Empowering Student Success: The Transformative Partnership Between Liaison and the California State University

Key Takeaways:

• Liaison, in partnership with California State University, launched the CSU Transfer Planner on August 1, 2023, to facilitate seamless transitions for community college students to CSU campuses.
• The CSU Transfer Planner helps students track coursework, research programs, and plan their academic paths, enhancing the transfer process and supporting enrollment goals.
• The platform integrates with Cal State Apply and will feature Application Jumpstart, allowing data transfer to streamline applications and reduce student workload.
• Liaison’s strategic partnership with CSU includes the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program and upcoming career planning tools, ensuring comprehensive support for students from high school through to their career paths.
• The collaboration aims to drive educational innovation and student success, with potential broader impacts for other higher education institutions.

On August 1, 2023, Liaison, in partnership with the California State University, launched the CSU Transfer Planner on the Living Profile platform. This milestone is the latest achievement in a long-standing relationship between Liaison and CSU, a relationship that began in 2016 with the creation of Cal State Apply, a Centralized Application Service (CAS). CSU, the largest statewide university system in the country, collaborated with Liaison to build this application, which saw a successful launch in its first year and continues to thrive, processing approximately 1.2 million applications annually through Cal State Apply.

A few years after conceiving this initial relationship, discussions began about the need for a transfer planner application tool to assist both community college students and counselors. In California, each campus is required to meet specific enrollment numbers, which has proven difficult. A key factor has been the decline in transfer student admissions despite the continued strong numbers from first-time freshmen through the Cal State Apply application. To address this, CSU and Liaison implemented a comprehensive strategy focused on boosting enrollment.

One major initiative was the creation of the CSU Transfer Planner, which facilitates a seamless transition from California community colleges to one of the 23 CSU campuses. The CSU Transfer Planner helps students understand how they can transition to a CSU campus and supports counselors in tracking students’ educational history, ensuring they are prepared and ready to apply.

Another important feature of the CSU Transfer Planner is its robust coursework tracking and program research capabilities. Students can enter and track their coursework to ensure they meet the requirements for their desired programs. All 23 CSU campuses have uploaded pictures, provided requirement details, and shared information about their programs and university backgrounds. This wealth of information allows students to research these programs, understand GPA requirements, and more effectively plan their academic paths and applications.

This partnership between CSU and Liaison exemplifies the power of strategic collaboration in driving educational innovation and student success. By addressing the unique challenges transfer students in higher education face, CSU and Liaison are improving enrollment numbers and creating significant advances in student access to a four-year institution.

How Liaison Helps CSU Boost Enrollment

Across the country, college enrollment has faced significant challenges. While some attribute this to COVID-19, it’s clear that multiple factors are at play. The cost of education is a major issue, and many young people are entering the workforce earlier, often opting for part-time education instead of full-time studies. The Transfer Planner plays a crucial role in CSU’s efforts to meet its enrollment targets and ensure financial stability.

Liaison’s work on Cal State Apply was another important factor in this success. CSU is dedicated to its student experience, so ensuring a seamless connection between the Transfer Planner and Cal State Apply was vital. To further streamline the application process, the organizations are building Application Jumpstart, set to launch in October 2024. This feature will allow students to transfer all data entered into the Transfer Planner directly into their Cal State Apply application, significantly simplifying the application process and reducing their workload.

Innovative Tools and Programs Driving Student Success at CSU

The CSU Transfer Planner is part of the Living Profile platform, which offers additional features that benefit students. The platform, powered by Liaison, allows current and prospective students to capture their academic and extracurricular activities with detailed descriptions, media, and documents. This capability helps students build an online portfolio that travels with them throughout their educational and career paths, showcasing their achievements and experiences in a comprehensive manner.

CSU’s Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program is another important initiative. This program allows community college students to complete their associate degrees in two years and then finish their bachelor’s degrees in two years at a CSU campus. While admission is not guaranteed, students receive priority review and seats within these programs. The Transfer Planner enables students to track their progress within their ADT programs, allowing both community colleges and CSU campuses to nurture them to the finish line and ensure their successful transition to CSU.

An exciting development on the horizon is the inclusion of career planning tools. CSU plans to leverage MyLiaison to provide students with information about potential careers, salary trends, and more. These tools will help students make informed decisions about their academic and career paths, aligning their educational pursuits with their long-term career goals.

Liaison and CSU are also exploring ways to leverage their relationship with the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI), which helps high school students in California track their educational background and coursework. The goal is to streamline the transition from high school to community college to CSU, providing students with all the resources they need to be successful. This integrated approach ensures that students are well prepared and supported throughout their educational journey.

Finally, they are developing an automated direct admissions system, which will identify students eligible for CSU and enable campuses to automatically communicate with them. These communications will inform students that they meet the requirements and encourage them to apply. This initiative aims to drive application submissions and enrollment, aligning with CSU’s long-standing goal of encouraging early applications and program enrollment. It’s an exciting project that promises to further enhance student access and success.

Strategic Partnerships and Innovation: Liaison’s Commitment to Advancing Higher Education

Liaison’s ongoing collaboration with CSU exemplifies the power of strategic partnerships in driving educational innovation and student success. As Liaison continues to expand its relationship with California community colleges, the goal remains clear: to provide these institutions with the tools they need to solve everyday problems and engage effectively with their students.

Much of Liaison’s work with CSU serves as an innovation pathway for other higher ed institutions. The advancements made through this partnership often lead to breakthroughs in creating engaging educational environments, demonstrating the broader impact of these collaborative efforts. This aspect of the relationship is particularly exciting, highlighting the potential for widespread improvements in higher education.

The creation of this article would not be possible without our Client Success Director Rebecca Barry’s knowledge, relationships, and dedication to Liaison’s partnership with the California State University. Thank you for everything you do, Rebs!