Year Experience, the “Freshman Seminar” explored issues in college life and the requirements and expectations of college attendance, facilitated adjustment to college life, and contributed to student retention.

At KSU the freshman seminar is UNV 101: University Orientation (or MUS 103 for music majors or HON 103 for honors program students), a 3-credit course required of all new freshman. Our QEP will offer AWA 101 (Academics with Attitude Orientation) as a specialized summer orientation course designed for students enrolled in the program. It requires that the University employ an adequate number of instructors who, whenever possible, are regular faculty or staff, not adjuncts (unlike UNV 101), to both teach and advise the new students, thereby facilitating greater collaboration among students, their instructors, and peer mentors, both inside and outside the classroom. The intention is also to have closer coordination between the AWA 101 faculty and the faculty of the developmental classes in which the students are also enrolled, so that the attitudes and behaviors associated with academic activities of those courses can be reinforced in AWA 101. Student engagement doesn't just happen by accident. De Sousa writes that "Academic advisors can play an integral role in promoting student success by assisting students in ways that encourage them to engage in the right kinds of activities, inside and outside the classroom" (cited in Rinck, 2006, p. 3). The combined role of AWA 101 instructor/first-year advisor is intended to maximize this influence on student attitudes and related behaviors to an extent far greater than happens in UNV 101. The professional portfolio required of all AWA 101 students will incorporate writing pieces reflective of the learning outcomes relevant to the QEP. These activities reflect Tinto's (2007) principles for student learning that consist of

While numbers can be instructive, we cannot treat students like numbers. Retention experts advise that student experiences should be based on where the group you are serving is “now.” That is important advice, but complex to implement without proper data. All students are curious; they can be assisted to find their niche and community connection when the focus is on the individual student. Gardner, Upcraft and Barefoot (2007) emphasize the importance of developing “academic advising that is tailored to the specific needs of an institution and its students, and focused on helping students succeed academically” (p. 519). The QEP will use a variety of sources (e.g. ACT scores for appropriate course placement, the College Student Inventory, institutional surveys, and questionnaires) to determine student characteristics and needs, set priorities among these areas of need, identify available resources, and implement a formal, comprehensive plan for each student. The cross-divisional cooperation cited in the Student Success and Retention Plan will be utilized to coordinate a systematic and comprehensive campaign for student success, with AWA 101 at its hub. [Link to Final Draft-Student Success Taskforce Report_pp3-4.pdf] The College Student Inventory, administered in AWA 101 during the first week of class,

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