National Association of Colleges and Employers
In this session, we will discuss Ramapo College of New Jersey’s efforts to use disaggregated student demographic data, post-graduation career outcomes data, and predictive retention analytics to achieve their goal of ensuring that every Ramapo student has an internship, research, or clinical experience before graduation.
In fall 2023, Ramapo welcomed its most diverse class in college history, representing multiple ethnicities, abilities, and social identities. More than 40% of the incoming class are the first in their families to go to college and nearly 50% identify are non-white (Ramapo College of New Jersey, 2023). Given the college's location in one of the wealthier counties in the nation, this incoming class is a mixture of social classes and identities. We will have to consider demographic disaggregation beyond gender, race/ethnicity, Pell-grant eligibility, and first-generation status to guide students to activities and experiences to improve post-graduation outcomes.
For lower-income, underrepresented, or first-generation students, the career development process is daunting, especially if they do not have a positive sense of their experiences and what they bring to the table to help them shape their career identities. The advising challenges for these populations are scaling services for individualized advising; creating programming to help students overcome their fear of and engage in networking with employers and alumni to build social capital; demonstrating the value of internships, which may require prioritizing earning potential and experience ahead of current financial realities; and making the job search their number one priority.
The Cahill Center, as part of the larger student success organizational structure that houses academic advising, the Educational Opportunity Fund program, and the First-Generation Student Center, has the opportunity to build on the foundation of predictive analytics to increase student retention rates, improve support services, and deliver on our promises to students. Anonymized disaggregated data for required career development completion and first-destination outcomes are combined with predictive markers to inform strategy to provide differentiated care to improve internship attainment and post-graduation outcomes.
Following this program, you will be able to:
Visit the professional development FAQ page, or contact the NACE Professional Development Team via e-mail or phone, 610.625.1026.
