Student Affairs 24-25 Strategic Plan

• Key Result: By July 1, 2024, 100% of departments will have identified their unique student metrics and submitted initial reports, including the proposed process to collect, to AVPs for alignment and cohesion.
• Key Result: By August 1, 2024, 100% of departments will have equipment and be trained on how to collect unique student data.
• Key Result: By the first day of Fall 2024, 100% of departments will be collecting unique student data.

• Key Result: By December 1, 2024 consult and determine with Business Intelligence the Banner mechanism (attribute or cohort) to support the collection of four-impact metrics. 
• Key Result: By February 1, 2025, each signature program will have an assessment plan that includes measuring student learning and the four-impact metrics (academic & nonacademic).
• Key Result: By October 1, 2025, each signature program will present a report on the impact (recommendations/outcomes) of their programs (date allows for Fall to Fall retention).

• Key Result: By September 1, 2024, Student Affairs will communicate base and fee-funded budget timelines for FY25.
• Key Result: By September 1, 2024, Student Affairs will communicate branch standard budget policies and SOPs to the branch.
• Key Result: By January 15, 2025, AVPs will present their budget spending and requests to branch and advancement.

• Key Result: By July 2024, secure a physical space to support the Black Student Success Initiative.
• Key Result: By August 2024, launch an inclusive shareholder committee to frame Black Student Success initiative.
• Key Result: By December 13, 2024, create a 3-year plan and budget to present to SA leadership.
• Key Result: By January 1, 2025, onboard new Associate Director of the Black Student Success Initiative.

• Key Result: By October 2024, meet with various campus stakeholders to educate them on rationale behind internal definition.
• Key Result: By January 2025, finalize data capture for internal definition with Business Intelligence.
• Key Result: By March 2025, facilitate ‘First Generation’ trainings for faculty and staff focused on the mindset and competencies to better serve first-gen students.

• Key Result: By October 1, 2024, draft a preliminary model of student engagement, incorporating inputs from well-being and student success launch workgroups.
• Key Result: By October 2024, host a series of workshops and meetings to present the preliminary model to key campus stakeholders, including student orgs, faculty, athletics, and other administrative departments for initial feedback.
• Key Result: By January 2025, finalize student engagement model.

• Key Result: By September 2024, conduct training sessions for department representatives on how to access and interpret admissions and orientation data.
• Key Result: By October 2024, each department will submit their draft outreach action plans for review and feedback.
• Key Result: By November 2024, all departments will implement their outreach action plans and start reporting on initial outcomes and effectiveness.
• Key Result: By Spring 2025, pilot, assess, and make any changes for Fall 2025 orientation.

• Key Result: By August 15, 2024, review existing career engagement touch points for tracking and begin tracking.
• Key Result: By August 15, 2024, add new/ideal career engagement touch points for tracking and begin tracking.
• Key Result: By June 30, 2025, MSU Denver will have increased career engagement baseline from 36.7% to 50%.
• Key Result: By June 30, 2025, MSU Denver will have increased substantive career engagement touchpoint baseline from 28.1% to 35%.

• Key Result: By October 1, 2024, SA will partner with BI to deploy the Trellis Financial Wellbeing Survey.
• Key Result: By January 15, 2025, each wellbeing Director and AVP will begin implementing a data informed intervention strategy.
• Key Result: By October 1, 2025, each non-departmental program touching basic needs, including HOPES, Rowdy’s Corner, Housing, the Recovery Community, Public Benefits, will have an assessment

• Key Result: By October 15, 2024, enhance housing website to include typical timelines and processes, availability, anticipated costs, and a dedicated section on insecurity resources, including existing community and public benefits.
• Key Result: By Spring 2025, create a student housing insecurity educational presentation.
• Key Result: By November 2024, all departments will implement their outreach action plans and start reporting on initial outcomes and effectiveness.
• Key Result: By June 1, 2025, Student Affairs will produce a report of campus transformation needs with the addition of campus housing.

• Key Result: By September 1, 2024, Student Affairs will hire an external consultant who will propose a year-long supervision series that will be informed by the established competency framework for effective supervision to SA Leadership.
• Key Result: By February 1, 2025, conduct at least two professional development workshops for supervisors.
• Key Result: By March 30, 2025, 75% of full-time supervisors will participate in at least one of the supervision-focused offerings within the series.
• Key Result: By June 30, 2025, deploy an assessment to 100% of participating supervisors to enhance program offerings for Fall 2025.

• Key Result: Early Spring 2025, SALT will hear from peers at MSU Denver on paraprofessional pathways.
• Key Result: Early Spring 2025, SALT will hear from peers at MSU Denver on identifying new pathways for students to full-time employment.
• Key Result: By April 15, 2025, present full-time staff responsibilities that can transfer to paraprofessional staff as part of their overall professional development and interest in Student Affairs as a profession.

• Key Result: By August 2024, establish the Spanish language skills initiative, including procedural and participation details.
• Key Result: By January 2025, pilot SA-specific onboarding program with a new cohort of employees and gather feedback on effectiveness, relevance, and user experience.

Our goal was to implement a standard system and cycle for program reviews and performance evaluations that reflect our standards of excellence and best practices.

We are immensely proud of the exceptional work accomplished by these workgroups, particularly in completing the NASPA Comprehensive Program Review in fall 2023 and pioneering the program review for the LGBTQ Student Resource Center.

In relation to performance evaluations, our colleagues were able to develop an appendix to the institutional performance review documents, which was done collaboratively with HR to enhance our Branch’s evaluation processes.

The ongoing efforts in building a robust structure for both program reviews and performance evaluations showcase a strong commitment to continuous improvement​.

Identify and elevate identity-based spaces and services for BIPOC students, enhancing their support structure and creating dedicated spaces for their use. In Spring of 2024, we launched a space pilot successfully designated JSSB 237 and 209 for student groups to use, with reservations managed efficiently through a new system. The proactive expansion of resources and support for Native-Indigenous and Black students also marks a substantial advancement in creating a more inclusive environment.

Secondly, a focus on closing equity gaps in student retention and completion by supporting first-generation students through the First Scholars Network. A key achievement was the establishment of a  specific MSU Denver definition for first-generation students, incorporating diverse identities to better reflect our campus environment. Another significant milestone was the creation of a first-generation student resource map, identifying and analyzing existing programs and services to enhance support from pre-matriculation through graduation.

These efforts have laid a solid foundation for improving communication and engagement strategies, ultimately aiming to increase retention and completion rates among first-generation students​.

Student Engagement: The creation of our first student communication lifecycle, which highlights key student activities or milestones throughout the year. The lifecycle resource allows for those engaged in student communication to activate like-minded content, ensuring that students receive similar messages that not only create awareness, but drive engagement. This resource is key in providing just-in-time communication to students, which we know will help them successfully navigate our sometimes complex ecosystem.

Family and Supporter Engagement: Having identified key stakeholders we need to engage in order to increase student engagement. Specifically: Student Families and their Supporters, which encompass parents, families, partners, and/or an educator that support students. Based on a recent survey, the workgroup has also proposed suggestions for future programing focused on Student Family Members and their Supporters. As an example, work is already underway to create a course called Family and Supporters 1010. This class will be an online 7 module course available in both Spanish and English.

Career Engagement: As part of achieving 100% career engagement, the workgroup established a baseline definition of career engagement, which will be a great resource to our campus community – especially those beyond C2 who already play a critical role in increasing career engagement. The definition goes beyond words and defines initial and substantive touchpoints that provide specific baseline measures as well as meaningful engagement that will boost a student career readiness competency.

With a focus on eliminating housing insecurity, key accomplishments in this area include the creation of a comprehensive list of rental and eviction referrals. Specific to eviction resources, the workgroup simplified processes for referrals based on location, income, demographics, and timeline.

The process allows for our partner agencies to not be overburdened by the number of referrals and avoids duplicated work when students do not meet specific requirements for providers. Rounding out this work, they also developed and implemented new staff training for housing stability and housing insecurity within the Dean of Students Office.

Effective supervision is an important goal as we strive to be the best place to work. This group developed a competency framework which illustrates the MSU Denver Student Affairs Values of Supervision. As part of this unique branch framework, there is also a supplemental self-reflection and goal setting tool, which aligns with HR SMART Goal Materials. In the near future, we should be seeing more of this framework, which will have our branch branding.

Lastly, Student affairs continues to create space to build a sense of community among our team members. As part of this, we level up when it comes to our appreciation and recognition awards to the branch. In partnership, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office introduced BRAVO! Awards. Peer nominations have been and continue to increase, which demonstrates how much our branch cares for and sees one another’s contributions.

New in the Spring term, the group also introduced a new award – The Roadrunner Forward Award, which highlights a team or individual that are working toward moving forward with our SA Strategic Plan goals.