The mission of the Butte College Transfer Counseling Center is to support student success and provide programs, services, and information resources that enable students to prepare for their transition to a college, university or the workplace. These programs, services and resources will ensure the inclusion of low-income, disabled, first generation college students, and members of other disproportionately impacted student groups in the community. These mission goals will be met by the following priorities: 1. Through Transfer Counseling communication and participation with other Counseling Department�s on campus: EOPS, DSPS, Inspiring Scholars, Ascending Scholars, Veterans, and Student-Athlete Counseling. All Counseling programs and appropriate student service groups that support transfer students will obtain accurate and timely counseling, transfer information, and services. 2. In coordination with all-Counseling Services, potential transfer students will be provided with counseling and academic planning. This includes the selection of courses required for university admission, general education options, and major preparation. These activities will include encouraging participation in transfer programs that support academic planning such as Transfer Admission Agreements, Cross Enrollment at universities, and the utilization of course articulation information to ensure course transferability. 3. Collaboration with the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU), Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities (AICCU), and out-of-state schools (especially those affiliated with the Western Undergraduate Exchange a.k.a. WUE). Coordination with university representatives from these various systems to offer group and one-on-one services to Butte students through appointments, transfer workshops & university campus visits. 4. Creation and maintenance responsibilities of sequential semester-by-semester major pathway plans for the top 31 majors at Chico State, the CSU where 70% of Butte students transfer to. These maps are especially important for first generation college students. Continued collaboration with Curriculum and the Office of Instruction regarding the sequential semester-by-semester program maps for 32 Butte ADT transfer degrees. 5. Continued partnership with Butte College Reg-to-Go, which collaborates with local K-12 service area students to provide access and support to all local high school students. 6. Continued partnership with Butte College Roadrunner Rush, which collaborates with Orientation for all new students. 7. Collaboration with the Director of the Career and Academic Assessment Center and the Counseling Articulation Officer in providing accurate and timely exam credit information regarding Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), in an effort to ensure consistency with transfer institutions guidelines. This information shall be published online and in the Butte college catalog. 8. Working with Admissions & Records, Evaluation and Graduation Officers and Counseling to streamline ADT petitioning and tracking ADTs, especially identifying E-verify students who have applied to the CSU system but have yet to formally apply for their degrees at Butte College. 9. Periodic review and revision of campus policies and procedures as needed to strengthen and clarify the transfer process for the campus and community. 10. Increasing the transfer percentage rate of all students, especially keeping in mind those from population groups who have identified transfer as an educational goal and are experiencing disproportionate transfer impact outcomes. 11. Monitoring transfer-related information in college documentation, such as the catalog and websites to ensure currency. 12. Dissemination of transfer information to appropriate offices and programs, such as providing regular UC TAG and admission updates to all-Counselors (includes presentations and emails). 13. Providing transfer-related workshops that inform the transfer application process. 14. Continued maintenance of a virtual calendar of Transfer Center Events accessible to all students on the Transfer Counseling Center website and the Butte College community calendar. 15. Ensuring that Butte College is represented at regional and statewide transfer meetings and conferences (e.g. UC Ensuring Transfer Success (ETS), CSU conferences, Regional TCD/Articulation meetings, CCC Transfer Conference for Counselors, etc.). 16. Collaboration with Butte Public Relations and Marketing to employ a multi-faceted approach to disseminate and market transfer information to students and staff. 17. Collect data regarding number of students accessing services at the Transfer Counseling Center (using SARS scheduler); and collaborate with Institutional Research to aggregate student data and determine the numbers of low-income and underrepresented students utilizing the Transfer Counseling Center. 18. Establish a Transfer Center Advisory Committee that meets annually and may include representation from Student services, faculty, administration, students, university personnel and other staff as deemed appropriate. 19. Maintain a departmental presence on the �BC Connect� Butte College website platform.
The Transfer Counseling Center provides counseling and transitional services to all students wishing to attend a four-year college or university. Emphasis is placed on making Butte students the highest priority for admission by focusing services and programs on major selection and four-year university specific requirements. The Transfer Counseling Center also strives to educate the campus community through presentations, public events, and outreach on strategies and opportunities at four-year colleges.
Accountability Item 1
ASSOCIATE (PART-TIME) COUNSELORS
Because of budget cuts a couple years ago, we were not able to retain the same hourly commitment for three previously funded Associate Counseling positions in the TCC. However, one of our Associate Counselors was on pregnancy leave for Fall 2021. Therefore, for the 21-22 Academic year, we were able to keep our more junior Associates with comparable hours and have enough hours to give our returning Counselors in the Spring. However, if our budget remains the same, one of our Associate Counselors will have to cut back on some of their hours (relative to Fall 2021). This year, we used all of our allotted budget.
In addition to seeing students in appointments, assisting with application workshops, and developing SEPs and scheduling classes, our secondary (seeing students in one-on-one appointments is primary) Associate faculty duties in Transfer Counseling Center are specific to the department: Cross Registration application workshops, and E-advising.
TRANSFER DAY AND TRANSFER ACADEMY
Transfer Day
2019 was the last year we had an in-person Transfer Day. 40 representatives from 30 different colleges attended. We hope to have our next one in September of the Fall 2022 semester.
In 2019, the expenses for food, tent rental and set-up, busing high school students, advertising and miscellaneous expenses costs amounted to around $8,000. In 2020, we received this funding and gave it back to Student Services. Last year, in anticipation of a remote-only Transfer Day(s), we were not allotted this expense for the 21-22 academic year. We will be asking for this funding for 22-23. In fact, we are already in discussion with In Tents Events of Chico for September 21, 2022. Soon we will make arrangements for a Transfer Day event at the Black Box Theatre. For the latter, we intend to focus on the recruitment of local DI high school students and hope to include a campus tour and a Black Box event with reps from the UC, CSUs and Butte College Administration.
Although there was no in-person Transfer Day in 2021, the Butte Transfer Counseling Center promoted (via Grad Guru, the Campus Events calendar, Colleague “Re-group,” and inter-campus communication) 4 different remote Transfer Day related activities in the Fall 2021 semester:
TRANSFER WEEKS VIRTUAL FAIRS. For California Public and Private schools.
1) UC Week: Second Week of September
2) AICCU Week: Third Week of September
3) CSU Week: First Week of October
These three activities were organized in cooperation with admission directors from all 9 UCs, 23 CSUs and many California private universities (AICCUs).
4) For out-of-state public and private schools, the TCC organized a Butte College Transfer informational page that is spotlighted on our website http://x5l.hr888888.com/transfer/ Out-of-state schools and some California private schools that traditionally were represented at our Transfer Day were asked to send us any web links for information or recruiting videos aimed specifically at community college transfer student populations, and Butte students in particular. Information was posted on our website in mid-September and remains there for reference: http://x5l.hr888888.com/services/transfercenter/OOSPRI5.pdfAlso, the Butte Transfer Counseling Center established an out-of-state reference for all-Counselors on the TCW and trained Butte College Counselors accordingly: http://ccctransfer.org/oos/. Students can also access this resource.
Transfer Academy
The Transfer Academy provides assistance with the UC and out-of-state application process and personal insight essays, workshops on the initiatives available to transfer students, classroom presentations, and virtual and in-person counseling appointments with UC representatives. This year, we used funding on promotional items and a computer for the Counselor who we hope will be filling this position for the 22-23 year. Typically, the funding is used for marketing materials, promotional items, and catering.
During the 21-22 academic year, the Coordinator of the Transfer Academy went on leave in early September, right before UC TAGS were due, and right before the application deadlines for the UC and CSUs. They are still on leave with no timetable to return. In the meantime, the Transfer Coordinator has taken over the responsibility of the Transfer Academy. This is not a sustainable situation. If the TCC loses its only other full-time Counselor for another term, the Transfer Academy will have to be abandoned for the 22-23 academic year.
This Fall, Transfer Academy Students submitted 37 Transfer Admission Guarantees (TAGs) to UC schools. These applications are reviewed by the Academy Coordinator and proactive outreach is offered to students as a result. UCD and UCI applications require explicit review by the Academy.
In the 21-22 Academic year, the Academy hosted representatives from UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UCSB and virtual appointments with UCLA. These were marketed to Academy students and to all Butte Counselors and the general student population.
In October, the Transfer Academy hosted a training for TRIO, EOPS, prospective Umoja, Puente, and Veterans and General Counseling with the UC TOP representative.
In January, the Transfer Academy received a list of all Butte College students who applied for the University of California for the Fall 2022 term. Among other things, the list noted students whose unit count, based on their November application, was projected to be under 60 units at the end of Spring 2022. Each of these records was studied by the Academy Coordinator and students were contacted by e mail or phone if revisions were needed. This resulted in many changes to current schedules, which will have an impact on admission rates. As expected, some of the misunderstanding on student’s end had to do with AP units (the Butte transcript gives CSU totals, which are different than UC totals) and overall units (the Butte transcript recognizes CSU units that that are sometimes non-UC transferable).
Also in January, the Academy (again) alerted all Butte UC applicants about the important of the Transfer Admission Update (TAU) that has a priority deadline of January 31. An IGETC certification notice will follow in April. The Academy has designed a new IGETC certification application for students this Spring.
As we enter the spring 2022 semester, the Academy has 175 members.
Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) with UC Davis (UCD)
UCD is the most popular UC of choice for Butte students. The TOP program provided a UCD outreach staff member (Lisa Overstreet) to be available for Counselors and Students twice monthly. The TOP representative provided informational workshops, met with students in one-on-one and group meetings on Zoom and was available for all Counselors on the Butte Campus. She had periodic meetings with the Butte Transfer Coordinator discussing topics like the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP), Transfer Admission Agreements (TAG), and UCD major-specific course and GE selection. She also performed campus outreach to the Butte campus community offering UCD specific information on admission and virtual events, as well as UC System-wide information including Counselor trainings, UCOP webinars, and other Resources. From September to the end of November 2021, the Butte UC TOP adviser saw 67 students in one-on-one appointments and group workshops.
The program is making a difference in Butte students applying and enrolling in UCs in general and UCD specifically. Here are the numbers of Butte students who enrolled at UCD in given years: 2017 (16), 2018 (18), 2019 (27), 2020 (14). Although 2020 had lower students enrolled, the applicant/admit numbers were high (51/33). Also, of the 33 admitted, 10 (30 %) were Latinx students. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/admissions-source-school For Fall 2021, applicant numbers have gone up again (61). It is uncertain what admission and enrollment yield resulted.
STUDENT ASSISTANTS
Because we are a small program with one full-time administrative assistant, our student assistants are very important to our program. They schedule many of our appointments and also perform some retention outreach on behalf of the department. Their capacity for outreach and retention is currently our most unused resource.
Transfer Counseling, working with Admissions & Records, Evaluation and Graduation Officers has helped streamline ADT petitioning and tracking ADTs, especially identifying E-verify students who have applied to the CSU system but have yet to formally apply for their degrees. The Cal State system alerts Butte Admissions and Records of all students who have applied each semester to any 23 CSU schools and have identified that they believe they will be receiving an associate’s degree upon transfer. Butte A&R checks for students who have not applied yet for ADT. Early in the semester, before departure of our other full-time Counselor, we used Student Assistants to outreach to students who had indicated to the CSU system that they believed they were going to get a degree. A&R then gave us a list of the students who hadn’t actually applied yet for a degree. These students were outreached via e mail and phone calls by Transfer Counseling Student Assistants. This yielded many more transfer degrees than would have normally been awarded.
In the future, we would like our Student Assistants to outreach to students who have identified on their Butte application that they are pursuing an ADT or interested in “Transfer Services.” This could even be done by addressing specific equity deficiencies. This would have to be a campus-wide effort that included not only our Student Assistants but retention specialists.
We currently have 2 assistants who have provided consistent coverage on the Main Campus and supported the Transfer Academy, especially the listserv for the Academy. We want to maintain this presence.
OPERATING EXPENSES
We bought a new laptop computer and used the rest for Office Depot orders.
COPIER CHARGES under "Equipment Lease/Rent"
The Facilities department charges TCC for use of the big black copies that sits in the front hallway of SAS 258. All Departments contained in this part of the building use this copier. TCC is charged for it.
In developing Student Learning Outcomes, the TCC recognizes that each counseling session is an integral part of the student's educational process. Those outcomes achieved in an individual session depend upon the expressed and discovered needs of the individual student as well as the departments knowledge of the important components of successful transfer.
During the month of November 2021, we asked students to reply to an anonymous survey post-appointments. Here are the results of our Fall 2021 survey (41 students):
Profile of Transfer Goals of students surveyed:
CSU intended: 62%, UC intended: 31 %, Private/Out of State: 2%, Undecided or Other: 4%
Agree or Strongly Agree
1) After Meeting with my Transfer Counselor, I understand the admissions criteria for the school I wish to transfer to: 100%
2) I understand the General Education requirements for the school of my choice: 100%
Yes vs No
3) I understand whether or not my intended school is impacted or competitive to get into: 90%
4) I’m aware of the application process and/or deadlines for my school of choice: 95%
5) If interested in a CSU, my Counselor made me aware of the appropriate Associate Degree for Transfer: 100%
6)If interested in a UC, I am aware if my campuses and majors of interest offer a TAG and its requirements: 92%
7)I have an educational plan my Transfer Counselor has helped me with: 98%
Vision for Success Achievement Goals
Here are California Community College Vision for Success Achievement goals directly relevant to the work being done at the Transfer Counseling Center.
1) Increase the percent of CCC students who acquire associate’s degrees
2) Increase the number of students who transfer
3)Decrease number of accumulated units to earn degree
4)reduce equity gaps
Vision for Success Achievement Goals
Here are California Community College Vision for Success Achievement goals and responses directly relevant to the work being done at the Transfer Counseling Center.
1) Increase the percent of CCC students who acquire associate’s degrees
Because this is a Unit Plan for a Transfer Center, we will mainly focus on the attainment of general Associate degrees and Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) by looking at transfer enrolled Butte students at the California State University (CSU) system. Associate degrees have little to no relevance at the University of California and most other in-state and out-of-state transfer equations. There are some exceptions, but most of those exist regarding transferring to some Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU).
Programmatically, Butte College has expanded its AD-T offerings to include 32 degrees. These degrees guarantee students admission into the CSU system with junior status in a major closely related to their Associates degree. From the 2015-16 academic year to the 2019-20 academic year, the number of AD-Ts awarded increased from 263 to 558, easing the transition from Butte College to the CSU system.
Clearly, we are making progress in increasing the numbers and rate of students who transfer with an associate’s degree.
2) Increase the number of students who transfer
2A) TRANSFER STATISTICS
Although our institution has experienced an enrollment decline in the past 7 years, our transfer numbers from 20-21 are quite similar to those in 14-15:
7-Year STATS OF BUTTE STUDENTS TRANSFERRING TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Year 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20 20-21
FTES 10,044 10,279 9,615 9,093 7,507
CSU 711 875 830 768 666 875 714
CSUC 606 750 705 641 570 750 589
UC 46 47 40 44 52 51 45
UCD. 28 24 16 16 18 27 14
CA Priv. 36 23 13 17 17 10 N/A
OOS 74 84 64 91 62 88 N/A
CSU reference: http://www.calstate.edu/data-center/institutional-research-analyses/Pages/reports-and-analytics.aspx
UC reference:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/california-community-college-enrollments-uc
CA Private/Out-of-State reference:
http://datamart.cccco.edu/Outcomes/Student_Transfer_Volume.aspx
For a five-year comparison of FTES vs. transfer rate, the FTES from 16-17 to 20-21 decreased 25%, but the CSU transfers numbers only decreased 14 %, and UC transfers increased 12 %. Clearly, our transfer rate is increasing.
2B) TRANSFER SUPPORT – CSU APPLICATION WORKSHOPSThe Transfer Counseling Center puts on CSU Apply application workshops to assist students who plan to transfer to a CSU. For the Spring 2020 application cycle, 41 students who attended the application workshops responded (53%) to a phone survey regarding their outcomes related to transferring. Of the 41 students followed up with, 33 were accepted and enrolled in the CSU they applied to (80%; 32 to Chico State, 1 to Humboldt State), 3 were offered admissions but did not enroll (.07%), 3 were denied admission (.07%), and 2 were granted a conditional admission but did not meet criteria necessary to attend (.05%).
In the Spring 2021 Cal State Apply application cycle, with 40 students attending the virtual workshop conducted via Zoom due to COVID-19. Between October-December 2020, the Transfer Counseling Center offered 6 more virtual application finishing workshops via Zoom for the Fall 2021 Cal State Apply application cycle, with 32 students attending. Additionally, Associate Faculty member Doug Minton completed a step-by-step video tutorial guide on completing the Cal State Apply application that has been posted on YouTube and has obtained approximately 9,800 views since its upload in November 2020. Perhaps because of the video tutorial, attendance at the zoom meetings and in-person workshops have declined. In the Fall 21 semester, the TCC offered in-person and virtual workshops. In all there were 8 CSU workshops. 50 students signed up. 32 attended. There were 2 UC workshops but only 2 students signed up.
2C) TRANSFER SUPPORT – CROSS ENROLLMENT WITH CHICO STATE
The goal of the Butte College Cross Enrollment Program is to provide community college students with a university experience to allow for a smooth transition to Chico State. The Cross Enrollment Program is administered by the Butte College Transfer Counseling Center. The Cross Enrollment Program offers dual admission for current Butte College students planning to transfer to Chico State at no charge- no application fee, and no unit fees. This program is available to all Butte College students who have completed English 2 or 3, have a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher, and completed a minimum of 30 transferable units. Students are eligible to participate in the program for up to two years or four semesters. At this time, students cannot use the units taken through the Cross Enrollment Program for financial aid purposes at Butte College. If a student hopes to receive the full financial aid package, then they would need to enroll in 12 units at Butte College on top of their Cross Enrollment course at Chico State.
Once enrolled in the Cross Enrollment program, Butte College students can enroll in a lower or upper division course in their major or an upper division pathway course at Chico State. Butte College students are recognizing this program as a way to complete their education more quickly by taking major courses or graduation requirements via the Cross Enrollment Program. The Transfer Center has worked with Chico State faculty (e.g. Engineering and Social Work) to include Cross Enrollment recommendations in the Butte/Chico State semester-by-semester Major Pathway Plans http://x5l.hr888888.com/services/transfercenter/csucmaps.html
Although our current Cross Enrollment numbers are down, as a point of comparison, the program is still on solid footing. For example, during the first semester of the Cross Enrollment program in 2008, 28 students participated in the program. In Fall 2020, 46 students applied and 44 were admitted. In Spring 2021, 31 students applied and 29 were admitted. In FA 2021 44 participated. For Spring 22, we had 36 students sign up (4 returning and 32 new applicants).
Overall, enrollment at both CSUC and Butte College has significantly decreased and the switch to remote learning has not been ideal for many students. We are hopeful that when courses return to in person learning that we will be able to recruit more students to participate in the program. The Cross Enrollment Program is such a valuable resource for our students and can significantly improve their experience at Chico State.
2D) E TRANSFER TALK
Since the College has been operating in primarily a virtual environment for the past couple years, it is important for Transfer Advising to be available to students, especially to be accessible in a virtual, non-appointment venue. This is why we have a Counselor assigned to E advising. Butte College students can access E- Transfer Talk services through the Butte College Transfer Counseling Center website. E-Transfer talk is a resource to students for quick questions regarding transfer counseling services and transfer information/processes. A counselor is available to respond to student questions within 24 hours, Monday through Thursday. Since the start of the Fall semester, there have been 45 contacts made through E-Transfer Talk (approximately one a day Monday-Friday) in which advisement was offered or referrals were made for students to appropriate departments for follow up services. The most common questions received through E- Transfer talk were related to AP credits, general education requirements, college applications, ADT requirements and sending official transcripts from Butte College.
3)Decrease number of accumulated units to earn degree
Butte College has expanded its AD-T offerings to include 32 degrees. These degrees guarantee students admission into the CSU system with junior status in a major closely related to their Associates degree. From the 2015-16 academic year to the 2019-20 academic year, the number of AD-Ts awarded increased from 263 to 558, easing the transition from Butte College to the CSU system.
While students who transfer to CSU are generally very likely to graduate, the three-year state-wide graduation rate for Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) transfers students are 10 percentage points higher than the rate for all transfer students (79% vs. 69%). But about half of students enrolling In an ADT pathway graduate in just two years, which is 16 percentage points better than the overall average for transfers (35%). On a local level, our goal is to promote ADTs (when appropriate), but also ensure that students who choose this path are doing so in an efficient way.
Traditionally, The Transfer Counseling Center had not tracked students seeking to earn an ADT degree. In the past, we retroactively tracked students who came to see a Transfer Counselor to discuss and/or apply for an ADT degree in 2019. We reviewed the transcripts of students who met with a Transfer Counselor and then eventually attained their degree. Our sample size was 96. The total units completed for these students was 7,737.92. The average units earned equated to a single degree was 80.60 units. In 2020, we sampled 100 student ID#'s for a sum of 8,096.54 units divided by 100 = 80.97. It looks like we are holding steady at approximately 80 units average.
As a point of reference, the CCC systemwide Vision for Success goal is to decrease the average number of units accumulated by CCC students earning associate degrees, from approximately 87 total units to 79 total units—a decrease of 10 percent. For ADT degrees, Butte has almost already reached this goal. In a post- AB 705 world in which remedial sequences are getting chronologically further and further in the rear-view mirror, this 79-unit average should be attainable.
4)reduce equity gaps
#Butte 2020-2021 Demographics % compared to Butte transfer UC/CSU system-wide enrollment
Butte Pop % UC Enrollment 2020-21 CSU Enrollment 20-21
African American 2.3 *0 2.0
American Indian 1.3 0 1.0
Hispanic/Latinx 29.0 22.2 25.8
Asian and Pacific Islander 6.0 11.1 5.5
White 49.9 46.6 54.5
2 or More Races 5.4 N/A 4.4
International **13.3 N/A
Unknown 6.1 6.6 6.8
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/admissions-source-school
CCC to CSU Transfer Statistics
#Source: Butte College Annual Report to the Community 20-21, page 2. Please note that CCCCO reports slightly different demographics: http://scorecard.cccco.edu/scorecardrates.aspx?CollegeID=111#home
*3 African American students have applied to UC Davis thus far for Fall 2021, compared to 1 in 2020.
**in any given term, there are approximately 100 international students enrolled at Butte, or <1% FTES
We will keep an eye on this in the coming years and continue to look at equity disparities relative to our general population. For the 2022-2023 academic year, The Transfer Counselor Center is committed to outreach consistent with the recommendations of its campus Advisory Board.
The Transfer Counseling Center (TCC) supports a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement in many areas, namely by working with students designing SEPS so as to best sequence their coursework towards degree completion or transfer. We work with departments on-campus, local high schools, and Californian/American colleges and universities to make sure our students and staff understand their pathway choices. We manually design student educational plans for students, taking advantage of and incorporating online resources (assist.org, program maps, the Transfer Counselor Website) to best help our students. We work with traditional online Educational Plans as well as the virtual Starfish Educational Planning system. Imbedded in the Starfish program are program maps, priorities and course sequences. Therefore, Guided Pathways is not only a foundational theme but an actual driver in the way the TCC operates and presents itself. In addition to using Starfish, as mentioned prior, the TCC has designed course by sequences for the top 31 majors at Chico State. These pathways are targeted for students who know they want to transfer to CSUC and are not prioritizing an ADT. http://x5l.hr888888.com/services/transfercenter/csucmaps.html
The TCC Supports student, faculty and Staff Success. We sponsor a Transfer Academy, Cross Registration, application workshops and campus visits for our students. We support professional development in the form of campus visits and attending conferences for our staff. We engage with the faculty on the Butte Campus by giving classroom presentations. Also, in 2021, the Transfer Coordinator attended Butte College’s Great Teachers retreat and made invaluable contact with new faculty and renewed connections with tenured faculty across disciplines.
The TCC has a diverse campus Transfer Advisory Committee that encompasses department and staff across our campus community. We participate in All-Counselor meetings and individual meetings with the General Counseling and EOPS departments. We are actively involved in some General Counseling projects (e.g. Reg to Go, program and meta major mapping) and are currently working with the Academic Senate on the Explorer Pathway Meta-Major project.
The TCC currently maximizes our resources in Student Learning by supporting an ongoing grant (The Transfer Counselor Website - TCW) and its related annual Transfer Conference for Counselors. The TCW website is a popular repository of information specifically aimed at Transfer Students and Transfer Counselors. It receives approximately a quarter of a million hits a year. It has been run by Butte College staff for 15 years. The Director of the project and webmaster are both housed in the TCC. We are in the fourth year of a five-year grant cycle. The Grant is administered by the California Community College Chancellor’s office. The TCW affiliation is important for the students, faculty and staff of Butte College. We are a rural school, but because of this affiliation, have access to the most current information about transfer, especially state-wide. Also, the TCC Coordinator (Director of the TCW) is given one day release/backfill a week for the project, but his backfill time translates to approximately 20 hours a week as semester for an Associate faculty to see students ($50,000). Clearly, this is a win-win for the students, staff, and faculty of Butte College.
This year’s statewide Community College Counselors Conference, the only one of its kind, is organized and will be emceed, once again, by the Coordinator of the Transfer Counseling Center and hosted by the TCW.
Transfer Counseling Center faculty will continue to see students in one-on-one appointments but we will also further our work with group application workshops, Cross Enrollment with Chico State, the Transfer Academy, online chats, and remote communications to students and staff.
The prior Transfer Counseling Program Review Recommendations were as follows:
Marketing/Increasing Campus Awareness of Services. This recommendation has been addressed in the past couple years as a new chapter in the Transfer Counseling Center's collaboration with other departments, especially Counseling and Advising and EOPS. We now share a Front Desk Supervisor with Counseling and Advising, and have also stepped up our efforts to market our programs internally with our colleagues in Counseling and EOPS. Fall 2020 marked the first major presentation by Transfer Counseling at an All-Counselor meeting with Counseling and Advising, EOPS, DSPS, and Career Counseling in many years. These presentations will continue on in 2022-2023 and into the foreseeable future. We have also refreshed our TCC website, and now use Colleague Re-Group, Grad Guru, and BC Connect to better push-out messages related to programs, services and critical dates through social media. We have completely refigured the Transfer Academy, especially it’s outreach to students.
Getting Specific Information to Students
In addition to the marketing strategies listed above we are providing workshops to promote the UC/CSU on-line Academic Planners that create a portal of communication between the student and the 4-year college or university. As referenced, Colleague Re-Group messaging has yielded noticeable responses.
Continue to Utilize Technology to Be More Effective and Efficient
Transfer Counseling has incorporated the Starfish Planner into our appointments.
Our semester-by-semester “Transfer Talk” publication now includes direct links for students to our internal workshops and applications (e.g. CSU applications, Transfer Academy, UCD TOP and other UCs, CSU, and California Private links).
In addition to in-person appointments we incorporate e mail, phone and Zoom availability to students.
Staffing and Ongoing Collaboration with Sufficient Staff and Support.
Staffing the TCC is always a challenge in that we are a small program with one front office staff and, when in-person, dependent on student assistants to provide program support. We continue to reach out to programs on campus that support students wanting to transfer to a 4-year college.
The TCC Department goals are enveloped in the following six strategies:
Strategy 1 - Meeting Student Demand For Services
Increase the scope of times available for students to make appointments with Counselors
Starting Spring 2020, we expanded the hours available for students to make appointments by spreading out appointment times and methods of delivery. TCC Counselors are now available later for appointments in the afternoon and evenings to be better serve our diverse population. When in person, there is a Counselor available two evenings at the Chico Center in addition to being remote for all students to access. We have Counselors available each day at the Main Campus, and at both locations students can make phone and zoom appointments. Since moving remote, even with budget cuts, we have had two evening days available for students in both the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters.
Strategy 2 - Expand scope of Admissions support help to students
Expand modalities available to students including but not limited to application workshops, Transfer Admission Guarantee's (TAG), transferring to CSU/UC/Private schools and competitive majors, Personal Insight statements for UC applicants and direct access to meetings with the UC TOP adviser to support the Transfer Academy.
With the increase of four-year transfer initiatives, i.e., Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAGS), On-the-Spot Admissions (OTSA), and ADTs there is a greater demand for appointments. Consequently, alternative ways of meeting student demand for appointments are being provided. By providing on-line advising, informational workshops, streaming videos, class presentations and a program newsletter each semester that includes live links, students are informed and directed to the most accommodating option to access services. In all of these different venues, transfer related information is accessible to students who need basic and specific information about transferring.
Strategy 3 - Increasing Representation from 4-year Colleges and Universities
Maintain visitations from 4-year college representatives while remote and increase in-person meetings when possible.
In the past, the TCC solicited four-year colleges to be a greater presence on our campus and to be more accessible to meet with Butte students, both off and on campus. Upon return to in-person functioning, we will strive to return to a normalcy where CSU Chico had been able to send an evaluator to the Butte College Main Campus every other week and to the Chico Center once a month. We are still offering a version of this remotely, but it is not as robust, mainly due to less demand and access to CSU advising. In regards to UC advising, we are still part of the UC Davis Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP), which continues to provide our students access to a Davis adviser twice a month for appointments, workshops, and campus visits. While remote, there are actually more opportunities for students to access information directly from UCs and CSUs aimed specifically at transfer students. We offer these options on the TCC website as well as providing remote access to specific, historically of-interest private and out of state institutions who we have reached out to or whom have reached out to us. This information for students is also provided on the front page of our website entitled, “Out-of-State and Private College/Universities http://x5l.hr888888.com/services/transfercenter/OOSPRI5.pdf
Also, the TCW has an out-of-state and on-line reference that All-Counselors have been trained on http://ccctransfer.org/oos/
Strategy 4 - Alternative Service Delivery Methods
Since the Department website is one of the most important points of access now for students, we have made many content updates in the 21-22 academic year. Students, staff, and the community have given us positive feedback regarding these changes and additions. New for this year is an online adivsing appointment link that allows students make an appointment online. In this, they are offered multiple modalities for their appointment.
By offering Zoom, phone, and in-person appointments, our students have more comprehensive access to our services. Offering all three modes of delivery ensures more equitable access. In these appointments, TCC Counselors metaphorically walk students through important advising links by coaching then either in person, by phone, or on zoom.
To help augment the CSU workshops we offer, we link our students with one-on-one CSU and UC application tutorials. Also, one-on-one UC TOP adviser appointments are now available to schedule with an on-line link located on the TCC website and Transfer Talk link.
Strategy 5 - 4-year university initiatives
Increase the number of initiatives with 4-year schools.
This year, we increased the remote exposure students had to 4-year schools by widening the range of schools represented on our website and securing specific contact links for many of the schools. When we return in person, we hope to increase access to 4-year college evaluators/outreach representatives. We have already increased the number of UC campuses offering remote appointments with our students. We included new opportunities for one-on-one appointments with UCLA and UCSB and Cal Poly, Humboldt to name a few.
Strategy 6 - Increase outreach at off campus locations.
Upon moving to a more in-person environment, we will revisit the practice of using the Chico Center as a venue for Butte and off-campus representatives. We are offering appointments at the Chico Center two evenings a week this Spring 2022 semester.
Overall, the remote capability of our department now allows for students all over our service areas to obtain transfer counseling. For example, we have never been a presence in Glenn County. Now, we are accessible to students in cities like Willows and Biggs and Gridley in ways we have never been accessible before.
We hope to increase the number of student contacts by offering more program services off the Main campus. By offering more in-person, phone and zoom appointments to students and offer evening Counseling appointments at the Chico Center, we hope to capture students that may not come to the main campus and make them aware of transfer programs and transfer initiatives with 4-year colleges. At both the Main Campus and Chico Center, students will have the opportunity to meet with a transfer counselor and/or university representative.
We plan to continue to provide class presentations in order to better market our programs and encourage students to make appointments and take advantage of the programs we offer.
Overall, the remote capability of our department now allows for students all over our service areas to obtain transfer counseling. For example, we have never been a presence in Glenn County. Now, we are accessible to students in cities like Willows and Biggs and Gridley in ways we have never been accessible before.
There is a need to have an additional office to house student assistants and university representatives. Upon return to a more in-person environment, we will be using a converted supply room to house one Chico State and three UC reps on different days of the week. The room is not ADA compliant and we have to keep the door open to accommodate two chairs. This office also periodically houses the Student Assistant for the TCW grant.
Transfer Counselor Website grant provides a director buy-back that will translate to approximately 20 hours of part-time counseling during the academic year. This means that the Coordinator is out of the schedule one day a week, of which he is still available for consult, yet this one day will translate to almost 3 days of Counseling for the 21-22 year. This was critical in that the other full-time Counselor has been out on leave since September. This backfill is not sustainable.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Transfer Counseling Center | 12_277_706_1_633004 | S1460 | $140,000.00 | $140,000.00 | |
| Counselor | The Transfer Center is a requirement of the California Education Code, Title 5, Section 51027. The Transfer Center Director�s Association recommends that at minimum, staffing consist of: One faculty director assigned full time to the Transfer Center with appropriate experience and training in university admissions and transfer counseling who reports to a senior administrator; and at least one full-time counseling faculty member. The Butte College Transfer Center used to meet these criteria. This request is a rehire for the position that will become vacant when Laurie Gallagher�s leave ends in March 2022. Laurie�s position is SEA funded and we are asking to have this position continue to be funded through SEA, which means there would not be any district funds needed. The Transfer Counseling Center only employs two full-time Counselors. The departure of Laurie means a loss of over 1,000 contacts and appointments a year and the Coordinator of Transfer Academy, which has proven to be successful. Losing Laurie has broken the continuity of having a full-time person available to help coordinate outreach efforts on and off the campus (e.g. high school visits, UC and CSU Campus communication, etc.). Part-time backfill is not the answer. Having two full-time Transfer Counselors, and not just a Coordinator and collection of associate faculty, makes the TCC a program. Having two Counselors is also important for Butte College, since the Coordinator of the TCC is also the Director of the Transfer Counselor Website. There is no chance of the College holding onto this grant with only one Counselor. Also, the second full-time Counselor is responsible for Coordinating the Transfer Academy, a proven successful program that has 175 students in it. To lose this Counselor would have an adverse effect on transfer and equity efforts. Overall, there are four primary factors that support continuing this full-time Transfer Counselor faculty member. The first factor is access� students need access to Transfer Counseling for a myriad of reasons. Chief amongst those reasons is student educational planning which in turn generates a higher connection and completion. The second factor is student persistence � the continuity that Counselors provide to students from term-to-term has the potential to positively impact student persistence. An additional full-time Counselor presence will inevitably translate to better persistence rates and graduation and transfer rates for all students. It�s one thing to have retention efforts conducted by staff on campus, but it is quite another to have an expert in Counseling and Advising address students. Counselors know the rules of the college, admission and readmission rules for domestic and transfer degree programs. They are experts in the field of academic advising and all have degrees and experience in personal Counseling. The third factor is a number of new requirements and regulations - these necessitate additional staffing in order to ensure that Title 5 mandates for Counseling services and student requirements for educational planning are satisfied. The final factor is institutional initiatives and full time Campus leadership � guided pathways, online educational planning, the explorer Pathway Project, Transfer Day, and the Transfer Academy. The Transfer Center is also involved with Reg-2-Go, curriculum, articulation, Academic Council, Matriculation, and interaction with service area high-schools. As the campus moves towards online educational tools and Guided Pathways, we are at a critical juncture. Part-time Counselors see students, but have no incentive to serve on committees. Full-time Counselors are much better equipped to serve on committees, and are an important component for success in the many initiatives currently underway. |
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| 2 | Transfer Counseling Center | Personnel | 12.200-706-1-633004 | 51460 | $0.00 | $124,910.00 |
| Associate (Part-time) Counselors | We seek to retain our current staff of associate faculty. In addition to seeing students in appointments, assisting with application workshops, developing SEPs and scheduling classes, our two+ associate faculty in Transfer Counseling are each assigned specific responsibilities for the department: Cross Registration, application workshops, and social media marketing/outreach. The main responsibility of Transfer Counselors remains developing Student Educational Plans(SEPs) in one-on-one appointments. For transfer students, the SEP may indicate varying sub-paths that are contingent on different target transfer institutions admission and preparation. This demands up-to-date knowledge of the always changing rules and regulations of transfer. For transfer students, the SEP may indicate varying sub-paths that are contingent on different target transfer institutions admission and preparation. A lot of these paths currently lay outside the realm of the Starfish planner. Either way, our internal studies have consistently shown that students with CSEPs have higher persistence and retention rates. Associate Faculty in the Transfer Center attend CSU and UC trainings. They also attend all department meetings. In these meetings, there is always a focus on case-study transfer issues. Therefore, professional development is always ongoing for this group. Also, because of the departments close relationship with the state-wide TCDA group and the TCW, members attend the yearly Transfer Summit, which at this point has been cost-free to our department. The Transfer Counseling Conference is an information conduit for the TCC, especially in regards to topics like retention and equity. For the past three Spring semesters, TCC Counselors have assisted the General Counseling faculty in Reg2Go. Reg2Go is a dynamic and consistent orientation program consisting of over 40 participating local high schools. Reg2Go has taken on an even more important role since the Camp Fire and subsequent enrollment decline. Access to campus-wide program maps allow our Transfer Associate Counselors to have access to vocational major and certificate sequencing, which better equips them to work with the general Reg to Go populations. At the same time, it introduces Reg To Go students to the expertise that Transfer Counselors possess in regards to transfer. Most new students, at least initially, indicate an interest in transfer. |
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| 3 | Transfer Counseling Center | Operating Expenses | 12.200-706-1-633004 | $0.00 | $19,200.00 | |
| Resources needed for (1) Transfer Day (2) Transfer Academy (3) TOP program | (1) Transfer Day. Estimated cost $7000. Expenses for food, tent rental and set-up, busing high school students, advertising and miscellaneous expenses. Transfer Day was held on September 11, 2019. 40 representatives from 30 different colleges attended. Transfer Day Fall 2020 was scheduled for September 15, but it moved remote (2) Transfer Academy. Cost is $2,000 a year. The Transfer Academy had another successful year. Our Lead Counselor retained and recruited Academy students interested in transferring to a UC, private or out-of-state college to be part of a support program. Services include Lunch and Learn workshops with faculty, TCC Counselors, and UC representatives. The Academy also provides assistance with the application process and personal insight essays, workshops on the initiatives available to transfer students, classroom presentations, virtual and in-person counseling appointments with UC representatives, and field trips/visits (contingent on our remote status) to UC campuses. This funding is also used to create posters, marketing materials and promotional items. Workshops are especially important for CSU and UC admission requirements. (3) Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) with UC Davis. Cost is $7,000 a year. The TOP program provides a UC Davis outreach staff member to visit the Butte TCC twice each month (Main Campus and Chico Center). The TOP representative provided informational workshops, will help coordinate campus visits to UC Davis (when we are not remote), and will continue to be available for training for all Counselors on the Butte Campus. She also performs outreach to different on-campus groups. 4)Office operation expenses and supplies. Office Copy Machine. For the 21-22 year, this cost was approximately $2000. 5) The Rent/Lease agreement for copier was $1200. |
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| 4 | Transfer Counseling Center | Personnel | 12.200-706-1-633004 | 52368 | $0.00 | $22,623.00 |
| Student Assistants | We are requesting to maintain our level of 3 student assistants (SA). As a small department with one full time administrative Assistant, we are dependent on SAs to provide most of the direct student contact and to provide coverage in the event the there is an illness. These positions were historically Federal Work study positions, but the lack of flexibility inherent in hires tended to limit the time those students could work. So, we have opened these positions up to the general population. Please note that SAs also work supporting the Transfer Academy. Lastly, once the TCC becomes fully staffed again, SAs will play a more proactive role in student outreach and retention. |
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