Higher Education Project prt 7

Student Support Program Re-Design

Name

Institution

Introduction

In most Institutions of higher learning, fresh entrants usually reduce in number with time. In the first year, a score of the fresh entrants is usually cut-off from the system due to the multiple challenges they face. However, the challenges forcing them to terminate their higher education prospects stem from academic and social issues. This project ICL focuses on both the academic and social issues of students using the mentorship vantage point to help, mostly juniors and fresh students (Fergy, 2011).

Change of Student supporting student programs

Former student support programs focused only on their financial aspects to the neglect of crucial aspects of even their social behavioral trends that are heavily embedded in their financial altercations and subsequently to their academic pursuits. The ICL student support program, on the other hand, incorporates both social and academic aspects of a student. From the social aspects, junior students fall victims of drug abuse and crime crews in their first year. Revelry which is rampant within the University snatches many young ladies into a roller coaster ride for uncontrolled sexual promiscuity. These inductions are the primary stumbling blocks that inform their staggering academic pursuits in a bid to balance the two (Bolli, 2015).

Mentorship is steered to reshape the view of socializing by fresh entrants and junior students as well as how it embroiders its way into academic success. The program, however, will be conducted in a controlled to match individuals with a view of solving the issue at hand. For instance, a first lady who is not willing to discuss with a lecturer, her curiosity on sexual relationships in and out of campus and probable effects on academic pursuits, will be matched with a senior female student. Disabled students who are burdened with an inferiority complex can be matched with a fellow disabled senior student. These changes in the program will drive many to realize their academic goals (Vogan, 2014).

Human and Financial Resources needed

Though the political environment at the University makes access to financial resources for new programs hard, the program coordinator will lobby for a presentation of the program before the University Senate. This is in a bid to gain support and get a helping hand, chiming in the fact that we are making easy their managerial part of the institution. In the Presentation, the financial resources needed; a working office, Handbooks, manuals, banners, Money, Digital Communication lines will be broadcasted (Vogan, 2014).

Human resources required for the running of the program are categorized with necessity and purpose. For instance, from each department and faculty, willing volunteers will be registered first and foremost of mentees. Only senior students who meet the social stratum required will become mentors. Volunteering Lecturers and non-teaching staff who show aptitude and social uprightness will become mentors in academic and social life respectively. Other Human resources include a board of management for the program, which shall consist; a chairperson, 2 event organizers, a treasurer, a program coordinator, a secretary and 2 IT personnel (Fergy, 2011).

Roles and Responsibilities

The chairperson will be the general overseer of the group and is mandated to call meetings and approving events and conferences to be held. He/she will also be a signatory to the bank account and any other financial transactions to be made. The event organizers will be responsible for planning and organizing events and conferences, its publicity and related logistics. The Treasurer will be in charge of all financial transactions and preparation of sound financial statements in digital formats (Vogan, 2014).

The Secretary will be in charge of receiving and sorting emails, visiting the postal office and liaising with the dean of students’ for profound communication on student contacting and related matters. The program coordinator will be in charge of following up with scheduled programs, reviewing upcoming events. He/she should is tasked with following up and tabling progress of mentor-mentee relationships. The 2 IT personnel will be responsible for updating the website and social media accounts as well as designing colorful posters, banners as well as reviewing the designing of pamphlets (Bolli, 2015).

Rationale

Supporting students has always attracted many to develop programs mainly focused on the financial and academic parts. However, social issues form a chunk of what the students are, in making decisions. Erroneous social issues have a huge impact on academic pursuits whereas academic pursuits barely influence social behaviors of students. Statistics show that many students drop out/ terminate academic pursuits in their first year. This necessitates reshaping of support programs to positively influence their academic pursuits through social behaviors (Bolli, 2015).

Institution	University of Cologne (UoC)
Program	I Choose Life (ICL)
Financial Resources	Handbooks, Manuals, Conferences and Events, Banners, A working Office, Social Media accounts and a website, and Mobile Public Addressing System
Human Resource	Board of Management (8 guys; 1 Chairperson, 2 Event Organizers, 1 Treasurer, 1 Secretary, 1 Program coordinator and 2 IT personnel)

References

Bolli, T. A. (2015). The impact of institutional student support on graduation rates in US PhD programmes. Education Economics, 23(4), 396-418.

Fergy, S. M.-M. (2011). Promoting social and academic integration into higher education by first-year student nurses: The APPL project. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 35(1), 107-130.

Vogan, C. L. (2014). Twelve tips for providing effective student support in undergraduate medical education. Medical teacher, 36(6), 480-485.