As much as new college students are told, “college is not 13^th grade,” and to expect a vastly different culture and expectations than they were used to in high school, this advice is often not enough to translate into a successful first year for students.

Thankfully, on the Indiana University Northwest campus, there are as many resources as there are obstacles to help students persist to graduation.

“If we admit you,” says Cynthia O’Dell, associate executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, “we are saying that we can help you get to the finish line. You can graduate, but not by yourself. We are going to be there with you to support and help you.”

This is the idea behind a relatively new, nationwide effort known as “Re-imagining the First Year,” (RFY), a project aimed at ensuring success for all students, particularly those who have historically been underserved by higher education: low income, first generation, and students of color.

To address this, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has created a coalition of 44 member institutions, including IU Northwest, working together to transform a student’s first year and ultimately, sustain their success through graduation.

Over the past three years, a team of 60 IU Northwest faculty, staff and students have developed initiatives in four categories designed to do just that. As a result, at IU Northwest, new student orientations are more robust than ever. First-year seminars are growing in number. Summer bridge programs ease students into college life. Mentors are everywhere, ready to assist, lead and teach.

Here is how the first year now looks at IU Northwest.

Students: fostering a sense of belonging

This category addresses creating a well-rounded and robust experience for students in all aspects of their first year.

Research shows that students who get involved on campus are more successful. To this end, the RFY team has made strides in showing students the benefits of involvement and making it easier to find ways to get involved.

One notable addition is the Annual RedHawk Induction Ceremony, which serves as first-year students' official welcome into the campus community. Now in its second year, the event introduces the campus's newest students to the faculty, who ceremoniously welcome them in full academic regalia, just as they will during the graduation ceremony.

The RedHawk Link is a resource that helps students find activities and organization on campus that align with their interest. By way of this interactive tool, students can create their own co-curricular transcript, which serves as an official record of their activities outside of the classroom that they can provide to colleagues.

Institutional intentionality

This category addresses what an institution is doing to foster a sense of belonging for students. Over the past three years, IU Northwest has revamped its New Student Orientation significantly and is implementing workshops for faculty and staff on creating a sense of belonging.

Each fall, the Campus Conversation event for faculty and staff focuses largely on the goal of how the entire campus community can work to improve the first-year experience for students.

Students placed on academic probation receive letters offering them coaching and support. Infographics posted around campus paint a picture of what a successful student does by relaying statistics about such things as jobs, internships, community service, and more.

“IUN Connects” is a fun new way for faculty and staff to demonstrate what they have in common with students. A series of conversation bubbles declare such commonalities such as “I’m a first-generation student,” or “English is not my first language.” Faculty and staff can add these conversation starters to their email accounts, post on doors, and more. This relationship-building tactic is intended to help students connect with faculty and staff, making them more likely to ask questions, seek support, and stay the course.

Curriculum redesign

This category addresses what an institution is doing to improve its introductory or gateway courses.

The RFY team created nine Pedagogical Innovation Groups with 58 faculty participants so far. These are groups of faculty members who study best practices in the method and practice of teaching and commit to implementing innovations in introductory courses and collecting data.

O’Dell said that to date, roughly 2,000 students have experienced redesigned courses. The result has been a 21 percent decrease in drop/fail/withdrawal rates in the redesigned courses. The retention rate for students taking those courses increased from 67 to 77 percent.

Last summer, 108 students took part in five discipline-specific summer bridge programs. There has also been the development of four new First Year Seminars, which has resulted in nearly doubled enrollment in these courses.

Faculty and staff

This category addresses what the entire campus community can do, regardless of their role, to contribute to a reimagined first year for students.

Known as the RedHawk Response Service Philosophy, faculty and staff have been actively working towards building a culture in which every member of the campus community is committed to student success.

This means that regardless of role, each employee takes responsibility for continuous improvement; listens carefully in an effort to understand concerns; acknowledges mistakes and strives to correct them; and is vested in the success of all members of our community.

RFY initiatives to continue

Although the AASCU project officially comes to end this summer, O’Dell says IU Northwest has no plans to stop “reimagining” anything. The initiatives the university developed will continue and new initiatives will continually be introduced.