QuickFacts

OVERVIEW
The Title III grant provides $1.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), to be used over a five-year period that began in October of 2002. Funding is dedicated to enhancing student success at Millikin. This goal is being addressed through several primary areas of activity: assessment, advising, retention, faculty development, and an online plan of study system. Title III funds are available for projects that will enhance Millikin’s effectiveness in any of the primary areas.

PERSONNEL
Millikin received a Title III planning grant in 2001-02; development of the Title III grant proposal was coordinated by John M. Jeep, former Director of Teaching and Learning. Jeep served as the director of Title III activities during the first year of grant activity. He left Millikin University to rejoin the faculty at Miami University in July of 2003. Paul Folger, Coordinator of Institutional Research and Assessment, assumed the role of grant director during the summer of 2003. In the fall of 2004, Larry Troy replaced Folger as the grant director.

All grant-related functions are supervised by a Coordinators’ Group. Members and their specific areas of oversight are noted below.

• Larry Troy (Title III Grant Director)—Troy's responsibilities include oversight of grant-funded activities, collaboration with the Grant Oversight Committee, and communication with the USDE Project Officer.

• Randy Brooks (Dean of Teaching & Learning and Professor, Department of English)—Brooks coordinates assessment-related activities across the four colleges that comprise the university.

• Barry Pearson (Dean, College of Fine Arts)—In the summer of 2004, Pearson replaced Paul Dorsey as coordinator of the development/implementation of the online plan of study.

• Linda Slagell (Director of Academic Development, Office of Student Life)—Slagell coordinates advising and retention improvement initiatives for Millikin’s four schools.

Specific projects in each of these areas are planned and implemented by members of the Millikin faculty and staff. Projects are designed to be broad-based and often involve collaboration between faculty from different schools and departments. Stipends and supportive funding for these projects are allocated from the grant proceeds and account for the bulk of the overall grant budget. Grant funds also support faculty development in areas related to the grant’s objectives, such as attending conferences, retreats, and specialized training sessions. In the grant's first year, over 50 faculty, administrators, and staff, as well as more than 25 students, received financial support through Title III grant funding.

OBJECTIVES
The broad goals of the grant are summarized below for each of the targeted areas.

Assessment
Over the five-year term of the grant, assessment activities are focusing on helping Millikin identify and better understand its current strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, projects are being directed to clearly state the learning objectives of all programs and majors and determine the best ways to assess the learning that has taken place. Whenever possible, these objectives and assessment activities are being outlined on the websites for the particular departments or programs. The ultimate goal is to help students succeed by clarifying university-wide expectations.

Advising & Retention
One of Millikin's challenges is to do a better job of retaining students. Title III funding is being used to strengthen the university's existing EDGE program, which assists at-risk students by helping them develop better academic skills. Additionally, Title III funding is providing a chance to review all advising and retention efforts at the university with an eye toward making them more effective and ultimately helping students to succeed.

Web Plan of Study
Title III funding is being used to increase the degree to which students are taking responsibility for their own learning. In that vein, all department and program websites are being redesigned to provide students with ready access to the ways in which required and recommended courses are intended to satisfy departmental and program learning goals. Through a better articulation of the connection between goals and courses, students will have a better understanding of the direction of their education.