Source: ILISAGVIK COLLEG submitted to
STRENGTHENING TRIBAL STUDENTS’ PERSISTENCE AND RETENTION WITH PLACE-BASED WELLNESS, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND FIRST-YEAR STUDENT SUPPORT STRATEGIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031378
Grant No.
2023-70411-40932
Cumulative Award Amt.
$250,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-05954
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[NBTS]- New Beginning for Tribal Students
Project Director
Haynes, H.
Recipient Organization
ILISAGVIK COLLEG
PO BOX 749
BARROW,AK 99723
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The goal of this proposed New Beginnings for Tribal Students project, "Strengthening Tribal Students' Persistence and Retention with Place-Based Wellness, Behavioral Health, and First-Year Student Support Strategies," is to improve persistence and retention from a holistic, place-based methodology by providing behavioral health and wellness resources from the Student Services department at I?isa?vik College, with two delineated strategies: one that is on returning and/or persisting students (2nd year and up), and one that is focused on first-year student cohorts. The target population for this project is I?isa?vik College's program-active students, the majority of whom are Tribal. Program-active is defined as students who are currently enrolled in a program of study (a "major") and are working towards an associate degree or the single bachelor's degree that I?isa?vik currently offers (Bachelor of Business Administration). By facilitating wellness and behavioral health in I?isa?vik College program-active students, the expected impact is to create long-term change and improvement in persistence and retention rates at the college and graduation rates. The objective is also to address student needs on a more holistic and well-rounded level; I?isa?vik students face a variety of challenges that the average college student does not face, including a history of systemic subjugation and cultural oppression that affects how students approach their higher education, which is inherently a Westernized institution. This three-year project will help guide I?isa?vik students on their educational journey and can address achievement gaps holistically, with a focus on behavioral health contextualized by cultural values, versus siloed academic support that does provide a complete framework for student success.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7246010302050%
8016099302050%
Knowledge Area
724 - Healthy Lifestyle; 801 - Individual and Family Resource Management;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals; 6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The goals under this project align with Ilisagvik's Strategic Plan, which has six priorities with a myriad of sub-priorities beneath them. The activities described herein would directly support many of the six priorities, including:Priority 1, Indigenize the Institution - By expanding and providing place-based, Iñupiaq-focused wellness programs, behavioral and mental health supports to students.Priority 2, Build the Student Enrollment at I?isa?vik College - I?isa?vik shares about our wellness and behavioral health programming to prospective, incoming, and current students. Through this project, we will tailor workshops specifically for first-year students to help build and sustain the enrollment.Priority 3, Improve Student Achievement - Implementing the SMARTS advising system in Fall 2023 with a strong wellness and behavioral health component within the program will lead to greater student achievement. Tribal students have the lowest rates of retention than any other demographic in the U.S., but "incorporating students' cultural values and identity, and providing support for cultural practices [is] important for AIAN [American Indian and Alaska Native] students" and can improve retention rates over time." (Reference: Brunt, A., et al. (August 2017). Effects of a Culturally Relevant Educational Intervention on Retention among American Indian Tribal College Students. Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education.https://tribalcollegejournal.org/effects-of-a-culturally-relevant-educational-intervention-on-college-retention-among-american-indian-tribal-college-students/)Priority 6, Build a Robust, Service-Oriented Institution - By continuing and expanding wellness and behavioral health support on-campus, we are a more client service-oriented institution, working towards the betterment and holistic health of our Tribal students.Thus, this proposed project both contributes to the achievement of I?isa?vik's mission and vision and aligns with and works towards fulfilling our Strategic Plan.The project will increase the number of degrees attained over a two-year and four-year period by assisting in the retention and persistence of students. We have shared baseline rates from the last two-to-four years in previous sections of this narrative; our goals through targeted, place-based, and persistent student advising, and the offering of wellness program activities are to keep students focused on their educational journeys, address and remove barriers, and provide Indigenized support. Thus, we hope to see:Metric/RateBaseline (Fall 2022)Two Years' GoalThree Years' GoalPersistence61%64%68%Retention44%48%51%Graduation45%47%49%
Project Methods
To accomplish our Measurable Outcomes, I?isa?vik will adhere to the Timetable (below) to ensure that planning is robust for each academic year and the attending workshops and events that we will host under the wellness and behavioral health program. The methodology here is about planning and follow-through, as well as ensuring that the key staff involved in the project engage in appropriate professional development and research to incorporate Iñupiaq place-based and holistic measures. Professional development and research does not necessarily mean attending external conferences, etc.--it will mean working with local Elders and cultural experts on the design and implementation of workshops.Two things need to happen in the first year of this project:The development of a roster of workshops for continuing/retained students;And the development and implementation of a roster of workshops specifically for first-year students.Timetable:ActivityResponsibilityTimelineStakeholder Planning Meeting for Academic Year 2023-2024Dean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert (if hired), two local cultural expertsSeptember 2023Implementation of First-Year WorkshopsFirst-Year Coordinator and Wellness CoordinatorFall 2023-Spring 2024Continuation of All-Student Wellness and Behavioral Health WorkshopsWellness Coordinator (with support from Dean of Students as needed), and Cultural ExpertFall 2023-Spring 2024Mid-Year Stakeholder MeetingDean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert, two local cultural expertsDecember 2023Persistence and Retention Rates AnalysisDean of Instruction, with support from Student Services staffSpring 2024Stakeholder Planning Meeting for Academic Year 2024-2025Dean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert (if hired), two local cultural expertsAugust 2024Continuation of First-Year WorkshopsFirst-Year Coordinator and Wellness CoordinatorFall 2024-Spring 2025Continuation of All-Student Wellness and Behavioral Health WorkshopsWellness Coordinator (with support from Dean of Students as needed), and Cultural ExpertFall 2024-Spring 2025Mid-Year Stakeholder MeetingDean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert, two local cultural expertsDecember 2024Persistence and Retention Rates AnalysisDean of Instruction, with support from Student Services staffSpring 2025Stakeholder Planning Meeting for Academic Year 2025-2026Dean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert (if hired), two local cultural expertsAugust 2025Continuation of First-Year WorkshopsFirst-Year Coordinator and Wellness CoordinatorFall 2025-Spring 2026Continuation of All-Student Wellness and Behavioral Health WorkshopsWellness Coordinator (with support from Dean of Students as needed), and Cultural ExpertFall 2025-Spring 2026Mid-Year Stakeholder MeetingDean of Students, Wellness Coordinator, Student Services Staff, Cultural Expert, two local cultural expertsDecember 2025Persistence and Retention Rates AnalysisDean of Instruction, with support from Student Services staffSpring 2026

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project are Ilisagvik College students, most of whom are Alaska Native/American Indian (64%), firstgeneration college students (73%), and nontraditional students (60%+). We will target both nontraditional and traditional-age college students, as Ilisagvik is currently trying to grow its population in the latter cohort. All students will have access to the Wellness Program. Workshops will be tailored towards managing stress from a cultural focus (Inupiaq, but open to other cultures, too). Changes/Problems:Realignment of the student services department at Ilisagvik College has now been in place for a full academic year. It took us a full semester to finda suitable candidate to fill the unexpected vacancy of the Wellness Coordinatorposition. Otherwise, I think we are on target to move forward signifcantly to meet our goals with this terrific grant resource. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We sent both Wellness Specialistand the Student Success Manager for attendance and participation in the national ACPA convention in Chicago, Il (March, 2024) This is the American College Personnel Association. While there, they both were able to network with other college/university health and wellness professionals and also attend relevant workshops/trainings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are presently compiling our programming reports for Board of Trustees meetings, sharing at monthly campus Cabinet meetings, and utilizing to the greatest extent possible, our marketing department to use social media and share our programming stories with the citizens we serve in northern Alaska. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Utilize the established "Wellness Wheel" to address the many aspects of student wellness. We also want to make sure we re-engineer some of our processes that challenge us with the successful onboarding of new students. With our Wellness Specialist full time - we anticipate seeing a significant increase in the number of programming efforts from the wellness office. Increased collaboration with the recruitingoffice will also be essential. We want to especially continue to collaboratewith our cultural wellness programming to address indigenous needs for our students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The most recent Ilisagvik College persistence numbers available are from Spring 2023 and that figure was 54%. We anticipate the publishing of the Spring 2024 numbers later this semester (Fall, 24). They are not available to us at the time this report is being filed. The most recent retention numbers for Ilisagvik College are from Fall 2023. Our retentionrate for program active students enrolled was reported as 45%. We anticipate the publishing of the Fall 2024 numbers later this semester. These numbers are presently not available to us at the time this report is being filed. I believewe will be able to give an accurate progress being madefor persistence, retention, and graduation rates with the filing of this same annual report next August, 2025. Wellness Activities and Programs for the Spring, 2024 Semester It is important to note that the student services department at Ilisagvik College experienced several transitions. Our Wellness Coordinator departed in early summer, 2023. It took until late November 2023 to find a suitablereplacement. We also restructured -in so much that the Student Success Manager became more closely aligned with the Wellness Specialist and the Cultural Activities Specialist in an effort to address the holistic needs of our students at Ilisagvik College. Total # Wellness Specialist activities: 6 Total # of students: 35 Total # of participants: 35 TGIF game nights (2) Thank Goodness It's Friday are game nights where students were able to come get to know one another with some friendly competition. 02/02/24- 10 02/16/24-8 Open Gym Volleyball @ Pirruguvik Community gym we went to play open gym volleyball with community members. 02/05/24-5 02/12/24-5 Ice cream social + Timely Care (Take a Scoop into Timely care). Our new Wellness Specialist reports the following student contact numbers: Significant Contacts for the Wellness Specialist: - 80 Casual Contacts for the Wellness Specialist- 200 As part of wellness we are working on securing a mental health service application for students. An event was held in the Spring 2024 semester for our students to ask questions about a potential vendor and how it cansupport them. We anticipate the implementation of a Wellness application for students no later than October, 2024. This will include access to speak to licensed, trained mental health professionals. We also moved forward with the continued implementation of the SMARTS Program. Student Mentoring Advocating Resources for Total Success. As a part of this mentoring effort we created a First Year Pathway cohort led by our Student Success Manager. This is an intrusive effort made by the student services department to successfully mentor all of our students especiallythrough the onboarding process, and the monitoring and support ofour studentsas they navigate theirway through the complexities of the entire academic experience at Ilisagvik College. FALL 2023 SEMESTER - FYP Cohort ·First Year Pathway Cohort (FYP) - 10 FYP residential students under the FYP contract ·10 FYP students followed the contract and enrolled to CCS101 - Tools for Success class ·10 FYP students carried12 credits and above based on their discussion with their advisors. ·Retention rate based on the FYP cohort that we physically recordedin the residential hall = 70% (7 FYP students from Fall 23 semester returned for Spring 24 semester) The Student Success Manager at Ilisagvik College reports that the student services department worked with a grand total of 306 students in a variety of ways; Accuplacer assessment , FIrst Year Pathways cohort and completed student applications. The Ilisagvik College Student Services Department had the Cultural Activitites Specialist ( a temporary position created in Fall 2023) to assistus with addressing cultural sensitivity and indigenous student programs utilizing local elders. In so doing, we wanted to address the importance of culture and mental health wellness for our students. This specialistworked closely with 63 students. A largepart of that effort was focused on indigenous wellness.

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