The Superior Edge - Helping Students - and Helping Our Community

The Superior Edge encompasses a wide range of in- and out-of-classroom experiences that provide Northern Michigan University (NMU) students with a distinct advantage by better preparing them for careers, graduate school and life as engaged citizens.

The Superior Edge provides students with experiences that complement and personalize the learning taking place in the classroom. The program has four goals that relate to four “edges”. The first edge is the Citizenship Edge and the goal is that students will become engaged, involved citizens. The Leadership Edge is the second edge and it is anticipated that students will grow as competent, ethical and effective leaders. The Diversity Edge’s goal is that students will develop a world view and better understand and appreciate diversity. The Real World Edge permits students to develop the ability to relate theory to practice.

The requirements for each of the edges is that students complete 100 hours of approved activities and submit a 2-3 page reflection paper which demonstrates how the students met the outcomes for each edge. Students completing all four edges and writing a reflection paper that synthesizes all of their activities are acknowledged as achieving the Superior Edge. Students who participate receive a Superior Edge transcript from the registrar’s office documenting their participation in the program. These transcripts are sent whenever a student requests an academic transcript.

There were two primary motivating factors for developing the Superior Edge. The first motivating factor was to help fulfill NMU’s mission that NMU “…challenges its students, faculty, staff and alumni to strive for excellence, both inside and outside the classroom, and to become outstanding citizens and leaders”. The second motivating factor was to provide a mechanism for students to document and be recognized for value-added activities that contributed to their professional and personal growth.

It took approximately one year to develop the program and begin the pilot phase of implementation. A Value Added Activities Task Force, consisting of faculty, staff and students began meeting in November 2004 with the following charges: recommending types of experiences and activities that should be included; naming the initiative; developing a record-keeping system; developing a mean(s) of assessing quality; determining appropriate promotional and marketing activities; and identifying the required level of support. These tasks were completed during the 2004-2005 academic year. In fall of 2005, appropriate staff and administration members were identified and the pilot program was developed for implementation in the winter 2006 semester.

The purpose of the pilot program was to test the electronic portfolio that was used to record hours and types of activities; determine the clarity of the program’s expectations; determine if the developed expectation of 100 hours for each edge was realistic and reasonable; and develop additional promotional materials. The Superior Edge was piloted in the winter 2006 semester with 100 volunteer students. The implementation of the pilot program was guided by the Superior Edge Task Force that consisted of faculty, staff, administrators and students. Following the pilot program, the Superior Edge Task Force was retired and the Superior Edge Advisory Committee was formed. The Advisory Committee, consisting of faculty, staff, administrators and students, monitors the program to determine if it meets the programs goals and outcomes.

The goal for the 2006-2007 academic year was to enroll 500 students. By November 2006, 645 students had enrolled in the program. By the end of April 2007, 959 students (approximately 10% of the student body) were participating in the program. These students have logged over 75,600 hours, while 19 students have successfully completed the Superior Edge (all four edges) and a total of 127 individual edges have been completed.

The Chairperson of the Task Force received released time for two semesters ($6000). The web design time was cost neutral as it was completed by a student volunteer. Pilot program expenses from January through June 2006 totaled approximately $50,000; these expenses included student labor, office supplies, room rentals, equipment, office furniture, office supplies, postage, telephone, advertising, and promotional pieces.

Some of our major stakeholders had reservations about this program when it was first introduced. It was difficult to convince some members of our faculty to promote this program to their students; students, they said, were already too busy with other activities. Administrators were initially reluctant to provide adequate funding for this as-yet untested program. Students did not initially sign up for the program, since the program was not sufficiently advertised to them. Finally, some faculty expressed reservations about integrating the Superior Edge into the curriculum.

To overcome these points of resistance, the “champions” of the program described the Superior Edge in multiple forums that were open to the entire campus community. Their experiences began to convince others of the program’s value. Industry and community leaders also commented, in public presentations, on how much they valued our students volunteering in the myriad of community venues in which our students participated. One industry leader noted that his review of resumes from college students all had good GPAs. The Superior Edge, alternatively, provided our students with a means of distinguishing themselves on their resumes. Our administration noted that the program provided recognition for student activities that many of them were already engaging in. They listened to the community leaders who said that our students had an advantage upon graduation in obtaining meaningful employment. They also noted that the program seemed to enhance recruitment and retention. Our extensive marketing of the program at Freshmen Orientation, at our website, and by word of mouth, resulted in many more students taking part in the program than we initially anticipated. Finally, our Faculty Senate and the university Registrar collaborated to designate certain courses in the curriculum as fulfilling an “academic service learning” mission, which became a part of their official NMU transcript.

6. What it costs us to maintain and operate this Innovative Practice, and what it saves us.

The annual cost to run Superior Edge is approximately $200,000. The staffing includes one director, one clerical worker, one graduate assistant, and three student employees. Other expenses include: promotional expenses, events/activities, office supplies, telephone/computer, recognition, and travel dollars for conference presentations.

We have heard from several high school students that the Superior Edge attracted them to Northern Michigan University. We believe that the Superior Edge program has helped recruit students, and we are in the process of trying to determine hard data regarding number of students recruited to NMU because of this program. We are also exploring the program’s effect on retention. Qualitative feedback suggests that the Superior Edge gets students involved and connected on campus and in the community, enhancing retention.

Four components have been measured to determine the effectiveness of the program: the student’s reflection papers, student enrollment in the program, edge completion, and community impact.

Comments from Reflection papers: Each of the edges has a list of outcomes that are addressed in the reflection papers. Students must demonstrate in their papers that they have met the objectives of the edge. These are evaluated by the staff in the Superior Edge office to determine if the outcomes have been met.

Student enrollment in the program: Our data base reports the numbers of students enrolled in each edge, and it is being refined to identify who participates in the program. Factors that will be evaluated include the student’s class standing, major, and demographic characteristics to determine the type of student most likely to participate. This information will be utilized to identify factors that will be successful in targeting students who choose not to participate.

Edge completion: Currently the only data that collected are the numbers of students who have completed one or more edges. The program’s mission is to “provide NMU students with a distinct advantage for preparing them for careers, graduate school and life as engaged citizens”. It is important to determine if this mission is being met and evaluation is being targeted to students who participated in the program and have or are graduating. Students who completed “edges” have provided qualitative feedback that the program has assisted in their development and with job searches/graduate school admission. The effect of the Superior Edge transcript in assisting with job searches and/or graduate school admission is also being evaluated.

Community Impact: We have data indicating the impact of volunteer hours in the community. As stated previously, in just one academic year over 75,000 hours of activities have been document. Currently data from community agencies is being collected. Areas being evaluated include the strengths and weaknesses of the program, the ways the program could be improved, and strategies to enhance community involvement.

The Superior Edge Program is described on the web at www.nmu.edu/superioredge. Additionally, students who are admitted to NMU are sent an invitation to participate in the Superior Edge Program. The letter explains the program and provides the web site for students to review and sign up for the program. There is also a bookmark that is distributed to students during campus visits and college fairs that contains information about the program and the web site. During orientation, students receive a presentation on the program and are given the dates of the Superior Edge Orientation Sessions that are scheduled throughout the semester, at different times and places.

As noted above, the Superior Edge Program is extensively advertised to incoming and current students. In practice, students participate in the various edges and record their time per edge. The program has enhanced town/gown relationships for the university, as our students are volunteering in many local agencies. Student participation becomes a part of their official NMU transcript, providing our students with an advantage upon graduation. Finally, quantitative data from student testimonials suggests that our students gain immense personal satisfaction form program participation.

Rachel Harris, Associate

Director of Student Enrichment/Superior Edge

Northern Michigan University

Marquette , MI

906-227-6543

raharris@nmu.edu