It

Starts with Orientation:

Connecting Student Leadership Development to Retention
Kent State University, Student Success Programs
Yvonna Washington-Greer
Joshua Perkins
Emily Carle

Overview
Leadership Identity Development (LID)
model
Destination Kent State - three phase
orientation program
Kent State Peer Leader Training Workshop
Student Success Programs contribution to
campus retention
Idea generation for your campus
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Kent State University

Public research institution founded in 1910
8 campus system with 41,000+ students
Kent Campus has 27,500 undergraduate and
graduate students
6,200 students living in 24 residence halls &
12 living-learning communities
20% Zirst year commuter population
4,245 freshmen matriculated in Fall 2014
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The Universitys Six

Strategic Goals
1. Ensuring Student Success
2. Enhancing Academic Excellence and Innovation
3. Expanding Breakthrough Research and Creative
Endeavors
4. Engaging with the World Beyond Our Campuses
5. Securing Our Financial Future
6. Developing and Recognizing Our People

Leadership Identity Development

By Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, &

Osteen (2005)

Leadership Identity Development at

Kent State University

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Destination Kent State (DKS)

Three phase orientation process designed to
acclimate, transition, support and connect
students to Kent State University.
Advising and Registration
Welcome Weekend (WW)
First Year Experience (FYE) course

Destination Kent State:

Advising & Registration
Overnight experience for students and
families
Incoming students paired in residence hall
Connect to individual colleges
Student and parent agendas
Flashguides
AWARENESS

Destination Kent State:

Welcome Weekend

Three day orientation

Back to school
Academic day
Community day
This is Kent State/Blastoff
Student Success Leaders
EXPLORATION/ENGAGEMENT

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Destination Kent State:

First Year Experience

Required for all Zirst year students

College focused
Resources and transition support
Provost, faculty, advisors, staff
Student Success Leaders
EXPLORATION/ENGAGEMENT
& LEADER IDENTIFIED
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Student Feedback from DKS

The Flashguides named Emma,
Clay, and Taylor were by far the
most helpful and enjoyable of the
bunch. Not only were they
informative of Kent State, but they
were immensely kind and made
me feel welcomed at the campus,
and helped me feel like I really did
belong here.

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Student Feedback from DKS

DKS was absolutely amazing. It was soooo helpful. I was able
to meet soo many new people, but not just meet them,
actually make friends with them. DKS got me feelin
some typa way honestly, like I'm soo excited I wish the fall
semester started tomorrow. And the Flashguides were
fantastic, from leading the program to assisting students. But
they even would go above and beyond that, and that was they
would take the time to get to know a few of us, sit down, talk
to us, make us feel more comfortable with the whole
experience and experiences to come.

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Student Feedback from DKS

The Flashguides. They were helpful and excellent.
I hope to become one.
I want to be a Flashguide next year!!!!

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Student Feedback from DKS

My favorite part was the Flashguides because there was such a wide
variety of them so all of my questions were able to be answered.
I liked talking with my Flashguide because she had the same major
as me and she gave great advice.
I enjoyed my SSLs because they gave me good advice and input for
the future of our major.

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Student Feedback from DKS

I dont feel I met anyone at DKS that I will

connect with after my visit ends.
I met 1-3 people that I plan to friend on
Facebook or otherwise make a connection
with over the summer.
I met 4 or more people I plan to friend on
Facebook or otherwise ,make a connection
with over the summer.

How we focus our efforts on this population of students

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Peer Leader Training Workshop

Recruiting starts in October
First Year Experience
Center for Student Involvement
Academic Advising
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

250 students each spring

Taught by student trainers
Workshop/seminar style
30 contact hours
LEADER IDENTIFIED &
LEADERSHIP DIFFERENTIATED

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Leadership Opportunities

Flashguides
Welcome Weekend Staff
FYE Student Success Leaders
EXCEL Living-Learning Community Mentors
Kupita/Transiciones Mentors
Transfer Kent State Ambassadors

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Student Leader Selection Process

Peer Leader Training Workshop starts in January:
recruiting for positions starts right away
Flashguides

February: application due & group process

March: individual interviews & decision day
April: spring training
May: training week into program

Student Success Leaders

March: application
April: spring training
August: fall training
Fall semester: weekly seminar

LEADERSHIP DIFFERENTIATED
& GENERATIVITY

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Student Leader Model

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Retention Rates by
Kent Campus Cohort

2011 2012 2013

Kent Campus

77.1% 77.6% 81.7%

Residence Hall Students

Commuters

78.1% 78.6% 82.1%

72.4% 73.1% 79.2%

Exploratory

72.2% 71.9% 75.8%

African American Males

African American Females
Hispanic
Multiracial
Native American/Alaskan Native
Male Total
Female Total

69.3% 73.0% 81.0%

75.2%
71.3%
71.8%
100.0%
75.9%
77.8%

73.2%
72.1%
72.5%
60.0%
74.7%
79.3%

78.8%
76.9%
68.8%
50.0%
80.9%
82.0%
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Student Leaders vs.

Kent Campus
Academic Year in
Kent
Peer Leader
Campus
Training Workshop GPA

Kent
Campus
Retention

Student
Leader
GPA

Still
Enrolled/
Graduated

Fall 11-Spring 12 3.11

77.1%

3.19

85%

Fall 12-Spring 13 3.10

77.6%

3.11

89%

Fall 13-Spring 14 3.08

81.7%

3.32

98%

Data as of 15th Day, Fall 2014

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Idea Generation
1. Are you looking to create a culture of leadership on your
campus? How?
2. Are you producing student leaders on campus? How?
3. What impression of leadership are students getting when
they step on your campus?
4. Are students able to identify with student leaders ?
5. Do students see opportunities to get involved in
leadership roles?
6. How are you modeling student leadership on campus?

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In Review
Strategic mission
Theory based
Building a comprehensive leadership
program
Strong training
Intentional selection process
Retention one student leader at time
Setting students up for Integration/Synthesis
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Questions?
Student Success Programs
Kent State University, Kent, OH
www.kent.edu/success
Yvonna - ywashing@kent.edu
Joshua - jperki12@kent.edu
Emily - ecarle@kent.edu

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Please complete an
evaluation of this
session in Guidebook
by clicking the link
after the session
description.