The nine Foundational Dimensions® explored in this study
each have a corresponding committee and function.
Philosophy
The Dimension committee will determine whether the college as a
whole and/or one or more units or departments have either a written or implicit
philosophy, purpose, or rationale for its approach to encouraging and
facilitating student transfer. Committee members will further determine whether
such a philosophy is disseminated or has demonstrable influence on the nature
of the transfer experience.
Organization
Committee members of the Organization dimension determine
how the institution
is organized to support transfer-bound students and how it coordinates with
receivinginstitutions
in various functional areas. Committees also investigate the level of specific services
to these students as well as funding and evaluation.
Learning
The Learning committee will explore the College’s use of
feedback from receiving institutions concerning students’ performance in
various academic
programs. The committee also considers the level of transfer-bound student
involvement in various forms of academic enrichment.
Campus Culture
This Dimension recognizes the importance of both faculty and staff to the quality of support and services for transfer-bound students. But the Dimension places responsibility for faculty/staff involvement on senior administrators who set expectations and determine the existing system of faculty/staff roles and rewards. This Dimension also recognizes the importance of a college culture that expects and supports student transfer.
Transitions
Committee members will judge the effectiveness of the College’s
communication to transfer-bound students and the quality of the college’s
collaboration with sending institutions to provide transfer-bound students the
information they need. Committees will also consider how the college connects
transfer-bound students with important sources of support and information and
will evaluate the quality of academic advising.
All Students
Committee members will evaluate the college’s service to individual
transfer-bound students and to certain subgroups. The committee will also
consider the degree to which all transfer-bound students make connections with
college mentors and with appropriate individuals at receiving institutions.
Finally, the committee will evaluate the college’s overall support for and
encouragement of transfer-bound students.
Diversity
The Diversity Dimension Committee will focus on how the
college conveys standards of behavior related to human or intellectual
differences and how the college prepares students for a potentially different
environment at the receiving institution in terms of human and intellectual
diversity.
Roles and Purposes
The Dimension Committee will consider how the college
introduces students to the importance of further education in some academic fields
and educational requirements for employment in those fields. Performance Indicators
also question the degree to which transfer-bound students are given
an opportunity to revisit their motivation for college and whether they
understand the rationale for general education and major requirements.
Improvement
The Improvement dimension evaluates the level and use of
assessment. They also consider the college’s efforts in disseminating
important data and information about transfer-bound students as
well as the college’s own efforts to contribute to and learn from other sources
of research and information
Each committee is made up of 8-10 staff and
faculty volunteers. Committees will convene throughout the fall and early
spring semesters.