jump to contentsacramento state - leadership begins here  
sac state homeadmissionsabout sac statesite indexcontact us

Header Graphic

Destination 2010 Home

Students & Academics

Welcoming campus

Campus environment

Community support

 

 

 

PROGRESS

Providing comprehensive student services and programs

Goal: Facilitate entry into Sacramento State.

Progress:

  • Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with the Los Rios, Sierra, San Joaquin Delta, and Yuba Community College districts to promote efficient completion of all general education, major and associate degree prerequisites prior to transfer.
  • The Sacramento Region Collaborative for Higher Education continues its work. Administrators, faculty and staff from regional community colleges and district headquarters focus on regional issues ranging from STEM initiatives to practical transfer concerns.
  • All eligible applicants applying for admission within the priority filing period (Oct./Nov.) now receive an admission decision by the national standard of April 1.
  • All first-time transfer students who have confirmed their intent to enroll will have a completed transfer credit evaluation prior to the end of their first semester at Sacramento State.
  • Outreach, Admissions and Records has improved coordination of communications to prospective and continuing students regarding admission status, academic information, housing, orientation and registration.
  • Students are now given an array of services including interactive access to their records at any time, and e-mail and flash notification of deadlines and other important information.
  • The Sacramento State Admissions Office offers on-campus, pre-admissions workshops to prospective students and their parents three days each week. Facilitators of these sessions review admissions criteria and explain the myriad academic programs offered at the University.
  • Sacramento State is collaborating with its feeder community colleges to formulate Transfer Articulation Agreements that will make it easier for students to transition from a community college to the University. Currently, Sacramento State has completed an agreement with 23 community colleges, a number that was expected to increase to 30 by end of the Spring 2008 semester.
  • Students and parents can pose an array of questions—and now have them answered electronically—by using the “Virtual Adviser” component on the Admission’s website. 
  • Students can access timely information regarding their admission status, registration eligibility, and financial aid awards by utilizing the MySacState portal.


Goal: Streamline and improve our financial aid process.

Progress:

  • The Financial Aid Application Campaign has been expanded, with improved communication to all enrolled students each January.
  • A new initiative has been launched to better inform academic advisors about financial aid requirements and compliance.


Goal: Improve electronic and web-based communication and services to prospective, new and continuing students.

Progress:

  • Fifty percent of Public Affairs priorities were directed to support student recruitment, including outreach collateral, VSA with nine multi-media projects, and the University catalog and admissions packet.
  • Prospective students, parents and school staff can schedule a campus tour via the Sacramento State website.
  • Prospective students can also communicate with and read about the daily life of a Sacramento State student through blogs from campus student ambassadors.
  • The University implemented a new MySacState messaging system that provides official timely communications to students. The Outreach Admissions and Records Office and the Office of the Registrar use this to send timely and pertinent information to students.
  • Psychological Counseling Services and the Student Health Center are both converting to an electronic medical records system for greater efficiencies to students.
  • Psychological Counseling Services is adding new online psycho-educational material, providing students with increased knowledge of mental health issues, and local and national resources, as well as online screenings.
  • Housing and Residential Live is moving to online licensing for student contracts commencing in Spring 2008 for Fall 2009 enrollment.


Goal: Continually improve advising of students.

Progress:

  • Sacramento State now requires incoming freshmen to attend orientation and initial advising sessions during which advisors emphasize the importance of balancing unit load and job hours in the context of time to degree. More than 2,500 incoming freshmen were advised in our Summer 2008 orientation.
  • A professional advisor reviews all freshman schedules and provides feedback to the students.
  • A model to provide immediate services to students via telephone, e-mail and drop-in advising meetings is now being implemented.
  • The Faculty Senate has teamed with the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to explore ways to increase faculty involvement in comprehensive advising and to develop or improve advising models.
  • During the Fall 2007 semester, more than 9,000 students (including 95 percent of all freshmen) received one-on-one advising through our Advising Center.
  • Creation of the Student-Athlete Resource Center expanded advising services for participants in Intercollegiate Athletics.
  • University standards for advising at the department level are being examined.
  • The Career Center is working to provide career and skill enhancement opportunities for students prior to graduation.


Goal: Provide timely assistance to students experiencing academic difficulties.

Progress:

  • In most cases, students experiencing academic problems will be evaluated and counseled within the semester in which they are referred for assistance. Learning disability evaluation and counseling services also have been made easier to utilize.
  • Services have been developed to address academic problems that might be related to stress management, test anxiety and time management.
  • Psychological Counseling Services is increasing its efficiency in order to maximize assistance to students facing temporary obstacles to academic success.
  • Probationary students will be seen by advisors in a timely manner with particular focus paid to freshmen on probation after their first semester.
  • The Student Athlete Resource Center continues to provide comprehensive academic support for student-athletes experiencing academic difficulties.


Goal: Facilitate progress to graduation.

Progress:

  • The offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs have established a cross-functional team to implement the CSU Chancellor's 22-point initiative to facilitate progress to graduation.
  • The University has moved to Degree Audit, an online advising tool that updates students on credits earned to date and specifies degree requirements to be completed.
  • To assist students in scheduling classes, Sacramento State now utilizes the "Sac State Scheduler," an easy to use, web-based class scheduling tool that helps students quickly schedule classes and other important activities.
  • Many academic policies, including those regarding declaration of major and course repetition, have been revised.
  • Policies regarding major and GE requirements have been streamlined.
  • Earlier transfer credit evaluations and a more integrated approach to graduation checkout are in place to facilitate students' progress to graduation.


Goal: Initiate a multi-dimensional wellness program.

Progress:

  • During the Fall 2006 semester, a Wellness Team of diverse professionals began offering integrated psychological, nutritional and fitness services to students as a way to promote healthy lifestyles and assist with personal health and wellness concerns. The program, now called FitHELP, assisted more than 300 students during the 2006-07 academic year with issues ranging from physical activity, obesity, eating or food disorders and body image.
  • Recreational Sports provides a well-rounded program that offers opportunities through intramurals, sport clubs, fitness classes, open recreation facilities, and special events. They also give input and leadership for the building of the Recreation and Wellness Center and its future programming.
  • Student Health Center staff members are implementing programs designed to decrease frequency of high-risk drinking, driving while drinking, quantity of alcohol consumed, and harm associated with alcohol consumption. For example, from July 2006 through June 2007, more than 7,000 students participated in various alcohol education and prevention outreach activities on campus.
  • The University is working to advance the awareness of policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct and unacceptable sexual conduct, and the consequences of violating these policies. The Student Health Center and the Public Safety Department created the booklet “Do You Know How to Be Safe” and distributed more than 2,000 copies to students at freshman, athletics and transfer orientations.
  • "Safe Space" programs are being developed to encourage greater understanding of various sexual orientations among members of the University community.
  • Personal therapy clinical delivery systems are being assessed and revised to improve student accessibility as well as therapeutic outcome.


Goal: Expand opportunities for student leadership and involvement in program development.

Progress:

  • The Office of Student Affairs and the Student Activities program are collaborating to develop and implement a multi-faceted Leadership Education Program designed to increase student involvement on campus.
  • Leadership education programs will emphasize a theory-to-practice, "applied learning" approach, integrating classroom experiences with campus involvement, including online workshops and a comprehensive program of personal and organizational skill development.
  • Programs provided by the Student Activities Office solicit, via routine program evaluations, student input and suggestions for future programs. The assessment of these same programs focuses not only on student satisfaction but on learning outcomes as well.
  • Student Activities is creating an electronic feedback system to publish survey results in a timely manner.
  • UNIQUE (the University Union’s student programming group) will increase funding to attract more student volunteers and will increase opportunities for students to develop leadership, programming, risk management, communication and marketing skills.


Goal: Enhance efforts by Associated Students, Inc., Student Activities, the Career Center and other departments to augment students' traditional learning with more experiential education.

Progress:

  • Student Activities is working to promote student organizations and events as enhancements to academic programs.
  • Student Activities provides self-assessment opportunities for students to examine and develop their personal leadership skills.
  • During Fall 2007, ASI’s Peak Adventures Center and Aquatic Center hosted more than 350 students who participated in programs that were directly linked to their classroom activities. Students engaged in formal instruction, teambuilding activities, and group projects. Additionally, 128 Child Development students completed observations, internships and assignments at the Children’s Center.
  • ASI continues to support Student Academic Development Grants to afford students the opportunity to learn outside the classroom through class projects or participation in scholarly conferences.


Goal: Continually improve delivery of career counseling services.

Progress:

  • Career Center counselors provide advising for the mandatory freshmen advising program for students who are ready to discuss long-term academic and career planning.
  • Satellite Career Center and Cooperative Education (paid workplace opportunities) offices have been established in the University's professional colleges.
  • Career Center staff created a "How-to Guide" for successful organization of career fairs. 


Goal: Provide career and skill enhancement opportunities for students after graduation.

Progress:

  • The College of Continuing Education (CCE) is continually expanding its roster of certification programs.
  • CCE has recently introduced an online skill certification program by which individuals can test and certify skill sets for themselves, and for current and prospective employers.
  • CCE' s Leadership for the New Millennium is continually being revised to offer the best in contemporary curricula for persons seeking positions of leadership in public, private and non-profit sectors.


Goal: Enhance alumni networking opportunities.

Progress:

  • The Sacramento State Alumni Association is developing stronger chapters for the professional colleges to enhance networking opportunities for graduates living in the region.