2023-2024 Annual Report
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Student Outreach & Support (SOS) is celebrating our 1-year anniversary as a department within the Division of Student Affairs! Though our department is new, the work and services we provide to students and the campus community have long been recognized as essential support. SOS houses the case managers for the University鈥檚 CARE Team. Our role is to assess immediate student concerns, provide short-term case management support, address barriers to student success, and offer comprehensive care. We work tirelessly to ensure students feel supported not just as students, but as individuals.
As we reflect on this past year, you will see data that highlights the barriers students face in becoming the best Shockers they can be. You will see struggles and challenges. However, I encourage you to view these data points through our lens and see referrals to our office as positive connections. We are overwhelmed with happiness that the WSU community actively refers students to our office and truly cares for their well-being.
While a large portion of our services are reactive to student concerns, SOS also proactively supports students by providing mental health workshops. In these workshops, we explore our inner selves and encourage students to embrace discomfort. This workshop is popular among student organizations, and we are honored to provide a safe space where students can be vulnerable with one another.This first year has been an incredible period of growth and intentional goal setting for SOS. I am proud to lead an amazing team that actively embraces the mission of Student Affairs by connecting every student.
Katie Davidson
Director, Student Outreach & Support
Meet The Team
Mission & Vision
Mission:
To connect every student to resources on campus and in their respective communities
that foster wholeness and facilitate academic success.
Vision:
To be one of the state鈥檚 leading student support teams, known for advocating for student wellness and academic completion.
SOS At A Glance
Other Unique data points
SOS participated in 18 Students of Concern meetings with Housing and Residence Life (HRL) staff, assessing and addressing common mild severity concerns within students residing oncampus.
SOS participated in 14 C.A.R.E. Team meetings, assessing safety and wellbeing of individual students and the campus community.
771 students that SOS worked with were FAFSA eligible for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Freshmen and seniors generally receive the most referrals to our office. The AY24 data confirms this ongoing trend.
- 41.1% Freshmen
- 15.2% Sophomore
- 13.9 % Junior
- 18.7% Senior
- 8.8% Graduation
- 2.3% Guest
AY24 had a recidivism rate of 16.23% compared to AY23 recidivism rate of 6.13%
Staff Highlights
- SOS, as members of the University鈥檚 CARE Team, received WSU Rick Rewards. An award presented by President Rick Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of the campus community
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Case Manager, Rachel Glass, receive the Dottie C. Miller award which recognizes an individual who gives outstanding support to Greeklife on campus & in the community.
- Director, Katie Davidson, attended NASPA conference as department representative. *National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
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Lead Case Manager, Courtney Lockhart, presented on behalf of the department at WSU鈥檚 first ever STRIVEConference on the topic of Having Difficult Conversations. This topic was requested as a response to staff and faculty wanting to enhance their skills in immediate ersponses to student barriers. STRIVE Conference is hosted by Staff Senate and is part of Professional Development.
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SOS, as members of the University鈥檚 CARE Team, coordinated a Meet & Greet with community partner COMCARE Community Crisis who provides after hours mental health crisis services to students. This annual Meet & Greet assist the CARE Team in maintaining our MOU with the crisis center. 8 members, representing 3 campus departments, attended the Meet & Greet
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36 students attended Rock out The Semester with SOS!, a rock painting destress activity hosted during final week.
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SOS staff lead a workshop titled Unmasking Mental Health to 7 student organizations, including Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO), Shocker Engineering Academy, TRIO, Upward Bound, Shocker Promise Scholars, and GEAR UP (SE and West).
- SOS presented at 11 Freshmen Orientations as CARE Team representatives on students' Success Teams. SOS reached 1,431 students during orientation.
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SOS presented to 5 first year seminar classes on services the department provides, how to refer someone, and what to do if you are referred. This strategic effort aims to help students feel more at ease when a referral is made on their behalf and to ensure they feel supported throughout their academic journey.
Conclusion
Goals for the upcoming year.... BIG 3
- Finalize our standard operating procedures manual. This will ensure staff consistency when working with students and providing outreach.
- Increase student-facing engagement opportunities across campus by 5%. This will be obtained by presenting to more First Year Seminar classes, participating in campus tabling events, and offering self-care activities to students during high stress points during the semester.
- Implement a case management intake from to better track data and recurring concerns, enhancing our ability to support and address student needs. This will enable SOS staff to streamline the intake assessment process.