Fresno City College:
Ram Ready
The Beginning
FCC has had to lock horns with its own success, scaling its new student Welcome Day – “Ram Ready” — from 370 new students in 2016 to 1,500 in 2019. The day is a collaboration of college relations, student activities, the business office, outreach, student services employees, faculty, counselors, students, financial aid employees, and other stakeholders. FCC has responded to student feedback by simplifying the day to offer the most helpful information and guidance. Taking students’ anxiety around financial aid (expressed in a 2018 Ram Ready survey) to heart in particular, FCC focused on improving how students connect with the financial aid office. They are already seeing positive results in 2019.
Implementation
All year, FCC talks to prospective new students about Ram Ready. When they register, their names are forwarded to the outreach office, which sends them an email and text message to highlight the benefits of attending Ram Ready. When they sign up for it, their names then go to the financial aid office, which emails them to let them know if anything’s missing from their financial aid file and what they need to do to qualify, and reminds them the office is open all year.
What students learn in each element of Ram Ready:
Getting around: Parking, bus passes, textbook options, where to find food on campus.
Technology: How to use the web portal, connect to WiFi, access Canvas, and find the Ellucian GO app, and how important it is to check email.
Financial aid: Beyond FAFSA, where to find forms, deadlines to observe, how “satisfactory academic progress” works, and how to get more help.
Student success team: Paired with the team for the division that includes their major, students learn about their division’s resources. Students who are undecided explore majors and linked careers with a career center counselor.
Campus tour: Students tour the college with their teams to learn about resources.
Resource fair: Faculty from all divisions and staff from student services such as the Dream Center, the Career and Employment Center, and DSPS talk with students.
Student Experience
Incentivizing Feedback: Each year, FCC encourages students to fill out a survey about Ram Ready, offering prizes such as a $75 gift card or a tablet provided by either Academic Senate or Classified Senate. They also give away gift cards donated by our food truck vendors, parking passes donated by staff, and FCC swag.
Emilee Slater, Director of College Relations and Outreach, reports that 97% of Ram Ready participants say the event helps them feel prepared to attend college, “and a lot of the feedback is really positive.”
Early Outcomes
Increasing participation: 370 students attended Ram Ready in 2017, 1,500 in 2019
More units attempted: Ram Ready participants took more classes
Greater persistence: Students who go through the program persist at a higher rate than non-attendees.
More timely assistance: Students are seeking information from the financial aid, the business office, and other resource centers earlier than in previous years. “They are coming in (before Ram Ready),” says Emilee Slater, “to get things done.”