New Penn State program aims to help students graduate on time
For first-generation college student Izzy Klink of Masontown, a new program at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, is giving her a strong start to her college career.
Called “Pathway to Success: Summer Start Program” or PaSSS, the program, which is being piloted this summer at seven Penn State branch campuses, including Fayette, is aimed at providing financial and educational support to students, while at the same time helping them graduate on time.
“It’s really overwhelming,” Klink said of being a first-generation college student. “But it’s exciting at the same time.”
Students in the program are given the opportunity to earn scholarships while taking classes, working, and developing a support network.
“It’s important for students to get through college on a timely basis, to make academic progress throughout the year,” said David Christiansen, associate vice president for Commonwealth Campuses. “Often students run into stumbling blocks. We want to remove those stumbling blocks and provide the students with opportunities to get ahead.”
Christiansen said the program is primarily aimed at incoming Penn State students who are either low-income, from the first generation in their families to attend college, or from underrepresented groups and are therefore most likely to drop out. Through the combination of an early summer start on class credits, scholarship support, a job, peer mentoring, and a special academic adviser, the program is aimed at keeping those students on track.
“We think this is an opportunity for students to get their feet wet, to get individual attention, and to make the rush of activity in the fall easier to deal with,” Christiansen said.
PaSSS is also being piloted at Penn State Beaver and Shenango, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Schuylkill.
There are 22 freshman students participating at Penn State Fayette. While there are variations in how each campus is implementing the program, there are key elements at all the locations:
n PaSSS targets a small group of students, who are selected and contacted about participating.
n Students are paired with a peer mentor the first summer. The next year, the participants become the mentors to the incoming students.
n Students work on campus or in the community each summer to earn extra money while making friends and contacts.
n Students take up to six credits the first summer and 12 credits the second summer.
n Students receive a $250 per credit scholarship each summer (up to $1,500 the first summer and $3,000 the second) to help defray the cost of tuition.
n Students also receive a $400 stipend to pay for books and fees.
At Penn State Fayette, the program includes the main components–taking two classes; working; participating in the mentorship program; and participating in the Math Academy–and will last seven weeks.
The Math Academy is a new noncredit program Penn State has designed to bring students whose math skills may be lacking up to speed. Although not only for students in PaSSS, the Math Academy is being incorporated into the summer program.
Rick Brazier, interim associate dean for faculty and research, said the goal of the academy is to use a combination of online courseware and self-paced, on-the-ground tutoring at each of the campuses to raise students’ math levels to their expected starting point.
“This will mean they have a greater probability of finishing their degrees on time and thus saving money at the same time,” said Brazier, an associate professor of mathematics and geology.
The goal, Robert Tallerico, director of enrollment services said, is to bring students’ skills to where they need to be–and avoid another potential pitfall down the road.
“For a lot of students, math tends to be one of those areas where they could potentially fall behind,” Tallerico said. “If they’re not building those skills early, then future math courses are not going to be successful. We’re going to give them the skills up front so they can be successful.”
According to a 2014 study by Complete College America, the overwhelming majority of public colleges graduate less than 50 percent of their full-time students in four years. The study said not graduating on time is costing students and their parents billions of extra dollars — $15,933 more in cost of attendance for every extra year of a public two-year college and $22,826 for every extra year at a public four-year college.
Christiansen said it’s important for students to understand the financial consequences of their decisions. While the federal government requires 12 credits per semester for financial aid support, Christiansen said students should actually be taking a minimum of 15 credits a semester to ensure graduation within four years.
“Therefore, instead of being in school that fifth year, a student can be in the workforce, and paying down their student loan debt as opposed to running up more debt,” he said.
He believes PaSSS, which allows a student to take six credits in the first summer, and 12 in the second summer, where both summers equal one full semester, addresses this issue.
Tallerico said the population Penn State Fayette serves in the southwestern corner of the state has a large number of students who are the first in their families to go to college (52 percent) and who are from a low socioeconomic background (with 43 percent eligible for federal Pell grants).
“We know the cost of college is at the forefront of the minds of our students and parents,” Tallerico said. “For a lot of families, cost is the number one factor that affects where their children go to college or if they go to college at all. I view this as one of Penn State’s ways to engage families on this issue.”
In addition to the cost of college, Christiansen said the novelty of college is another potential barrier to student success.
“They are responsible for attending class, showing up on time and time management, and are no longer in such a controlled structure as you see in high school,” he said.
Christiansen said Penn State will not be able to fully realize or measure the success of the program until four years from now.
However, he’s confident in the model the university has developed. He’s especially confident in the program’s success at Penn State Fayette.
“We’re very excited about the Dr. Charles Patrick, the chancellor, and the campus also has a strong director of admissions in Robert Tallerico,” Christiansen said. “We thought they would really support and champion this program. That’s why we chose Fayette — because of the leadership on the ground.”