UMM Consultative Committee

Meeting date:  April 26, 2004

Present:  Joyce Amborn, Brenda Boever, Kevin Ely, Bart Finzel, Michelle Page (chair), 
Jeff Ratliff-Crain (XO), Rebecca Webb, David Wuolu, Mary Zosel

Absent:  Tim Brooks, Reggie Davis, Cendy Gonzales, Margaret Kuchenreuther

Guest:  Leslie Meek

*	Leslie Meek presented an item for information and discussion.  Dr. Meek described a 
proposed early alert system for students at-risk.  This system has already been 
approved by the Scholastic Committee.  Dr. Meek shared that approximately 300 
students are classified as at risk due to a variety of factors including both academic 
and financial aid issues.  The system would entail course instructors receiving regular 
emails asking about students experiencing difficulty.  If a student is “flagged” via 
these emails twice, then the advisor would be contacted and a series of responses and 
interventions triggered.

It was asked whether professors would “buy in” to the system.  They do not yet 
expect full participation but elsewhere, where a similar model has been implemented, 
professors increased participation over time until 2/3 were participating.  

The opinion was expressed that our campus needs something like this to help students 
in difficulty.

It was asked if this would change the perception of UMM, that people might think 
that we engage in too much assistance, or “hand holding.”  Several people pointed out 
that there has been a shift in what families expect from higher education.  Most 
families expect their students to be able to receive help and some of our UMM 
families have commented about the lack of such “safety nets” on our campus.  

Comments and suggestions about the frequency of emails, the sequence of 
respondents, and how to structure the web environment of the system emerged.  

*	Potential agenda items for next fall were discussed and a system for convening the 
committee established.