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q
Tufts
University identified the opportunity to assess
and redesign traditional student services in the
context of a new physical facility whose design
would support its vision and whose coordinated
organization and systems would allow staff to
interact with students and families in a
knowledgeable, comprehensive and integrated
manner. Tufts' approach extended well beyond
transactional, one-stop "banking" models
employed in some universities to address the
importance of using technology and space to
increase the impact of its distinctive educational
experience for highly talented students.
q
The new organization established Class
Teams (serving each of the four undergraduate
classes and graduate students), linking on each
team a professional representative from Student
Affairs, Undergraduate Education and Career Services to
plan for students' developmental needs and
opportunities. The target audiences of the teams'
work are students, faculty advisors and, in some
cases, parents. Tufts also created a new teamed
approach in support of direct student service: a
one-stop desk staffed by cross-trained "entry
level ombuds-people" to respond to queries
and transactions across the majority of student
inquiries. Additionally, the student services
redesign integrated financial aid and bursar
functions at the professional/functional level,
while preserving the professional identifications
and affiliations of these staff.
q
Critical
to the success of the collaborative model adopted
at Tufts is the use of shared information about
students now contained in a Student Portfolio
system that also tracks staff contacts with
students and their parents about their
interactions with the Student Services Center.
q
The
use of phone messaging through a common email
client and the implementation of a common
electronic calendar further strengthens the
ability of staff to communicate and behave
collaboratively.
Abstract
At
Tufts University, improved technology and
organizational processes for the sharing of
information underpin the student services program.
This effort results in speeding
indispensable information to students,
differentiated by class year when appropriate.
With the technologies in place and being
developed, Tufts student services staff can better
examine the progress of individual students over
time, assist their faculty advisors to guide them
to suitable post-graduate fellowship
opportunities; provide support to students who are
developing a distinctive program for their major;
or work collaboratively to find solutions with a
student who may be having difficulty completing
academic requirements.
Better integration of our student services
and alumni information also improves the linking
of our alumni to the currently enrolled students
in support of Tufts career services.
Biographical
Information
Kristine
E. Dillon, Dean
of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs
Appointed
in 1999 to provide leadership, vision and
managerial direction for student support services,
Dr. Dillon’s role is to ensure an overall
student-centered environment at Tufts conducive to
learning and committed to quality service to
students. This includes the successful integration
of student services within a newly established
Student Services Center whose staff now work in
teams focused on student development, student
financial services and increased personal and
electronic delivery of relevant information to
students, faculty and
staff. Functional areas within the unit
include: dean of students (residential programs,
student discipline, student activities, disabled
students, and centers for international, lgbt,
women, Latino, Asian American and African American
students); student health; counseling; Undergraduate Education (class deans, coordination of faculty
advisors, study abroad, learning disabilities,
academic resource center); career services;
registration; bursar and financial aid.
This organization and new deanship emerged
from the project led by Dr. Dillon at Tufts from
1998 through 2000.
Prior to coming to Tufts, for 15 years she
held the position of Associate Vice President for
Student Affairs at the University of Southern
California where she also served on the
university’s re-engineering task force. Education
background:
Ph. D. and M.A.
(Higher Education/Economics of Education)
The Claremont School,
B.A. (English) Whittier College.
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