External Evaluation Report
“Fast Forward” Grant
San Juan College
YEAR 3 2013/14
Laura Godfrey, External Evaluator
Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Overview of External Evaluation Report ...................................................................................................................... 3
Adequacy of Data.......................................................................................................................................... 3
Audit Readiness ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Timely Reporting .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Relationship with Department of Education Program Officer ..................................................... 4
Critical Question 1: To what extent has the College achieved the objectives set forth
in the proposal within the timelines specified?
Goal 1: Improve Degree Completion for Native American AA/AS Student ................................................... 5
Goal 2: Improve Transfer Rates for Native American Students ........................................................................ 8
Goal 3: Improve Course Success Rates in key AA/AS disciplines..................................................................... 10
Goal 4: Expand capacity to better serve Native American AA/AS Students.............................................. 11
Goal 5: Improve ability of SJC personnel to collect, analyze and use data to better serve Native
American students................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Critical Question 2: To what extent has the College delivered high quality
programming?....................................................................................................................................................15
Critical Question 3: To what extent has the College used data
to improve program? .....................................................................................................................................15
Critical Question 4: To what extent has the College fulfilled the legislative intent of
the Title III Act? .................................................................................................................................................18
Critical Question 5: To what extent has the College used grant-funded initiatives to
fulfill its mission? .............................................................................................................................................18
External Evaluator’s Conclusions ............................................................................................................19
Electronic Attachments:
Audit Readiness Review
Articulation Agreements
Transfer Center Evaluation
2
External Evaluator Report, 2014
Fast Forward Grant, Year 3
San Juan College
Overview
During the third year of its Title III NANTSI grant (Accelerating AA/AS Degree and
Certificate Completion for Native American Students - locally named “Fast Forward”), San
Juan College has continued to implemented the program as outlined in the grant and made
significant progress towards meeting the objectives delineated in the grant. All of the key
personnel plus the External Evaluator have met frequently to refine the implementation
and evaluation of the program. The Senior Director of the Center for Student Engagement
(the PI for the Fast Forward Grant) has been actively involved in all aspects of the grant,
meeting with grant staff and the External Evaluator on a regular basis. This high level
administrative support is key for collaboration between programs, timely feedback on data,
analyzing data to improve programs and refining the evaluations conducted. All aspects of
the grant are in compliance with the timelines established in the proposal and where
indicated the college has worked with the program officer to make changes in the wording
of objectives. The grant is “audit-ready” with full documentation available and easily
accessible. The team has established comprehensive evaluation and tracking systems for
all aspects of the project. Responsibilities are clearly delineated for collecting and
reporting both quantitative and qualitative data.
Adequacy of Data
The External Evaluator has reviewed all data sources and data collected. Data for this
report has been provided by: the Institutional Research Department, the Grants
Compliance Office, the Project Director/Staff, and the External Evaluator. The data
reported is reliable and accurate. Data sources for the Annual Performance Report include:
 Attendance/participation information collected by project staff
 Audit Review Records collected by project director and reviewed by Grants
Compliance Office and External Evaluator
 Data collected or analyzed by the External Evaluator includes: Bisti Writing Project
Summer Programs, College Trip Evaluations, Transfer Office Records, Transfer
Center Evaluation by participants. In addition the Fast Forward office maintains a
dashboard on the Student Exit Survey and the Alternative Formats Survey all of
which have been reviewed by the Evaluator.
Audit Readiness
In addition to collecting data that documents progress towards achieving program
objectives, the College funds a full time Grants Compliance Officer who is responsible for
3
“regulatory compliance of all college grants”. Each year there is an annual review of audit
documents by the External Evaluator in conjunction with the Grants Compliance Office.
The College requires each grant program to compile a record keeping system for 16 items
on the “Audit Review Checklist”(Appendix 1) Items include: approval documents, budget
files, procedures manuals, inventories of equipment, travel reports, budget ledgers, project
participants and all financial, performance and annual reports. The audit-readiness
checklist for the Fast Forward program has been reviewed by the Project Director and the
Grants Compliance Officer. The Evaluator has confirmed that the Fast Forward grant is in
compliance with SJC policies, procedures and financial documentation requirements and is
“audit-ready.
Timely Reporting
The College has submitted thorough, accurate reports to the granting agency in a timely
manner. The Annual Performance Report (APR), which was submitted by the grantee in
January 2015, contains complete results for the goals and objectives delineated in the
grant. The External Evaluator has reviewed the APR and is satisfied that the grantee has
systematically collected quantitative and qualitative data demonstrating substantial
progress towards meeting all of the performance measures. In the instances where
benchmarks could not be met a thorough analysis has been completed and adjustments to
targets or programs made accordingly.
Relationship with ED Program Grants Officer
The project staff has maintained a very positive working relationship with the Department
of Education Program Officer. During Year 2 the College applied for and was awarded
changes in Objectives and Timelines thereby establishing better baselines and more
realistic objectives. These changes required careful analysis and a good working
relationship with the Department of Education Program Grants Officer. In total five
objectives (1a, 1d, 3a, 4a, and 5b) and four timelines (1b, 2a, 4c, and 5c) were modified with
approval of the Grants Officer. These changes reflect a desire for precision on the part of
the grantee and they have allowed for better evaluation this year since the objectives now
reflect more accurately the workings of the institution.
4
Critical Question for Evaluation
The External Evaluator has prepared this report using the following critical questions as
the framework for reviewing all of the data.
1. To what extent has the College achieved the objectives set forth in the
proposal within the timelines specified?
2. To what extent has the College delivered high quality programming?
3. To what extent has the College used data to improve programs?
4. To what extent has the College fulfilled the legislative intent of the Title III
Act?
5. To what extent has the College used grant-funded initiatives to fulfill its
mission?
CRITICAL QUESTION 1: To what extent has the College achieved the
objectives set forth in the proposal within the timelines specified?
Goal 1: Improve degree completion for Native American AA/As Students
Activity Objective(s)
1a. By September 2014, increase the number
of Native American students who graduate
with AA/AS degrees within three years to 23
Results for Year 2
Actual =10
Target = 23
1b. By September 2014, increase the
percentage of first-time, full-time AA/AS
degree-seeking Native American students who
complete an AA or AS within three years to 5%
Actual = 3.1%
Target =6%
1c. By September 2014, increase the
percentage of first-time, full-time AA/AS
degree-seeking Native American students who
complete any SJC degree or certificate within
three years to 8%
Actual = 8.4%
Target = 8%
1d. By September 2013, improve the ratio of
first-time, full-time Native American AA/AS
enrolled students per each first-time, full-time
Native American AA/AS graduate to 24
Actual = 32.3
Target = 23
5
External Evaluator’s Analysis of Goal 1:
The only objective the grantee met for goal one is 1c - increasing the percentage of first
time, full time AA/AS degree seeking Native American students who complete any SJC
degree or certificate. It is noteworthy that while the College exceeded the target of 8%
degree completion rates fell from 8.8% in 2013 to 8.4%; a small decrease but worth
watching.
In reviewing the data an interesting trend emerged. The number of Native students who
graduated with a degree within three years (1a) fell from 13 in 2012 to 8 in 2013 then rose
slightly to 10 in 2014. The percentage completion for AA/AS degrees (1b) of Native
students also fell from 4.5% in 2012 to 2.7% in 2013 and rose slightly to 3.1% this year.
Completion for any degree (1c) fell from 9.9% in 2012 to 8.8% in 2013 to 8.4% in 2014.
Further analysis shows that, unfortunately, this downward trend for degree completion is a
college-wide problem. Degree completion is down for all SJC students, not just Native
American students; thus the grant’s target population mirrors larger college wide trends.
For example college wide results for the grant objective show:

The number of all SJC students who graduate with AA/AS within 3 years fell from 45 in
2011 to 22 in 2012 (Native American students fell from 13 to 8). In 2013/14 the number of
all students who graduated within 3 rose to 34 (Native students rose from 8 to 10)
The evaluator believes that these trends indicate factors beyond the control of the grant
such as increasing employment opportunities with the improving economy resulting in
more students returning to the workforce rather than completing degrees. This is a welldocumented trend in higher-education enrollment/completion patterns.
Activities to improve performance
As an outcomes oriented institution, SJC has taken college-wide steps to address root
causes for the lack of degree completion for Native American AA/AS students. Additional
research beyond the requirements of the grant was conducted and information shared with
College stakeholders in positions to impact degree completion rates.
Cohort Student Initiative –the academic progress of Native American students from Fall
2011 and Fall 2012 cohorts was reviewed by the FF Research Assistant to determine why
so few Native American students were getting a degree within 3 years. One-on-one contacts
were made students from American Indian cohorts to encourage and accelerate degree
completion. The findings were often surprising with students frequently having 100 or
more credits but no degree. Often STEM majors were very short of their degree
requirements but had accumulated lots of credits across the curriculum. Sometimes
students in this study clearly stated they did not have a desire to graduate within 3 years.
6
Other students who did want to graduate soon were advised to switch majors to accelerate
graduation. Accumulating a lot of credits without graduating is problematic beyond the
scope of the FF grant objectives because students “spending down” their financial aid while
not attaining a degree which then becomes an obstacle to further education or degrees.

SJC sought and received approval from the Program Officer to replace the SJC Research
Specialist with a Program Advisor. This is a shift from gathering information to acting on
information. This position has been filled and the Program Advisor will further implement
the Cohort Student Initiative.
The information from the Cohort Student Initiative raises questions about the advising that
students receive. At SJC the model for AA/AS degree seeking students has been that
students are advised in the Advising and Counseling Center until they have 24 credits.
They are then transferred to a faculty “core advisor” in an academic field. However there
are no “holds” or requirements that a student see an advisor so the process becomes quite
informal after 24 credits with many students taking classes without awareness of their
progress towards a degree.
Several improvements have been put forward to improve advising at SJC







Advising is moving to a “Case Management” approach whereby advisors will have a deeper
understanding and personal relationship with a smaller core or students rather than
advising randomly whoever walks in the door.
The Advising Center prepares a checklist for faculty Core Advisors with information on each
student’s gpa, number of credits and other factors that impact graduation and financial aid.
Better communication with students is being promoted through numerous outlets.
Program Evaluations are on the Portal including a “Progress to Degree” option that is easy
for students to access and use. There have been increased postings on Facebook which also
has analytic data on degree completion student can use. “Canvass” is being explored as a
method of communicating with students.
Gatekeeper courses, those with the highest D’s, F’s and Withdrawals, are being identified so
that more resources can be allocated to ensuring student success in them.
The College recently instituted a requirement that any student who is enrolled in a
developmental course must also enroll in a Learning Skills (LRNS) class. Part of the LRNS
curriculum will be mapping out degree requirements for each student and making them
aware of sequencing and prerequisites.
New Student Orientation will now include information about how to track progress towards
a degree and the impact on financial aid of accumulating “random” credits.
There has been some initial conversation about placing “holds” on students who reach a
critical number of credits without attaining a degree. Ideas about ways to require students
to see an advisor have also been discussed.
7

As mentioned above SJC sought and received approval from the Program Officer to replace
the SJC Research Specialist with a Program Advisor. This is a shift from gathering
information to acting on information. This position has been filled and the Program Advisor
will further implement the Cohort Student Initiative.
In addition, increasing the number of “Articulation Agreements” with 4-year colleges and
universities throughout the region is an ongoing effort from the Fast Forward Director.
During Year 3 four additional articulation agreements were signed with New Mexico
Highlands University bringing to 22 the total number of agreements with NMHU. An
articulation agreement in Engineering was signed with New Mexico Tech and an agreement
in Nursing was signed with the University of New Mexico. (See Appendix 2 for a full list of
articulation agreement created through Fast Forward).
Goal 2: Improve transfer rates for Native American students
Activity Objective(s)
2a. By September 2014, increase the
percentage of first-time, full-time degreeseeking Native American students who
successfully transfer to four year colleges by
14.5%
Results for Year 3
Actual = 7.1%
Target = 14.5%
External Evaluator’s Analysis of Goal 2:
The grantee was also significantly below the target for Goal 2, improving transfer rates for
Native students. Results for 2014 show a slight increase from 5.1% to 7.1% but are still
significantly below the ever-increasing target. The grantee has yet to achieve the baseline
of 13.1% from the Fall 2007 cohort. Again, the grant trend mirrors the larger institutional
trend of fewer students continuing their education. Overall at SJC in 2011 9.3% of students
successfully transferred, in 2013 only 8.3% transferred and in 2014 10% transferred.
In an effort to improve transfer rates the grantee has added several activities over the past
two years. First the grantee established a full time Transfer Center in a highly visible
location with a full time staff person. The number of student contacts with the Center, the
types of questions asked and the actions taken have been carefully tracked. The evaluator
finds that the office usage has steadily increased. During year 3 of the Fast Forward grant
there were 317 visits with one-on-one transfer advisement. Additional visits were made
that were brief walk-ins, emails or phone call.
In the Spring of 2014 the External Evaluator conducted an extensive online survey of all
students who had visited the Transfer Center. Forty-four students responded. Full results
are available in Appendix 2. In summary nearly 40% of students visited the Center three or
8
more times, 36% visited twice and 25% visited once. What did students ask about?
Students could check more than one response. Results indicate 78% asked for information
about transferring to a specific college or university; 71% sought general information
about transferring; 56% asked about how SJC credits will transfer; and 33% asked about
financial aid and transferring.
Was the information helpful? Results indicate 41% found the information they received
from the Transfer Center very helpful; 45% found it helpful; and 11% though it was not
very helpful. 98% of students who visited the Transfer Center found the staff in the center
to be very approachable and 90% said their questions were answered in a timely manner.
86% would recommend the Center to friends who are thinking about transferring.
The Transfer Center will definitely have an impact on transfer rates according to the
students who visited it. 73% said they are transferring to a 4-year college or university,
another 18% are not sure yet and only 9% are not transferring.
In addition to in-person visits, the Transfer Center web site was accessed 12,424 times; a
16% increase from the previous year. The evaluator finds the Transfer Center to be an
effective program with significant positive impacts.
Other activities to increase students transferring include:







Eight workshops were conducted on transferring with 102 students attending.
The first annual Transfer Week was held including 250 students who attended the Transfer
Fair with 40 college/scholarship representatives.
Thirty-two faculty/staff and 153 students participated and committed to complete a degree
in three years for the “Commit to Complete” Campaign which was developed and
implemented by the Transfer Center..
College Exploration Trips for students who are interested in transferring. Five trips were
sponsored and were well attended with 32 Native students visiting Fort Lewis College, the
University of New Mexico, Fort Lewis College, Colorado School of Mines or New Mexico
State University.
Native American Center Transfer Pathways have been established with Native
American/multicultural programs at NM Highlands University main campus, NM State
University and Eastern NM University.
Pathways connections with Admissions were formalized with NM Highlands, NM State,
Eastern NM University, Weber State University and Santa Fe University of Art and Design.
A year-long health science partnership was coordinated with the University of New
Mexico’s Center for Native American Health program. Twenty-three students participated
and two have transferred to UNM.
9
The Fast Forward Grant has also made significant progress in establishing articulation
agreements that will facilitate transfer from SJC to four-year universities as discussed in
Goal 1 with full results available in Appendix 2.
In summary the Evaluator finds that the Fast Forward program has instituted numerous
highly effective programs to enhance students’ ability to transfer to four-year colleges or
universities.
Goal 3: Improve course success rates in key AA/AS disciplines
Activity Objective(s)
3a. By September 2014 Improve course
success rates for all students in English,
Business, Science and Mathematics to 67%
Results for Year 3
Actual = 60.1%
Target = 67%
External Evaluator’s Analysis of Goal 3:
The evaluator finds this goal interesting because the grant has limited program activities
that impact course success. The College’s other Title III grant, the “Launch” grant, has
numerous programs aimed at improving success rates for Native students in math and
science and can show direct correlations between programs and student success. However
success for “all students” in numerous disciplines seems more dependent on enrollment
trends, institutional support services (such as tutoring, mentoring, faculty mentoring, etc)
and high school preparation than on a single grant with no direct programming that aligns
with the goal.
Nonetheless the Fast Forward grant has contributed to the institution’s ability to serve its
Native students through maintaining the Native American Student Profile that provides
extensive data for Administrators and Faculty to use to better serve these students. The
second issue of the Profile was updated in Year 3 and Dashboards of Native Success Rates
was also updated. Badly needed calculators were purchased for the Student Success Center
using Fast Forward grant funds.
In addition the very successful professional development activities (Goal 4b) such as the
Bisti Writing Project, national conferences that focus on Native American student success
and Fast Forward sponsored workshops should impact overall success for Native students.
10
Goal 4: Expand capacity for San Juan College to better serve Native American AA/AS
Students
Activity Objective(s)
4a. By September 2014, increase the
percentage of AA/AS General Education
sections offered outside of M-Th 8:00 am –
4:00 pm traditional format to 45%
Results for Year 3
Actual = 35%
Target = 45%
4b. By September 2014, increase the number
of full-time and adjunct faculty who participate
in grant-sponsored faculty development to 20
Actual = 42
Target = 20
4c. By September 2014, increase the number
of students who participate in grant-sponsored
assessment of technology skills to 1000
Actual = 1,022
Target = 1000
4d. By September 2014, increase the number
of students who participate in grant-sponsored
remediation of technology skills to 250
Actual = 24
Target = 250
4e. By September 2014, increase the number
of distinct web pages enhanced by this grant to
50
Actual = 61
Target = 50
External Evaluator’s Analysis of Goal 4:
A critical component of the Fast Forward grant is to expand San Juan College’s capacity to
better serve Native American AA/AS students. Goal 4 deals with a range of activities
including data collection. Objective 4A “to increase the percentage of AA/AS Gen Ed
sections offered outside the traditional format” depends of upper-level administrative
decisions about which courses to schedule when. To help inform these decision during
Year 2 the Fast Forward grant conducted an extensive survey, the Community Input Survey
with 622 respondents from a wide range of local organizations, businesses, and individuals.
The Community Input Survey included questions about course scheduling and enrollment.
Currently only 35% of courses are offered outside of the traditional M-Th 8 – 4 format,
short of the grant’s targeted 45%. However, this is an increase from 2011/12 when only
34.7% of courses were offered outside the traditional format. Results from the Community
Input Survey indicated there is a desire for AA/AS programs as well as evening and
weekend classes. Instructor-based and Online courses were the most desired and interest
was evenly divided across all the six Schools of the College.
11
Based on results from the Survey In 2013/14 Saturday College is now being offered at the
East Campus and more late-start classes were offered in the Fall of 2014.
Another tool for class scheduling, Class Tracks, was purchased with Fast Forward funds.
Class Tracks not only facilitates scheduling classes, it also analyzes patterns of enrollment
for maximum quality management.
For objective 4a, the evaluator again questions the impact the Fast Forward program can
have beyond providing good data to support changes. The decision to offer more courses
outside the traditional format rests with the senior administration and will be based on
multiple factors beyond this grant’s scope.
Objective 4b, increasing faculty development opportunities, is an area of great success. The
target for this year was for 20 faculty participants; 42 unduplicated faculty participated in
grant-sponsored faculty development activities. Furthermore when professional staff is
included the numbers are even more impressive. These grant-sponsored activities
included:



Conferences including the National Association of Developmental Education, the Native
American Student Advocacy Institute, the National Indian Education Association and the
National Association of Branch Campus Administrators (15 participants)
Bisti Writing Project (13 faculty)
Fast Forward-sponsored workshops including Native Leader Speaker Series, the Learning
Symposium, the American Indian Cohort Student Initiative Presentation, and a presentation
on the Eastern MN Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science Degree (42 participants)
All Professional Development activities are routinely evaluated for effectiveness. The Bisti
Writing Project was evaluated in years 1 and 2 and will be evaluated again in year 4 when
the number of participants reaches a critical number to have statistical relevance. The
evaluator has reviewed past evaluations and finds that participants rate the programs very
highly.
Objectives 4c,” increasing the number of students who participate in grant-sponsored
assessment of technology skills” and 4d, “the number of students who participate in grantsponsored remediation of technology skills” are closely related. While the number of
students who participated in the survey was right on target, many fewer than anticipated
participated in the remediation.
In 2014 during New Student Orientation students were required to complete “A
Technology Readiness Assessment, Smarter Measures”. This administration technique
12
greatly increased the number of students assessed. It also proved to be a much more
accurate assessment with the result that only 24 students actually needed remediation.
Apparently students are entering college with proficiency in technology beyond what was
anticipated in the grant.
Over the three years of the grant one of the greatest impacts of Fast Forward relates to 4e,
“increasing the number of distinct web pages enhanced”. For this objective the grantee has
far exceeded benchmarks with 61 distinct web pages enhanced for this grant period alone.
The previous Web Developer served as Chairwoman of the Web Advisor Council which was
focused on a redesign of the SJC website. This is a tribute to the outstanding quality of web
design assistance offered by the Fast Forward program. Another example of how Fast
Forward is impacting the institution positively is the cost-share to purchase a new ecatalog system. And finally in an effort to determine preferred communication channels
amongst the on-campus students a survey was conducted. The results showed that
Facebook is the preferred channel for student communication.
Goal 5: Improve the ability of SJC personnel to collect, analyze and utilize student
data to better serve Native American students.
Activity Objective
Results for Year 3
5a. By September 2014, administer retention
assessments to 1000 students
Actual = 1,304
Target = 1,000
5b. By September 2014, survey a
representative sample of 25% of Native
American students regarding satisfaction and
needs
Actual = 31%
Target = 25%
5c. By September 2014, based on surveys of
SJC personnel, 70% of survey respondents will
indicate they are using grant-sponsored data in
strategic planning for the year
Actual = 68%
Target = 70%
5d. By September 2014, build at least 10
customizable reports
Actual = 77
Target = 10
13
External Evaluator’s Analysis of Goal 5:
Improving the College’s ability to collect, analyze and utilize student data to better serve
Native American students has been a strength of the Fast Forward Grant. The retention
assessment (5a), the Noel Levitz College Student Inventory, was administered during New
Student Orientation in Fall 2013 to incoming students. The College gathered data on 814
students, surpassing the goal of 750. In the Spring of 2014 the Community College Survey
of Student Engagement was administered to 810 SJC students, of which 31% were Native
American.
In an effort to be more efficient the grantee sought and was allowed a change in objective
5b to the language above. This change from a fixed number of students to a representative
sample of 25% allowed the grantee to dovetail with San Juan College’s established cycle for
student surveys, collect data on Native students from those same surveys and have a
comparison basis with the overall SJC population. The evaluator sees this as a positive
change allowing greater integration with ongoing institutional research. The College
administered the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory. There were nearly 47%
Native students who responded giving the grantee, and the College, a large sample to
disaggregate for analysis. The College’s cycle for surveys includes the Community College
Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) in alternate years. The evaluator also notes that
both the SSI and CCSSE have nationally-normed data that will be extremely beneficial for
the College.
Collecting data is fine but it is the use of data that is critical for institutional improvement.
Based on the Fast Forward grant’s survey of 54 SJC personnel in key decision-making
positions, 68% of respondents indicated they are using grant-sponsored data in strategic
planning. This is a significant increase from last year when only 59% were using grantsponsored date and is very near the target of 70%. The grantee has done an excellent job
of building a solid infrastructure for collecting data and increasingly that data is being used
to inform decisions.
An outstanding area of achievement for the Fast Forward grant has been the ability to
provide customizable reports. These reports allow decision makers to get answers to
specific questions in a timely manner. Like all institutions, the Institutional Research Office
is overwhelmed and cannot provide all of the data needed in a timely manner. The Fast
Forward grant has provided valuable services through customizable reports. In 2013/14
the grantee provided 77 such reports, far exceeding the benchmark of 10. Specifically
Dashboards were updated on the Native American Graduate Survey, Native American
Student Success Rates and the Native American Student Profile. Customizable reports were
created on American Indian cohorts to track retention, success and completion rates.
14
Critical Question 2: To what extent has the College delivered high
quality programming?
Program Evaluations: Grant staff has been diligent in collecting data on the quality of its
programs. Specifics mentioned above are evaluations of College Exploration Trips which
students rate very highly. The Evaluator conducted a comprehensive survey of student
satisfaction regarding the Transfer Center, which was also rated very highly. Full results
are available in Appendix 3. The Bisti-Writing Program will be evaluated every other year
so that numbers are large enough to be statistically valid and faculty have time to
incorporate techniques in their classes.
The evaluator has reviewed all of the activities undertaken by the grant and is very
impressed by the range of activities conducted by the Fast Forward staff. Each activity is
correlated with one (or more) of the grant objectives. Each activity also has an evaluation
plan and names the person responsible. A list of activities taken from the APR include:
COMPONENT 1: Increasing Post-Secondary Success
Transfer Center and Transfer Initiatives (Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, and 3a)
• Three Hundred-Seventeen (317) students received one-on-one transfer advisement.
• Eight Student Workshops were conducted on transferring. These workshops were attended by
102 students.
• The 3rd Annual Native Leaders Speaker Series was held on April 09, 2014. San Juan College
graduate, Dr. Stanley Atcitty, was the featured speaker. Over 40 students and faculty
members attended this lecture.
• The first annual Transfer Week was held, including over 250 students who attended the
Transfer Fair with 40 college/scholarship representatives.
• The Transfer Center coordinated the annual “Commit to Complete” campaign in which 153
students committed to complete their degree within three years.
Building Partnerships with Native American Servicing Four-Year Institutions (Objectives
1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a)
• Collaboration meetings were held between SJC and New Mexico Highlands University main
campus, New Mexico State University, Eastern New Mexico University, Weber State
University, and Santa Fe University of Art and Design. These collaboration meetings discussed
student preparation, creating a transfer network, transfer articulations, the transfer process, and
available student support services. These partnerships are in addition to the nine collaborations
that were developed in years one and two of the grant.
15
• Two meetings of the Fast Forward Native American Advisory Council were held. The
Advisory Council continues to provide great advisement for the operations of the grant.
• Five total Student College Exploration Visits were made to the University of New Mexico, Fort
Lewis College, Colorado School of Mines, and New Mexico State University. Altogether, 32
students participated on these trips.
• A year-long health science partnership was coordinated with the University of New Mexico’s
Center for Native American Health Program. Twenty-three students participated in this
partnership and two of those students did transfer to UNM-CNAH.
• Four additional Guaranteed Admission Agreements were signed with New Mexico Highlands
University.
• Two new Articulation Agreements were signed with New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology in Engineering and with the University of New Mexico in Nursing. Developing Alternative Delivery Formats (Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 3a, 4a)
• A community survey was administered in year two to gauge student and community interest in
offering various alternative formats of instructional delivery. The survey results led to:
• An initiative called "Saturday College" was established by the college to help students
complete a Liberal Arts A.A. degree through a hybrid model of face-to-face Saturday sessions
and weekly online assignments.
• An increase in the number of late start classes being offered for the fall semester.
• ClassTracks, a course schedule program, was purchased to schedule courses, but the program
also analyzes course scheduling for maximum quality management. Strengthening Professional Development for Faculty (Objectives 3a, 4b, 5c)
• Fifteen faculty and staff members participated in various national conferences which focused
on Native American and applied learning educational strategies.
• The Bisti Writing Project again provided a professional learning community (PLC) summer
institute for 13 SJC faculty and adjunct faculty during a five day-workshop. This year’s
workshop explored Writing Across the Curriculum & Working with Diverse Learners.
• Forty-two faculty participated in Fast Forward-sponsored workshops, including a presentation
on the Bachelors of Applied Arts and Science Degree at Eastern New Mexico University, the
American Indian Cohort Student Initiative Presentation, the Learning Symposium, and the
Native Leaders Speaker Series Faculty Presentation.
Creating a Technology Readiness Assessment and Remediation Program (Objectives 4c,
4d)
16
• A Technology Readiness Assessment, SmarterMeasures, was administered in New Student
Orientation and a few selected on-line courses to 1448 students. This was a change from the
previous year when it was administered by the Online Grassroots Committee in only selected online courses.
• Based on the Technology Readiness Assessment, 24 students were recruited into technology
coaching through the Student Achievement Center.
Enhancing Interactive Electronic Student Resources (Objectives 2a, 4e)
• Webpage additions and enhancements were made in 61 areas.
• Academic program content was prepared for a new e-Brochure system that is linked to the SJC
website.
• Assisted in researching and selecting an online student catalog system that will link to the SJC
website.
• Fast Forward participated in a cost-share to purchase a new e-Catalog system, Digital
Architecture, Inc.
• The Transfer Center website was accessed 12,424 times; a 16% increase from the previous
year. COMPONENT 2: Enabling More Data-Based Decision Making Conducting a Pilot Research Project: Retention Assessment (Objective 5a)
• A retention assessment continued to be administered as part of New Student Orientation to
assess the non-cognitive concerns of incoming students. Altogether, 1304 students completed the
assessment.
Collecting Extensive Quantitative and Qualitative Data to Improve Native American
Student Success (Objectives 1a, 1b, 1cc, 1d, 2a, 3a, 5b, 5d)
• Dashboards were updated on the Native American Graduate Survey, Native American Student
Success Rates, and the Native American Student Profile.
• Customizable reports were created on American Indian cohort students to track retention,
course success, and degree completion rates.
• Revisions and distribution of the 2014 American Indian Graduate Survey were made. The 2014
Native American Student Profile was created and a 2015 draft was created.
Empowering Data-Based Decision Making (Objectives 3a, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d)
• Implementation of the Cohort Student Initiative began in 2013-14 to identify and advise
American Indian students categorized in the Fall 2011 and 2012 First Time, Full Time cohorts.
17
• Student Success Courses’ impact on American Indian Student Retention Data and Trends
among 2010 American Indian Cohort were shared with the Learning Leadership Team, which is
comprised of the Vice President of Learning, the Associate Vice President, and the Deans of the
schools. As a result, the position of the Research Specialist was recommended to be changed to a
Program Advisor.
CRITICAL QUESTION 3: To what extent has the College used data to
improve programs?
The Fast Forward grant is a data-driven program on all levels. At the micro level all
activities, such as those listed above, are evaluated for effectiveness and results
systematically used to improve programs. In particular programs that provide direct
services to students such as the Transfer Office, the College Visits program and the Bisti
Writing Project, collect feedback from participants, analyze the feedback and use it to
improve programs.
At the macro level the Fast Forward grant provides data to decision makers at the College.
For example grant staff have extensively collected data on alternative formats for courses.
This data has been presented to the highest- level administrators who will ultimately make
such decisions. The Fast Forward staff has also conducted all of the surveys outlined in the
grant and provided results to College officials.
CRITICAL QUESTION 4: To what extent has the College fulfilled the
legislative intent of the Title III Act?
The purpose of the legislation is to enable Native American-serving institutions, like San
Juan College, to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native American and lowincome individuals. All of San Juan College’s Fast Forward grant activities, programs and
personnel are directly engaged in fulfilling the legislative intent of the Title III Act. There is
no variance from the legislative intent and the evaluator believes the College is doing an
exemplary job of putting Title III theory into good practice.
CRITICAL QUESTION 5: To what extent has the College used grantfunded initiatives to fulfill its mission?
All of the programs and activities that are part of the Fast Forward grant directly relate to
San Juan College’s mission as an institution serving Native American Students. The mission
of the College reads, “Inspire and support lifelong learning to achieve personal and
community goals by providing quality education, services and cultural enrichment”. Grantfunded activities, extensively discussed earlier, will improve San Juan College’s service to
Native students. Fast Forward grant initiatives specifically related the College’s mission
include:
18
Quality Education: Professional development opportunities help faculty improve their
instructional methods, quality of education and classroom pedagogy. The updated Native
American Profile and Dashboards on student success rates enable data based decisions
regarding students’ educational needs and challenges. The “Cohort Student Initiative”
tracks American Indian cohort groups on their academic progress, retention, course
completion and degree completion. The “Finish What You Start” college campaign focuses
on increasing student degree completion rates.
Quality Services: The grant has formalized advising to support students in the transfer
process by creating a central Transfer Center on campus and an interactive Transfer Center
website. The grantee has communicated transfer information and opportunities to
students through classroom visits, workshops, bulletin boards, flyers, posters, transfer
exploration trips and sponsorship of Transfer Week. Through its Facebook page the
Transfer Center has expanded students communication to include social media. The Fast
Forward grant has supported quality services by participating in Native American Center
events and Activities, and participating in College-wide events such as Student Rush,
Student Resource Days, Convocation, etc.
Cultural Enrichment:
The Fast Forward grant staff has been actively involved in the College’s cultural enrichment
opportunities. They have participated in and supported the Native American Center with
events and activities. They assisted with SJC Pow-Wow, and assisted with college
information booths at the SJ County Fair and Northern Navajo Nation Fair. The Grant
sponsored the third- annual Native Leaders Speaker Series attended by students, faculty,
staff and community members.
Evaluator’s Conclusions:
During Year 3 the grantee has made progress in meeting the objectives but in some cases
has not met the annual performance benchmarks. This report contains an analysis of
objectives that were not met but a more thorough analysis of why and why not needs to be
conducted by the Fast Forward Director and the Senior Director of the Center for Student
Engagement, the PI for the grant.
The Evaluator concludes that for the Objectives where the grantee has direct programming
there is success and significant impact. However many of the Objectives in the grant are
larger institutional objectives (such as completion rates and transfer rates) that the grantee
has minimum ability to impact in any statistically relevant way. In many cases, downward
19
trends in the grant mirror downward trends at the institution; grant and institutional
enrollment and completion trends should be analyzed together.
In conclusion, the grantee is offering high quality services aligned with grant objectives. A
systematic evaluation process has been followed and results reported in a timely manner.
Participants in grant-sponsored activities rate them highly and indicate they are effective.
The grantee is extremely conscientious in using data to improve programs. Overall, the
grant is well-managed, responsive to input and a great benefit to San Juan College in
fulfilling its Mission.
ELECTRONIC ATTACHMENTS:
Audit Readiness Review
Articulation Agreements
Transfer Center Evaluation
20
San Juan College, Fast Forward Grant
Articulation Agreements and MOU’s with Four-Year Institutions
Degree
SJC Program of Study
School
Degree
Program of Study
AAS
AA
AA
AA
AA
AS
AS
AA
AAS
AA
AAS
AAS
AAS
AAS
AAS
AAS
AA
AAS
Adv Petroleum Production Operations
Business Administration
Business Administration
Business Administration
Business Administration
Chemistry
Chemistry
Criminal Justice
Digital Media
Human Services
Natural Gas Compression 1
Natural Gas Compression 2
Natural Gas Compression 3
Petroleum Production Operations 1
Petroleum Production Operations 2
Petroleum Production Operations 3
Psychology
Occupational Safety
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
BBA
BBA
BBA
BBA
BBA
BA
BS
BA
BA
BSW
BBA
BBA
BBA
BBA
BBA
BBA
BA
BBA
Oil and Gas
Accounting
Management
Managerial Finance
Marketing
Chemistry
Chemistry
Criminal Justice
Media Arts
Social Work
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Psychology
Oil and Gas
Sep-13
MOU: Guaranteed Admissions Agreement
NMHU
Oct-13 AS
Oct-13 AS
Biology
Biology
NMHU
NMHU
BA
BS
Biology
Biology
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Sep-13
Oct-13 AS
Oct-13 AS
General Science
Pre-Medical Science
NMHU
NMHU
Apr-14
Jul-14
MOU: Guaranteed Admissions Agreement
Memorandum of Understanding
NMT
UNM
Feb-15 AAS
Feb-15 AAS
AAS
AA
AA
AA
Industrial Maintenance Mechanics
Industrial Process Operator
Instrumentation & Controls
Early Childhood
Early Childhood
Elementary Education
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
NMHU
BS
BS
Biology
Biology
Engineering
Nursing
BBA
BBA
BBA
BA
BA
BA
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas
Early Childhood Multicultural Education, Birth-Age 4
Early Childhood Multicultural Education, Age 3 - Grade 3
Elementary Education
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q1 How many times did you visit the
Transfer Center?
Answered: 44
Skipped: 2
Once
Twice
Three or more
times
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Once
25.00%
11
Twice
36.36%
16
Three or more times
38.64%
17
Total
44
1/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q2 I had questions about (check all that
apply)
Answered: 46
Skipped: 0
General
information...
Information
about...
Information
about how my...
Information
about financ...
Other (please
specify)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
General information about transferring
71.74%
33
Information about transferring to a specific college or university
78.26%
36
Information about how my SJC credits will transfer
56.52%
26
Information about financial aid and transferring
32.61%
15
Other (please specify)
6.52%
3
Total Respondents: 46
#
Other (please specify)
Date
1
voting registration
7/23/2014 11:21 AM
2
college visits
7/16/2014 3:49 PM
3
college visits
7/16/2014 3:41 PM
4
I never visited the transfer center
7/16/2014 12:18 PM
5
scholarships and grants
7/16/2014 11:49 AM
6
fieldtrips
7/9/2014 5:09 PM
7
information about specific BA programs
7/7/2014 12:18 PM
2/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q3 The information I received from the
Transfer Center was
Answered: 44
Skipped: 2
Very Helpful
Somewhat
helpful
Not very
helpful
Useless
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Very Helpful
40.91%
18
Somewhat helpful
45.45%
20
Not very helpful
11.36%
5
Useless
2.27%
1
Total
44
3/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q4 The people in the Transfer Center were
very approachable
Answered: 44
Skipped: 2
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Strongly Agree
47.73%
21
Agree
50.00%
22
Disagree
2.27%
1
Strongly Disagree
0.00%
0
Total
44
4/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q5 The people in the Transfer Center
answered my questions in a timely manner
Answered: 45
Skipped: 1
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Strongly Agree
37.78%
17
Agree
53.33%
24
Disagree
8.89%
4
Strongly Disagree
0.00%
0
Total
45
5/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q6 I would recommend the Transfer Center
to friends who are thinking about
transferring
Answered: 45
Skipped: 1
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Strongly Agree
35.56%
16
Agree
48.89%
22
Disagree
15.56%
7
Strongly Disagree
0.00%
0
Total
45
6/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q7 Are you transferring to a 4-year college
or university?
Answered: 45
Skipped: 1
Yes
No
Not Sure Yet
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Answer Choices
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Responses
Yes
73.33%
33
No
8.89%
4
Not Sure Yet
17.78%
8
Total
45
7/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
Q8 Please tell us what further assistance we
could offer students who are considering
transferring.
Answered: 28
Skipped: 18
#
Responses
Date
1
Hmm just keep up the good work!
7/31/2014 1:37 PM
2
I had send in a reply to this survey before, (around two weeks ago) and I hope this one goes thru.
7/24/2014 8:34 AM
3
Suggestions on how to get a bachelors degree or even a masters degree and what class to take before
transferring.
7/24/2014 6:53 AM
4
more information on the college of university they are wanting to transfer to.
7/21/2014 11:48 PM
5
Be more efficient about sending transcripts. I had to have mine sent multiple times before my university actually
received it.
7/19/2014 12:22 PM
6
I would like have my counselor help me to make an arrangement to get my college credits to be transferred.
7/18/2014 11:35 AM
7
N/A
7/18/2014 9:42 AM
8
more information on credits transferring to a specific university.
7/17/2014 11:51 AM
9
Clear, precise, and dependable information.
7/16/2014 6:23 PM
10
NA
7/16/2014 5:37 PM
11
You guys are doing a great job.
7/16/2014 3:49 PM
12
You guys are doing a great job.
7/16/2014 3:41 PM
13
Anything more than just being told to talk with the university when they come for the transfer fair.
7/16/2014 3:11 PM
14
i think the transfering center is well set up.
7/16/2014 2:27 PM
15
I never visited the Transfer Center, that is why I didn't do the survey the first time. I can not give answers to
questions I have not experienced or have knowledge. I started my classes at NMHU back in January of 2014. Dr.
Salazar was extremely helpful in making sure I had the proper classes in order to transfer to NMHU.
7/16/2014 12:18 PM
16
One of the biggest challenges of transferring is affording the next school. San Juan College is uniquely
inexpensive, so students need more resources to help them figure out how to fund further education. Please
include more scholarship and grant information and fairs!
7/16/2014 11:49 AM
17
thanks :)
7/16/2014 10:50 AM
18
Offer to pay admission application fees
7/16/2014 9:39 AM
19
No comment.
7/16/2014 9:15 AM
20
More information about universities out of state.
7/16/2014 9:13 AM
21
housing options
7/9/2014 5:09 PM
22
Updates the transfer information books from the differenet colleges. Update the college catlog information
because it does not explan what does or does not tranfer to the other colleges. Because I had the choice from
San Juan College catlog to either or and find out that the college I want to transferring to takes only one . For
example like English 211 or English 218. Fort Lewis will only take English 218 not English 211 to transfer and
nobody knows this tell it is to late.
7/8/2014 7:26 PM
23
Have more open houses on the topic of Transferring
7/7/2014 9:10 PM
24
Transfer students need more resources about how to find and apply for scholarships, and how to make their
education at a new college affordable.
7/7/2014 7:48 PM
8/9
Transfer Center Evaluation S14
SurveyMonkey
25
I came into the transfer center seeking information about degree programs versus emphasis in something, but no
one was able to provide me with a true understanding of what it meant to get an emphasis in. I had also wanted
to know which would look better and once again I got no real feedback. Furthermore, it was a toss up on the
friendliness. Some of them seemed genuine in their interest in helping me, but others were rude and tried rushing
me out the door.
7/7/2014 1:03 PM
26
Transfer center is seen as a place for help and support to Native Americans only. This is due to source of
funding, promotional pictures, guest speakers, and activities. Where can other non Native students go to get help
with transferring to a four year school?
7/7/2014 12:29 PM
27
How to obtain info from next level of college. Who to contact about programs students are interested in.
7/7/2014 12:18 PM
28
Help finding classes that will academically transfer.
7/7/2014 12:06 PM
9/9