alignment in the course delivery system, is supported by evidence based practice that would increase success which impacts our retention and graduation rates. A strategic evaluation of instruction, particularly in introductory and core course offerings, especially to assist those who consistently show high failure rates is worthwhile. Relying only upon post-facto satisfaction surveys that are distributed at the end of the semester will not capture the observations of students who withdraw from courses after mid-term. Satisfaction surveys, while an important measure, can only tell part of a story about a teacher's effectiveness. Peer comparisons within departments and within courses taught in multiple sections can provide evidence of effectiveness as well. Finally, it is important that all departments implement measures to provide early feedback to undergraduate students in general and first year in particular. Mid-term grades are critical, but feedback should be available much earlier for interventions to be successful. Such important feedback is critical to lower division students who are otherwise unsure of their abilities in a college setting and might require counseling from their advisors. Without early knowledge, advisors cannot intervene to help struggling students if neither the student nor the advisor knows of a student's academic status. Furthermore, when instructors do provide mid-term grades, those grades should accurately reflect the true quality of the work using consistent grading metrics. For its part, the institution must be as proactive as possible aimed at creating a culture of student success and academic excellence.
The University Orientation Coordinator position was officially created (Appendix A). A qualified candidate was extended an offer on June 23, 2016, but declined to accept a position at another institution. Emails were sent to department chairs and faculty of higher education, student personnel, and counseling graduate programs in Kentucky to solicit resumes from qualified candidates.
Plans for a second-year orientation program are being developed. As the University transitions to centralized advising, students will continue to experience a high-engagement, high-touch advising model that encourages retention and timely progress to degree completion. By maintaining the advising responsibilities for the Fall 2015 Cohort, C.A.P.S. will be renamed the Office of Academic Advising. Under this new moniker, the Office of Academic Advising will develop, monitor, and evaluate support programming designed for second year students that will center on career pathways and leadership development. The data gathered during this pilot year will inform the adoption of a formal second-year orientation program to begin in Fall 2017.
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