THE SACRAO JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITORMatthew P. McCrickard, Ed.D.Wallace State Community College

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Robert F. AskinsUniversity of South Carolina

Bobbie Latham Brown, M.A.Texas Tech University

John Fletcher, Ed.D.East Carolina University

Jennifer Hardy, M.A.University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Venesa HeidickTexas A&M University

Judith McKeon, M.A.Jefferson College of Health Sciences

C ontentsC

The SACRAO Journal is published annually by the SouthernAssociation of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers,a professional association to promote and advance theimprovement of admissions, registration, records, data man-agement, international education and financial aid manage-ment practices through study, education, and research; toadvance professional knowledge and techniques by fosteringthe exchange of experiences and information; and to developand advance standards of competence in the profession. TheEditorial Board is responsible for the selection and accept-ance of manuscripts which are the responsibility of the author.The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarilyreflect the views of SACRAO. SACRAO does not endorse theproducts or services described by authors.

The SACRAO Journal is printed by S. Clarke Marketing, Inc.,Northport, Alabama.

Previous volumes of the SACRAO Journal are publishedonline at http://sacrao.org/?p=newsjournal

2015 VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT

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Staff Perceptions of Work-EnvironmentFactors Affecting Morale in SoutheasternRegistrar’s Offices ........................................................5 Rheanna Plemons

Transitioning Challenges forInternational Student-Athletes ...................................13Rodney L. Parks, Benjamin M. Perron,and Phylicia Pearl W. Mpasi

Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation:The Peer Advisors and Mentors Programat the University of Richmond ..................................21Hope N. Walton and Roger Mancastroppa

Perspectives on Working withNontraditional Students .............................................29Linda Dammer and Edward Trombley

The Story of “The Box”:Protecting High Profile Student Files .......................33Brenda L. Martinez

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Information for Authors

The Editorial Board welcomes manuscripts for publication in SACRAO’s academic, refereed publica-tion, The SACRAO Journal. Members of SACRAO are encouraged to submit articles which pertain totheir professional experiences regarding issues and innovative practices in the profession.

Preparing Manuscripts

Manuscripts should be submitted in accordance with the stylistic rules and guidelines delineated in thePublication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2010). For information, visithttp://www.apastyle.org. Manuscript pages should be numbered consecutively. All manuscripts areaccepted for publication with the understanding that The SACRAO Journal Editorial Board reserves theright to edit for clarity, syntax, and style. The need either to shorten or request the author to lengthen arti-cles is at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

The editor will acknowledge receipt of manuscripts and will forward them to members of the editorialboard for review. The board will consider the appropriateness of the articles for SACRAO’s membershipand reserves the right to reject articles submitted for publication.

Author Identification

The complete title of the article should be placed on the first page of the text, with the author’s nameexcluded. The author should provide an address, phone number, email address, and fax number. Unlessspecified otherwise, the principal (first-named) author will be sent all correspondence.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts submitted for publication must be original material which has not been simultaneouslysubmitted for publication elsewhere. Length of the manuscripts, including references and tables, shouldrange from about 8 to 20 typed, double-spaced, 81/2 x11-inch pages. Abstracts are limited to 125 words.Brief reports of research are discouraged. Authors should retain a copy of the manuscript to guard againstloss.

Please email or send your manuscript to: Matthew P. McCrickard, Editor, The SACRAO Journal, atmatthew.mccrickard@wallacestate.edu or Wallace State Community College, P.O. Box 2000,Hanceville, Alabama 35077.

Copyright and Permission

An author may reproduce an article for use. Other individuals must request permission from the editor toreproduce tables, figures, and more than 500 words of an article text.

The SACRAO Journal editor, Matthew P. McCrickard, is Director of Advising at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama. Prior tobecoming editor, he served on the Professional Development Committee and as a member of The SACRAO Journal Editorial Board. McCrickard wasawarded the Margaret Ruthven Perry Distinguished SACRAO Journalism Award in 2007 and again in 2011.

E ditor’s ReflectionsEThe Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions

Officers has, for nearly seven decades, promoted the advancement ofhigher education and open sharing of ideas and best practices amongits membership through annual meetings and various publicationsincluding The SACRAO Journal. It is customary for the editor of thispublication to offer a few opening comments and reflections to previewany nascent themes for the year as well as offer brief remarks to thankthose who have been instrumental to the process. This year is no excep-tion, as my term as your Editor reaches its prescribed course.Scholars and practitioners alike have lauded the importance of

reflection as an integral part of effective leadership, personal growth,and understanding organizational dynamics. For example, Argyris(1991) describes reflection in terms of feedback loops within a systemand continues to be often cited within the fields of business and man-agement. Mezirow (2000), throughout discussions of his transforma-tive learning theory, suggests critical reflection is an integral aspect ofunderstanding one’s self within broader social constructs. Using hisown reflections as an example of effective praxis, Brookfield (2013)discusses the importance of understanding the ways our perceptions ofthe world shape our engagement with the students whom we serve.Informed by the amalgam of these scholars’ theoretical perspectives, Ibelieve that reflection is essential for holistic connection of the seem-ingly disparate aspects of administration, teaching, and service withinmy work in higher education. I hope all members of our associationwill make reflection a routine practice, actively thinking about whatstudents and colleagues have taught us, and how our contributions toour institution’s successes have influenced us as members of the vari-ous learning communities of which we are members. As a point of personal privilege, I would like to express my deepest

thanks to each of our colleagues who comprised the 2014-2015 TheSACRAO Journal Editorial Board. Many thanks to Bob Askins,Bobbie Brown, John Fletcher, Jennifer Hardy, Venesa Heidick, JudithMcKeon, and Vice President for Professional Development BarbaraRowe for shepherding authors through the editorial processes andoffering me their time, talents, and wise counsel throughout my term asEditor. Through these board members’ vision and leadership, TheSACRAO Journal remains timely and relevant within higher educationconversations; making certain that our region’s authors’ research andperspectives are shared throughout the southeastern United States andPuerto Rico, as well as introduced beyond our association.This 2015 volume continues the longstanding traditions of The

SACRAO Journal, and authors are once again providing readers fromall sectors of higher education with unique perspectives and contextu-al underpinnings, from which to consider issues that are likely being

discussed on every college or university campus. Rheanna Plemonsoffers insights into her research on the ways in which staff morale andwork environments influence the cohesion and effectiveness ofRegistrar’s staff on college and university campuses. Rodney Parks,Benjamin M. Perron, and Phylicia Pearl W. Mpasi present theirfindings from a mixed methodology study which explores barriers tointernational student-athlete success, describes implications for cam-pus communities, and offers various recommendations for serving thisgrowing student constituency. Hope Walton and RogerMancastroppa detail the history and successes of a longstanding peeradvisor and mentor program at the University of Richmond which hasbolstered the retention and graduation of student participants. LindaDammer and Edward Trombley share their perspectives and whatthey have learned from serving with nontraditional learners at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Brenda Martinez contributes per-spectives and suggestions on how to go about effectively and tactfullyserving students who may be considered to be famous or high profile.I congratulate each of these authors for developing their work for pub-lication and for contributing these articles for the betterment of ourassociation.I offer my sincere thanks to SACRAO Presidents Mary Kincannon

(2012-2013), Dorinda Harmon (2013-2014), and Amy Barber (2014-2015) for offering me the opportunity to serve on and chair the journalcommittee for the past several years, as well as to contribute to theassociation through a term as Editor of your SACRAO Journal.Additionally, I thank my many colleagues who have written articles, orencouraged others to do so, to bring this journal to fruition each year. Ihope each SACRAO member will consider writing an article for oneof the upcoming volumes of The SACRAO Journal. Please contact meif I may assist you in developing something for the board’s considera-tion, or discuss ideas or potential topics for exploration. I would behappy to help or assist you with contacting a 2015-2016 editorial boardmember.

ReferencesArgyris, C. (1991). Teaching smart people how to learn. HarvardBusiness Review, May/June.

Brookfield, S. D. (2013). Powerful techniques for teaching adults.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Core conceptsof transformation theory. In J. Mezirow & Associates, Learningas transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress(pp. 3-33). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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THE MARGARET RUTHVEN PERRYDISTINGUISHED SACRAO JOURNALISM AWARD

This award is presented annually to the author whose article promotes and advances knowledge, techniques,and standards of competence in the profession. The award was initially established by Margaret Ruthven Perry,who served as the first editor of The SACRAO Journal. It was named in her honor following the completion ofher service as editor. Listed below are the recipients of the award.

1989 - Diane FreytagThe Evolution and Maintenance of an Enrollment

Management Program

1990 - T. Luther GunterImage Technology in the Information Age: Is Microfilm

Really Dead?

1992 - Bruce W. CunninghamStudents Versus Registrars: Opponents or Partners in the

Educational Process

1994 - David H. StonesOn the Strategic Nature of SPEEDE/ExPRESS:

Scalability, and Applicability of EDI in the Workplace

1996 - James LynchAfrican-American Undergraduate

Recruitment Strategies

1997 - Michael E. MaloneSACRAO’s “50th”: A Tint of Gold

1998 - Cynthia J. FarrierElectronic Grades: From Professor to

Student Information System

1999 - Edward L. McGlonePrimer on Outcomes Assessment for

Academic Administrators

2000 - Rick SkeelHow to Find Funding for EDI: Oklahoma’s

State-wide Grant Approach

2001 - Angela J. EvansHome School Education: Its Impact

on a State University

2002 - Paul TaylorThe Future of Higher Education in the 21st Century

2003 - Bradley W. Johnson and Sheldon L. StickApplication of Strategic Planning to Enrollment in a Community College

2004 - Louis D. HuntWhat’s Your Social? Replacing the

Social Security Number

2005 - John FletcherGet Ahead and Stay Ahead: Summers at Auburn

Creating a Program to Maximize Your Summer Enrollment

2006 - Magdalena H. WilliamsAchievement and Retention Patterns in a Predominantly

Hispanic Serving Institution of Higher Education

2007 - Matthew P. McCrickardAdapting Solution Focused Advising:

Effective Communication Strategies for Registrars

2008 - Ronald G. WhiteExperience Marketing: Putting Students

on the Frontline...Again

2009 - Lisa B. HarrisThe Enrollment Manager as a Change Agent

2010 - Holly SwartStrategic Training and Communication: The Keys to Our

Successful System Implementation

2011 - Matthew P. McCrickardAccentuate the Positive: Identifying Opportunitiesin Enrollment Services through Appreciative Inquiry

2012 - Reta PikowskyAssessment in the Registrar’s Office

2013 - Rodney L. Parks and Jonathan W. RichVoices from the Past: Boomers Transition Back to College

2014 - Rodney L. Parks and Ashley D. EdwardsTransgenderism and the College Experience:

Transitioning Challenges During Higher Education

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The Office of the Registrar is the old-est administrative unit in higher educa-tion. Quann (1979) described the pri-mary functions of the Office of theRegistrar as the oversight of registration,grade reporting, record keeping, tran-scripts, certification, and catalog prepa-ration. These responsibilities are crucialfor the prosperity of the university.Accuracy is necessary within the office;Blaney (2009) linked staff accuracy withstudent persistence or retention in highereducation. Therefore, the registrar’soffice must produce quality work, whileproviding customer service for faculty,staff, students, and the community.Research is prevalent in higher educa-

tion morale research particularly amongadministrators; however, morale researchis limited among support staff in theOffice of the Registrar. The staff withinthe office are considered frontline work-ers, as they often are the first point ofcontact for students (Fifolt, 2010).Morale studies in higher education havefocused on faculty or mid-level man-agers (Ngambi, 2011; Rosser, 2004;Bryson, 2004). This study is significantfor registrars interested in job functionsthat lower morale and who are

searching for effective motivators.Leadership strategies were explored, andparticipants were asked to discuss theOffice of the Registrar’s role in the reten-tion of students.

Methodology

This study used a small sample sizedrawn from four public institutions withsimilar organizational structures. Focusgroups were utilized at three of the insti-tutions, and a semi-structured interviewwas conducted at one institution. Thegoal of the focus groups and backgroundquestionnaire was to answer six empiri-cal research questions. An interviewguide was distributed to each focusgroup participant (and the semi-struc-tured interview participant) on the day ofthe session. The researcher facilitated thediscussion and helped transition betweenquestions. The duration of the focusgroups was approximately 60 minutes ateach institution. Participants varied inage, years of experience, morale levels,and educational background.Prior to using the interview guide and

background questionnaire, both instru-ments were reviewed by two experts in

the field and a methodologist. Afterreceiving approval for the study fromeach registrar’s office, the researcherreceived approval from the WKUInstitutional Review Board. To ensure aseamless process, a pilot study was con-ducted using a panel of volunteers.Letters of support were received fromfive registrars at public institutions, aswell as from the President of a stateAssociation of Collegiate Registrars andAdmissions Officers.The sessions were digitally recorded,

and the data were transcribed. Primarily,qualitative data analysis using a ground-ed theory approach was utilized to deter-mine emerging themes. Quantitativeanalyses were conducted utilizing thedemographic information with theFisher’s Exact Test and Chi Square, todetermine the significance of age andyears of experience on specific leader-ship styles and motivators.

Limitations of Study

The study involved regional registraroffices, which have similar structural andorganizational models. The institutionsface similar challenges, when attempting

Rheanna Plemons is the Assistant Registrar atWestern Kentucky University. She holds a doctor-al degree in Educational Leadership with anemphasis in Organizational Leadership fromWestern Kentucky University. In addition, sheholds a Master of Science degree in LibraryMedia Education with an emphasis inEducational Technology and a Bachelor of Artsdegree in English and Allied Language Arts.Rheanna is currently the President of theKyACRAO. Her research interests include effec-tive leadership strategies, workplace communica-tion, office morale, and professional developmentopportunities for staff.

Staff Perceptions of Work-Environment Factors AffectingMorale in Southeastern Registrar’s Offices

ABSTRACTResearch in higher education has not focused on the morale of sup-port staff within the Office of the Registrar, even though these indi-viduals work directly with students, faculty, and staff. This study issignificant, in that registrars can begin working toward officeimprovements to boost morale. A staff with high morale willimprove customer service experiences and create a dynamic work-force willing to go beyond the requirements of the position. Thisstudy revealed which staff would excel in the statewide initiatives ofretention and graduation of students. Happy employees will worktogether, assist students, and propel the Office of the Registrar to amodel within the university.

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to meet retention and graduation expectations. Also, the studyfocused on non-management staff perceptions of the work envi-ronment and did not offer a comparison on how this differs frommanagement’s perceptions. This study is qualitative and usessemi-structured focus groups to make generalizations withinsimilar state universities. However, the goal of this study is tocreate a framework for a quantitative study to collect more datato create generalizations.

Research Questions and Discussion

Research questions are outlined below along with the discus-sion summary from each focus group and the semi-structuredinterview.

Research Question 1: What is the level of morale in the office?

Discussion. Participants identified perceived characteristicsof individuals with low or high morale; this was a list of adjec-tives or phrases rather than pinpointing individuals in the officewith high or low morale. The overall mood and behavior of anindividual were considered key to making a morale interpreta-tion among the staff. Low morale was identified through per-ceived negative customer service interactions or poor interac-tions with coworkers. Strank (2005) supported this suppositionby saying the following about low morale: “This feeling isreflected in attitudes to management, the job and the organiza-tion as a whole” (p. 117). High morale was identified through aperceived willingness to help others in the office and display ofpositive attitude, which is supported by Peterson, Park, andSweeney (2008) who noted that morale is evident through “per-severance, courage, resilience, and success” according to ananalysis of literature (p. 29).Most of the participants agreed length of employment was

related to low morale. The relationship between length ofemployment, morale, and change was discussed in great length.Younger employees felt their older counterparts were more like-ly to have low morale when confronted with change. Youngerwas defined as less than 44 years of age; older was defined asolder than 45 years of age. Reed, Doty, and May (2005) agreedolder employees may experience difficulties with change relat-ed to new technology.

Research Question 2: To what extent are registrar’s office work-related functions related to low morale?

Discussion. In general, the primary job responsibilities forthe Office of the Registrar were identified as maintaining stu-dent records, athletic certification, degree certification, catalogpreparation, room scheduling, VA Certification, determiningresidency, issuing transcripts, and processing name and addresschanges. The job responsibilities were aligned with Quann’s(1979) description in his writings.As many services are provided by the Office of the Registrar,

the busy times vary within the divisions in the office. Transcript

request areas are busy at the end of the semester; whereas, theregistration area is busy at the beginning of the semester.During these times, staff members indicated that morale suf-fered because of the stress from the workload. Strank (2005)emphasized busy times can cause more workplace errors anddiminish quality. One conclusion found from this study issupervisors must consider reducing stress during peak worktimes. Slower times allow for camaraderie and teamwork tocomplete massive projects. Morale was linked to busy worktimes within the office.Workers noted low morale was a by-product of having to tell

students bad news, such as the student cannot graduate or doesnot meet residency requirements. Dealing with negative stu-dents with accusatory attitudes also brought morale to a mini-mum. Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Finkenauer, and Vohs (2001)conducted research and found bad was stronger than good, i.e.,humans respond more negatively to negative rather than to pos-itive. Managers must take into account the negative workplaceactivities, as these interactions will overpower the positiveactivities and lead to lower morale.Research Question 3: How do staff view work environmentmotivators in relation to morale:

3.a: Monetary awardsDiscussion. All workers felt monetary awards would boost

morale. However, some admitted resentment when certain indi-viduals received raises and others did not. This is especially truewhen a team atmosphere is encouraged. Those in the focusgroups revealed monetary awards were an inconsistent moralebooster, and a raise is needed frequently to maintain highmorale. This finding supports Gellerman’s (1963) summary ofThe Pittsburg Studies, where money was determined to sustainmorale, but not boost morale.3.b: Alternative work schedulesDiscussion. Alternate work schedules boost morale, accord-

ing to the majority of participants. While the possibility is cur-rently limited in three of the offices that participated in thisstudy, one office allowed an hour variation. Some workers camein early; some came in late. Those who opted for the alternateschedule were given an hour of time to catch up on work with-out customer foot traffic. This reduced workplace stress andboosted morale. Strank (2005) supported this opinion and sug-gested alternate work schedules as a reasonable way to reducestress, if the work schedule is feasible for the office. Atkinsonand Hall (2011) found allowing employees control over theirwork schedule not only reduced stress, but it increased happi-ness. Happy employees were more willing to go above andbeyond the job requirements to serve customers. Beatty andBurroughs (1999) suggested alternate work schedules are “anattractive benefit for employees at many different stages of theirpersonal and professional lives (p. 599). Rappaport, Bancroft,and Okum (2003) noted aging employees would benefit great-ly from an alternate work schedule.

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3.c: RelationshipsDiscussion. Relationships were essential and helped many

maintain a high morale. The research revealed relationshipshelp individuals find balance between their personal and profes-sional lives. Dike (2012) said leaders who encourage friend-ships within the office will have “higher productivity, quality,and lower turnover” (p. 193). Sharing experiences with a friendeased burdens and reduced stress. This finding coincided withthe research of Sias and Cahill (1998), who documentedemployees turn to office friends who share similar life experi-ences to express frustrations with supervisors, cope withunwanted change, and to discuss personal conflicts at home.The participants described the office as a family, which helpeddeal with internal conflict. As with families, the offices withhigh morale resolved conflicts quickly so business could contin-ue as normal. Participants unknowingly were following theadvice of Tjosvold, Dann, and Wong (1992) whose researchemphasized the appropriate management of conflict was “cen-tral to the basic mission of the organization,” because themethod used to address the conflict directly relates to the out-come and the customer service provided.3.d: OtherDiscussion. The research included other motivators used by

managers to boost morale, including food and holiday celebra-tions. Staff enjoy celebrating special occasions such asHalloween. Food was not mentioned as a motivator around“family-heavy” holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.During these seasons, staff members preferred finishing workquickly to get home where preparations could be made for fam-ily commitments. Food days were mentioned as a source ofstress for some, who felt deciding on the perfect dish was anunwanted challenge. Simply having lunch together providedgreater motivation than being expected to bring food for every-one. Farrant (1990) suggested a break room for employees toeat together or spend leisure time was an effective way to boostmorale of employees and build relationships.

Research Question 4: What work environment leadershipstrategies promote high morale among office staff:

4.a: TeamworkDiscussion. Teamwork was promoted in most work environ-

ments and was cited as a leadership strategy to boost morale.Cross-training was deemed a valuable asset and reduced stresswithin three of the offices. Staff members expressed relief inknowing critical job functions would be completed in theirabsence, which helped to provide balance between home andwork. The teamwork discussion was grounded in Preinkert’s(2005) thoughts, in which she stated, “Continuity of employ-ment is more important in the registrar’s office than in mostother offices in the institution, especially in the key positions”(p. 9). In addition, Quann (1979) noted the registrar has “majorduties and tasks to perform that cannot be delayed or tabled” (p.128). Cross-training promotes continuity of employment andensures essential functions will continue when employees must

be absent. Farrant (1990) suggested rotating jobs to buildmorale within the office.4.b: EmpowermentDiscussion. Participants were uncomfortable making deci-

sions within the office; therefore, empowerment was not dis-cussed as a means to boost morale. All felt a responsibility toconsult a supervisor before making minor decisions. Porterfield(2003) listed this as a characteristic of micromanagement; thestudy showed the group did not feel they were micromanaged.However, the group felt if a decision had to be made without asupervisor’s consent, the decision would be supported by mid-level managers. The undergraduate catalog was identified as atool to help in making decisions. One participant felt decisionswere easy to make, since the Office of the Registrar wascharged with enforcing approved policy. Her position was thefollowing: “We have guidelines and regulations, and we stick toour guns.”Participants voiced negative comments about micromanage-

ment in the workplace. Staff members felt those who micro-managed lacked trust. This sentiment was documented inFracaro’s (2007) research, in which he said micromanagementwould impact the trust between employees and the employers.He emphasized those who feel micromanaged will eventuallyshow a decline in productivity and will be unwilling to makesacrifices for the organization.4.c: PraiseDiscussion. Praise is a powerful method to boost morale.

Staff appreciated non-verbal and verbal praise. However, allagreed the praise should match the individual’s personality, andBell (2010) supported that conclusion. Some preferred toreceive praise through email, rather than receiving praise infront of peers. Managers who fail to praise staff will see lowmorale in the office, as staff feel unappreciated for the workthey complete. Robison (2006) indicated humans crave praise;however, the praise should be unexpected. The participants inthis research project said praise should not be constant, becausethe value depreciated if given too frequently.4.d: OtherDiscussion. Leaders who encourage staff members to attend

professional development events should expect to see increasedmorale. These strategies allow staff members to create moraleboosters within the office, instead of the responsibility falling onmanagers. Beatty and Burroughs (1999) found aging employeeswere more likely to receive less training or professional devel-opment than younger employees. Therefore, leaders should takeadvantage of professional conferences and workshops to boostthe morale of all employees.

Research Question 5: To what extent does morale create a bar-rier toward meeting the office mission?

Discussion. Surprisingly, the research showed none of theparticipants were able to share components of the office mis-sion. A few participants discussed the university’s mission; one

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said completing her job was fulfilling the office mission. Whenprompted, the participants indicated they believed customerservice and the retention of records was a part of their mission.Because employees were unable to discuss or locate the officemission, a commitment gap was found. Bennis and Nanus(2007) suggested closing the commitment gap would motivateemployees. Workers should play a role in writing the officevision and mission in order to feel a sense of accomplishment asit is fulfilled. Furthermore, Bennis and Nanus emphasized, “Inorder for an organization to have integrity, it must have an iden-tity – that is, a sense of who it is and what it is to do” (p. 47).5.a: Customer serviceDiscussion. Staff recognized customer service as a key com-

ponent of the office mission and reported those with low moraleprovided lower quality customer service and caused negativeinteractions with customers. The registrar’s office is sometimesfraught with students who blame the office when they fail tocomplete graduation requirements. Staff felt students who arenegative or who do not appreciate help cause low morale.Workers who are blamed or treated badly by students are proneto offering suboptimal customer service. Dijulius (2003) dis-cussed boosting morale in customer service settings to createpassionate team members. In addition, he surmised frontlineworkers must provide optimal customer service while jugglingseveral tasks. This is crucial, as they are the face of the office.5.b: RetentionDiscussion. Participants defined themselves as frontline

workers who have the ability to influence students’ decisions toremain at the university. When discussing retention, theresearch revealed the Office of the Registrar felt staff played avital role in the retention of students. Workers recognized stu-dents may make a decision to remain at the institution based onthe way they are treated by staff. Employees assumed studentspreferred not to be directed to other offices and strived to cre-ate a small-town or home-like atmosphere to appeal to studentsand parents. While research in this area is scant, the philosophyis similar to that of workers who deal with negative students.The Baumeister et al. (2001) research found that negative expe-riences are remembered more readily than positive experi-ences. The same could be true for customer experiences withinthe office.5.c: Job completionDiscussion. The staff felt morale did not affect job comple-

tion. Even those employees with the lowest morale could com-plete the job; however, they may take limited pride in theirwork. The participants answered this question from theapproach of data entry or processing. Based on previousanswers, morale clearly affects customer service. Staff membersdid not associate job completion with quality customer service.However, Strank (2005) theorized stressful situations wouldcause poor quality work within the office.Research Question 6: To what extent do demographic factorsrelate to the questions above?

6.a: GenderDiscussion. As all participants were female, this question held

no significance for the study. Even though males did not partic-ipate, males who work in this female dominated profession mayhave low morale. As stated earlier, relationships among staff arecrucial. Females typically create friendships based on personalsimilarities, whereas men may find the development of friend-ships to be a challenge in this female dominated field.6.b: AgeDiscussion. Using the Fisher’s Exact Test, age showed no

significance on morale, motivators, or leadership styles.However, younger employees viewed their older counterpartsas having lower morale. One of the participants, classified asbeing older, stated her morale was low. However, she unhappi-ly remained at the job for the benefits, which included time offand insurance. Rappaport et al. (2003) reported on low moraleamong older workers who were financially unable to retire.Younger employees would simply leave, if the job caused lowmorale for an extended period of time. In addition, olderemployees were less likely to enjoy food days because of theadded stress. Younger employees were more prone to wantalternate or flexible work schedules to ease stress at home. Allparticipants indicated open communication and praise weremotivators. Therefore, these items were constant, and free moti-vators leading to high morale. Weiss (2011) agreed that employ-ees want to be “in the know” (p. 23).6.c: Educational levelDiscussion. All participants had similar degree types; there-

fore, this question held no significance for the study. However,those with higher level degrees may display higher morale, asthese individuals have more opportunities for advancement.6.d: Years of service in officeDiscussion. Years of service had no significance based on the

Fisher’s Exact Test. However, individual results showed thosewith fewer years of experience were more likely to retain highmorale through a change. Those with more experience per-ceived those with fewer years accepted this change, because theyounger employees were naïve. Those with more years of expe-rience perceived they were able to accept change with highmorale, because they had been through more changes. All par-ticipants said open communication and praise were motivators.Strank (2005) reported change is a source of stress in the work-place. He emphasized, “Effective communication is the answerto reducing the stress associated with change” (p. 83). Therefore,communication and praise are free and provide constant motiva-tion for employees to have high morale. Baird and Bradley(1978) stated that an employer’s communication strategy withsubordinates is correlated with the morale of the office.

Recommendations

Recommendations are in three divisions: Office considera-tions, university considerations, and suggestions for future

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research. “Office considerations” provides suggestions to lead-ers within the Office of the Registrar. “University considera-tions” provides suggestions for academic and non-academicadministrators. The “Suggestions for Future Study” providesideas for future research within higher education and the Officeof the Registrar.

Office Considerations

Leaders within Offices of the Registrar must recognize theexisting family paradigm. Staff members require time forsocialization to discuss work and personal issues, which willhelp to find a balance between work and personal life. Femalestaff members gravitate toward others who have similar back-grounds or family structures. These friendships help with endur-ing change and conflict. The family paradigm is important when dealing with office

conflict. When employees perceive one another as part of a bigfamily, they are more willing to move past conflict. Similar tofamily, staff know they must interact with the individual caus-ing the conflict and must make the relationship work for thesake of the family or work environment. Open communicationis encouraged to help overcome a conflict. Workers may needtime to talk through the problem, and leaders must take the con-flict seriously.Support is a component of the family paradigm. Family

members often are called upon to fulfill various roles in theabsence of others. Similarly, an office should be cross-trainedand a teamwork mentality encouraged among staff members.When individuals are sick, take vacations, attend conferences,or must be elsewhere, they should know their job responsibili-ties will continue. In addition, support will help ease workplacestress during peak times, which were shown to lower morale.Leaders must recognize the importance of praise in the work

environment. Praise is free, and all participants said the effec-tive use of praise would boost morale. Praise should match thepersonality of the individual and warranted. Leaders mustremember those who promote teamwork must praise the entireteam, rather than recognizing only the leader. Team memberswho do not receive equal praise will eventually resent the leaderand have no desire to complete future tasks.In addition to praise, leaders should promote open communi-

cation within the office. Potential changes should be discussedthoroughly to ease stress and tension. Leaders should be open tosuggestions from staff who may have new ideas for office pro-cedures or opinions about the work environment. Open commu-nication involves active listening; leaders should listen to staffconcerns and problems, whether the issues are related to workor home.Alternate work schedules should be considered when search-

ing for ways to boost morale. These schedules are practical andeffective in boosting the morale of all employees. Office hourscan remain normal; however, allowing staff to work alternateschedules promotes trust, which is essential for individuals to

feel a sense of belonging. Alternate work schedules can assistthose with school-aged children, as well as those with aging par-ents. An effective Office of the Registrar experiences limitedturnover. In an effort to retain employees and eliminate stress,leaders should be open to new concepts relating to schedules, ifthe university allows such flexibility.The most significant finding was that none of the participants

knew the office mission or where the mission is located. Eachlisted assumptions concerning the goals of the mission. Staffshould actively participate in the creation of an office vision andmission in order to have ownership and to define the meaningof quality within the office. Individuals may have differentopinions on quality customer service; therefore, staff shouldwork together to define job responsibilities and expectations forpositive customer service experiences. During this research,staff spoke vaguely about what they perceived to be the mission.The most common components were customer service andmaintenance of records. However, in later conversations, partic-ipants perceived that customer service was linked to the reten-tion of students, which was not mentioned as part of the officemission. Working together to establish a mission would removesilos in the office and encourage coworkers to fully understandthe functions of different areas. As mentioned previously, creat-ing an office mission ensures the office has integrity and identi-ty of the office (Bennis & Nanus, 2007).Attitudes, mannerisms, and interactions are part of customer

service. Therefore, leaders must recognize job functions thatcause low morale and strive to improve morale during high-demand work times. Food days may cause added stress; there-fore, leaders may consider providing food, rather than askingothers to bring items. Leaders also should be willing to appointan individual to coordinate such activities, as they may sufferfatigue from planning morale boosters.

University Considerations

From a university perspective, the importance of the servic-es rendered in the Office of the Registrar is paramount. Theoffice plays a vital role in the mission of the university throughenforcing policies, maintaining the course inventories, publish-ing the undergraduate catalog, graduating students, maintainingclass rolls, etc. The morale of the staff also plays a part in thequality of the services. Therefore, administrators must considersimilar motivators and leadership styles as those used by mid-level management within the office, such as assistant and asso-ciate registrars.Open communication is a necessity. Change causes stress

and lowers morale; however, time can ease the burdens associ-ated with new policies. When the value and experience of theoffice is considered, the need for discussion when proposingnew policies is obvious. Leaders and staff should not be blind-sided by new initiatives and policies. When this happens, self-worth is compromised and employees begin to believe they donot matter. This will result in turnover, which is disastrous to an

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office that flourishes on continuity and an acquired knowledgebase, such as a registrar’s office. Praise from administrators is appreciated. Recognition for

the completion of necessary functions is a way of boostingmorale. Receiving notification of a job well done for working acommencement or another successful publication communi-cates that their work is appreciated and necessary. This buildsemployee allegiance to the university.

Future Studies

This study was limited to institutions in the Southeasternregion with similar organizational structure and enrollments.Therefore, opportunities for future studies are endless. First,those interested in morale may follow a similar model in theirhome state to examine morale within a system or among insti-tutions with similar structures and enrollments. Also, moralecan be studied in organizations with differing structures todetermine which structure promotes the highest morale.Qualitative research provides a basis for quantitative

research. Qualitative studies typically have small sample sizes;therefore, a researcher could develop a survey to administer tothe masses. The creation of such a survey would suffice as oneresearch project. In another study, the survey could be adminis-tered to collect data. Studies of this magnitude would be inter-esting at the national level and could be used to develop a list ofbest practices.From a student perspective, a morale study could be conduct-

ed regarding the level of service received within the Office of theRegistrar. The research could be expanded to students who leftan institution to determine whether customer service was linkedto the decision to leave. Retention studies of this nature couldimpact customer service training conducted for employees.

Conclusions

This qualitative study was conducted in Offices of theRegistrar within the Southeastern region of the United Stateshaving similar organizational structure and enrollments. Agrounded theory approach was used to conduct three focusgroups and one semi-structured interview. A background ques-tionnaire was used to collect demographic information, andthemes emerged from coding the data. To determine signifi-cance of age and years of experience, a Fisher’s Exact Test wasutilized in addition to the Chi Square. The Chi Square wasinsignificant due to the small sample size. Participants were asked to define an individual with low and

high morale. An individual with low morale was defined as notwilling to help others; mannerism and interactions also wereused to determine low morale. Individuals with high moralewere defined as happy and willing to help. Participants report-ed that morale suffered during peak work times, as staff feltoverworked and stressed. Slow times were used to build rela-tionships and promote teamwork within the office.

The offices had similar job functions, which included regis-tration, posting degrees, maintaining records, articulating trans-fer work, overseeing the course inventory, conducting name andaddress changes, and other necessary tasks. The entire gradua-tion process was determined to be the highest risk of lowmorale. Long work days and delivering negative news tohopeful graduates were discussed as negative components ofthe position.Relationships, praise, alternate work schedules, attending

conferences or professional developments, and open commu-nication were listed as effective ways to boost morale.Relationships included teamwork, cross-training, and friend-ships. The happiest offices had some degree of teamwork andcross-training. Friendships were helpful in finding balancebetween personal and work life. Alternate work schedules alsowere a source of balance between personal and work life; theschedules also encouraged low turnover in the office.Allowing employees to attend conferences or professionaldevelopment gave them a sense of belonging and built trust.Open communication allowed employees to know they mat-tered in the decision-making process and helped them preparefor upcoming changes.None of the participants were aware of the office mission,

which illustrated a commitment gap to be addressed. Input inthe vision and mission of the office provides ownership tothe employee. Despite the participants’ inability to recite oridentify the components of the office mission, all felt theirjob was grounded in customer service and influenced theretention of students.Years of experience and age had no influence on motivators

or leadership styles used to boost morale. However, open com-munication and praise were constant, free motivators that allagreed boosted morale. Leaders within the office and adminis-trators outside of the office should be cognizant of the impact ofopen communication and the effective use of praise. The possi-bilities for future studies are limitless, as studies on morale canbe conducted in any state using differing institutions. Theresearch could be expanded into a quantitative study to collectmore data, with the goal of creating best practices in the field.This study is significant, in that registrars can begin working

toward office improvements to boost morale. A staff with highmorale will improve customer service experiences and create adynamic workforce willing to go beyond the requirements ofthe position. The office with the lowest morale had differentdivisions within its structure which operated similar to individ-ual silos. The office provided limited cross-training, andturnover caused uncertainty and tension. The offices with thehighest morale defined the work environment as a family, wascross-trained, and non-management staff addressed the task ofboosting morale. This study revealed which staff would excel inthe statewide initiatives of retention and graduation of students.Happy employees will work together, assist students, and pro-pel the Office of the Registrar to a model within the university.

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Reed, K., Doty, D. H., & May, D. R. (2005). The impact of aging on self-efficacy and computer skill acquisition. Journal ofManagerial Issues, 17(2), 212-228.

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13Transitioning Challenges for International Student-Athletes

Introduction

The student-athlete recruitment land-scape for U.S. institutions of higher edu-cation has expanded beyond domesticborders, resulting in an influx of interna-tional student-athletes to American col-leges and universities (Popp, Pierce, &Hums, 2011). Student-athletes comefrom around the world to take advantageof the opportunity to earn a U.S. under-graduate degree and to compete in theirsport at the collegiate level. Yet a num-ber of obstacles may hinder the successof the growing population of internation-al student-athletes in the U.S. (Popp,Hums, & Greenwell, 2009). Currentresearch on the academic performance ofNCAA Division I student-athletes andinternational students generally suggests

the presence of an institutional environ-ment that hinders academic persistence.However, researchers have yet to deter-mine whether this is due to the actions ofthe students or a lack of action from uni-versity administrators (Kitsos, 2012). Student-athletes from abroad face

significant barriers in attending U.S.institutions. Problems may arise bothduring the transition into the universityand throughout the remainder of college.Administrators and academic advisorsin higher education must continuallystrive to offer better support for thisunique population of students. Shouldinternational student-athletes find suc-cess in college, improved graduationrates and even assimilation into the U.S.after graduation will become more likely

(Bale, 1991). There is a great desireamong many international student-ath-letes to remain in the U.S. following col-lege (Selbe, 2013). Providing these stu-dents access to appropriate resources andsupport systems in college can thereforenot only improve their integration intocampus life, but also increase their long-term chances of succeeding academical-ly and professionally in the U.S.

Literature Review

Previous research on internationalstudent-athletes has explored both theinitial transition these students mustmake into U.S. higher education andtheir experiences throughout college(Kitsos, 2012). This research has

ABSTRACTInternational student-athletes constitute a growing subset of theundergraduate student population at U.S. institutions of higherlearning (Trendafilova, Hardin, & Kim, 2010). Internationalstudent-athletes in the NCAA during the 2009-2010 school yeartotaled 17,653, or 8.1% of all student-athletes (Pierce, Popp, &Meadows, 2012). U.S. colleges and universities stand to benefittremendously from the contributions of these students, both onthe field and in the classroom. However, a host of challengesfaces these student-athletes from abroad as they seek to inte-grate into U.S. higher education.

Profiling the successful international student-athlete requiresaccounting for a number of factors. This mixed methods studyexplores the barriers to success faced by nine international stu-dent-athletes during their time on a U.S. campus. Issues relatedto transitioning into the university, socialization, academicadvising, and integration into American society as a wholeemerged as common themes. Participants also described a lackof mentoring both initially and throughout their time in college.Results suggest a number of improvements that may be made byadministrative and student life personnel, including expandingthe mentoring provided for international student-athletes,increasing the depth of academic and career advising available,and offering greater support for this population in the areas ofcompliance and tax adherence.

Rodney L. Parks is the Registrar, Director of Summer Programs,and Assistant Professor in the Department of Human ServicesStudies at Elon University. Dr. Parks is active in SACRAO andhas served for the past two years as SACRAO’s NewsletterEditor. This is Dr. Parks third year of mentoring undergraduatestudents to conduct research and publish research in theSACRAO journal. He works diligently to better understand theunique needs of minority student populations on today’s collegecampuses to encourage campuses to invest resources in helpingthese students succeed.

Ben Perron is an Alum of Elon University earning his B.S. inAccounting in May of 2014. Ben served as a Research Assistantduring the Spring 2014 term working diligently to collect thequalitative data used in this study. As a student athlete, Mr.Perron ran Cross Country for four years for Elon University.During his time as an Athlete, Mr. Perron developed a passionfor working with international athletes and helping them blendwell into Elon Culture. His passion and experience as a studentathlete led to the development of this research project.

Phylicia Pearl W. Mpasi is a Student Assistant for the Office ofthe Registrar at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. She isa senior currently pursuing a BFA in Music Theatre with a minorin Communications. In addition to her research interest in help-ing international student athletes transition successfully into theUS higher education system, Ms. Mpasi is also the editor of thenew Student Worker Newsletter for the Registrar’s Office, a pub-lication to make students aware of the “work of the Registrar.”

Transitioning Challenges for International Student-Athletes

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14 Transitioning Challenges for International Student-Athletes

focused primarily on three areas: the adjustment of internationalstudent-athletes to U.S. universities, cultural differencesbetween international and domestic student-athletes, and the sat-isfaction of international student-athletes with their universityexperience. Guest’s (2007) work studying two male soccerteams from the U.S. and Malawi offers meaningful insight intosport and its related cultural contexts. Sport, Guest found, is an“empty cultural form,” whose meaning is derived from the man-ner of expression it finds in a local culture (Guest, 2007, p. 1). The teams Guest studied clearly expressed that despite the

shared meanings of their sport that transcended national bound-aries, the teams’ cultural differences also shape the sport as theyexperience it. Intercollegiate sport in the U.S., then, is bound tohave meanings that are tied directly to the individuals who par-ticipate and their particular cultural backgrounds, as well as tothe culture in which the sports team is playing. Thus, if a teamon a U.S. campus is comprised entirely of international stu-dents, the meaning of the sport will be affected both by theplayers and by the fact that they are playing in the U.S. and notin their home countries. Sport is meaningful to the extent thatits participants give it meaning.Scholars have found significant differences between interna-

tional and domestic student-athletes, particularly in the criteriaeach group considers in selecting an institution and in theirviews of the purpose of competing at the intercollegiate level.Popp, Pierce, and Hums (2011) found that the amount of schol-arship funding available, as well as the personality of the headcoach, factored most highly into the international student-ath-letes’ college selection. Domestic student-athletes, in contrast,rated a degree from the school leading to a good job and theschool’s overall reputation as the most important factors.Interestingly, female student-athletes, regardless of residencystatus, rated academic factors more highly than their malecounterparts, who rated athletic factors more highly thanfemale student-athletes. This difference is in line with the doc-umented data between the general population of male andfemale students in their perceived emphasis on academic ver-sus athletic performance (Popp, Pierce, & Hums, 2011). Popp, Hums, and Greenwell (2009), using Duda’s 29-item

Purpose of Sport Questionnaire, found that international stu-dent-athletes valued the importance of competition significant-ly less than their domestic counterparts. Sport, for these stu-dent-athletes, was less about competition than about the otherbenefits that could be gleaned from it, including characterdevelopment and a sense of accomplishment. Guest (2007)suggested that domestic student-athletes view athletics as acompetitive proving ground where they desire to overcomechallenges, obstacles, and opponents. When interviewedregarding their experiences, players from Malawi reported thatparticipation is a means of expressing their abilities and talents,regardless of competitive success. In fact, most generic stu-dent-athletes, be it domestic or international, couch their colle-giate success primarily in athletic success while most interna-tional students define academic achievement and personal

growth as critical motivations for success (Popp, Hums,Greenwell, 2009).

Popp (2007) found that international student-athletes ratedlower than domestic student-athletes on measures of socialadjustment and institutional attachment to the host institution.This finding is similar to that of Chapdelaine and Alexitch(2004), who studied male international students studying inCanada. They found that, among 156 male international stu-dents, in general, culture shock had a greater impact the greaterthe cross-cultural difference between the student’s home coun-try and Canada. Social interaction increased or decreased ininverse proportion to the degree of cross-cultural differencebetween Canadian culture and the student’s home culture.Another factor influencing social interaction and adjustmentwas the size of the cohort from the international student’s homecountry. The greater the number of fellow nationals accompa-nying students to the university, the less likely they were tointeract with individuals from the host country.Popp, Love, Kim, and Hums (2010), evaluating Ridinger

and Pastore’s (2000) antecedent factors for measuring interna-tional student-athlete adjustment to college, found correlationsin the actual experiences of international student-athletes andbroadened the model a bit more. While the impact of facultyand staff on the successful adjustment of international student-athletes appeared to be marginal, three additional factorsseemed to play a role: sense of adventure, previous internation-al travel experience, and family influence. These factors, alongwith others related to academic, athletic, and social adjustment,effectively predicted the adjustment of international student-athletes to college.Adler (1975) defines a transitional experience as a “move-

ment from a state of low self and cultural awareness to a stateof high self and cultural awareness” (p. 15). In his study, heexamined the transitional experiences of people experiencing anew culture, especially in diverse, cross-cultural contextswhere culture shock is relevant (Adler, 1975). He outlines thefrustration, emotional volatility, and eventual growth that typi-cally accompany any transition from one cultural context toanother, noting the processes of learning and personal transfor-mation that often result from such experiences. Pierce, Popp,and Meadows (2012) corroborate this insight, finding thatinternational student-athletes consider homesickness and cul-tural differences to be among the most significant barriers tocompeting and studying abroad. Most helpful in smoothingthese transitions was the presence of a strong support systemprovided by teammates and coaches at the host university, aswell as family and friends back home.Key factors that draw international student-athletes to study

in the U.S. include the opportunity to combine education withcompetition, the scholarship assistance offered by U.S. institu-tions, and the desire of international student-athletes to experi-ence something new and unconventional compared to theirhome lives (Kontaxakis, 2011). Language barriers and overall

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15Transitioning Challenges for International Student-Athletes

cultural adjustment were the most decisive factors influencingthe retention of international student-athletes (Kontaxakis,2011). Lee and Opio (2011) found that cultural barriers nega-tively impact the experiences of international student-athletes,documenting instances of overt discrimination based on nega-tive perceptions of the home countries of 16 international stu-dent-athletes. Trendafilova, Hardin, and Kim (2010) found that the treat-

ment of international student-athletes by the coaching staff hasa significant impact on satisfaction. Interestingly, males report-ed a higher satisfaction rate with external agents like the mediathan their female counterparts. In general, student-athletes onscholarships reported higher satisfaction with budgetary reali-ties than those student athletes who were not receiving anyfinancial support from their institution. The work of Medic, et.al, (2007) argues that “athletic scholarships affect student ath-letes’ motivation to participate in sport,” and these scholarshipsare great incentive for international students to continue theirathletic and academic pursuits in the U.S. (Trendafilova,Hardin, and Kim, 2010). Adler and Adler (1985) documentedthe relationship between athletic and academic performanceamong athletes at NCAA Division I institutions. They foundthat student-athletes, in general, enter college with idealisticexpectations for their academic performance—expectationsthat tend to be adjusted upon experiencing the demands andintensity of student-athlete commitments. Academic perform-ance, they found, tended to be regarded with less concern bystudent-athletes toward the end of college than during their col-

lege career when student-athletes had to remain academicallyeligible to participate in their sport

Research Methods and Procedures

This study aims to understand and interpret the lived experi-ences of nine international student-athletes at a medium-sizedNCAA Division I private university in the southeastern U.S.The study seeks to gain insight into the barriers the student-ath-letes face and offer policy recommendations for universityadministrators and academic and athletic support staff. Thismixed methods study employed a convergent design, wherebya brief quantitative survey was administered alongside in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews (Creswell &Plano Clark, 2007). Interview questions were designed to elic-it rich, thick descriptions of the student-athletes’ experiences.The quantitative results are used to frame the qualitative inter-views, which provided the bulk of the data.

Participants

Snowball sampling was used to recruit nine participants.Initial contacts were made with participants who referred theresearchers to other international student-athletes. The nineparticipants included four males and five females, ranging fromfirst-year students to fourth-year students. Five of the student-athletes were from European countries, along with one fromIceland, two from Central or South America, and one fromAfrica.

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Data Collection

Participants were asked to respond to an emailed, three-partsurvey. The survey included demographic questions, Likert-type questions, and open-ended questions designed to solicitdata about the barriers to academic success participants facedwhile in college. Respondents were then asked to complete anin-person interview at a time and location of their choosing.Five participants agreed to a semi-structured interview.Interview questions were guided by survey data and rangedfrom 20 to 40 minutes in length. Interviewees read and signedan informed consent form before each interview, and weregiven the opportunity to review and comment on the accuracyof the transcribed interview after its completion. All respondents completed surveys related to their overall

experience in college. Quantitative data was analyzed for sig-nificant themes and used to focus subsequent qualitative datacollection. Upon completion, each interview was transcribedand the transcript was sent to the interviewee for memberchecking to improve validity. Transcribed interviews werecoded and examined independently by a three-memberresearch team. The researchers then met to compare their find-ings and assemble the group data into relevant themes.

Survey Results

Data collected from a brief quantitative survey were used toguide the semi-structured interviews that followed. Surveyquestions sought to identify key challenges international stu-dent-athletes face as they seek to integrate into the U.S. highereducation system, as well as perceived barriers to their academ-ic success. The survey revealed a number of valuable findings.Responses were mixed on whether international student-ath-letes confront greater barriers than domestic student-athletes, as33% agreed with the statement, “I face significant challenges asan international student-athlete compared to non-internationalstudent-athletes.” However, 55% of the participants expressedconfidence in their institution’s ability to help them overcomechallenges by agreeing with the statement, “[This institution]enables me to overcome the barriers that I face as an interna-tional student-athlete.” Survey results provided additional insight into the areas of

academic services and social integration. In recent decades,increased academic support has improved academic successand graduation rates among NCAA Division I student-athletes(Ridpath, 2010). Survey results were consistent with this, astwo-thirds of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed thattheir academic advisor in athletics was “always helpful” whenthey needed assistance. Almost 90 percent of respondentsagreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I have achievedacademic success in college.” In addition, over 75 percent ofrespondents agreed or strongly agreed that they are well-pre-pared to graduate from college. The statement, “My academic advisor in athletics encour-

aged me to major in that which most appealed to me” met with

more disagreement from the respondents: two-thirds of therespondents disagreed or were neutral in response to this state-ment. Less positive feedback in this instance may result fromthe academic support staff’s focus on achieving high gradua-tion rates, which may lead them to shepherd student-athletesinto easier but less-satisfying majors; it may also reflect therespondents’ lack of confidence in the major they chose(Ridpath, 2010). Quantitative results suggest overall satisfac-tion with the academic support offered to student-athletes atthis institution, with potential reservations when it comes tomajor choice and the guidance available to help studentschoose a major.International student-athletes inevitably encounter social

obstacles during their time abroad (Popp, Love, Kim, & Hums,2010). Nevertheless, in response to the statement, “I am satis-fied with the relationships that I currently have with others atcollege,” almost 90 percent of respondents either agreed orstrongly agreed. Likewise, almost 90 percent of respondentsstrongly disagreed with the statement, “I am uncomfortable asan international student-athlete in the classroom or elsewhere.”Respondents were largely at ease in their surroundings and ful-filled by their relationships with others at college.

Highlights of Qualitative Findings

The researchers categorized the issues described by partici-pants into four themes: academic, socialization, mentoring, andtransitioning challenges before and after college.

Academic

Academic issues were common subjects of discussion in theinterviews. Participants described difficulties related to aca-demic advising, career development opportunities, and institu-tional policies regarding transfer credits or the grading system.Two participants related their struggle to choose both appropri-ate classes and a major with a lucrative job market. Chrisdescribed his experience choosing classes before coming to theuniversity: “Before I came here I already had to select classes,and I kind of felt left alone at that moment because I had noidea . . . what I should take in the first semester.” Breana alsoexpressed dissatisfaction with the advising offered by the uni-versity. She described her own and her parents’ uncertaintyabout the available majors, and reported having to add a majorlater in college to be more competitive in the job market aftergraduation. Both student-athletes regretted that advice was notoffered to them before their arrival or early in their collegecareer, enabling them to make more informed decisions aboutclasses and majors. Additional issues centered on career development and the

process of finding an internship. Participants reported dissatis-faction with the university’s efforts to help them get intern-ships. Breana described the international student-athlete’sexperience in pursuing career development and internshipopportunities:

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There’s always a door open for a student who wants to gethelp starting their career, but for us it’s different. We don’t havework authorization, so it doesn’t matter how many resumes youput in...because no one’s gonna look at you, because you don’thave that check for the work authorization. Breana’s frustration was echoed by other participants, who

agreed that getting an internship was more difficult due to theirinternational status. One participant recommended that the uni-versity improve its internship procurement process for all stu-dents, not just international student-athletes.Participants repeatedly expressed disappointment with insti-

tutional policies related to transferring credits and to the grad-ing system. Chris described his inability to transfer credits intothe university: “Where I’m from...we’re really advanced withteaching math in high school, and I didn’t get any credit for ithere, so I had to do Math 112, Math 116—which I basically didfour years ago in high school—again.” Chris also expressedfrustration at having to retake other subjects, and described sig-nificant differences between the high school grading system inhis home country and that of the U.S. “It’s from 1 to 6, where1 is the best, which is comparable to your system, the letter-grade system. At the end of high school you have points from1 to 15, 15 as being the best, so it’s completely opposite.” Thedivergent national systems for awarding grades and credit cre-ated challenges for international students trying to transfercredits from their home countries, as policies at this U.S. insti-tution prevented students from preserving all the credits theyhad previously earned in high school. “I was told there’s noway I can get credit for it since it’s a different language andcomplete different systems,” Chris reported.

Socialization

Challenges related to socialization stemmed from languagedifferences as well as an inability to relate to the rest of the stu-dent body and take part in various institutional traditions.Language differences presented difficulties for all participantswhose native language was not English. Maria described herstruggles during her first semester: I definitely needed to spend more time studying than the rest

of [the] people, because there’s reading the books in English,looking it up in the dictionary, things like that. I’ve always beena good student. I don’t stop studying until I’m satisfied, so Ispent a lot of time doing that.Other participants discussed the difficulties they experi-

enced in test taking due to language differences, as well asoverall fatigue as a result of constantly having to think andtranslate into English. Breana said, “You have to constantlythink in English, which was exhausting. I just remember beingtired the entire time.” Due to their strong motives to attend a college in the U.S.,

international student-athletes are more mature and may workharder than domestic student-athletes (Asher, 1994).

International student-athletes are typically older than domesticstudent-athletes (Kitsos, 2012), and while the international stu-dent may benefit from having more years of experience in theirsport, this age difference can also cause awkwardness betweenpeers, especially when it comes to maturity and priorities.Adam explains, “When I first came here, it was kinda awk-ward, because I had already been a freshman. It’s kinda likeyou’re a freshman for a second year, even though I’m a sopho-more and I’m 22 years old, so I’m really old for a sophomore,too.” Often times, international student-athletes have to jugglethe role of being a student and an athlete to successfully satis-fy their academic obligations as well as the obligations putupon them by their family, coach, team, athletic department,and the policies and regulations of the NCAA (Watt & Moore,2001). An inability to participate in various institutional tradi-tions due to dense schedules and priorities was another com-monly reported issue. Adam expressed a desire to participate inGreek life, but his athletic participation prohibited this. Amongother things, Breana regretted not joining more student organi-zations and not taking advantage of more extracurricular activ-ities offered by the university.

Mentoring

Most participants expressed a desire for more mentoring,especially going into their university experience and manysought for the mentoring to continue throughout their collegiatecareer. Chris and Dennis suggested that the university shouldprovide contact information for an older student-athlete, prefer-ably from their own country of origin, to offer guidance toincoming international student-athletes as they transition to theuniversity. They were confident that international student-ath-letes would be more than willing to offer some form of mentor-ing to their incoming peers, and believed strongly that theywould have benefited from such mentoring. Breana also identified the need for systematic mentoring of

incoming international student-athletes. Commenting on new-student orientation she attended in her first year, Breana stated,“I wish there were more international athletes in the student ori-entation freshman year, because there’s usually just internation-al students that are not athletes, and that’s a very big differ-ence.” Assistance from an international student-athlete mentorwho could offer insight on campus housing, campus activities,classes, and career planning and preparation would have bene-fited her and was a clear desire of most participants.

Transitioning Challenges

A number of participants described difficulty transitioninginto the university due to various institutional policies. Breanaregretted having been placed in on-campus housing not suitedto her. Thinking back on her housing experiences, Breanaexpressed: That wasn’t the best fit for me; it wasn’t at all. And I wish

that someone but my coach would’ve made the decision for me

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to live there. I wish they could’ve sent out more brochures thatexplained every dorm better, from a student standpoint, showedpictures and stuff because I had no idea. More than one participant identified obstacles related to

transportation and to paperwork or tax compliance. Both Chrisand Breana reported experiencing frustration and anxiety overthese issues. Breana specifically recommended providing moreinformation on the types of transportation options that may besuitable for their housing. “If someone could tell me, ‘maybeyou need a bike here’; ‘it’s better if you have a car here’...ifsomeone would’ve told me that, my parents maybe could’veput in 200 into my account for me to get a good bike. There wasnever any...they didn’t really help me with that.” Breana also described her confusion over tax compliance.

Unable to file her taxes in the U.S. without an IndividualTaxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), Breana was unawareof the need to procure one until her sophomore year. Chris,meanwhile, said he was uncertain initially about how to get hisstudent visa and would have benefited from more information. Complicating matters further was an inability or unwilling-

ness on the part of administrators to provide certain types ofassistance. Breana said, “There’re certain things that I’ve asked[the international student office], personal paperwork ques-tions, and they’re not liable to tell me because they’re scaredthat they’re gonna get in trouble...Who can I ask if not you, youknow?” Breana’s experience suggests that liability concernsmay hinder administrators’ ability to assist international stu-dent-athletes.

Career Advising

While some of the international student-athletes plan toreturn to their home countries to continue playing their sportprofessionally; others, like Breana, have aspirations to leaveathletics and stay in the U.S. to secure a job: I’ve always wanted to stay in America; there’s not a lot of

international students that actually stay here, and that’s anothersad thing. I mean, American education spent millions to gethigh-skilled athletes and other students to their education sys-tem, but then once they are done they just get kicked out. That’sa huge loss in investment for an American education. Without the proper guidance from their administration or

career advising centers, international students can find it diffi-cult to attain a job while in school, which could hinder theirability to attain a job post-graduation. Like Breana, Adam plansto stay in the U.S. instead of returning home to Brazil and bothstudents agree that their institution could improve on assistingstudents in attaining internships, a social security number, anda job to sponsor their visa following graduation. Breana, whohas since graduated from the university, describes her post-col-legiate integration into the U.S. by simply claiming, “It’s so

hard,” and wonders why there isn’t more help for students try-ing to earn an income while in school and potentially afterschool. “It’s so hard to get a job here because no one’s helpingus to get the internship, get the social security number, and getthe job sponsors the visa.” In order to better help the students,Breana wishes the career center pointed out which companiesare global companies that would welcome an international stu-dent’s resume over a domestic student’s resume.

Discussion

The findings of this study indicate that as international stu-dent-athletes matriculate at U.S. universities in increasinglylarger numbers, they face a variety of significant barriers toacademic success (Selbe, 2013). Participants described numer-ous difficulties related to academics, particularly in the areas ofacademic advising, institutional academic policies, and careeradvising. The students reported that choosing classes beforearrival and selecting a competitive major were difficult. Theynoted that advising before and upon arrival would have helpedsignificantly both in class and major selection. Participants also identified issues related to socialization and

the transition to college. Significant difficulties stemming fromthe language barrier were common. Participants described theirstruggle to think, speak, and write in English and the mentaland physical toll this took. Some participants voiced regret at not being able to partici-

pate in various student organizations, including Greek life andother extracurricular activities, as a result of their athletic com-mitments. Several students said they would welcome the oppor-tunity to expand their involvement if their athletic participationwould permit it. Navigating housing policies and social securi-ty and visa paperwork also proved difficult. Participants wereunaware of the need to submit certain forms or procure person-al tax identification numbers. Finding means of transportationto get around campus as well as off campus, students reported,also presented a problem. Participants said they would wel-come more aid from administrators related to these issues.In addition to requesting more in-depth academic advising

and greater administrative support, participants described theirdesire for mentoring provided by an older student-athlete, lead-ing up to and throughout their time at the university. Theybelieved such mentoring would help them navigate housingoptions, campus life decisions like choosing to participate inclubs and classes, and career planning. The participants them-selves expressed a willingness to mentor incoming internation-al student-athletes, especially from their country of origin, if theopportunity were offered. Limitations

A number of limitations must be considered in relation tothis study’s findings. Only a small number of students from a

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single private university in the southeastern U.S. participated inthe study. The use of snowball sampling to identify potentialparticipants limits the likelihood that this sample is representa-tive of the whole population of international student-athletes atthis particular university or at institutions throughout the U.S.Ideally, in subsequent studies larger numbers of internationalstudent-athletes from a wide variety of institutions will beasked to discuss their college experience, furthering our under-standing of the range of their experiences. Future researchshould also examine whether academic advisors in athleticsencourage students to choose majors that most appeal to themor if they instead encourage easier majors that are more con-ducive to higher graduation rates. Longitudinal study of inter-national student-athletes as they leave college and enter theircareers would also be useful.Implications and Conclusion

Despite its limitations, this study suggests a number of waysin which university policies could better accommodate interna-tional student-athletes. Universities can assist international stu-

dent-athletes by providing more counsel prior to and uponarrival at the institution. Instead of an orientation in a lecturehall, students should have the opportunity for a one-on-one con-versation with their advisor so any personal questions and ques-tions pertaining specifically to each student’s cultural differ-ences could be answered. This would also allow the advisor-stu-dent relationship to begin developing immediately. In addition,the university or international center could provide administra-tive staff to assist with tax compliance and social security paper-work. Finally, offering mentoring from an older internationalstudent-athlete is perhaps the most concrete way to improve theexperience of international student-athletes. For incoming stu-dent-athletes who hope to stay in the U.S. following college, thismentorship may be especially valuable if the student is pairedwith a mentor who also has remained or plans to remain in theU.S. beyond graduation. Overall, greater clarity and guidanceare needed to help these students navigate the web of socializa-tion, housing options, tax compliance, and academic policies.Such enhancements would enable international student-ath-letes to enjoy a more successful college experience.

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References

Adler, P., & Adler, P. A. (1985). “From idealism to pragmatic detachment: The academic performance of college athletes.” Sociology ofEducation, 58(4), 241-250.

Adler, P. S. (1975). “The transitional experience: An alternative view of culture shock.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 15(4), 13-23.Asher, K. (1994). Multi-cultural cultivation. Coaching Volleyball, 3, 18-23.Bale, J. (1991). The brawn drain: Foreign student-athletes in American universities. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois. Chapdelaine, R. F., & Alexitch, L. R. (2004). “Social skills difficulty: Model of culture shock for international graduate students.”Journal of College Student Development, 45(2), 167-184.

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Guest, A. M. (2007). “Cultural meanings and motivations for sport: A comparative case study of soccer teams in the United States andMalawi.” Athletic Insight: The Online Journal of Sport Psychology, 9(1), 1-15.

Kitsos, J. M. (2012). Academic persistence of international student-athletes at NCAA Division I institutions. (Order No. 3511425, NewYork University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 263. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1023107339?accoun-tid=14537. (1023107339).

Kontaxakis, E. (2011). Experiences that impact the recruitment and retention of international (non-native speaker of English) student-athletes in NCAA Division I institutions. (Order No. 3491231, Indiana State University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 165.Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/919014466?accountid=14537. (919014466).

Lee, J., & Opio, T. (2011). “Coming to America: Challenges and difficulties faced by African student athletes.” Sport, Education andSociety, 16(5): 629-644.

Pierce, D., Popp, N., & Meadows, B. (2012). “Qualitative analysis of international student-athlete perspectives on recruitment and transi-tioning into American college sport.” The Sport Journal, 14: unpaginated.

Popp, N. (2007). International student athlete perception of college sport and its effect on adjustment to college (Unpublished doctoraldissertation). University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

Popp, N., Hums, M., & Greenwell, C. (2009). “Do international student-athletes view the purpose of sport differently than United Statesstudent-athletes at NCAA Division I universities?” Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 2: 93-110.

Popp, N., Love, A. W., Kim, S., & Hums, M. A. (2010). “Cross-cultural adjustments and international collegiate athletes.” Journal ofIntercollegiate Sport, 3: 163-181.

Popp, N., Pierce, D., & Hums, M. A. (2011). “A comparison of the college selection process for international and domestic student-ath-letes at NCAA Division I universities.” Sport Management Review, 14(2): 176-187.

Ridinger, L., & Pastore, D. (2000). “A proposed framework to identify factors associated with international student-athlete adjustment tocollege.” International Journal of Sport Management, 1: 4-24.

Ridpath, D. B. (2010). “Perceptions of NCAA Division I athletes on motivations concerning the use of specialized academic supportservices in the era of the academic progress rate.” Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 3: 253-271.

Selbe, N. (2013, November 5). “Foreign athletes face unique challenges.” Daily Trojan. Retrieved from dailytrojan.com.Trendafilova, S., Hardin, R., & Kim, S. (2010). “Satisfaction among international student-athletes who participate in the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association.” Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 3(2): 348-365.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2012). “Top 10 Plays for International Student Athletes.” Study in the United States.http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2012/01/top-10-plays-for-international-student-athletes

Watt, S.K., & Moore, J.L. (2001). Who are student-athletes? New Directions for Student Services, 93, 7-18.

Transitioning Challenges for International Student-Athletes

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21Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation

Today, it is critical in higher education to retain and grad-uate students. Universities and colleges have institutedefforts to assist students in making key transitions, growingindividually and communally, further honing academic andlife skills, and acquiring the appropriate business acumen tobe successful in the highly competitive, globalized job mar-ket they will face upon graduation. Peer mentoring is anexcellent opportunity for new students to gain this develop-ment. Peers are trusted quickly and allow for faster integra-tion into the new setting and a greater depth of engagementwith the campus culture. The University of Richmond’s PeerAdvisors and Mentors (PAM) program focuses on studentintegration and engagement through key avenues that have aproven record of success over the past decade.

Mentoring

Universities and colleges have adopted both formal andinformal peer mentoring programs as a part of the campus-wide efforts to enhance the experience and personal develop-ment of first year students. Informal mentoring programs arekey components used to assist incoming students in makingthe transition from high school to college. Specifically, theseprograms involve upper-class students mentoring first-year

students to promote engagement and integration. Using moreexperienced students as mentors, rather than staff or faculty,offers the advantage of recent shared personal experiences asstudents, and thus credibility, to new students who very oftenare stuck in the high-school mindset of the student-teacher orstudent-administrator relationships. Thus, the mentoringprocess allows for a level of familiarity in relationship build-ing that exists between generational peers versus studentsand staff or faculty. Creating the opportunity for and nurtur-ing these relationships through shared experiences and lead-ership building is the foundation upon which the PAM pro-gram at the University of Richmond is built each year.

Academic Advice

In order to successfully navigate the intricacies of balanc-ing academics and all of the other activities that absorb stu-dents’ time and energy, it is critical to have good academicadvising. Advising helps students to transition and integrateinto the community. Though most institutions provide facul-ty advisors, there are challenges for students due to facultyoften being focused meeting graduation requirements andnot the first semester’s success. The 2013 National Surveyfor Student Engagement (NSSE) indicates that the first-year

Hope N. Walton is the Director of Academic Skills at the University ofRichmond. She was in the second class of women at the University ofVirginia where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology andAudiology and a Master’s degree in Special Education. She has been active-ly involved in SACRAO for over 25 years, having served as Vice Presidentfor Admissions & Enrollment Management and Data Management andResearch; Chair and Member-at-Large for Professional Access and Equity;Auditing Committee member; and presenter or moderator at numerousSACRAO Annual Meetings. She is the author of several articles including,“Involving Admissions Officers in Retention as well as Recruitment Efforts”in the College Board’s edition of the Strategist.

Roger Mancastroppa is the Associate Director of Academic Skills at theUniversity of Richmond. He holds a Master of Science degree in Educationfrom Wayne State College, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies fromUnion Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Historyfrom Methodist University. He presents, teaches courses, and conductstraining with students, faculty and staff on academic skills and life skillsdevelopment at the university, local colleges and universities, and nationaland regional conferences.

Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation:The Peer Advisors and Mentors Program at the University of Richmond

ABSTRACTToday’s colleges and universities continue to face thechallenges of retaining and graduating their students.Historically, peer-mentoring programs have helped tosuccessfully meet these challenges. The Peer Advisorsand Mentors (PAM) program has assisted in the reten-tion of students, all while giving students opportuni-ties that develop and hone their leadership, academic,and personal skills. Over the course of 22 years, PAMhas evolved into a program that touches on significantfacets deemed important by experts on the matters ofretention and graduation. Such factors include men-toring, advising, integration, and engagement. Thisarticle gives an historical perspective on how a peer-mentoring program has assisted in the retention andgraduation of first-year student mentees through men-toring and leadership.

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students and seniors who responded communicated withtheir formal academic advisor only once or twice per year,and “about one in ten students never met with an academicadvisor” most often because “…their advisors provided littleto no information on academic support options, academicrules and policies, and special opportunities like high impactpractices” (Indiana University Center for PostsecondaryResearch, 2013). It is therefore no surprise that the PAM pro-gram, with its informal academic advising component,would be a well-used and helpful source for more informalacademic advice. This is in accordance with the NSSEresults which indicate that “about a third of first-year stu-dents and 18 percent of seniors identified friends or familyas the primary source of academic advice” (IndianaUniversity Center for Postsecondary Research, 2013). The staff that guide the PAM program consistently pro-

mote the use of formal academic advising, both through fac-ulty advisors and the University’s Advising Center. The aca-demic advising provided by peers in the PAM program isoften more anecdotal and helpful because they understandthe rigorous challenges that heavy course loads can createfor first-year students in particular—a challenge that may ornot be embraced by faculty advisors. It is important to createa balanced mixture of courses to take the first semester ofcollege instead of a full course load of major specific class-es (e.g., chemistry, biology, mathematics, business, etc.). Forexample, enrolling in a course load with calculus, chemistry,biology and a first-year seminar often overwhelms even thestrongest first-year students when they have to also deal withcompeting issues of acclimating to a new university environ-ment. The PAM mentors, connecting across the summerbefore first semester, have successfully assisted with thisinformal advising to help create more diverse course loadsthat help to ensure a stronger start.

Integration Means A Supportive Environment

Due to the ever-present focus on the academic rigors atthe University and the diversity of students focused upon forrecruitment to the program, PAM was designed to aid in stu-dent integration and peer support. This is the most appropri-ate and effective focus because as integration is the focus, sothen engagement is the key for both intrapersonal develop-ment and interpersonal development. Both are developedthrough academic and social engagement, though they areopposite reactions where interpersonal development is incontrast to peers and intrapersonal development is in self-identifying with certain peers in groups. Integration is a stu-dent’s self-identification with the university or institutional-ized groups within the academic aspect of the university,whereas “social support refers to the establishment of socialnetworks among other students and emotional support frompeers and staff” (Hall & Jaugietis, 2010). The PAM program does not claim to be the sole reason for

the retention and graduation of the students that it serves.

There are a vast number of factors that contribute to stu-dents’ ability, perseverance, and commitment to attaining adegree in higher education. To create an environment thatwill promote high levels of student success, an institutionmust support students in a variety of ways, not simply byproviding opportunities for engagement and integration.Students must be supported socially, cognitively, and physi-cally with the aim of increased satisfaction and performance.Universities must create an atmosphere of encouragementand support for social growth, physical well-being andadvancement, and of course challenging instruction(Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). The University ofRichmond’s success is acknowledged and acclaimed, andthis effort is to outline the PAM program’s participation increating this atmosphere.

The PAM Program

During the 1991-1992 academic year, Hope Walton washired to establish the Academic Skills Center at theUniversity of Richmond. As the Director of Academic Skills,she developed the Peer Advisors and Mentors (PAM) pro-gram following her best practices from her previous creationof formal mentoring programs with alumni and faculty. Itwas officially implemented as a pilot program in the fallsemester of 1992 to assist the African-American students tomake the often challenging transition to campus life at a pre-dominately white institution. At that time, African-Americanstudents were the largest underrepresented population of stu-dents attending the institution. In collaboration among stafffrom the Academic Skills Center, Multicultural Affairs, andAdmissions as well as faculty and students, first-year studentmentees were identified and invited to the program.The PAM program was successful in helping first-year

students make a smooth transition to the university environ-ment through engagement and by providing opportunities tohone their leadership skills. Of the first-year students whoparticipated in the first year of the program, 87% returned assecond-year students, indicating a strong measure of successfor first-year mentees’ integration into the university envi-ronment. The students engaged in a variety of organization-al activities with their peers and assumed leadership posi-tions in numerous organizations. With success in hand, PAMwas expanded the next year to include other ethnicallydiverse students, including white and international students.Many of the white students during that year were sons anddaughters of staff and faculty. Because these students hadalready been exposed to the University of Richmond due totheir parents’ employment and had a very solid level of inte-gration in excess of the PAM program, these students did notbenefit as much from their participation in PAM.Accordingly, the program adjusted in subsequent years andcontinued to select white students but did not actively recruitthose who had parents working at the University.Additionally, PAM continued to include ethnically diverse

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students, but also selected students from varied socioeco-nomic backgrounds, first generation students, as well as stu-dents from rural, suburban, and urban areas. Selectionbecame focused upon creating the most socially conscious,service-minded, and diverse population possible from eachyear’s pools of applicants.Following the same basic programming with some modi-

fications, the program has continued to maintain a retentionrate of 90% or above, which has been greater than the uni-versity’s undergraduate retention for 18 out of 22 years.Noell-Levitz 2013 Student Retention Indicators BenchmarkReport indicated that “at four-year private institutions, firstyear student persistence to the next term was 92 percent...,”a standard often eclipsed by the PAM first-year studentsreturning the following fall semester (Noel-Levitz, 2013).

Adjusting to Growth

The program went through various evolutions as its pop-ulation grew in numbers year after year. Since transitioningis the process that includes the establishment of new emo-tional and intellectual support systems, connecting with suc-cessful students to engage socially is critical the first semes-ter. Accordingly, mentees were matched to mentors basedupon gender, major (where possible), interests, hobbies, andself-disclosed personality traits (e.g. introvert or extrovert).Beginning with 15 students, the process focused on creating

opportunities for mentors and mentees to connect socially. Itencouraged the discovery of relationship building skills in asafe environment. Mentors were given funds to creativelyhelp them to spend quality time together with their menteesin exploring the campus community or the local Richmondcommunity. What was discovered was that this type ofengagement increased integration into the larger communitybecause students reported that it created a sense of familiar-ity and belonging. By exploring the opportunities offered byit cthe institution and the city of Richmond together, thebonding between the two students took place, and itincreased the comfort level of students matriculating fromacross the United States and the world as they became famil-iar with their new surroundings, the support offered by theuniversity, and the entertainment offered on campus andlocally.

Extending Leadership Opportunities

To develop new leaders in the campus community, thestudents had to derive a sense of ownership or investment inthe activities. So as the number of students in the programgrew, the structure of the program continued to develop.Mentors volunteered to be Co-Chairs—student leaders whocollaborated among themselves and with staff to plan andexecute group events. Another challenge was the continuinggrowth of the population of the program due to its populari-

Figure 1

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24 Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation

ty. Upon the recommendation of some of the Co-Chairs tothe Director in 2002, the large group was broken down intofamily groups forever to be known as “Family Clusters.” Theconcept of Family Clusters enabled participants to connectand bond on a smaller scale within the larger framework ofPAM. A Co-Chair led each Family Cluster and was assistedby a Family Cluster Co-Chair to share the responsibility ofthe event planning and communications. Family Cluster Co-Chairs became responsible primarily for planning oneFamily Cluster event per semester. This offered more oppor-tunities for PAM members to have leadership experience andto network with their peers. It would also prove very benefi-cial for communication purposes as the program participantscontinued to grow, doubling in 2005 and then again in 2011. Sophomore Slump

As more and more institutions begin to look beyond first-year retention toward graduation, the second-to-third-yearattrition, or “sophomore slump” is being studied andaddressed. According to the 2013 Noel-Levitz StudentRetention Indicators Benchmark Report, 16.3% of second-to-third-year students at private institutions are not returning(Noel-Levitz, 2013). The areas of lowest second-year stu-dent satisfaction were “Adequacy of the financial assistanceavailable,” “Frequency of communication with academicadvisors,” and “ Availability of work experiences associated

with student’s career interests” (Noel-Levitz, 2013). TheNoel-Levitz study noted that many second-year students intheir 2013 study were open to outreach. Where institutionsmight provide opportunities that the second-year studentsdesired most ranged from identifying work experiences tohelp balancing the demands of school with work and hasbeen outlined in Figure 1.PAM provides nearly all of the resources that held the

lowest satisfaction levels and the opportunities requested bysecond-year students. PAM counters the effects of the soph-omore slump, whether they return their second year as men-tors or not. Mentees who do not return as mentors have stillmade the connections, had the leadership training, the oppor-tunity to get the internship and job information, the benefitsof communal networking, and campus connections. Theyalso have had the opportunity to connect with academicskills staff to sign up for peer tutoring for over 170 differentcourses, academic skills development, and life-skills devel-opment (time and stress management). Beginning in 2013, PAM staff began to address the “Five

Opportunities to Help” through hosting the PAM AcademicAchievement Brunch. During an event sponsored by anational corporation headquartered locally, the academicachievement of mentors and mentees was celebrated at avery well-attended brunch where students met professionals

Figure 2

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from the recruiting arm of the company and university stafffrom the Office of Alumni and Career Services. They dis-cussed the many internship and summer job opportunitiesavailable to students, while the business professionals relat-ed stories and advice for students interviewing for intern-ships or jobs.Finally, the other key indicator was that 25% of students

“were unable to affirm that they have made many friends atcollege and feel at home” (Noel-Levitz, 2013). The past fiveyears of online evaluations, created to capture participants’satisfaction levels, revealed that 92% percent of the menteessurveyed indicated that they valued their interactions withtheir advisors/mentors. Evaluations also revealed that men-tors and mentees positively connected with one anotherthrough group and Family Cluster activities. This is the keyfocus of the recruitment process and the matching process formentors and mentees. Students report that this is why theyjoin the program and have felt that they were able to developthrough the program. Having personal power in the programalso creates a sense of ownership. In the 2011-2012 academ-ic year, Co-Chairs suggested that new leadership be institut-ed in order to help increase communications; thus, the role ofGeneral Manager was created. These student leaders took onthe specific requirements of grants awarded by the VirginiaFoundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC), but they alsobecame the co-planners with the staff to continue to refine thestudent’s social and community service events from the stu-dents’ perspectives. They provided key feedback aboutevents that does not always make it into the evaluations andplays a very important role in organizing events and gettingparticipation in spite of very heavy academic schedules.

Quality of Interactions

It is important for students to interact with a broad rangeof faculty, staff and students across campus who supporttheir intellectual and social development. Spending key timewith their peers in situations that allow them to develop theemotional bonds and the relationships they need with facul-ty and student development personnel seems to have a veryimportant role on their retention and graduation rates(Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). In the 2013 NSSE results,engagement was one of the key factors. Students who were“overall pleased with their campus interactions,” tended tobe more successful (Indiana University Center forPostsecondary Research, 2013). PAM participants, measuredon the annual assessment, clearly gave a higher rating expe-rience based upon the quality of engagement. They alsoresponded in assessments with excellent levels of satisfac-tion when meeting professionals or staff from the university.

International Students

In an age where global travel allows for greater numbersof students to study in other countries or to study abroad, thenumber of internationally born students who study at the

University of Richmond has increased significantly as a partof the University’s diversity initiative and global outreachefforts. The change in demographics of institutions of high-er education nationwide has created challenges for studentswho come from very different cultural backgrounds (Fischer,2012). The PAM program has had excellent success withinternational students in retaining them and engaging them.Creating opportunities for international students to bondwith students from the United States as well as with otherinternational students has made the program a success in thisventure as well. Measures are being put into place to beginto assess what about this model works so successfully, butthe anecdotal evidence is clear. The NSSE examined stu-dents who were more likely to engage with a greater diversi-ty of students. It identified seniors and “first-year studentswho participated in a learning community or service-learn-ing, held a formal leadership role, or lived on-campus hadmore frequent discussions” with peers from diverse back-grounds than those students who did not (Indiana UniversityCenter for Postsecondary Research, 2013).Naturally, PAM incorporates all of these elements. PAM

upper-class mentors who are Co-Chairs or GeneralManagers plan two community service projects per year andthen engage with the experience intellectually through eval-uations. These projects provide the opportunity for leader-ship and community service in an academic environment.Mentees, who are all first-year students, engage with theirmentors in the community service events as well. During thetwo annual events, they have the opportunity to take leader-ship roles in engaging with the Richmond area communitymembers that come to the events. In the fall they help localchildren and their parents celebrate Halloween and autumnthrough various games and activities. Each spring semesterthey engage tens of local members of the Boys and GirlsClubs of greater Richmond. They can lead the events, theset-up, or the cleanup. These events are greatly enjoyed bythe participants and the community alike.

Graduation Success

Approximately half of all mentees return to become men-tors in the PAM program. This excellent rate of return is dueto the program’s design and the natural tendency for studentsto give back when they have received such benefits fromparticipating in the program. The PAM program’s ability tohelp students integrate into the institution provides themwith the opportunity to secure the resources and emotionalsupport they require to graduate. The 2013 Noel-Levitzstudy shows that college completion effective practices havebeen determined, and the PAM program assists with incorpo-rating nearly all of these practices. These programs, bydesign, are the second most effective internal operation ofprivate institutions to graduate their students, because theywere designed specifically for first-year students (Noel-Levitz, 2013).

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The University of Richmond provides the majority of theother top effective practices that students were intentionallymade aware of through the mentoring process. TheChronicle of Higher Education completed a study of fourand six-year graduation rates for students across the nationwho matriculated in 2004. For private, four-year colleges,the PAM program outpaced all but the top institution,Washington and Lee (92.8%), while it surpassed the secondhighest achieving institution, the University of Richmond(87.3%) (Chronicle of Higher Education). As can be seenfrom the chart below, the graduation rates for both menteesand mentors in the program are an outstanding success, aver-aging 88% for the 4-year graduation rate since 1999-2000and 92% for the 6-year graduation rate.

Looking Ahead

As institutions of higher education continue to competefor top students, and as more students face greater challengesto staying in college, programs like PAM will continue toflourish because they are effective. Among the findings in aweb-based poll of campus officials in 2013, the first-yearstudent programs “…emerged as the top-ranked, most effec-tive strategies and tactics across higher education forimproving student retention and college completion rates”(Noel-Levitz, 2013).

The current President of the University of Richmonddemonstrated his support of the program in 2009 by increas-ing the level of funding supplied by the university. Thesefunds were used to increase the number of large-group activ-ities that students could engage in, including the Campfire,BBQ, Community Service events, as well as greater partici-pation in leadership conferences. One of the key componentsto the success of the PAM program participants is theenhanced leadership skills they acquire not just from partic-ipating in leadership roles within the program setting, butthrough the program’s commitment to providing much of thefunding for costs associated with attending NationalLeadership Conferences. The PAM program provided fundsthat enabled volunteers to attend a variety of leadership con-ferences, including the National Black Student LeadershipConference in Raleigh, NC, the East Coast Asian AmericanStudent Union in Washington, DC, and the InternationalStudent Leadership Conference at James Madison Universityin Virginia. Other students have received funding to partici-pate in community service projects and even to conductresearch. In each of these opportunities, PAM participantssubmitted applications for funding and, subsequently, sub-mitted short essays, posted on the PAM Leadership Bloghttp://pam.richmond.edu/, describing how they benefittedfrom attending these conferences. The essays continue todepict the extraordinary effects that these leadership experi-

Figure 3

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27Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation

ences have upon the students, on their thoughts, and how theywill inform their actions regarding leadership on campus.Since its inception, the PAM program has grown by

87.5% with a total number of 120 students for the 2014-2015academic year. In preparing for the new year, hundreds ofprospective participant applications were read through,debated over, and decided upon. Once matched with theirmentors, the connections begin across the summer via email,phone, Facebook, Instagram, Skype, LinkedIn and othersocial networking platforms. Over the summer, hand-select-ed, well-experienced mentors communicated with menteesand mentors across the state, nation and even world, ensur-ing that authentic connections were made to help cement thecrucial initial bonds.On a final note, there has been an exciting development

over the summer that demonstrates the University’s contin-

ued support of the program. At present the PAM program isbudgeted at $12,000. However, the Vice President forStudent Development agreed to provide further financialsupport for the program because of its demonstrated supportof the overall objectives of the Student DevelopmentDivision and the University of Richmond of helping studentsadjust to the university setting and become active membersof the community. These funds are beneficial because themore opportunities for engagement and leadership the stu-dents have, the more successfully they will integrate into theuniversity their first year, and the greater the chance will bethat they will engage in activities that help them find thegrowth and satisfaction they need to successfully navigatetheir first-year and continue on to graduation.

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28 Outstanding Student Retention and Graduation

References

Corey, K., Keller, J., O'Leary, B., & Richards, A. (n.d.). College Completion: Who graduates from college, who doesn't, andwhy it matters. Retrieved June 2014, from Chronicle of Higher Education: http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com

Fischer, K. (June 2012). Many Foreign Students Are Friendless in the U.S., Study Finds. Chronicle of Higher Education.

Hall, R., & Jaugietis, Z. (2010). Developing Peer Mentoring through Evaluation. Retrieved May 1, 2014

Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. (2013). A Fresh Look at Student Engagement: Annual Results 2013.Retrieved July 2014, from NSSE: National Survey of Student Engagment:http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2013_Results/pdf/NSSE_2013_Annual_Results.pdf#page=20

Noel-Levitz. (2013). 2013 Student Retention and College Completion Practices Report for four-year and two-yearInstitutions. Retrieved July 2014, from Noel-Levitz Inc.: www.noellevitz.com/TrendResearch

Noel-Levitz. (2013). 2013 Student Retention Indicators Benchmark Report for four-year and two-year insitutions.Coralville, Iowa: Noel-Levitz.

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.

The SACRAO Journal

29Perspectives on Working with Non-traditional Students

Intuitively, University Admissionsand Registrar staff may believe thatserving the non-traditional studentwould be an easier task than workingwith the traditional, millennial stu-dents who approach university educa-tion with no background in post-sec-ondary education or any significantlife experience to apply to the process.However, intuition is often provenwrong, as discussed in a presentationgiven on Monday, February 17, 2014at the SACRAO Regional Conferenceheld in Raleigh, NC. Linda Dammer,Director of Student Affairs, formerlyDirector of Admissions, and EdwardTrombley, Registrar for Embry-RiddleAeronautical University, Worldwide,discussed these realities in their pres-entation entitled, “The Challenge ofSupporting Adult Learners: The NewTraditional Student.” The presentersexamined the non-traditional studentprocess, from application throughgraduation, and shared their experi-ences with the problems and the pitfallsthey have experienced in theirUniversity division, which serves amajority non-traditional and militarystudent population.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni-versity the world’s largest, fullyaccredited university specializing inaviation and aerospace, is a non-prof-it, independent institution offeringmore than 70 baccalaureate, master’sand Ph.D. degree programs in its col-leges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation,Business, Engineering and Security &Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educatesstudents at residential campuses inDaytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott,Ariz., through the Worldwide Campuswith more than 150 locations in theUnited States, Europe, Asia and theMiddle East, and through online pro-grams. The university is a majorresearch center, seeking solutions toreal-world problems in partnershipwith the aerospace industry, other uni-versities and government agencies.Linda and Ed work with the studentsof the Worldwide division, which aver-ages 25,000 active students, primarilynon-traditional, in any given term.Non-traditional students generally

have experience both in life and inother institutions of higher learning,and that indeed is supposed to be theiradvantage. The familiarity with uni-

versity rules and policies should assistin helping these students to navigatethe process, and their experience in theworkplace should give them back-ground in completing applications,articulating their life and career goals,and meeting deadlines. However, itseems that the life-lessons brought tothe table by non-traditional studentsare often forgotten, and this becomesclear right from the initial applicationprocess of these students. Universitystaff who work with applicants shouldbe prepared for students who do notremember the full extent of their edu-cational background, often to the pointthat the student cannot articulate fullythe schools that they have attendedover the past several years. Militarystudents in particular, who take cours-es throughout their military career andthrough multiple deployment loca-tions, may not remember and discloseevery school at which they completedcoursework.Applicants do not understand the

need of the university to have a fulleducational disclosure, both for mak-ing an admission decision, as well asto provide proper transfer credit

Linda Dammer is the Director of Student Affairs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide. She holds a B.A. from Alma College, andan M.A. from City University, Washington. She has served in several capacities in her 25 years with the University. Prior to her position asDirector, Linda has served as Director of Admissions, and as Associate Dean of Administration for Online Learning.

Edward Trombley is Registrar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide. He holds a B.S. and an M.S.Ed. from the State Universityof New York at Oswego. With more than 25 years of experience in education, he has served as Senior Operations Manager-Registrar’s Office, atWalden University; Registrar at DeVry University in the Philadelphia and Washington, DC, metro regions; and Dean of Administration at Bryant& Stratton College.

Perspectives on Working with Non-traditional Students

PERSPECTIVESACRAO Focus

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Perspectives on Working with Non-traditional Students30

assessment. Some applicants may protest that as they do notwant transfer credit from their previous institutions, theyshould not have to submit transcripts. Previous poor aca-demic experiences, including poor grades, outright failures,low GPAs and the like are similarly dismissed by manyapplicants, who feel that admission’s officials should disre-gard their past performance as it was “so long ago,” orbecause “I was young and unfocused back then.”Explaining the importance of disclosing a full educationalhistory is likely to be an element of the admission’s processfor the non-traditional student.In general, it is good general guidance in the admission’s

process to be clear and concise in your application. Reviewyour application with the thought of eliminating as much ofthe “fine print” as possible and emphasize the informationthat is most important for the applicant to complete. If work-ing with electronic apps, it is helpful to make key fieldsmandatory, meaning the student cannot submit the formuntil the fields have been completed. Put the most crucialinformation near the beginning of the application, to bereviewed when the candidate is freshest and before “formfatigue” sets in. Do not be afraid to repeat a question in theapplication, restated in a different way, and include a state-ment near the signature asking if applicants have answeredall questions truthfully and to the best of their ability. Trainwith your admission’s representatives, counselors andrecruiters to assure that any team members who work withprospective adult learners are consistently conveying thesame information that the admissions office does regardinghow GPAs are calculated, why transcripts are needed, and thelike, as non-traditional students are likely to object to incon-sistency in requirements during their admission process.After non-traditional applicants make it through the

admission’s process and become students of your universi-ty, their needs continue to differ in many ways from the tra-ditional student. Academic advisors, faculty members andregistrar’s office personnel are likely to encounter questionsand objections that include or begin with:• I’m over 40/50/60 years old; why do I have to _________?• I am an adult…• My instructor is a kid (or is the same age as my kid)!• What is plagiarism?• I paid for this course…• Nobody told me __________.• What is APA format?• I was on vacation/travelling for business, so I should beexcused from my test/paper/classwork.

While all of these standard questions and objections maybe legitimate, in the sense that they are true for the student inquestion, non-traditional students have to be coached to real-ize that obstacles for successful course completion in theirlives are not sufficient to excuse them from the expectationsof their courses. While non-traditional students do havevaluable life and career experience to bring to the classroom,

and while that may prove invaluable in making the most oftheir educational opportunities, it does not exempt themfrom classroom and university policies that govern the entirestudent population. Universities should anticipate the factthat non-traditional students do have additional circum-stances that demand attention in their lives, and this canmake retaining these students more challenging.However, through the admission’s process initially, and con-

tinuing throughout academic advising, they should be coun-seled to anticipate the problems they may face in their educa-tional careers (job demands, daycare, family illness, etc.), andto create back-up plans for each of these circumstances.Getting through an entire degree program is challenging

for students at any point in their lives, and requires sacrificeto accomplish. This should be clearly explained to anyincoming student. Resources should be provided onlinewhenever possible, thus allowing access to help at any time,on any given day. Students should be provided with sitemaps, charts or guides to assist them in finding informationthey would commonly need from university websites. Keepcommonly requested information on primary websitescreens—do not “bury” it through several levels or linksthat students would have to “drill down” to find. Acronymsshould be avoided; use clear terminology to assist studentsof all backgrounds to understand your message. Create a“Knowledge Base” in an online setting (Embry-RiddleWorldwide uses their intra-net), where frequently askedquestions can be posted with links to forms and answers tothese questions. Of course, making advising help availableis also critical, and returning emails and phone calls in atimely manner is not just good service, but also helps tokeep students engaged in their educational process.Embry-Riddle realizes that the non-traditional student

population, both military and non-military, will face outsidedemands during their enrollment, and has developed manypolicies to assist students in meeting these challenges, andstill remain in compliance with University regulations. TheWorldwide division offers shorter term lengths, generallynine weeks, allowing students to complete classes morequickly and balance with their work and home schedules.Worldwide offers 12 terms per year at the undergraduatelevel and five terms per year at the graduate level. Full- andpart-time status is redefined to accommodate the shorterterms; students generally take one or two classes per term inthe nine-week sessions.In many universities, if a student does not take classes in

any given term, they must formally withdraw and then re-apply or go through a “re-admit” process of some sort.Embry-Riddle maintains a two-year continuing student sta-tus policy, meaning that students may take a class any timewithin two years of completing their last class, and maintaingood standing with the University in their initial catalogyear curriculum. While we certainly hope that studentswould not habitually take a class, leave for nearly two years,and then resume, the fact that they can do so on occasion

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31Perspectives on Working with Non-traditional Students

allows them flexibility to accommodate changes in job,work schedule or military assignment.This two-year continuing student status “window” allows

our students to move in and out of enrollment, withoutpenalty, as their professional and personal careers dictate.Programs are generally designed to be non-cohort, so stu-dents moving in and out of programs do not face the loss ofan established peer group. The University offers courses inmultiple learning modalities, allowing students who mayhave started their career at one of our residential campusesto move, via an intra-university transfer process, to aWorldwide campus or online should their location or avail-ability to participate in classroom classes change. Graduation processes have been adapted at Worldwide to

accommodate the needs of the non-traditional student. Asthe Worldwide division is made up of more than 150 learn-ing sites, campuses and military learning centers throughoutthe United States and around the world, multiple graduationceremonies are held throughout the year. One centralizedceremony is held in Daytona Beach, where Worldwideheadquarters is located, and this is the primary ceremony ofthe year. Held on the Daytona Beach residential campus, itallows students who, along with their families and friends,wish to participate in a “traditional” college graduation to doso. Held once per year in May, the ceremony is open to anygraduate that had completed a degree program during theprevious year. Several ceremonies are also held at venuesgeographically dispersed throughout the country and inEurope, as well as at military base locations, who host“recognition ceremonies.” This schedule allows as manygrads as possible to participate in a graduation ceremony intheir area.Graduation processing of Worldwide students is central-

ized at headquarters, and we confer every week. Diplomasare printed in-house, so students may receive their diplomavery quickly after they are conferred, and can begin to capi-talize upon their new status as degree-holders. This is a greatadvantage to non-traditional students, who are often seekingcontinuing education to facilitate new employment, promo-tion or military advancement. Embry-Riddle’s residentialcampus locations, like most universities, confer twice peryear, in May and December, often delaying students fromtaking advantage of their degree status for several months.To meet the demands of our dispersed model and

the needs of non-traditional students, Embry-Riddle,Worldwide has recently launched a centralized StudentAffairs department. Responsibilities that fall under thisdepartment cover a wide range of student centric supportservices to include maintaining the student complaint/griev-ance repository, retention efforts, at-risk students, honorsociety, felonies, internship/co-op contacts, career services,disability services, student ombudsman, orientation as wellas offering guidance and assistance to staff and faculty intheir support of students. In essence, the department servesas a one-stop shop for students with who need assistance in

these areas. Academic advising for online students is cen-tralized at Worldwide headquarters in Daytona Beach, but tobest serve the scheduling needs of the students at the cam-puses and military sites, decentralized advising is provided.Perhaps the single most advantageous tool that Embry-

Riddle, Worldwide utilizes to facilitate the efficient transferand tracking of student information is the University imag-ing system. This system of imaging stations at our campuslocations, and the elaborate system of workflows that thesedocuments feed back into allow for rapid submission of stu-dent documents, and enables faster admissions decisions,credit evaluations and the like. Non-traditional studentsoften maintain a “customer” sensibility when working withprospective universities, and while that cannot be encour-aged in all situations, from applicants who credit shop fromschool to school through the timely processing of graduates,the customer service experience provided by a universitywill be a determining factor as to whether a positive alumniambassador leaves your doors, or an unhappy “customer.”Non-traditional students are less tolerant of poor customerservice experiences, as many of them have worked in indus-tries where they were not allowed to provide poor servicethemselves. Expectations may be very high in many cases,often unrealistically so. To best serve this population, it ben-efits a university to consider not only the message they hopeto deliver, but also the manner and mentality of those whodeliver it.Non-traditional students can be very vocal when express-

ing their displeasure with things with which they do notagree, such as policies, instructors, course content, amountof work required in courses, grading, costs, group projects,turn-around times for receiving feedback or a returned callor email, and adherence to APA standards (formatting,spelling, grammar), to mention but a few. Student discontentcan be a sword cutting both ways, as while they try to over-come their own challenges with the educational process,they can create greater challenges for those staff and facul-ty members who are trying to support them. At Embry-Riddle, Worldwide, we have found success in

helping to alleviate some of these challenges, for both stu-dents and staff, by practicing some very basic but trustedtechniques: ensuring that policies and instructions are clear-ing written, offering support and information access via aeasily navigated student intra-net site, incorporating a cen-tralized grievance process, letting students know who theyshould contact for what purpose, listening and advising stu-dents before they cross a line in violation of the student con-duct code, speaking with students firmly, but not conde-scendingly, and most importantly keeping the channels ofcommunication open by stressing the importance to staff atevery level of responding promptly to questions with phonecalls and email. ERAU has not mastered all of the chal-lenges we encounter in working with non-traditional stu-dents, but through our policies, procedures and our actions,we work to build and improve these relationships every day.

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The SACRAO Journal

33The Story of “The Box”

Most institutions have famous, andsometimes infamous, alumni whosestudent records are readily accessibleto staff and faculty across their entireorganization. Such access can be toomuch responsibility for some, and theunintentional (or intentional) unautho-rized release can be the stuff of night-mares for most registrars. Texas TechUniversity is creating a policy andprocess to handle “high profile” stu-dent files to protect the student and theinstitution from that situation.The need for a defined policy to

provide additional security measuresfor high profile student files came tolight during the transition of one uni-versity Registrar to another. A largecardboard box was set upon the newRegistrar’s desk, and the statementmade, “These are yours now. Youdon’t want them on the system, keepthem locked up.” The box was relocat-ed to a locked closet. The newRegistrar, realizing that “the box”would have to someday be addressed,enlisted the help of the AssociateRegistrar. During a very brief momentof free time, “the box” was broughtout and the two administrators satdown to review its contents. Follow-ing expressions of shock and dismay,an overwhelming sense of fear, andbrief contemplations of to whom cus-

tody of “the box” could be transferred,the two determined that there wouldbe no avoiding the responsibility and aneed for a policy and process to handlesuch files definitely existed.A meeting was called with the insti-

tution’s legal representatives, who,once having fully digested the enormi-ty of the information contained in thebox, were fully invested in creating aformal process and policy to protectits contents.Creating such a policy and process

required several considerations:

• Purpose and policy for designatingfiles for additional security• Determination of who should beinducted into the “The Box”• Degree/nature of security needed(temporary or permanent)• Identification of current file storagemethods (paper, electronic, etc.)

Purpose and Policy: The eventualstated purpose of the policy became,“Document procedures and storagemethod of student files designated"high profile" due to political, business,social/cultural, or entertainment eventor achievement involvement. Thesefiles are treated with additional securityfor the protection of the individual stu-dent and the institution.” A file may be

designated as “high profile”, uponagreement of the system and institu-tional legal counsel representatives, andthe TTU Registrar and AssociateRegistrar. The designee's name will beadded to a list and kept on file in eachof the aforementioned offices.High Profile Population Designation:

There are many reasons that may meritconsideration of induction into “TheBox”. All schools have famous alumniwhom they are proud to promote asshining examples of how an educationat their institution served as the plat-form for their future success. The listof these names is fairly easy to assem-ble. Another, albeit less appealing,population are those individualswhose notoriety is such that onewould rather not be associated withthem. These individuals often have adifferent following that is seekinginformation for many reasons, amongthem fascination and retribution – andneither reason is one the institutionwishes to feed. The level of mediaattention (both local and national) alsoplays into the consideration of whichfiles may need additional protection.The last and final category currentlyconsidered are those students whomay have personal security risksbeyond their control. Students whohave been the victim of crime may

Brenda L Martinez is the Associate Registrar for Texas Tech University. She holds a Master of Education degree in Agricultural Educationand a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science from Texas A&M University. She has presented at TACRAO, AACRAO, and otherconferences on process efficiencies and improvements.

The Story of “The Box”:Protecting High Profile Student Files

PERSPECTIVESACRAO Focus

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34 The Story of “The Box”

also merit consideration for their current and future safety.In all cases, the decision to mark a file confidential (regard-less of the student’s initial file designation) and pursue amore thorough security process was deemed not only pru-dent but necessary.Degree/Nature of Security Needed: It is tempting to

allow the possible threat of a security breach to cause one toshut down the entire system to not allow access to anyonefor any possible reason. Once one takes a deep breath andrealizes that such an approach will not be feasible, the vari-ous needs and levels of security can be seen more clearly.The Office of the Registrar divided the population into twogroups initially: Former Students and Current Students.Former students seemed to be the easiest to address – theirfiles most often would be designated for additional securityon a permanent basis. Their files could be “locked down”and any future access would require direct contact with theRegistrar or the Associate Registrar. This group seemed“easy” until further analysis showed having a former stu-dent designated for higher security who had become a cur-rent employee of the institution created innumerable com-plications from an IT system standpoint. This group posedthe same challenges as those who were current students –their files must be active to allow for current interactionfrom the student directly with the institution. The approachfor this population is much more intricate in nature and onefor which TTU does not have a solution. As the need tosecure the student record has been determined a primarymust, the IT division of the institution continues to researchthe far-reaching effects of not only how to secure the data,but how to prevent auxiliary systems from accessing thatdata. To increase the level of complication, it has been deter-mined that there is a need for a temporary file lock down solu-tion. There are feasible situations in which a file should belocked down temporarily, but may not merit a permanent lock-down. These technical requirements made the Office of theRegistrar very popular with the Information Systems office.

File Storage Methods: At first glance, file storage meth-ods did not seem to be the biggest challenge facing theRegistrar’s office. But a deeper look into not only how filesare stored, but more importantly, how they are accessed hascreated more and more questions and the need for more andmore assistance from information technology resources.Files that merited protection from the “pre-computer era”are the easiest to secure. Those files were essentially thoselocated within “The Box”. They were already off the sys-tem. The scanned file storage system was easily addressed.The files are printed off and placed in the Box, and a singlefile is uploaded instructing anyone searching for the file tocontact the Registrar. Of greater challenge were thoserecords that existed ONLY on the student information sys-tem. Consideration of a pseudonym process was quicklydetermined to not be effective as at any point that someoneaccessed the information, they would know the pseudonymthat matched the student record. (Remember, this processwas deemed necessary mostly to protect the institution fromitself.) Research is ongoing to determine an appropriate andfeasibly maintained system to address all the data and filestorage access complications.It is an unfortunate reality that there are those whose

notoriety will always generate unwanted interest in theirbackground from many unauthorized parties. Our institu-tions will have individuals who are tricked, or who may betempted, into participating in an unauthorized release ofinformation. Regardless of the intent of the release, the insti-tution is liable, and that makes consideration of a process forsecuring high profile files that much more important. “TheBox” brought with it not only interesting reading, but anopportunity to review all system processes related to studentrecords and will ultimately result in a better understandingof system file security.

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35

Top 10 Reasons to Use the SACRAO Job Board10. Setting up a Job Board ID is simple.

9. You can have more than one Job Board ID at your school– and your HR folks can have their own.

8. You can cut-and-paste your job posting information into the online form.

7. You can provide a link to the job information and application on your own site.

6. You determine when you want the ad to start running.

5. No pre-set time limit for your ad - you determine how long it runs.

4. There is no limit to the number of jobs you may post, ever.

3. Making changes to your ad (or deleting it) is as simpleas an email to the VP for IT.

2. Because the ad is on the web, it can be seenby professionals all over the world.

And the number 1 reason – it’s free to SACRAO member institutions. Totally, absolutely free.

Get all the details at www.sacrao.org

JOBBOARD

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!

SACRAO 2016Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • February 6-10, 2016

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36

2014-2015 SACRAO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PresidentAmy Barber

East Carolina University

President-ElectJoe Papari

Southern Methodist University

Immediate Past PresidentDorinda Harmon

College of Charleston

Vice President, Admissions& Enrollment Management

Ronnie ChalmersNorth Carolina State University

Vice President, Information TechnologyNancy Umphres

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Vice President, Professional Access and EquityLeana Wilson

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Vice President, Professional DevelopmentBarbara Rowe

Washington and Lee University

Vice President, Records and RegistrationWayne Banks

Southern Arkansas University Tech

Vice President, States/Regionalsand MembershipRodney MillerCovenant College

SecretaryBobbye Fry

University of the Incarnate Word

TreasurerMichael Turner

College of William and Mary

Member-at-Large (Evaluations)Bradley Barnes

University of Alabama

Member-at-Large (Recognition and Awards)Andrew Green

Jacksonville State University

SACRAO 2015 Local Arrangements ChairLandon Waid

University of Alabama

Newsletter EditorRodney ParksElon University

FUTURE MEETINGS

DATES February 6-10, 2016February 10-15, 2017

MEETING69th Annual Meeting70th Annual Meeting

LOCATIONOklahoma City, OklahomaSt. Petersburg Beach, Florida