Lakeshore Technical College Student Centered Project

In October of 2019, Lakeshore was notified that we had successfully competed for a $2.06M U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Program grant. The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) provides a competitive funding opportunity for colleges and universities so we can expand and strengthen our capacity to serve low-income students. The funds are payable over five years.

The goals of the project were developed through a number of activities:

• Lakeshore’s five-year (2018/19 – 2022/23) Strategic Plan: Hope Movement
• 2019-20 annual plan and budget process
• Continuous improvement and innovation team projects and outcomes
• 2019 Student Satisfaction Inventory results
• 2019/21 – 2021/22 three-year facility plan
• Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) initiatives
• Success Center

Workforce and community needs were identified from: an environmental scan, equity needs assessment, IPEDS data feedback reports, Achieving the Dream, Inc. (ATD) partnership planning, the Community-College Research Center’s (CCRC) Scale of Adoption Self-Assessment, and student success performance data.

FUNDED PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Activity A – All new students will complete a newly developed Intake Survey at the time of admissions, which will identify their educational goals, their specific financial situation and potential interest in the many services available to help them achieve success.

Activity B – All new program students will also complete a Student Success Tutorial, designed to orient them to all aspects of Lakeshore including use of technology, college policies, paying for college and being a successful student.

Activity C – A Business and Technology Systems consultant will recommend how we can use the latest and best technology to communicate with and instruct students and to track their success.

Activity D – Over the next 5 years we will undergo a Holistic Student Support Redesign where all student support staff and advisors will focus more on relationship building, financial coaching and assistance, career placement support, 4-year transfer, and goal setting to better meet the needs of vulnerable students and increase student satisfaction.

Activity E – Competency-Based Education - Over the next 5 years we will convert seven (7) programs from traditional credit hours to new learning formats that will stress the skills that employers want, allow more students to access education when it works for their schedules and complete their degrees at an accelerated pace. There will be more access through open class times, faculty mentorship and a success coach/advisor to provide academic support.

OBJECTIVES

When the project ends in late 2024, we expect to meet these critical objectives to increase student success and decrease costs.