The mission of the Butte College Transfer Counseling Center is to support student success and provide programs, services, and information resources that enable students to prepare for their transition to a college, university or the workplace.
The Transfer Counseling Center provides counseling and transitional services to all students wishing to attend a four-year college or university. Emphasis is placed on making Butte students the highest priority for admission by focusing services and programs on major selection and four-year university specific requirements. The Transfer Counseling Center also strives to educate the campus community through presentations, public events, and outreach on strategies and opportunities at four-year colleges.
Part Time Counselors
We were able to retain our current staff of associate faculty. In addition to seeing students in appointments, assisting with application workshops, developing SEPs and scheduling classes, our three associate faculty in Transfer Counseling are each assigned specific responsibilities for the department: cross registration, application workshops, and social media marketing/outreach.
For the time being, we have discontinued the use of interns in our department.
Transfer Day and Transfer Academy
Expenses for food, tent rental and set-up, busing high school students, advertising and miscellanous expenses were used in another successful Transfer Day. Transfer Day was held on September 11, 2019. 40 represenatives from 30 different colleges attended. Transfer Day Fall 2020 is scheduled for September 15.
The Transfer Academy had another successful year. Our Lead Counselor retained and recruited Academy students interested in transferring to a UC, private or out-of-state college to be part of a support program. Services include Lunch and Learn workshops with faculty, TCC Counselors, and UC represenatives. The Academy also provides assistance with the application process and personal insight essays, workshops on the initiatives available to transfer students, classroom presentations, virtual and in-person counseling appointments with UC represenatives, and field trips/visits to UC campuses. This funding is also used to create posters, marketing materials and promotional items.
Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) with UC Davis
The TOP program provided a UC Davis outreach staff member to visit the Butte TCC twice each month (Main Campus and Chico Center). The TOP represenative provided informational workshops, helped coordinate campus visits to UC Davis, and was available for training for all Counselors on the Butte Campus. She also performed outreach to different campus groups (e.g. MESA).
Student Assistants
Because we are a small program with one full-time administrative assistant, our student assistants were critical to our program. We are heavily dependent on student assistants to provide coverage and run the front desk. This past year, the provided the front line of our department.
Administrative Assistant Kathy Shaw hired and trained all Student Assistants. We had 3 assistants, who provided consistent coverage on the Main Campus.
Operating Expenses
Resources needed for the publication of Transfer Talk newsletter each semester, renewal of on-line advising program, printing posters off-campus, office supplies, and promotional items.
In developing Student Learning Outcomes, the TCC recognizes that each counseling session is an integral part of the student's educational process. Those outcomes achieved in an individual session depend upon the expressed and discovered needs of the individual student.
After the last 2018-2019 Unit Plan, the TCC surveyed 168 students post-appointments in late Spring. The following questions were asked of each student as to whether or not they gained clarification in the following content after their appointment:
Agree or Strongly Agree
I) I understand transfer requirements to a four-year institution 98%
II) I understand the differences between Admission, GE, and major 98%
requirements
III) I have a clear understanding of competitive and impacted majors and 94%
the requirements for admission to that major
IV) I am now aware of special admissions programs to colleges/universities 84%
that I may be eligible for
Vision for Success Achievement Goals
Here are California Community College Vision for Success Achievement goals directly relevant to the work being done at the Transfer Counseling Center.
1) Increase the percent of CCC students who acquire associates degrees
2) Increase the number of students who transfer
3)Decrease number of accumulated units to earn degree
4)reduce equity gaps
Vision for Success Achievement Goals
Here are California Community College Vision for Success Achievement goals and responses directly relevant to the work being done at the Transfer Counseling Center.
1)Increase the percent of CCC students who acquire associates degrees
In 2016, the CSU reported that 141 Butte students received ADT degrees and/or indicated this on their CSU applications. In 2017, 152 reported receiving ADTs. In 2018, the number dropped to 137 (Camp Fire?). For 2019, the number reported was 181. We seem to be making progress.
2) Increase the number of students who transfer
For UC transfers who enrolled, our numbers show an increase over 3 years:
2016 40
2017 44
2018 52
At this point, we do not have a demographic breakdown of the students who enrolled.
We will continue to see students in one-on-one appointments but will also further our work in the Transfer Academy, Social Media marketing, Cross Registration with Chico State University and CSU Application Workshops.
The Transfer Counseling Center puts on CSU Apply application workshops to assist students who plan to transfer to a CSU. For the Spring 2020 application cycle, the Transfer Counseling Center assisted 78 Butte College students in these workshops. Of these 78 students, 41 responded (53%) to a phone survey regarding their outcomes related to transferring. Of the 41 students followed up with, 33 were accepted and enrolled in the CSU they applied to (80%; 32 to Chico State, 1 to Humboldt State), 3 were offered admissions but did not enroll (.07%), 3 were denied admission (.07%), and 2 were granted a conditional admission but did not meet criteria necessary to attend (.05%). Looking forward, the Transfer Counseling Center assisted 115 students with their Cal State Apply application for the Fall 2020 application cycle through application workshops. Fall 2020 applications are still pending review at this time and follow-up data has not yet been collected on these students.
The goal of the Butte College Cross Enrollment Program is to provide community college students with a university experience to allow for a smooth transition to Chico State. The Cross Enrollment Program (XEN) is administered by the Butte College Transfer Counseling Center. The XEN offers dual admission for current Butte students planning to transfer to Chico State at no charge--no application fee, and no unit fees. This program is available to all Butte students who have completed English 2 or 3, have a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher, and completed a minimum of 30 transferable units. Students are eligible to participate in the program for up to two years. Students receiving financial aid at Butte may use their Cross Enrollment units towards theirl financial aid award. This is a brand new bonus to the program. In other words, if a student is enrolled in 9 units at Butte and 3 units at CSUC, they would receive 100% of their Pell Grant, instead of 75% prior. This is very helpful for our students. Also, Butte College students will be able to take a lower or upper division course in their major or an upper division pathway class at Chico State. This will help them graduate sooner from CSUC. Butte College students are recognizing this program as a way to complete their education more quickly by taking major courses or graduation requirements via Cross Enrollment.
During the fall 2014 recruitment period, all of the 57 Cross Enrollment applicants were approved by Chico State to be eligible. This was the first semester in the history of the program at Butte College, that 100% of all applicants were eligible. This was due to a better screening process by Butte College Counselors and a better understanding by students of the necessary eligibility requirements.
During the spring 2015 recruitment period for fall 2015, applicants were sent an email asking them if they required an additional appointment or workshop to cover questions related to the Cross Enrollment Program. Sixty percent of Cross Enrollment applicants responded with a need for additional appointments to address transfer related questions. The majority of these students who sought more assistance asked for an individual appointment with a counselor to get individualized help. Additional time with Cross Enrollment helped to provide applicants with a greater understanding of the program, coursework, major, and transfer related information, thus enabling them to complete their educational goals more quickly and more efficiently.
A survey was sent to spring 2015 XEN students to provide details on student satisfaction and/or suggestions to improve the Cross Enrollment Program. The survey revealed that 86% of the students were able to get the class they wanted. Forty-two percent of those students enrolled in a pathway class, 37% enrolled in a lower division, and 21% enrolled in an upper division course. Based on the survey, students expressed their desire for more counseling time to discuss course options and program related questions. Several of the surveys indicated that students were unaware of the Cross Enrollment Program until their last semester at Butte College.
3)Decrease number of accumulated units to earn degree
Traditionally, The Transfer Counseling Center has not tracked our work with students seeking to earn an ADT degree (Associate Degree for Transfer). This year, we retroactively tracked students who came to see a Transfer Counselor to discuss and/or apply for an ADT degree for the 2018-19 academic year. We reveiwed the transcripts of students who met with a Transfer Counselor and then eventually attained their degree. Our sample size was 96. The total units completed for these students was 7,737.92. The average units earned equated to a singel degree was 80.60 units. Henceforth, we will track a similar sample size each year from here on.
4)reduce equity gaps
Here is a demographic profile percentage breakdown for CSU transfer :
At Butte-% of Student Population (18-19) % Butte Students Admitted to CSU (FL 18)
White 48 49
Hispanic 31 26
Asian 7 4
Black 3 2
2 or more races 6 5
American Indian 1
Unknown 3 13
We will keep an eye on this in the coming years and continue to look at equity disparities relative to our general population. For the 2019-2020 academic year, The Transfer Counselor Center is committed to outreach consistent with the recommendations of its Advisory Board.
The Transfer Counseling Center (TCC) supports a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement in many areas, namely by working with students designing SEPS so as to best sequence their coursework towards degree completion or transfer. We work with departments on-campus, local high schools, and Californian/American colleges and universities to make sure our students and staff understand the pathway choices available to students. We manually design student educational plans for students, taking advantage of and incorporating online resources (assist.org, program maps, the Transfer Counselor Website) to best help our students. We plan to pilot the use of Hobson/Starfish in the Fall 2020 semester. The Coordinator of the TCC is a former member of the Starfish workgroup on campus. He is also an ongoing member of the Guided Pathways steering committee and has attended numerous Guided Pathways Institutes with the Butte College team. Guided Pathways is a foundational theme in the way the TCC operates and presents itself.
The TCC Supports student, faculty and Staff Success. We sponsor a Transfer Academy, Cross Registration, and campus visits for our students. We support professional development in the form of campus visits and attending conferences for our staff. We engage with the faculty on the Butte Campus by giving classroom presentations and inviting instructional faculty to participate in our workshops (e.g. admission essay writing). We have diverse campus Transfer Advisory Committee that encompasses department and staff across our diverse community. We participate in All Counselor meetings and individual meetings with the General Counseling and EOPS departments. We are actively involved in some General Counseling projects (e.g. Reg to Go, program and meta major mapping). This year our conference room will host almost 500 Reg to Go students in 14 different sessions.
Data Informed Processes are our next expansive frontier in the TCC. We will further explore our success rates in comparison with the college demographic. We will continue to improve our research and action in this area.
We currently maximize our resources in Student Learning by supporting an ongoing grant (The Transfer Counselor Website - TCW) and its related annual Transfer Summit. The TCW website is a popular repository of information specifically aimed at Transfer Students and Transfer Counselors. It received approximately a quarter of a million hits a year. It has been run by Butte College staff for 13 years. The Director of the project and webmaster/manager are both housed in the TCC. We are in the second year of a new five year grant cycle. The Grant is administered by the California Community College Chancellor’s office. The TCW affiliation is important for the students, faculty and staff of Butte College. We are a rural school, but because of this affiliation, have access to the most current information about transfer, especially state-wide. Also, the TCC Coordinator (Director of the TCW) is given one day release/backfill a week for the project, but his time translates to approximately 20 appointments a week for students ($25,000) a year. Clearly, this is a win-win for the students, staff, and faculty of Butte College.
The Transfer Counseling Program Review Recommendations are as follows:
Marketing/Increasing Campus Awareness of Services. This year is a new chapter in the Transfer Counseling Center's colloboration with other departments, especially Counseling and Advising and EOPS. We now share a Front Desk Superviser, but we have also stepped up our efforts to market our programs internally with our colleagues in Counseling and EOPS. We will then turn our efforts outwards, towards other student service and campus groups. We continue to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and are now looking to increase are involvement with the honors program. The honors program is currently have difficulty sustaining their population and we are looking to partner with them and PTK to create a vibrate University Program that encourages students and faculty to network and become more envolved in pushing services to participating students via lunch-and-learns, personal insight workshops for UC admnissions and recognition activites for students. We have also refreshed our website, Facebook and Grad Guru to better push-out messages related to programs, services and critical dates through social media.
Getting Specific Information to Students
In addition to the marketing strategies listed above we are providing workshops to promote the UC/CSU on-line Academic Planners that create a portal of communication between the student and the 4-year college.
Continue to Utilize Technology to Be More Effective and Efficient
It was recommended that we embrace the use of on-line Ed Plans and provide students the ability to schedule appointments on-line. At this time we are still waiting for the college to launch the Cranium Cafe where we will pilot scheduling on-line appointments with transfer academy students. We are also looking to move providing some on-line counseling appointments that will not require students to come out to campus. We are also looking to increase the dynamics interface of our website by providing more interactive functionality.
Staffing and Ongoing Collaboration with Sufficient Staff and Support.
Staffing the TCC is always a challenge in that we are a small program with one front office staff and dependent on student assistants to provide program support. We continue to reach out to programs on campus that support students wanting to transfer to a 4-year college.
The TCC Department goals are enveloped in the the following six strategies:
Strategy 1 - Meeting Student Demand For Services
Increase the scope of times available for students to make appointments with Counselors
For Spring 2020, we have expanded the hours available for students to make appointments by spreading out appointment times and methods of delivery. TCC Counselors are now available later for appointments later in the afternoon and evening to be better serve our diverse population. There is a Counselor available each week at the Chico Center in addition to the Main Campus, and at both locations students can make phone appointments.
Strategy 2 - Increase Transfer Specific Workshops
Increase the number of workshops available to students including but not limited to application workshops, Transfer Admission Guarantee's (TAG), transferring to CSU/UC/Private schools and competeitve majors, Personal Insight statements for UC applicants and Lunch and Learns to support the Transfer Academy.
With the increase of four year transfer initiatives, i.e., Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAGS), On-the-Spot Admissions (OTSA), and ADTs there is a greater demand for appointments. Consequently, alternative ways of meeting student demand for appointments need to be provided. By providing on-line advising, informational workshops, streaming videos, class presentations and a program newsletter each semester students are informed and directed to the most accommodating option to access services. These workshops help to clarify transfer related information so students who need basic information would receive it and those requiring more specific information would receive individualize services.
Strategy 3 - Representatives from 4-year Colleges and Universities
Increase the number of visitations 4-year college representatives on campus.
The TCC continues to solicit four-year colleges to be a greater presence on our campus and to be more accessible to meet with Butte students, both off and on campus. CSU Chico has been able to send an evaluator to the Butte College Main Campus every other week and to the Chico Center once a month. We are part of the UC Davis Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP), which provides our students access to a Davis adviser twice a month for appointments, workshops, and campus visits. We also continue to schedule SKYPE appointments with UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.
Strategy 4 - Alternative Service Delivery Methods
By creating streaming videos students on and off campus will be able to access an introduction to the various services we offer. Students will be able to view videos to receive basic information or view entire workshops to assist them in completing a particular transfer specific task.
Strategy 5 - 4-year university initiatives
Increase the number of initiatives with 4-year schools.
We will look to increase the number of students transferring to 4-year schools by increasing access to 4-year college evaluators/outreach representatives. We will attempt to increase the number of UC campuses offering remote appointments with students and hosting CSU Chico at both the main campus and Chico Center. We are looking to increase the number of On The Spot Admission with Chico State by offering admission appointments at the Chico Center.
Strategy 6 - Increase outreach at off campus locations.
This spring we will start offering counseling appointments at the Chico Center and coordinate the opportunity for 4-year college reps from Chico and Davis to meet with students.
We hope to increase the number of student contacts by taking our program and services off the Main campus. We now offer phone appointments to students and offer evening Counseling appointments at the Chico Center. We want to capture students that may not come to the main campus and make them aware of transfer programs and transfer initiatives with 4-year colleges. At both the Main Campus and Chico Center, students will have the opportunity to meet with a transfer counselor and/or university representative. We plan to contnue to provide class presentations and periodically staff a table in the lobby of the Chico Center and at CAS on the Main Campus in order to better market our programs and encourage students to make appointments and take advantage of the programs we offer.
There is a need to have an additional office to house a counselor and university representatives. We are currently using a converted supply room to staff one Counselor, one Chico State and three UC reps on different days of the week. The room is not ADA compliant and we have to keep the door open to accommodate two chairs. The office also houses the Student Assistant for the TCW grant.
Transfer Counselor Website grant provides a director buy-back of $25,000 that is used to provide part-time counseling. This translates to approximately 10 hours a week for the Fall and Spring terms.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Transfer Counseling Center | Personnel | XXX000XXX000 | 5xxxx | $0.00 | $139,305.00 |
| Replace Retiring Full-Time Counselor | The Transfer Counseling Center only employs two full-time Counselors. The impending Spring 2020 retirement of one Counselor will leave the department short approximately 1600 one-on-one appointments a year and the coordinator of the Transfer Academy. If we do not fill this position, we will not have enough appointments to accomodate student demand. It will also break the continuity of having a full time person available to help coordinate outreach efforts on and off campus (e.g. high school visits, UC campus visits, Butte faculty help with admission essays). Part-time backfill is not a long term answer for the myriad of programs that the TCC currently has and hopes to add. The main responsibility of Transfer Counselors remains developing Student Educational Plans(SEPs) in one-on-one appointments. The SEP is a term by term plan of study outlining a strategy for identifying and reaching a student�s self-identified goal or goals. The document extrapolates student information from diverse sources to a single form that may be shared and utilized by students and faculty. It is multidimensional. It takes into account high school or transfer performance, tests, accommodations, and other historical academic indicators. It incorporates a student�s home-life, work, and personal commitments into a suggested sequential plan of coursework. For transfer students, the SEP may indicate varying sub-paths that are contingent on different target transfer institutions admission and preparation. An extensive study conducted by the Office of Planning, Research, and Organizational Development (PROD) in October of 2016 supported the need for student CSEPs. Findings related to the influence of CSEPs towards student GPA, persistence, and completion. Students with CSEPs had an average first term GPA of 2.58, compared to 1.96 with an ASEP and 2.07 with no ed plan. CSEPS also increased rates of persistence. Students with CSEPs had a second term persistence rate of 93%, compared with 78% for ASEPs and 81% with no ed plan. This trend continued for one year persistence, where students with CSEPs had a 76% rate, compared with 61% for ASEPs and 65% with no ed plan. Finally, after two years more students with CSEPS had earned degrees or become transfer ready than the other two groups combined. The 2016 study also reinforced the findings related to GPA of the 2012 study. Students with CSEPS were found not only to have a higher mean GPA, but also to attempt more units per term, a finding that is significant for FTE. CSEPs have a positive correlation with student persistence. The current fall-to-fall persistence rate for Butte College hovers around 50%. This means that each year, Butte must replace half of its approximately 15,000 students. It is widely believed that increasing student persistence is far more cost effective than recruiting new students. The continuity of a second full-time Counselor gives students more opportunity to make a SEP and return for a revision if needed. The second full-time Counselor in the office is also expected to play a major role in designing the new transfer SEPS that the department hopes to have available for students by the Spring 2021 semester. Having two full time Transfer Counselors, and not just a Coordinator and collection of associate faculty, makes the TCC a Program. Having two Counselors is also important for Butte College, since the Coordinator of the program is also involved in the TCW Grant funded Website, which takes them away from more of the full time contact that the second Counselor is allowed. The second Counselor is a critical component of the department and the way it functions. The potential loss of the Transfer Academy could affect 130 students currently in the program. Our retiring Counselor retained and recruited Academy students interested in transferring to a UC, private or out-of-state colleges. To lose this Counselor would have an adverse effect on transfer and equity efforts. |
|
|
|||
| 2 | Transfer Counseling Center | Personnel | XXX000XXX000 | 5xxxx | $0.00 | $168,000.00 |
| Part-time Counselors | We seek to retain our current staff of associate faculty. In addition to seeing students in appointments, assisting with application workshops, developing SEPs and scheduling classes, our three associate faculty in Transfer Counseling are each assigned specific responsibilities for the department: cross registration, application workshops, and social media marketing/outreach. The main responsibility of Transfer Counselors remains developing Student Educational Plans(SEPs) in one-on-one appointments. For transfer students, the SEP may indicate varying sub-paths that are contingent on different target transfer institutions admission and preparation. This demands up-to-date knowledge of the always changing rules and regulations of transfer. Associate Faculty in the Transfer Center attend CSU and UC trainings. They also, unlike the General Counseling Department, attend all department meetings. The focus of these meetings are for case-study transfer issues. Therefore, professional development is always ongoing for this group. Also, because of the departments close relationship with the state-wide TCDA group and the TCW, our Associate faculty are currently being funded by the state to attend the annual Transfer Summit. This Summit will expose them to ideas on other campuses regarding transfer and topics like retention and equity. Also for the first time, in Spring 2020 and for the near future, Transfer Counselors will assist the General Counseling faculty in Reg2Go. Reg2Go is a dynamic and consistent orientation program consisting of over 40 participating local high schools. Reg2Go has taken on an even more important role since the Camp Fire. Our Reg2Go students already live here and far more likely to have the housing issues that out of the area students now confront. In Reg2Go, Counselors play a vital role in the implementation of this program, providing on-the-spot academic advising and Abbreviated Education Plans to all students who attend Reg2Go. Typically 1,200 -1,500 students go through Reg2Go. The Reg2Go program incorporates the Guided Pathways related completion of "Vita Navis," a career/major exploration assessment interest inventory. For Spring 2020, VitaNavis results will be paired with URL program maps found on the General Counseling Website. This helps allow our Transfer Associate Counselors to have access to vocational maps, which will better equip them to work with the general Reg to Go populations. At the same time, it will expose Reg To Go students to the expertise that Transfer Counselors possess in regards to transfer. Most new students, at least initially, indicate an interest in transfer. Reg2Go attendance numbers have remained constant throughout the years, depending on the varying numbers reflecting high school seniors in the area. The number of Reg2Go counselors per counseling/registration session was increased from 3 to 4 during 2014-2015 to improve the counselor to student ratio, enhancing the overall counseling experience for the students. This has proven to be a very effective strategy, and has been continued during subsequent Reg2Go years. The participation of Transfer Counselors will allow General Counseling to keep these new ratios (3 to 4 counselors per Reg2Go group). |
|
|
|||
| 3 | Transfer Counseling Center | Operating Expenses | XXX000XXX000 | 5xxxx | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Resources needed for (1) Transfer Day (2) Transfer Academy (3) TOP program | (1) Transfer Day. Expenses for food, tent rental and set-up, busing high school students, advertising and miscellaneous expenses. Transfer Day was held on September 11, 2019. 40 representatives from 30 different colleges attended. Transfer Day Fall 2020 is scheduled for September 15. (2) The Transfer Academy had another successful year. Our Lead Counselor retained and recruited Academy students interested in transferring to a UC, private or out-of-state college to be part of a support program. Services include Lunch and Learn workshops with faculty, TCC Counselors, and UC representatives. The Academy also provides assistance with the application process and personal insight essays, workshops on the initiatives available to transfer students, classroom presentations, virtual and in-person counseling appointments with UC representatives, and field trips/visits to UC campuses. This funding is also used to create posters, marketing materials and promotional items. Workshops are especially important for CSU, UC admission requirements. (3) Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) with UC Davis. The TOP program provides a UC Davis outreach staff member to visit the Butte TCC twice each month (Main Campus and Chico Center). The TOP representative provided informational workshops, helped coordinate campus visits to UC Davis, and was available for training for all Counselors on the Butte Campus. She also performed outreach to different campus groups (e.g. MESA). |
|
|
|||
| 4 | Transfer Counseling Center | Operating Expenses | XXX000XXX000 | 5xxxx | $0.00 | $3,000.00 |
| Office Supplies, Travel and Research | Office operation expenses and supplies. Resources needed for Transfer Talk newsletter each semester, renewal of on-line advising program, printing posters off-campus and promotional items. Travel and conferences, especially faculty attendance at ETS, CSU, and other conferences. |
|
|
|||
| 5 | Transfer Counseling Center | Personnel | XXX000XXX000 | 5xxxx | $0.00 | $28,000.00 |
| Student Assistants | We are requesting to maintain our level of 3 student assistants (SA). As a small department with one full time administrative Assistant, we are dependent on SAs to provide most of the direct student contact and to provide coverage in the event the there is an illness. These positions were historically Federal Work study positions, but the lack of flexibility inherent in hires tended to limit the time those students could work. So, we have opened these positions up to the general population. Please note that SAs also work supporting the Transfer Academy. |
|
|
|||