Institutional Effectiveness strives to keep OC on the cutting edge

Sep. 11—From daily enrollment reports to student focus groups, the Institutional Effectiveness Department at Odessa College works on moving the college forward.

Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness Janice Hicks said first they make sure the college is in compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Schools and ensures that OC is innovative and using data, such as labor market information.

They also use lagging indicators such as graduation rates, persistence and transfer rates.

"... (OC President) Dr. (Gregory) Williams is very intentional about how he utilizes institutional effectiveness. Another area we collect data on is student data. We do student focus groups to learn about their OC experience. And if anyone wants to do research at our institution it comes through our office. We also do all of the reporting to the state into IPEDS, which is for Title IV funding at the federal level."

IPEDS stands for Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

"... We get financial aid funding through Title IV, and as a result, we have to report our data to Title IV. It's a fun job. We get to make sure we're moving forward and we're continuing to be innovative and relevant and meeting the needs of our students," Hicks said.

OC had enrollment increases during COVID, bucking the trend of other community colleges nationwide.

"... At that time, when we were one of less than five institutions across the country who had enrollment increases. Then we broke 7,000 students, and then fall of 2021 we were able to have increased enrollment to where, again, other institutions weren't. The report I did at the last board meeting was about our spring outcomes. We've been up in our spring outcomes in our Fall II eight years in a row," Hicks said.

She added that 60% of all degrees in all occupations require at least a certificate.

As she said at an OC Board of Trustees meeting, the success doesn't just happen.

"We have a whole team that just focuses on it. Every morning we look at the enrollment numbers ... Even before I got to work this morning, I was messaging with one of my team members about the enrollment and where we are. We are up for the fall again," Hicks said.

OC doesn't do its final enrollment until October because they are still recruiting students. Based on its eight-week class schedules, students have a chance to sign up in August and October in the fall.

"And so for those students, maybe high school graduates or even community members who are questioning and they didn't make their enrollment deadline for this week, they have another opportunity here. So we do see quite a few students who start with this in the second eight weeks," Hicks said.

Looking at national research, Hicks said finances are the top barrier to enrollment at a community college or university.

"Odessa College is no different. Students do have financial barriers, especially in our market ... We're in oil and gas country, which has its benefits but it also brings a high cost of living. One thing that we do is ... we promise students that college can be free. Any student can get their first class free. We also do an excellent job in our financial aid office to see if folks qualify for Pell grants. Then we do a wonderful job in our scholarship office and with our endowed scholarships," Hicks said.

The Odessa College Promise program will benefit students in the Class of 2024.

"Any student in the Class of 2024 within our entire service area will have the opportunity to have a full ride for two years, as long as they are enrolled as a full-time student. That also includes students that get their GEDs," Hicks said.

The Promise program is an enrollment tool, but "it's really a completion tool."

"It's viewed as an enrollment tool because it gives them the scholarship to get started, but we want them to be enrolled full time so they can complete and transfer, or get into the workforce," Hicks said.

Part of the Promise is to encourage students to be full time and complete within two or three years.

Hicks added that the eight-week classes minimize the opportunity cost.

"... If I'm a single mother and I want to go back to school, I can give up eight weeks. I can do eight weeks at a time; 16 weeks the opportunity cost is a little bit higher. And so from an economist's perspective, the eight week model allows students to be able to make those decisions and give up whatever that opportunity costs at that time. So they can decide, I can do these eight weeks and then after they do that eight weeks, many of them decide, oh, I can do it another eight weeks," Hicks said.

Or if something happens, you can take eight weeks on and eight weeks off, for example, she said.

"So I think it's better for the students that we serve because we don't serve traditional students that are here on campus and only focused on going to college. We serve students who are living life and life is unpredictable. And it happens to all of us and so we want to be as flexible as we can," Hicks said.