History
HISTORY
For more than twenty years, the Division of Student Affairs has been committed to creating a co-curricular transcript. We began with a Co-Curricular Portfolio which was successful over the years and eventually led us back to a Co-Curricular Transcript, which launched in June 2022. The information below highlights our progress and where we are today.
2024-2025
Dr. Jasmine Buxton comes on board as the new vice president for Student Affairs on July 1, 2024. During Fall 2024, a larger team from the Division of Student Affairs, and the departments of Academic and Enterprise Systems and Information Services and Technology review potential technology products. The Outcome platform by Symplicity/Orbis Communications is chosen. In spring, the program catalog and Rammy's transcript go live in the new platform. Students have an opportunity to view the new platform at the spring Job and Internship Fair. Ram Plan Grants also end this year.
2023-2024
A Ram Plan D2L site was created to house asynchronous programs in one place and increase access for students in online programs. The site launched with nine programs. The faculty/staff webpage was re-designed to provide strategies faculty and staff could utilize to help students build their co-curricular transcripts. Amanda Woodworth from the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union is the first WCU partner to apply to include a program in the Ram Plan (Managing Money: Understanding Credit). Later in the year, she joins the Ram Plan Review Committee. In December 2023, Section 2302-A: Regulation of On-Campus Credit Card Marketing was added to the Pennsylvania School Code requiring universities to educate students about credit cards. The PSECU's programs help meet this need. In May, a team introduces the Ram Plan at the PASSHE Student Affairs Conference at Slippery Rock University. In June, the Ram Plan Review Committee presents on the Ram Plan at the NASPA Region II Conference at the University of Pennsylvania.
During this year, WCU also begins transitioning to a new student information system. A small group begins exploring whether the Ram Plan can transition to the new system and when that fails, Amanda Thomas begins looking for other technology options. Dr. Tabetha Adkins, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, submits a technology fee request for the new platform. Demos take place in the spring.
2022-2023
A team of 11 Student Affairs staff members attended the Institute on the Curricular Approach in Baltimore, MD. Ram Plan Paraprofessional Training was created and offered. The Ram Plan committee added three members from the Division of Academic Affairs. Members of the Ram Plan Review Committee began working with departments across the University on experience applications. The first internal Ram Plan Grant was awarded to the Office of Student Conduct. Six new Ram Plan policies were published related to training, applications, experience delivery, assessment appeals, removing experiences from students' transcripts, and inactivating experiences. A Ram Plan Faculty Guide was created to support faculty in finding programs to incorporate in courses as assignments and extra credit opportunities. Eighteen program applications were approved and over 25,000 entries have been added to student and alumni transcripts since 2017.
2021-2022
Faculty and staff began uploading experience data into students' transcripts. A division-wide Common Hour was established bi-weekly on Thursdays from 9:00-10:30AM to focus on four priorities: curriculum development; diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice; strategic planning initiatives; and professional development. Dr. Zebulun Davenport, Vice President for Student Affairs, presents the Co-curricular Transcript at the Middle States Commission for Higher Education Annual Conference. Dr. Judy Kawamoto, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, presents the Co-curricular Transcript at the NASPA AVP Symposium. Participants in both sessions are very excited about the idea. Leadership of the Ram Plan transitioned to Dr. Diane D'Arcangelo, Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Development and later to Dr. Sara Hinkle, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement. Dr. Tabetha Adkins became the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. On June 9, the Co-curricular Transcript went live and students could begin viewing and building their transcript. It was introduced during Orientation on June 22nd and students had an opportunity to participate in their first experience for their co-curricular transcript.
2020-2021
Program learning outcomes were added to the co-curricular catalog, a faculty/staff survey resulted in changes to the process, application, and trainings. Committees were established to create curricula for Social Justice, Health and Wellness and Community Engagement. Twenty-one members of the division attended the Institute on the Curricular Approach. A Co-Curricular Transcript Task Force was established to refine the goals, faculty/staff onboarding, application, review process, and marketing and communications. The Co-curricular Transcript pilot began.
2019-2020
Members of the division shared the division's co-curricular accomplishments at the Institute on the Curricular Approach in Anaheim, CA. Faculty, staff and campus partners began submitting transcript applications. Formal trainings were developed, a review committee was established, co-curricular scheduling was reviewed, and several stakeholders were asked to provide feedback regarding the design of the transcript. The co-curricular transcript is officially named the Ram Plan: Co-curricular Transcript. Other names considered included Experience WCU, Engage WCU, Golden Experience, Golden Path, PanoRAMa, Rams Path, Purple Experience, RAMbition, Rams Experience, Rams Link, Ram Ready, Ram Readiness, Ram Ready for Success, Ram Routes, WCU Co-curricular Experience, Ram Engagement, and Ram Script. Over the summer, the marketing team was re-established, 33 experiences were approved for the transcript, and the transcript design was submitted to the Registrar's office to be built in PeopleSoft.
*In March, the U.S. prepared for a global pandemic and most WCU co-curricular programs were moved online or temporarily discontinued.
2018-2019
The new community engagement platform launched, the division engaged in a review process related to program titles, the co-curricular rubrics and the program catalog were published, the co-curricular surveys were piloted, and the co-curricular transcript website was shared with First Year Experience faculty.
2017-2018
President Fiorentino held a Welcome Back celebration in the fall and the Divisions of Academic and Student Affairs announced the Co-Curricular Transcript. Shortly thereafter, Amanda Thomas and Judy Kawamoto were hired to lead the project. Work began on the co-curricular framework, catalog, education plans, assessments, technology, marketing, and resources. The year ends with the division's first co-curricular retreat.
2016-2017
Vice president candidate, Dr. Zebulun Davenport, presented on what a student affairs division looks like in the 21st Century. The title of his presentation was, Utilizing Co-Curricular Learning Experiences to Impact Student Success Both During College and Beyond. He becomes the Interim Vice President and is appointed to the Vice President position later that year. After discussions with members of the division, he proposed the Co-curricular Transcript to the President's Cabinet.
2007-2008
Over 1,400 students enrolled in the Co-Curricular Portfolio.
2005-2006
A total of 466 students enrolled in the Co-Curricular Portfolio after it was introduced to Student Affairs paraprofessional students, Honors College students, and upper-class leaders.
2004-2005
Over 200 students participated in the Co-Curricular Portfolio in year one. Several completed it and graduated.
2003-2004
The Co-Curricular Portfolio launched, 125 students enrolled in the online program, and five seniors completed the package in time for graduation.
2002-2003
A group of faculty and Student Affairs staff developed the Co-Curricular Portfolio and piloted it with eight student leaders.
March 2001
The Co-Curricular Transcript is listed as a goal in the Division of Student Affairs Decennial Report for Middle States.