3P2 Relationship Building

• Faculty and the Classroom: The classroom, whether traditional, hybrid or online, is the central point for engaging students and building relationships. The majority of full-time STI faculty have 100% teaching workloads and teach over 75% of STI classes. STI believes this teaching focus provides the greatest opportunity for student-faculty interaction. With STI’s small class sizes, faculty get to know students personally and are thus more able to respond effectively to student needs. This faculty interaction with students begins even before the student steps into the classroom through student visitation and orientation days. Over the years, STI administration has had the advantage of hiring faculty from a large pool of applicants and is able to recruit highly qualified and experienced faculty. STI program faculty are experts in their fields and are required to have a minimum of three years’ field experience. Additionally, faculty are credentialed through the State of South Dakota with the majority having bachelor’s or master’s degrees (see 04 ).
• Student Advising/Conferencing: Faculty use conferencing and advising to build and foster relationships with students. All faculty are expected to maintain five or more office hours weekly either in person or online for the purpose of assisting students. Faculty also use STI’s Learning Management System (LMS) and the STInet Advising Module to keep students updated on course progress as well as to facilitate additional communications with students. The system allows students to check their progress daily.
• Student Success Advisors: In fall 2009, STI hired three full-time Student Success Advisors who teach STI’s Student Success Seminar course and who become their student’s institutional-level advisor throughout the time the student remains at STI. Each success advisor is responsible for giving personal attention to students and helping to ensure that any academic or personal issues are addressed early. In fall 2010, STI hired an Evening and Online Enrollment Coordinator who also functions as a Student Success Advisor to strengthen STI’s support of evening and online students.
• Student Success Seminar Course: Students who have not demonstrated prior success at the college level are required to take a two-credit Student Success Seminar course. The goal of the course is to help students develop general academic skills, provide STI specific institutional information and requirements, introduce students to STI resources, and foster a feeling of connectedness between the students and STI. The course addresses goal setting, study skills, financial literacy, and where to find resources such as the library, personal counseling, and outside community resources.
• Personal Counselors: STI maintains three licensed professional counselors on staff who are available to meet student counseling needs. Their primary role is to provide intervention, helping students address issues which may interfere with their learning. Counseling sessions are offered in person, online, and via telephone – accommodating the individual needs of the student. Two counselors hold a Distance Certified Counselor (DCC) designation. Counselors also provide psychological screenings and referral services. The Non-Traditional Student Advisor focuses primarily on career counseling and testing.
• Disability and Tutoring Services: STI provides accommodations as needed for students with documented disabilities. Additionally, a tutoring coordinator organizes tutoring services for students requesting assistance. Both services are available to all STI students free of charge. Instructor-led tutoring services are also available for some courses, such as Ultrasound Physics.
• Learners to Leaders Program: STI offers a Learners to Leaders program in conjunction with the Sioux Falls School District high schools. The program allows at-risk high school students to take classes on campus and earn high school and STI credits in the Business Administration program at STI. A halftime Learners to Leaders facilitator provides support for these students and the program is funded by Smithfield Foods.
• On Campus Events: Special events on campus foster the feeling of community. Students are introduced to the campus during spring and fall campus picnics featuring entertainment and activities. Graduation ceremonies in December and May include graduation receptions for graduates and their families and friends. Throughout the school year, the Student Government Association sponsors movie and pizza, dances, talent show, and other all-campus student activities.
• Intramural Sports: All credit students and STI employees have the opportunity to participate in organized intramural sports – basketball, volleyball and bowling. The SGA Advisor coordinates the program, and individual faculty or staff are paid to supervise.
• Student Organizations: STI has fifteen student organizations, which offer an opportunity for students to participate in professional organizations in their field while attending STI. Through these organizations, students can also compete in local, regional, and national competitions, or attend various professional conferences. Many organizations also provide opportunities to learn leadership skills or participate in service-oriented activities, such as the HelpLine Referral Service. All student organizations have an STI employee as an advisor, providing additional opportunities to develop relationships (see 1P 16  for listing). It is an institutional requirement that all student organizations must be directly related to programs.
• In-Service Training: Each year STI hosts five mandatory in-service days for faculty professional development. Depending upon the subject, some of these sessions are also attended by STI staff. Topics have included engaging students in the classroom, advising tips, using learning styles to improve student performance, understanding millennial students, using technology in the classroom, assessment techniques, identifying and helping disabled students, suicide prevention, and understanding poverty. A faculty and staff led In-Service Committee organizes the events.
• Communication: STI understands that using a variety of communication methods with students greatly increases the opportunity to build a lasting relationship. Therefore, STI communicates with students through the STI web and STInet sites, phone calls, texting, emails, postcards, in person and online chats, YOUTUBE, and Facebook. The STI Marketing Department coordinates print and web communications.
• Customer Service Training: STI’s Business and Industry Training division offers a five-week Customer Service course for high school students. The program trains students on computer skills, communication in the workplace, and customer service. Students completing the course have the opportunity to test out of STI’s Introduction to Computers and Communication in the Workplace diploma classes as well as receive high school credit.
• Career Center Office: The Career Center Office assists students in developing job seeking skills and writing effective resumes and cover letters. The office also assists employers in finding qualified candidates to meet their employment needs. Representatives from a variety of employment settings contact the office to recruit STI students for both full and part-time job openings, which are posted on the STInet Campus Life tab. Students are able to meet with the Career Center Officer to discuss job opportunities either by walk-in, phone or email. In addition, the Career Center Officer visits STI classrooms to meet and work with students. Two job fairs are also conducted on the STI campus each year: a part-time job fair in August and the Medical Job Fair in May.
• On-Campus Housing through the Housing Foundation: STI builds a relationship with the 200 oncampus housing students through the efforts of the housing staff and their connection to STI’s Student Success Center. The on-site Housing Manager and Assistant Housing Manager work directly with the Success Center to identify and assist housing students who may be struggling, either academically or personally. Housing staff also hold housing events to help build a community and connect students with each other and with the staff.