Student Life Committee Meeting November 18, 2022

Present from the board

Regina Brayboy
Steven Kast
LTC (R) Boris G. Robinson

Present from Administration, Faculty, and Students

Dr. Lisa Duncan Raines, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success
Dr. Kevin Hughes, Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students
Rob Lange, Dean of Admission
Dr. Rocio Gordon, Faculty Senate Representative
Celine Rosario, Student Government Association President

Not in attendance

Lee Vreeland, Ed.D.
The Honorable Richard S. Bray
Sean Miller
C. Larry Pope

Visitors

Dr. Robert Colvin, Interim Chief of Staff
Julianna Wait, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services

Call to Order

In the absence of Dr. Vreeland, Acting Committee Chair Brayboy called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. A moment of silence was observed for the loss at the University of Virginia. As a quorum was not available, approval of the September 16, 2022 Student Life Committee Minutes will be added to the February 3, 2023 meeting agenda.

Freshman Admission

Dean Robert Lange greeted the Committee, reporting that Christopher Newport University continues to rebound from COVID-specific challenges in this admission cycle. Submitted applications are up 21% compared to this time last year, and up 28% from November 18, 2019. The Admission team visited nearly 500 high schools this fall, and represented Christopher Newport at 150 in-person college fairs. Attendance at Open Houses was up two percent compared to last year, and our President’s Leadership and Honors Program Visit Days have yielded an attendance increase of 25%. Daily tours and interviews remain steady, and the Admission Office plans to accommodate close to 100 high school seniors next month during two scheduled Saturday Interview Day events prior to Winter Break. Nine on-campus recruitment events are scheduled for the spring semester, in addition to the return of off-campus events aimed at admitted student yield and school counselors in Northern Virginia and Richmond. Receipt of an additional 1,000+ applications is anticipated prior to the Early Action deadline of December 1. Early Decision notifications will go out prior to the December 15 notification date, with Early Action letters arriving in mailboxes by January 15.

Enrollment and Student Success

Dr. Lisa Duncan Raines began with a profile of currently enrolled Christopher Newport University students. Of the 4,600 enrolled students, 110 are enrolled in a graduate program, 94% are in-state, 26% are students of color, 13% are legacy (largely siblings) and 25% are participants in the President’s Leadership Program (PLP). Only 70 of our students are enrolled less than full-time, and those students are largely graduating this semester or eligible to enroll less than full-time pursuant to ADA accommodations. One-third of our students are enrolled in a STEM discipline, and one-quarter of the student population is enrolled in a service-related program of study. Roughly 14% of our study body is made up of student-athletes, and 18% are first-generation college students. The average undergraduate GPA is nearly 3.1.

The fall semester has been busy. The Center for Career Planning has hosted four fairs, including the annual campus-wide Careers, Jobs and Internships Fair, a graduate school fair and two boutique fairs, discipline-specific, all with strong attendance from students, employers and graduate schools.

Dr. Duncan Raines provided an update on the Community Captains program, a collaboration with Newport News Public Schools to provide college access and readiness to high-achieving, first-generation or economically challenged students. Currently, there are four active cohorts, two enrolled on campus as first- and second-year students and two comprised of high school juniors and seniors. A number of events have been hosted on campus, many cohort-specific, to foster both immersion into campus life and cohort cohesion. The inaugural Etiquette and Decorum Dinner was held in September with plans in place to make this an annual event. An Achievable Dream hosts a similar event for their students, but for many of our Community Captains, this is a new and enlightening experience. Curtis Davidson, Director of Admission Operations, developed and hosted Build Your Own University, to assist students to discover what is important to them in their university of choice. A welcome for Cohort 4 was also held on campus, something the program does for each new cohort, which included a panel of student leaders. Celine Rosario, the SGA President, provided feedback on this event as she was a panel member, indicating the students were engaged and full of questions about life on campus. Newport News Public Schools filmed the event and featured the Community Captains Program on This Just In, featured on Cox 47 and FIOS 17.

Looking forward, Dr. Duncan Raines advised that Cohort 3 members, high school seniors enrolled in the Community Captains program, will have the opportunity in the spring semester to take a transferable 3-credit class, Elementary Statistics (MATH 125), on campus at no cost, with Newport News Public Schools providing the transportation to and from campus. This is the third year this opportunity has been available to our Community Captains.

On Wednesday evening, a well-attended event was held for the 25 Community Captains on campus to visit with students and staff involved in our Four Pillars: service, undergraduate research, internships and study abroad. On Saturday, the What Do I Not Want To Be? workshop will be hosted for our high school junior and senior cohorts, focusing on interests, careers and values and how they relate to each other in the selection of a major and future vocational plans. A values auction will be included as part of this workshop, which has proven to be an engaging and fun event for our students, matching personal values and career options in the world of work.

Tutoring and peer mentoring remain strong, with over 700 students involved in more than 1,500 individual appointments. Advising and early registration for the spring and summer terms just ended, and the Enrollment and Student Success team continues to work with students to refine schedules and prepare for spring to maintain full-time student status and support graduation in a timely manner. Additionally, as part of our “recruit back” efforts, the Enrollment and Student Success team will continue to work with students not yet enrolled for the spring semester, to provide any needed assistance to foster their return and degree completion. There are 180 students anticipated for degree completion in December, ten of whom are graduate students.

Student Affairs

Dr. Kevin Hughes noted that his written submission highlighted a return to many of the traditional events on campus, including those associated with Homecoming. He also discussed the time, effort, energy and resources invested in our PLP students, and the return on investment. Christopher Newport University sent four different teams of students to the International Leadership Association (ILA). For the tenth consecutive year our students earned a podium slot in their case study competition. Christopher Newport University has taken first place three years in a row. In addition, Christopher Newport University sent two teams to Virginia Military Institute for the “Ethics and Leadership” conference where our students placed first and third. The successes of our students are reflective of the University’s belief in leadership and leadership development and our students’ experiences both in and out of the classroom.

Christopher Newport’s PLP program recently hosted the first TEDx on campus, featuring a national speaker, a faculty member, two Hampton Roads community members, three alumnae and three current students, all sharing their thoughts on the meaning of a life of significance. In December, PLP staff members and students will present sessions at the National Leadership Educators’ Institute, another premier leadership organization with an international and national presence.

At the Committee’s request, Dr. Hughes concluded his address to the group with a presentation entitled “Mental Health and Today’s College Student.” Dr. Hughes provided information on the current mental health national landscape. He noted that prior to the pandemic, there was a steady increase in suicide rates across all age groups, a growing usage of College Counseling Centers, and expanding needs for crisis response for college students. Anxiety and depression were the two most prevalent diagnoses seen on college campuses. Dr. Hughes indicated the aftereffects of COVID only heightened the mental health challenges affecting the nation, and college students were especially affected by the pandemic difficulties. He shared that one in five adults were diagnosed with some form of mental illness, but that percentage increased to nearly one-third of all college students. He noted that this trend of widespread effects increased in the college age population and was also seen in diagnoses of any serious mental illness, anxiety, major depressive episodes, and suicides.

Dr. Hughes shared data specific to Christopher Newport, highlighting the wide array of university resources with an emphasis on clinical service delivery. He noted there has been a steady increase in usage of clinical services in both volume and percentage of graduating students who have used the counseling center. While there is no session limit, most students use a campus counselor between one and ten times. Dr. Hughes indicated that many students using OCS have a significant prior history before ever entering the clinic; he presented data on previous therapy, medication, suicide attempts/self-harm, and previous hospitalization that were consistent with national averages. At CNU, he shared that anxiety and depression have long been the most frequent diagnoses, but recently the impact of COVID has generated growing social difficulties, relationship problems, and adjustment to college. He highlighted the effectiveness of the clinical staff in helping students make progress and concluded with the announcement that the university had been awarded a $200,000 grant from SCHEV to increase clinical support while training future clinicians. With this grant, the university will add three clinical staff and reduce our clinician-to-student ratio to 1:300, by far the lowest in the state and well below the national standard of 1:1500.

Student Government Association (SGA)

Celine Rosario indicated that the campus is lively as students are preparing for finals and the end of the semester. She thanked campus organizations for hosting various events to relieve some of the end-of-semester stress. Most recently, Alpha Phi Alpha hosted Stroll to the Polls, a stomp competition that raised $4,600 for the March of Dimes while also raising voter awareness, with 50+ students heading to vote. Another highlight included the Glow in the Dark Acapella event, a collaborative effort involving all of the Acapella groups on campus.

The SGA is working to promote the Speak Up CNU forum which allows students to anonymously scan a QR code and discuss initiatives and concerns. For the spring semester, the SGA plans to host a few open forums to provide a platform for students to ask questions to be referred to the appropriate Christopher Newport contact. The SGA Executive Board will promote social media to reach students on campus as an outlet of communication given the lack of response to emails. Celine reported assisting the Interfraternity Council (IFC) host a student-led candlelight vigil in response to the tragedy at the University of Virginia. Homecoming was incredibly successful; students were able to tailgate and connect with one another. Celine’s sorority hosted a well-attended alumni brunch as part of the homecoming festivities.

Adjournment

With no further discussion, Acting Committee Chair Brayboy adjourned the meeting at 9:39 a.m.