Author: emgonline

Jody Owen is director of South Dakota State University’s First Year Advising Center and coordinator for University Academic Advising. In her position, Owen is very aware of the challenges facing students today as they navigate their program plans of study toward a four-year degree. The Center works to educate students on the best options to fit their academic needs. One of those options is earning a Passport. According to Owen, “for our students, earning a Passport gives them the opportunity to celebrate a completion milestone, which brings motivation to the degree completion process. We’ve had only one student transfer in from another Passport Network member so far, but the Passport streamlined his transfer process by ensuring that general education requirements were met without completing a course-by-course transfer process.”

Besides advising students on the benefits of Interstate Passport and training academic advising staff, Owen is also a member of Interstate Passport’s Academic Advisors Committee which focuses on the benefits of Interstate Passport for transfer students and provides recommendations to the Passport Review Board. She presented at the 2017 National Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Conference and led several sessions at the Interstate Passport Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Academic Advisors held in September. Owen commented that “the workshop generated a lot of conversation and ideas for advisors from across the country. It was a great, energizing way to support member institutions and those considering membership in the Interstate Passport program!”

Academic Advisors, who play an active role in serving students at member and prospective member institutions in the Interstate PassportNetwork, convened September 18-19 in Boulder, CO. The purpose of this workshop was for attendees to learn about the current status of Interstate Passport and how the program assists students through the transfer process. By training 26 academic advisors to train other advisors on their campuses, staff hope to ensure that students across the Network are hearing a consistent message regarding the benefits that Interstate Passport provides. Doug Shapiro, executive research director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, started off the workshop by presenting, The Transfer Landscape in the US. His session included the latest transfer data and trends on student mobility across the nation which provided the broader context for discussions about more specific topics. These included the benefits of Interstate Passport; the role of the academic advisor and Interstate Passport; emerging and promising best practices; and the latest strategies for training academic advisors.

DeAnn Johnson, advisor for Completion and Transferability at North Idaho College, commented on her experiences at the workshop that “Higher Education professionals face an increasing challenge to close the college completion gap. At times, it can seem overwhelming from a single person/institution perspective. Interstate Passport offers an opportunity for a growing number of participating US Colleges and Universities, to work together to meet Complete College America’s goals. I appreciate the opportunity that attending this workshop provided. I was able to meet and engage with professionals who are working to make difference in students’ lives!”

Over the past several months two Passport Network members have been working to better educate their faculty, staff, and students about Interstate Passport and its benefits.

In its video Laramie County Community College (WY) focuses on informing their campus faculty and staff. Testimonials provided by Kari Brown-Herbst, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Stephen Crynes, director of Student Planning & Success, and Jonathan Carrier, psychology instructor are interlaced with the latest transfer student data that delivers key messages to the viewer. This video will be used to provide a general overview of Interstate Passport and specifically how Laramie County Community College students benefit from earning a Passport.

The University of Utah targets the student audience in this short promotional video. With the focus of streamlining transfer, students learn, in just over a minute, that they can get off the merry-go-round of repeating learning in general education courses already achieved and fast track their way to a degree by earning a Passport.

Tony Flores is the program coordinator of Utah State University Veterans Resource Office and a member of Interstate Passport’s Military and Veterans Affairs Committee which focuses on the benefits of Interstate Passport for transfer students, especially active military personnel, veterans, and their families–a highly mobile population that often must transfer. In his position, Flores is all too familiar with the story of a veteran student who has had to repeat courses and/or lost credits while transferring, ultimately costing the student more time and money. “Earning a Passport can really benefit the students I work for”, says Flores. Utah State University, one of the founding Interstate Passport Network member institutions, is near a local base and currently serves over 450 veteran students through their Veterans Resource Office. “Since becoming involved with the committee, I have focused on increasing awareness with staff about the benefits of Interstate Passport and how earning a Passport can really help our military students.”

Flores currently sits on the Utah Department of Veteran and Military Affairs Education and Employment Work Group and is president of the National Association of Veterans Program Administrators. In addition to supporting veterans in his professional work outside of the university, he was recently asked to speak to the Utah Legislature’s Military and Veterans Affairs Commission regarding Interstate Passport and will also be presenting at the Student Veterans of America’s national conference. “The Commission members showed their continued interest and support of veterans’ education during my presentation on Interstate Passport. My goal is to continue the dialogue with commission members and to emphasize that the Interstate Passport program is a pathway to general education transferability.”

Flores served in the United State Army from 1994 through 1997 spending the majority of his time with B Co. 3/75 Ranger Regiment and his final year of service with C Co. 1/503 Infantry Regiment (Air Assault) Camp Hovey, Korea. He earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts & science from Utah State University.