023 approaches.                            chevron-circle-right Common Catalog
Arguably the biggest challenge the CSCU leadership faces
                                                                                 chevron-circle-right Concurrent Enrollment
is to maintain the 12 separate accreditations until 2023,
while simultaneously operationalizing the single college.                        chevron-circle-right Strategic Planning
This dual track creates a myriad of budgetary, staffing, and                     chevron-circle-right Assessment
communications issues, which will be explored in greater
detail later in the document.

                                                                                                OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                      10
The CSCU Success Center established the GPTF .                                       As we turn to how Students First is perceived among
to oversee the various workgroups formed to implement                                practitioners in the field, it is important to highlight that
Guided Pathways at scale for the Connecticut State                                   there have been over 400 faculty, staff, administrators, .
Community College.21 With 29 members, the GPTF is                                    and students who have been engaged in this process .
made up of faculty, staff, and administrators from across                            by serving on one of the various workgroups. While some
the state as well as CSCU System Office staff. .                                     individuals were elected to serve by their peers and
Similar to the SF ASA CC, the GPTF supports the .                                    others were appointed by the system or campus leaders,
following workgroups:                                                                there were also a considerable number of people who
                                                                                     volunteered to contribute their time and expertise.
chevron-circle-right Choice Architecture
chevron-circle-right Recruitment Architecture
chevron-circle-right Holistic Student Support Redesign
chevron-circle-right Maps and Plans
chevron-circle-right First-Year Experience
chevron-circle-right Website and Streamlined Application
chevron-circle-right Alignment and Completion of Math and English
chevron-circle-right Career and Transfer Readiness
chevron-circle-right Wraparound Services

               FIGURE 3 – STUDENTS FIRST WORKGROUP STRUCTURE

                                                                         College Consolidation
                                                                       Implementation Committee
                                                                                (CCIC)

                      Guided Pathways                                                                                   Students First Academic
                         Task Force                                                                                       and Student Affairs
                           (GPTF)                                                                                       Consolidation Committee
                                                                        Banner and Technology                                (SF ASA CC)
                                                                           Transition Team
                                                                               (BATTT)

       Choice                                    Holistic Student    Recruitment                                                Shared
    Architecture                                Support Redesign     Architecture                                             Governance
      (Choice)                                       (HSSR)         (Recruitment)

                                                                                          Career and             Faculty
                                  First Year                                                                                                  General
                                                                                           Transfer             Discipline
                                 Experience                                                                                                  Education
                                                                                          Readiness            Alignment
                                    (FYE)                                                                                                    (Gen. Ed.)
                                                                                           (CATR)             (Round 1,2,3)

                              Program Maps
                              and Academic/
  Alignment and                Career Plans                         Website and
  Completion of               (Maps & Plans)      Wrap Around       Streamlined
 Math and English                                  Services         Application
      (ACME)                                                          (WASA)

                                                                                                  OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS FIRST                              11
PERCEPTIONS
 OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD

This section summarizes the major themes gleaned              about the overall effort. All participants were
from the fourteen interviews conducted in early               promised anonymity. Therefore, no individuals are
2020. Interviewees came from a variety of college             identified by name.
faculty, staff, and leadership roles. Participants also
included a couple of individuals from the CSCU                The themes and quotes below represent the
system office. Interviewees were identified in                prominent views shared during the interviews and
partnership with system office staff and reflected            reflect positive attitudes toward Students First,
a range of perspectives from those who strongly               challenges that emerged throughout the process, and
support Students First to others who are skeptical            suggestions for how implementation could be
                                                              improved so the entire effort can be more successful.

WHAT STUDENTS FIRST IS, WHY                                   While some voiced reservations about creating “one”
                                                              college, they viewed the intent of the merger as eliminating
IT’S NEEDED, AND EARLY BENEFITS                               duplication and increasing efficiency in operations that will
                                                              hopefully lead to increased resources to support students.
         his section explores what interviewees

 T
                                                              Several participants in the interviews shared that they
         perceived to be the purpose and core                 think Students First will allow the system to better meet
         components of Students First. Participants’ .        the needs of the state, communities, and students.
views of how the reform efforts are organized as well .
as the early benefits to the system are also explored.
                                                                   If we step back a little bit, the impetus
                                                                   for this is the equity gap and the
     The primary purpose of Students First
                                                                   achievement gap, and clearly our statistics
     is to enhance student success for all
                                                                   at both the university level and the
     matriculants who are in Connecticut state
                                                                   community college level — they’re abysmal.”
     colleges and universities. It is basically a
     focus on equity and excellence to ensure
     that we provide not only access but the                  The quote above echoes a sentiment expressed by
     opportunity for those students to finish.”
                                                              several participants that there is a growing recognition
                                                              among many of the college faculty and staff that the
As the quote above suggests, many of the individuals          current situation in terms of student outcomes is neither
interviewed see the primary purpose of Students First to      acceptable nor sustainable. They conveyed a sense of
be streamlining the student experience and eliminating        urgency about equitably improving student outcomes and
structural barriers to improve outcomes — particularly for    concern that the individual colleges are not in a financial
disadvantaged students. Furthermore, most participants        position to accomplish the task. There was a hopeful
stated that the overall effort is also about creating “one”   theme across the interviews that Students First, while
college through the consolidation of the 12 separate          not perfect, is intended to shine a light on and organize
community colleges into a single-accredited institution.      the system in a way to better address inequities among
                                                              student subgroups.

                                          PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                      12
There are different processes at each
                                                                    of the 12 colleges. Students have to
                                                                    apply separately and there’s no ease of
                                                                    transition from one campus to another
                                                                    just to take courses to finish a degree.
                                                                    That over-complication creates a lot of
                                                                    barriers. So along with any economizing
                                                                    that might happen because of consolidation,
                                                                    I would hope that a more primary goal is
                                                                    making things easier for students.”

                                                               Again, while not all the interviewees support
                                                               consolidation, most acknowledge the intent of
                                                               establishing one accredited college as enabling
                                                               students to move more freely among the campuses,
                                                               offering more programmatic options, and providing
                                                               the same level of support from location to location.
                                                               There was also a clear sense that, if done right, creating
                                                               one college might allow for greater collaboration and
                                                               knowledge sharing and also allow the colleges to
                                                               leverage resources in areas like technology, data, and
                                                               reporting, and shared purchasing power.

                                                               Most of the interviewees indicated that Students
                                                               First had created an opportunity to push people
                                                               out of their silos and has spurred dialogue across
                                                               campuses that have not happened in the past. While
                                                               several participants expressed concern that the “one
                                                               college” would diminish the mission and culture of the
                                                               individual colleges, others felt breaking down barriers
                                                               between institutions was a golden opportunity to better
                                                               serve students. In the end, several see the emerging
                                                               structures, such as standardized policies and practices
                                                               and centralized back-office functions, as helping
                                                               campuses change the way they operate for .
                                                               the better.
WHAT STUDENTS FIRST IS, WHY IT’S NEEDED,
AND EARLY BENEFITS (CONTINUED)                                 Many described the numerous statewide committees
                                                               that have been organized to develop and implement
When asked about the core components of Students First,
                                                               the Students First plan. A number of those interviewed
most of those interviewed had a solid understanding
                                                               spoke of how these committees start at the ground-
of what the effort entails. The majority stated that
                                                               level with recommendations moving up the hierarchy
implementing Guided Pathways and the related framework
                                                               of committees and then onto system leadership, but
would lead to simplified structures that will make it easier
                                                               some indicated that the decision-making process was
for students to come to decisions about their educational
                                                               not clear. There was a broad acknowledgment that
and career options. Several participants shared a view
                                                               the committees have representation from across the
that Guided Pathways will help campuses shift from a
                                                               system; however, a subset suggested there are still
transactional mindset to one that is transformative for a
                                                               some groups that are not adequately engaged .
student’s experience.
                                                               (i.e. front-line staff, faculty).

                                          PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                      13
KEY CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED                                     communicate Students First messaging to their campus
                                                               constituents. Since this relatively young system, created in
DURING IMPLEMENTATION                                          2011, did not necessarily have the organizational structure,
                                                               norms, and expectations established at leadership levels
           s with any sizable endeavor, there are

 A
                                                               to ensure consistent messaging, the communication
           likely to be challenges and set-backs. The          challenges may have been amplified.
           implementation of Students First is no different.
This section highlights the interviewee’s perspectives on .    LEADERSHIP ISSUES/CHALLENGES
a variety of issues or challenges that have emerged. .         A subset of the interviewees shared the view that system
The section is organized with subtitles to make it easier .    leadership didn’t do enough to lay the groundwork at the
to follow.                                                     start of this effort. Examples mentioned include the lack
COMMUNICATIONS ISSUES/CHALLENGES                               of approval of the initial plan by regional accreditors and
                                                               the release of organization charts (or other documents)
                                                               without providing sufficient information that heightened
      We haven’t found a way to really get                     people’s concerns and anxiety. With few exceptions, most
      down in very common language that this
                                                               participants noted there is a lack of clarity about campus
      is why we’re doing this, and this is what
      we’re going to achieve for our students
                                                               leadership and the role of the regional presidents. As the
      and our community. That’s just at the                    quote below indicates, interviewees said they have heard
      core of what we have to say. We’re too                   from others that they don’t know who is actually in charge.
      caught up in our procedures, process,
      and structure that we haven’t gotten to
                                                                     There is a lot of ambiguity in terms of
      articulate the message at a very
                                                                     leadership. Some of our campuses have
      common, colloquial — or whatever term
                                                                     a CEO in charge, and some still have
      you want to use — way.”
                                                                     Presidents in charge of the college. We
                                                                     have Regional Presidents and no one
This quote is indicative of sentiments from most                     fully knows what their role is, or who
                                                                     reports to whom, or who is truly leading
interviewees shared--that the communications and
                                                                     the charge. Who is steering the ship?”
messaging around Students First has been totally
inadequate and primary reason for the resistance to the
reforms. Many stated that the early messaging focused too      Due to the lack of clarity of roles, there was a sense
much on efficiencies and cost savings, rather than student     among some participants that rather than reducing
success. This, in turn, created a strong counter-message       administration and increasing supports for students,
for those who were not in favor of Students First.             the system was adding more senior-level positions than
                                                               before. A few participants also mentioned the challenging
As the implementation process has progressed, several          role of current college presidents. The presidents’ role
interviewees suggested there is a lack of a shared             is changing so they are in a tough position. These
understanding about what’s happening throughout                presidents have to do their current job and also be
the system, what the overall benefits are, and an open         supportive of the changes that are coming. This has led
discussion about what the challenges are. Further, some        to less than enthusiastic support from some campus
participants indicated that efforts to respond to criticisms   leadership, which has also weakened the ability to rally
have not been particularly effective. They suggest that        support on campus.
direct responses to controversial issues are needed,
but there seems to be a hesitation to address criticism        GENERAL PERCEPTION/MINDSET ISSUES
head-on. Finally, several participants noted that because      In various ways, all of the interviewees indicated that this
the consolidation is so closely connected with Guided          process has created considerable mistrust across the
Pathways and the sense that it comes as a directive from       state, making it more difficult to implement the changes.
the BOR and the system office, some resist all of it.          Furthermore, the quote below represents a sense
                                                               expressed by most participants that the uncertainty about
System-level leadership pointed to another challenge
                                                               how the changes will impact individuals, their jobs, or
in communication: that the college leaders at each
                                                               their programs has caused significant anxiety.
individually accredited institution were not uniformly
supportive of Students First, and that the presidents
took it upon themselves to decide whether and when to

                                           PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                   14
GOVERNANCE AND ACCREDITATION ISSUES
       I think ultimately the best way to
       summarize all the concerns is that the                   Several interviewees indicated that one of the major
       message seems to be that this is about                   outstanding problems is the lack of clarity on governance
       improving the institution’s effectiveness                and that uncertainty surrounding this issue is feeding
       and the student experience. But the                      a lot of the resistance. At the time of the interviews, the
       bottom line is that it also has to save                  governance model for the one college had not been
       money, and I think people worry about                    announced, and, as the quote below indicates, participants
       how you save money without getting rid
                                                                highlight this as a major sticking point for faculty
       of jobs?”
                                                                throughout the system.

Several people spoke about the need to do more to                     There’s the piece on what governance
support the champions of Students First while also                    looks like in this one college model. I
building support among those who are on the fence. Some               think some of the individuals that are
said that not everyone can be convinced and .                         most vocal against Students First feel as
the system should not focus too much on the most vocal                though they won’t have any say. And, so,
opposition. There were also several comments about                    I do think more time and emphasis needs
instances where individuals who have voiced support for               to be placed on what a governance model
                                                                      will look like.”
Students First have been ostracized by colleagues. This
dynamic has made it intimidating for others who .
are supportive to say so.                                       Participants also articulated several accreditation-related
                                                                issues including the challenge of colleges maintaining
Most of the interviewees indicated that change of this          their separate institutional accreditation while working
magnitude is difficult and resistance to change should not      toward the transition and the outstanding question of how
be surprising — especially in higher education. Relatedly,      programs with individual accreditation will be handled
several participants said that the amount of work involved to   under consolidation.
implement these changes (on top of other responsibilities)
makes the 2023 implementation timeline unrealistic.

                                             PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                     15
ISSUES WITH THE STATEWIDE COMMITTEES, THE                         this as appropriate given the magnitude of the changes.
INCLUSION OF OTHER VOICES, AND ADDRESSING                         However, as the quote below indicates, some also
RESISTANCE                                                        expressed concern because the system office staff don’t
Many of the interviewees highlighted the significant              interact with students, don’t know what it is like to work
number of people involved in the various committees and           on the front lines, and some don’t have a background in
groups working on Students First. The consensus was that          higher education.
the system office has tried to be inclusive throughout this
process. While most acknowledged the open invitation to                 Most of the work isn’t happening at the
faculty and staff to join in the dialogue, some indicated that          campuses. It’s happening in the system
more needs to be done to engage those on campuses who                   office and that’s another thing that I’m
are not involved, such as front-line staff (not just directors)         concerned about. I know the vision is to
                                                                        have this headquarters that is not on
and a broader representation of faculty from across the
                                                                        campus. And I think that’s going to be
disciplines. To address this issue, there were suggestions
                                                                        tough because I think then you’re
that other venues needed to be created for people to ask                increasing the number of people that are
questions, share their concerns, and generally contribute               not on a campus doing this work.”
to the conversation.

Many participants also talked about the vocal group of            Relatedly, some participants highlighted the controversial
detractors (referred to as “reluctant warriors”) who are          role of the Guided Pathways managers. Most of the
drowning out other points of view. As noted earlier, the          interviewees indicated that the establishment of the
intensity of this opposition is making it uncomfortable           managers’ role has been a good thing and these
for those who are supportive of Students First to say             individuals have a strong background of working in
so publicly, but some of those interviewed also voiced            the trenches with students. However, some have the
frustration that, despite invitations from system leaders,        perception the managers, who have voting power on the
groups opposed to consolidation have not offered any              statewide committees, are only representing the system
alternative approaches.                                           office. As a result, the managers have been snubbed by
                                                                  campus colleagues.
      There probably could have been more                         NEED FOR DEEPER ENGAGEMENT WITH
      active engagement with the union
                                                                  EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
      leadership earlier on. Not necessarily
       to try to get them on board, so to speak,                  In keeping with the sentiment that there are voices that
      but just to make sure that that                             have not been adequately heard as part of this process,
      communication was happening.”                               participants have encouraged more outreach to students,
                                                                  their families, and alumni. As the quote below highlights,
In most of the interviews, the participants discussed the         many of the interviewees also suggested that there
role the unions have played and the resistance they have          should be a more concerted effort to engage community
organized to Students First. As the above quote suggests,         organizations and leaders about how Students First will
some thought there could have been more done to involve           impact them.
the unions in a more productive conversation. Some
also noted that the pushback from the unions has not                    We need to engage the local communities.
been particularly well organized, whether it was varying                I mean high schools. Talking with the
approaches to votes of no confidence across campuses                    counselors because this impacts their
or more recent messaging pushing members not to                         students. Community organizations that
participate in statewide committees.                                    serve many of the students that are coming
                                                                        here. I mean grassroots organizations
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ROLE AND VOICE OF THE                               and actual people that live in the
SYSTEM OFFICE                                                           community. So, talking to them about
                                                                        what these changes mean for them.”
Several interviewees shared that there is a perception
in the field that the system office is dominating the
implementation process and has an outsized voice in
the process. Most who raised this issue generally saw

                                            PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                       16
A handful of the participants pointed to the need for the      their presence is seen as endorsing something that
system office to effectively engage state policymakers         hasn’t been finalized or decided. Most noted that a richer
throughout the process. Interviewees noted that                level of engagement will help to build deeper buy-in and
policymakers will not only make decisions about funding        commitment to Students First.
for the system, but they also want to know that the system
of colleges is operating as effectively as possible for the    Another important point several people raised was the
citizens and communities in the state.                         need to address questions and confusion about the
                                                               system, regional, and campus leadership. Interviewees
STEPS THE SYSTEM LEADERSHIP                                    said bluntly, people need to know who is in charge and
                                                               what the relationship is between the different roles. As
CAN TAKE TO IMPROVE                                            the quote below implies, the lack of clarity contributes to
IMPLEMENTATION                                                 the sense that there are simply a lot of new senior-level
                                                               positions under the new structure. Related to this, some
        nterviewees were asked for suggestions                 of the participants indicated that the current campus

   I    that would make the implementation go more
        smoothly and, ultimately, lead to Students First
                                                               leadership is not on board with the Students First plan
                                                               and that will need to change if the effort is going to .
being more successful. This section highlights these themes.   be successful.

Following on the communication issues above, several
participants urged the system leadership to do more                  There’s a lot of bloat in the system office
storytelling that clearly articulates why all these changes          right now. People are not understanding.
                                                                     For example, why do you have college
matter, what progress is being made, and the challenges
                                                                     presidents or CEOs and regional
ahead. They suggested getting away from jargon (ex.                  presidents. Why? Those are big-salary
Guided Pathways) and the focus on process or procedures              positions. There are positions where you
and emphasize the underlying philosophy expressed in                 accomplish things, like counselors,
common language.                                                     advisors, faculty, financial aid people,
                                                                     those kinds of people versus our regional
                                                                     president. What is their function and
       Going too fast can hurt you in the long                       why do you need to have the other one?
       run. It’s all well and good to have a                         They need to really look at that extra
       timeline as far as trying to make sure the                    layer of people.”
       money works and all that. I know there’s
       a lot to balance. But if you go too fast in
       trying to create something that’s                       Finally, most of the participants acknowledged the
       actually going to work, then you’re going
                                                               challenge of having to wait for the regional accreditors to
       to create something that’s a mess.”
                                                               approve the consolidation. Several suggested that once
                                                               there is clarity on accreditation some of the resistance
In addition to the storytelling, many interviewees             should settle down as things that have been abstract
suggested that the system leadership should be more            to date (i.e. governance structures) can, importantly,
realistic about how they talk about the timeframe for          become more concrete.
implementation. As the quote above suggests, it was
advised that the focus should be more about a period of
transition and less about the date when the “switch gets
flipped” to the one college.

Building on the previous comments about stakeholders,
many of the participants noted the need to deepen
authentic engagement with a range of voices, including
key groups within the system (especially the unions) as
well as the communities the campuses serve. Even among
people serving on the statewide committees, interviewees
noted that many are not taking ownership of decisions.
Furthermore, some people on the committees feel like

                                           PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                      17
WHAT THE FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE                                  In several interviews, there were comments about how
                                                                consolidation will change what it means to be a system
FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN                                       of colleges, and to be successful, leadership at the
CONNECTICUT                                                     state and campuses will need to help faculty and staff
                                                                reconcile this shift. Furthermore, several noted that it will
        he individuals interviewed were asked                   take some time and effort for communities to understand

 T      what they envisioned the future state would look
        like once Students First was successfully
                                                                the changes.
                                                                Finally, while the majority of the interviewees were
implemented. This section reflects some themes from their       optimistic about Students First, many said the key to
responses. It is worth noting again that these interviews       success is to increase resources to support students.
occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic.                          A subset of the participants expressed concern about
                                                                the seeming growth in the administrative structures and
There was a strong sense among most of the interviewees
                                                                how this might work against the goal to boost frontline
that, if Students First is fully implemented as designed, the
                                                                student supports.
student experience will be greatly enhanced and outcomes
will improve. Relatedly, several participants, echoing the      The intent of this publication and the interviews
sentiments in the quote below, noted specific aspects of        summarized above has been to capture the perceptions
Guided Pathways that will lead to higher retention and          about Students First at roughly the midway point in the
completion rates including the hiring of more advisors          implementation process. The participants shared their
to guide students on their journey and building better          honest assessments about what is working and what .
structures to monitor, track, and communicate with them.        is not.
                                                                Interviewees revealed varying degrees of support for the
      If we embrace Guided Pathways, I see a                    goals of Students First and the implementation process,
      plethora of possibilities. I see my                       with some conveying considerable hostility to all or most
      students, thriving and being resilient. If                aspects of the work. Others were strong proponents of
      we don’t put the support system in place                  the changes. Overall, it was clear each of the individuals
      and we move in the direction of more                      interviewed was strongly committed to the students in
      administrators, then this won’t work. It                  Connecticut and eager to see them succeed.
      has to be about staff and faculty close to
      the students.”

                                             PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS FIRST FROM THE FIELD                                       18
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