1st Annual Student Success Research Symposium April 10, 2012

Announcing the 1^ST Annual Student Success Research Symposium

The Michigan Center for Student Success (MCSS) will be hosting the first annual Student Success Research Symposium on April 10th. This event will be held in Ann Arbor in partnership with the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.  One of the main goals of MCSS is to develop a sustained student success research agenda based on the needs of Michigan community colleges and key issues correlated with improved student outcomes. To this end, the symposium will be the launch of the Student Success Applied Research Collaborative with the input and direction from academic leadership, institutional research directors, and other practitioners at community colleges. The college staff and leadership will also be joined by scholars from Michigan universities conducting research on two-year institutions. The goal of this event is to inform the long-term research agenda for the Center with an eye toward research projects and analyses that have practical application and value to the colleges efforts to improve student outcomes. Topics to be covered at the symposium will include:

·         An overview of the student success research literature

·         An initial profile of student progression and success (w/aggregate data from ATD colleges)

·         An update about the Michigan P-20 data system and its implications for the research agenda

·         Breakout sessions and facilitated discussions about key research questions

·         A panel session featuring research and analyses from community college research and planning staff

·         A panel session featuring emerging and relevant research projects from university faculty

More details (including an agenda) will be shared as they are finalized in the next couple weeks, but this event will be an important opportunity for teams of college practitioners (including leadership, IR staff, and faculty) and scholarly researchers to begin a dialogued about a sustained student success research agenda for Michigan’s community colleges. As always, we welcome your input. Please direct any questions about the symposium to Chris Baldwin (cbaldwin@mcca.org) or Jenny Schanker (jschanker@mcca.org).