Assistant Director for Student Recruitment and Retention Office of Academic and Student Affairs College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Ryan Barr June 13, 2019
Ryan I. Barr As a Higher Education Professional, my work has been as focused on increasing the retention and persistence of underrepresented and minoritized students. I am passionate about student success and development and I hope to continue to support and empower students to understand the impact their knowledge and experiences can make at MSU and beyond.
Provide a brief overview of your professional journey and how your past experience makes you an ideal candidate for this position.
Non-linear Career Path • Previous Positions • Michigan State Housing Development Authority • Finance Assistant – Housing Voucher Programs • Office of Revenue & Tax Analysis • Departmental Tech – Revenue Sharing Programs – Constitutional Revenue Sharing – City, Village, and Township Revenue Sharing (CVTRS) – Financially Distressed Cities, Villages and Townships (FDCVT) – Competitive Grant Assistance Program (CGAP)
Non-linear Career Path • Career Exploration • What am I good at? • What brings me joy? • What does the world need me to be?
Non-linear Career Path • Current Position • TRIO Student Support Services • Fiscal Officer • Program Coordinator • Instructor/Advisor • Through programing, intensive wholistic advising and academic coaching, I was able to assist in obtaining/maintaining a high level of persistence (92%), good academic standing (93%), and graduation rates (70%) among our participants.
Describe your overall philosophy on how you would lead the development and management of student recruitment and retention strategies and tactics to promote and retain a diverse body of students for CANR.
Philosophy on Recruitment & Retention • The field of agriculture and natural resources, historically, has had issues recruiting and retaining students of color. In order to increase diversity in recruitment and retention there are three major areas that should be focused on: • Early Exposure Programs • Diverse Faculty & Staff • Continue/Increase Collaborations with public & private institutions.
Early Exposure Programs • Early exposure programs (k-12) help to promote careers in agriculture, natural resources and STEM disciplines. • Extension education • 4-H Programs • Summer & Pre-College Programs
Diverse Faculty & Staff • Fostering and sustaining a highly qualified, diverse faculty and staff helps to increase a sense of belonging in students. • Previous studies have concluded that agriculturalists from diverse ethnic backgrounds are key role models in helping students of color overcome stereotypes about agricultural sciences (Bowen & Rumberger, 2002; Kandel & Cromartie, 2004; Larke & Barr, 1987; Mullinix, Garcia, Lewis – Lorentz, & Qazi, 2006).
Continue/Increase Collaborations with public & private institutions • Medgar Evars College 3+2 Program • HBCU’s and MSI’s • USDA • Top tier companies in the private sector
Recruitment Plan • Recruitment strategies should be reframed to focus more on the outcome (job placement) we’d like to see in students rather than getting them into the program. This approach creates a more student centered program and would not only increase recruitment but matriculation as well. A viable plan should focus on; • Strengthening Interpersonal relationships with students and families • Building trust • Intentionality • Authentic interest in student/human welfare • Visual/oral appeal of our messaging • Increase visibility of student and alumni success stories. – Martin Oglesby - Food Industry Management ‘18 • Using data to: • Drive strategic direction and planning • Guide individual actions and work plans
Retention Plan • Data driven • Search for evidence of claims that are made about why students leave the college or don’t persist. • Highly focused • On the largest number of students that we can impact – creating an ambitious yet obtainable goal. • On programs/initiatives that have the greatest chance of success • Dr. Thomas Easley – Relationships, Hip Hop and Forestry • Develop/maintain partnerships between faculty, student services/organizations and others. • Professional organizations such as Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) have been noted as successful organizational examples that increase participation and success for students of color at the postsecondary level (Bowen & Rumberger, 2002; Talbert, Larke, & Jones, 1999).
THANK YOU! Discussion and Questions Ryan Barr barrryan@msu.edu
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