Student Life Committee Meeting June 9, 2023

Present from the Board

Sean Miller
LTC (R) Boris G. Robinson
The Honorable Ronald L. Tillett
Lee Vreeland, Ed.D.

Not in attendance

Regina Brayboy
Steven Kast
C. Larry Pope

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
Dr. Rob Lange, Dean of Admission
William Donaldson, Faculty Senate Representative and Associate Professor
Kate Bennett, Student Government Association President.

Visitors

Adelia Thompson, Interim President
Dr. Robert Colvin, Interim Chief of Staff
Lacey Grey Hunter, Director of the President’s Leadership Program
Kyle McMullin, Director of Athletics
Julianna Wait, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services.

Call to Order

Committee Chair Vreeland called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. There were no minutes for approval as the Committee did not meet in April. The February 2023 Student Life Committee minutes were approved during the full Board meeting on April 14, 2023.

Dr. Vreeland began by congratulating Sean Miller on his recent promotion to CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Richmond.

Athletics

Kyle McMullin, Director of Athletics, addressed the Committee to provide the required annual report regarding student-athlete discipline. He indicated there was little change as compared to last year’s report, with a nominal decrease in involvement with the Center for Honor, Enrichment, and Community Service (CHECS). Data indicate that our student-athletes behave similarly to non-student-athletes on campus. Mr. McMullin credits the intentional recruiting of student-athletes as students first and confirmed that student-athletes are selected based on values to ensure a good fit with the Christopher Newport University community.

Mr. McMullin indicated that over the last five (5) years there has been marginal growth in numbers, and reminded the group that the focus is bringing student-athletes to campus that will add value to Christopher Newport in all aspects of campus life.

Freshman Admission

Dr. Robert Lange indicated that Christopher Newport University is in great shape for the upcoming year in terms of the incoming freshmen class. He provided a three-year admission comparison and reported that we are still north of 1,200 deposits from students who have committed to attend this fall. Dean Lange anticipates a melt of 3% to 5% by the fall census in September, which is typical. We are on target to meet or exceed the budgeted goal of 1,150 freshmen. The incoming class is as expected in terms of grade point average (GPA) and SAT scores and trending in the right direction for other subgroups such as President’s Leadership Program, Honors Program, and student-athletes.

LTC Robinson asked about the profile markers in terms of COVID, and Dean Lange indicated that many schools are remaining test optional as it directly benefits them. Historically, there have been students who could not be considered for admission due to low SAT scores, and these students excelled in every other area. As these students have proven they can be successful, the test-optional admission process provides more access across the board.

The Office of Admission continues to provide outreach and welcome visitors to campus, and Dean Lange said he repeatedly hears from parents and school counselors that our event management and communication plan is excellent. These assertions are validated by survey results, which were highlighted in a second handout titled “Building the Class,” along with a number of metrics quantifying activities sponsored by the Office of Admission.

Enrollment and Student Success

Dr. Lisa Duncan Raines began by reflecting on highlights from the past academic year, with the most recent highlight being Commencement which is a time to recognize the hard work of our students. Christopher Newport ended the academic year conferring 1,142 degrees – 1,052 baccalaureate and 90 magisterial degrees, with an average undergraduate graduation GPA of 3.3 for the second consecutive year. This year’s graduating class included 160 legacies, which speaks to the high regard our students and their families have for Christopher Newport.

Dr. Duncan Raines reported that the Career Center posted over 111,000 jobs and internships on the Handshake platform. Their continued focus on career development and student engagement is reflected in the 40% increase in individual appointments with students and alumni as compared to the previous year. Employer engagement also increased in nearly every measurable category including job fair participation and employer-sponsored events on campus. One of the goals for the 2022-23 academic year was to increase student engagement, particularly with first-year college students. In response to this goal, the Center for Career Planning met with 85% of our first-year college students this past academic year.

Dr. Duncan Raines shared that the 2022-23 academic year closed with five active cohorts of Community Captains, three of these cohorts, nearly 40 students, will be enrolled this fall. The third cohort includes the highest percentage of students to enroll at Christopher Newport to date, with nearly 30% committing to Christopher Newport this fall. The year has been busy supporting these students, with over 50 programming events held spanning all five cohorts. Recently, we celebrated Cohort 3 on May 20, 2023, as these Community Captains completed the high school portion of their program and prepared to graduate from high school. We were honored to have the Honorable Gabe Morgan as the keynote speaker for this special event, and Curtis Davidson was honored for being a treasured partner to this program.

Dr. Duncan Raines invited the Committee to check out the recent video Newport News Public Schools recorded which included a segment on Community Service Day when the Community Captains along with other Christopher Newport students worked together to build beds for bedless Peninsula children for the second year. She expressed appreciation for the partnership with the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences for the second Community Captains Summer STEM research program. This program began with five slots and six very qualified students—and morphed into approval for six rising high school students to conduct research over the summer with our faculty while earning a $2,000 stipend.

The Student Success team has been busy conducting research and planning to develop programming that will be effective in helping students transition to university life. Hiring and training peer tutors have been a big part of this preparation with 80 to 120 hires anticipated for the 2023-24 academic year. Both our tutoring and mentoring programs have international certification through the College Reading and Learning Association which sets a higher standard and involves significant training for both our peer educators and mentors prior to their work with students. Our assessment data tells us that 97% of tutored students indicated the tutoring exceeded their expectations, with 83% of these students earning the required grade needed to advance to the next course. Roughly 3,500 tutoring appointments were conducted this past year as well as 4,100 success coaching appointments. More than 93% of those involved in success coaching enrolled for the next semester.

Student Affairs

Dr. Kevin Hughes began by referencing the materials provided in the Board Book and noted the impact of mental health issues, not just on the Counseling Center, but the rippling effect on accommodations and student conduct. For the first time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) issues arose this fall, with five incidents of misuse of artificial intelligence. We expect to see more of these types of challenges moving forward. Dr. Hughes reminded the Committee of the grant received regarding mental health in addition to another grant for the CNU Police Department. Student Affairs is not typically a key player in terms of grants, so he is very pleased with the progress. He was pleased to report that some of the campus organizations that had experienced membership decline are now on the upswing, returning to numbers seen prior to COVID. Dr. Hughes reflected on Commencement and confirmed that Christopher Newport University students are headed on to great things including enrollment in competitive graduate schools. He introduced Lacey Grey Hunter to speak on behalf of the President’s Leadership Program.

Ms. Hunter began by acknowledging the team of people in place to support the President’s Leadership Program (PLP). In terms of PLP members from the Class of 2023, these students completed nearly 48,000 hours of community service during their time at CNU, which computes to a monetary value of $1.4 million in terms of what our students gave back to the community. PLP graduates exceed academically with a collective GPA of nearly 3.6 with nearly 70% earning Latin honors. Christopher Newport University PLP students continue to excel both inside and outside of the classroom, attending conferences and competitions. Recently, a group of our students returned from northern Arizona where they engaged in service in the Navajo and Hopi communities constructing raised garden beds and houses to improve resources in much-needed areas. This was hard labor, and they did incredible work. Another student will be heading to Rome for a Student Leader Global Summit to present research on a topic to be assigned upon arrival at the conference. Our students serve the local, national, and international communities, and are good stewards for effective leadership.

Dr. Hughes discussed the upcoming orientation scheduled in two weeks, and he provided some of the materials our students and families will receive for both orientation and leadership, highlighting the experiences they will have as part of these programs.

Student Government Association (SGA)

Kate Bennett, incoming Student Government Association President, is a rising senior studying political science, philosophy, and leadership, and has been involved with SGA since freshman year. Kate is excited to serve in this leadership capacity. Though many students have returned home for the summer, Kate reported that campus is still very busy with students conducting summer research, training for orientation, athletics, internships, and more. Student organizations are hard at work planning for the fall semester, with SGA specifically working on Light the Night. The Campus Activities Board held its annual member retreat, collaborating on future plans. The Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils are working hard to make sure information is being disseminated with regard to recruitment.

Serving as Vice Chair of the Title IX Council, Kate is one of the three students asked to provide perspective on this topic. The process has been an insightful experience with students feeling valued with their voices being amplified in this way. The student body is hopeful for the future of Christopher Newport University as we approach the inauguration of our new President. Kate will be participating in a number of Student Life panels during Setting Sail with both students and parents and is looking forward to welcoming these new students.

Adjournment

With no further discussion, Committee Chair Vreeland adjourned the meeting at 9:00 a.m.