Ferris Equity Initiative Teams

• Bobby Fleischman
• David Pilgrim
• Jeanine Ward-Roof

• Jason Bentley 
• Mandy Seiferlein

The FEI-Navigate Leadership Team serves as the central hub for fostering collaboration among various best practice teams, university strategic initiatives, Ferris’ DEIB plan, FirstScholar initiatives, and other activities aimed at enhancing student success and reducing equity gaps. The team will focus on optimizing the configuration and usage of Navigate while also coordinating efforts to reduce equity gaps. 

• Jason Bentley
• Dani Hiar
• Kathy Lake
• David McCall
• Angela Roman
• Angela Ryan
• Mandy Seiferlein
• Michael Zaborowski

The Hold Reform Best Practices Team is established with the primary objective of streamlining and optimizing the hold management system at Ferris State University. By addressing various aspects of hold analysis, removal, and reform, the team aims to enhance operational efficiency, improve student experiences, and ensure compliance with institutional policies. This charge outlines the key responsibilities and focus areas for the Hold Reform Best Practices Team. 

Team leaders

• Anne London, Director, Student Academic Affairs
  
• Eric Haner, Assistant Dean, Enrollment Services

• Conduct a thorough analysis of all existing holds
• Address non-financial inactive student holds
• Develop a centralized reivew and tracking process for holds
• Move Address Verification Hold to Action Item Processing in Banner
• Reiew new legislation with regard to transcript withholding policies for past due balances.

The Transfer Pathway Best Practice Team is established with the primary goal of optimizing the transfer experience for students at Ferris State University. By focusing on enhancing information accessibility, refining website functionalities, and implementing recommendations derived from thorough audits and process evaluations, this team aims to facilitate a seamless transition for transfer students.  

• Deedee Stakley, Director, Transfer and Secondary Partnerships
• Lori Jenema, Academic Advisor, College of Health Professions

• Complete web form transition for transition guides
• Finish implementing recommendations from website audit
• Complete remaining process mapping/focus groups
• Leverage final report on process mapping/focus groups

The Proactive Advising Best Practice Team is charged with informing the advising experience for students at Ferris State University. The team outlines the key responsibilities and objectives for the advancement of full-range, proactive advising processes encompassing the development of comprehensive advising guides, tailored communication strategies, and the implementation of a differentiated care model. 

• Dave Schrock, Academic Advisor
• Angela Buys, Academic Advisor

• Develop a week-by-week advising guide
• Develop a tailored student intervention and communication calendar for each college, addressing specific needs and challenges unique to each academic discipline
• Focus on developing a holistic registration strategy that considers not only academic requirements but also students' individual goals, interests, and potential challenges
• Develop standardized templates for outreach text messages and emails, ensuring consistency and clarity in all communications with students
• Implement a population health model tailored to the specific needs and challenges within each college.

The Case Management Best Practice Team’s focus is advancing the coordination of institutional care and responsiveness to cases and alerts across Ferris State University. Our mission is to foster a campus environment where every student and staff member feels supported.

Team Leaders 

• Angela Ryan, Academic Advisor, College of Health Professions
• Associate Dean of Student Life

• Conduct a comprehensive review of existing alerts, cases, and associated response pathways, including In-Take Surveys, Faculty-Staff Initiated Alerts and Cases, Student Initiated Hand Raises, and Progress Reports 
• Work collaboratively to develop innovative solutions to bridge the identified gaps in the alert and case management system
• Devise and recommend an early alert workflow framework that will serve as a guiding structure. This framework will optimize Ferris’ responsiveness to alerts and cases
• Foster a culture of collaboration among different departments and units involved in case management
• Establish clear communication channels and protocols to facilitate seamless information flow and coordination
• Collaborate with the User Experience Team to implement a feedback mechanism to collect input from students, staff, and faculty about their experiences with alerts and case management

The User Experience, Engagement and Training Best Practice Team is charged with connecting college faculty, staff, and students through efforts that assess, inform, and optimize the user experience with Navigate. The committee's primary focus is to gather feedback, analyze user interactions, and collaboratively enhance the platform's features, and training related to appointment coordination, referrals, alerts, and case management.  

Team Leaders

• TBA

• Solicit input and feedback from college faculty, staff, and students regarding their experiences with the student success technology platform
• Evaluate user interactions and workflows within the platform, identifying pain points, challenges, and areas of improvement
• Review existing features of the technology platform related to appointment coordination, referrals, alerts, and grade feedback
• Advocate for user-centered design principles, ensuring that the platform is intuitive, accessible, and inclusive for all users
• Maintain open communication channels with college faculty, staff, and students to share updates, gather feedback, and foster a sense of community involvement
• Facilitate training sessions and workshops for faculty, staff, and students to maximize their understanding and utilization of the technology platform