The second annual TU Commitment Cup was awarded to the Gardner Institute transfer team on May 23, 2019, by University of Tulsa President Gerard Clancy. The award is designed to spotlight outstanding work by university employees specifically related to the TU Commitment, which helps our students feel accepted, engaged, empowered and set on a path to self-discovery.
Each nomination received by the Staff Advisory Council described how departments, committees and project teams come together to help others succeed. The council, composed of representatives from each college and department, worked with Clancy to select this year’s recipient.
Here are details about the winning team and the runner-up:
Gardner Institute Work Group
The Gardner Institute work group with regional partners Tulsa Community College, Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University and Rogers State University joined forces to launch the Tulsa Transfer Project.
The five universities and TCC are collaborating to improve the success of students who transfer from TCC to any of the four-year institutions. On average, transfer students lose 13 credit hours through the transition from a community college to a university, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
The John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education provides the framework for the project including a self-assessment by each school and then collaboration to improve the overall transfer experience so that every student finds their place. It is crucial at TU that all students feel accepted and have the resources they need to succeed during their college career and after graduation.
“The University of Tulsa is committed to creating an affordable pathway for TCC students who seek a small private university experience with meaningful opportunities in research, leadership, social justice and much more. As a partner in the Tulsa Transfer Project, TU offers an inclusive environment and full support from campus to career,” Clancy said. “I applaud the work done by this group on such an important student initiative.”
Collins College of Business Advising Team
The top objective of the Collins College of Business advising team is to increase retention among TU business students. One key to student retention are “the high touch points” that the team has during personalized advising sessions.
For professional development and as part of the university’s continuous improvement strategy, members of the advising team traveled to the National Association of Collegiate Advisors national conference in September 2018. The focus of the conference was assessment of and best practices in collegiate advising.
Drawing upon what they had learned at the conference, the team revised their existing advising syllabus to contain a mission and vision statement along with establishing core values of empowerment, engagement, education, exploration and caring.
The culmination of this process was a series of short video presentations to send to incoming students. The videos consist of short, informative slides followed by a brief quiz that is utilized for assessment. This approach, to send out information before the student/adviser meeting, is called “flipped advising.”