Page 35 - 2024 January report

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (DRAFT) (4)
Success Center has been established in California. That effort also has faced challenges, including staffing. The result is that the Year 3 enrollment goals for the Online Dual Enrollment Program were not met. However, the report concluded that there is direct linkage between Landmark’s programs overall and the Foundation’s strategy in the Disability focus area.
During the discussion, it was agreed the report was well thought out. College enrollment is on the decline everywhere, not just at Landmark. Part of the Dual Enrollment program’s attraction for JSF was its focus on how neurodivergent students are learning online. That is a niche area that could provide some interesting insights.
c. Landmark College grant agreement addendum
The following materials had been circulated: Landmark College’s Year 3 report; the grant agreement between Landmark College and JSF for the Online Dual Enrollment Program; and an email from the college requesting a modification to the agreement. The agreement states that JSF reserves the right to cancel its participation if enrollment falls below 50% of the goal for the year. Landmark proposes to lower the Online Dual Enrollment target for Year 4 from 850 to 600 and set enrollment targets for all of the college’s other online programs at 150. For Year 5, Landmark proposes to set a target enrollment based on Year 4 performance and in agreement with JSF. The current Year 5 enrollment target is 1,050.
Malcolm welcomed Lisa Nye Chabot, Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs, who joined the meeting through Zoom. She began by explaining that Landmark is experiencing its highest in-person enrollment in 7 years. However, all the college’s online programs, including Online Dual Enrollment, have seen declines. The college received a grant to market the program. The marketing consultant’s report showed that of the 1.7 million dual enrollment students in the U.S., 1 in 12 go to private schools while the rest go to community colleges. There was a push to move students to online education during the early phase of the pandemic. Today, Landmark is trying to hire marketing professionals who can reach the neurodiverse student population, but the job market has been tight. At the same time, staff turnover at the partners schools has affected recruitment.
For these reasons, Landmark would like its qualifying enrollment numbers to include its 3 other online programs: College START (an online college readiness program), the Bay Area Success Center in California and an online certificate program for educators of students with learning differences. Together, the programs enroll more than 500 participants.
Lisa was asked how effective community colleges are at teaching neurodiverse students. She said it depends on the individual students and their needs. She noted that at traditional colleges, students are responsible for self- identifying as neurodiverse and asking for accommodations. Landmark stands out because its courses are built on universal design principles. Also, the school places personalized scaffold supports around each student that can be pulled back as the students gain new skills. Few other schools offer this. Students in Online Dual Enrollment have an advisor assigned to them. Additionally, the school offers a mini course for students and parents about how to learn online.
Asked about the future of the program, Lisa said there is potential for growth. Their marketing report shows there are 5,000 potential neurodiverse students who could qualify. There has been some success in their outreach in Canada. Also, there are indications that the online fatigue from the pandemic is leveling out. Another question was asked about whether JSF’s money is better used for scholarships or marketing. She said that there is a definite need for better marketing. Lisa left the meeting.
During the discussion, there was agreement that the program is good, though its target enrollment numbers were unrealistic from the start. There is much to be learned from how Landmark does online education differently. Rather than drafting an addendum, the Committee agreed to keep the agreement in place despite the low enrollment numbers.
The Committee agreed not to exercise the option to terminate the agreement with Landmark College despite the college not having met the Year 3 enrollment goals for the Online Dual Enrollment Program.
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