Work In Progress - academic and student affairs collaboration to enhance student success in engineering and applied sciences

A First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) program was implemented at Western Michigan University (WMU) in 2005, and it has improved retention rates of engineering and applied sciences students above historic rates. To build on current success, faculty and administrators from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Residence Life staff embarked on a collaborative process to help first time first-year students grow their life skills and academic habits, and make connection with the WMU faculty and staff and among themselves. Student development programs that connect the cognitive and the affective domains have the potential to further improve the success of FYEE. Preliminary results indicate academic and student affairs collaboration has begun to take hold at WMU.