February 27, 2015 | SharkAdmin First-year higher education expert Dr. Joe Cuseo was the featured speaker for NVC's Student Success Conference on Feb. 27. He shared data-driven best practices on how to create a culture of student success. Cuseo, a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Marymount College (California), is an international speaker and author who speak about effective teaching, advising, student retention and student success. He emphasizes both two- and four-year colleges can achieve student completion with several strategies. “If we are serious about completion, you have to look at initiatives that drive completion like first-year student development courses, academic advising and peer mentoring,” Cuseo said. “I go to places and they say we can't rely on students to be peer mentors because they give out wrong information, but the fact is students are already relying on each other.” Cuseo says NVC is laying the right foundation for students to succeed when they leave here. Other strategies he emphasized that could help students is having a sort of welcome party for new students and invite alumni to speak so students can see what success looks like. He also encouraged community colleges should establish more “rituals,” such as graduation, convocation and other events for students and encourage students to join clubs and take part in campus life because when students are engaged, completion rates go up. During the event, which was made possible through the U.S. Department of Education Title V Innovista project at NVC, Cuseo talked about one of the most valuable courses a student can take in community college is a student development class because they learn skills from that class that they can use their whole lives. “The value of this course is that it's student centered,” Cuseo said. “The subject is the student and that sends a powerful message. This should be a gateway course for all students.”
