Colleges are facing an overwhelming challenge in developing part-time faculty as an institutional advantage rather than a last minute alternative. Concerns regarding the growing use of part time faculty have been widely studied and analyzed. However, virtually all existing research supports the assertion that part time faculty are as equipped to assist students in reaching their academic outcomes when hired, retained, and supported as a viable workforce demographic (Gappa & Leslie, 1993; Levinson, 2005; Wagoner, Metcalfe, & Olaore, 2005). This presentation will address the need for a more relevant and timely exploration of strategies that support part-time faculty and their role in student success and retention.

Early intervention is critical to campus retention efforts. Early alert systems offer institutions systematic approaches to identifying and intervening with students exhibiting at-risk behaviors before the behaviors reach the acute stage. Many of these systems rely on a common format for student referral to a central receiving point. Systems at larger institutions use web-based technology to allow for a scalable approach to at-risk intervention. This presentation describes the development, implementation, and assessment of a web-based, fully integrated early alert referral system at a large, public university in the Southwest.

Established via Legislative mandate, South Texas College opened its doors in 1993 and has grown from 1,038 to over 27,500 students in sixteen years. Serving a 95% Hispanic Student body, the College has taken bold steps to balance student access with student success. This session will focus on how an institution can positively impact student success by implementing a ‘culture of evidence’ to drive strategy development, assessment, and resource allocation/re-allocation. The session will demonstrate how one community college has utilized a culture of evidence to transform how the institution addresses student success issues.