Did we miss you at our Service Plus Expo? If so, click the headline above to learn how each school department has improved this year.
Academic Affairs
· Reformulated attendance policies, and worked with students affected by the H1N1 virus to ensure classes were podcast and compliance with course attendance policies was waived.
· Instituted a semi-annual Deans’ Commendation Reception to recognize and celebrate Deans’ Scholars and Book Award winners.
· Restructured and reinstituted a student-faculty/J.D. staff mentoring program to enhance academic advising, career advising, and mentoring opportunities for students.
· Improved new student orientation programming by adding more professionalism elements. Additionally, orientation presentations were made available online for more convenient viewing than in previous years.
· Instituted a new system for creating Academic Calendars to provide multicultural organizations and the SBA opportunities to review them for conflicts with religious holidays and other important dates.
Academic Success
· Created an Academic Success SharePoint site to make department resources readily available to students
· Redesigned the Academic Success curriculum for incoming 1Ls in response to student feedback
· Enhanced the bar coaching program to support out-of-state exam takers
· Increased the number of sections offered for both Advanced Florida Bar Studies and MBE Strategies to meet demand
· Redesigned the Academic Success suite to include study rooms for student use
· Streamlined the orientation online vodcasts to enhance student engagement and answer critical questions prior to arrival on campus
Academic Technology
· Offered alternative exam options for students who have Macs so they may use ExamSoft for their exams.
· Offer multiple ExamSoft workshops each semester to accommodate the students’ various schedules.
· Introduced Elluminate Live! as an option for faculty to offer virtual classes as an option in case of emergency.
· Created classroom technology “menu boards” to aid students and faculty in using classroom technology
· Automated the end-of-course evaluation process to ensure student anonymity.
Admissions Department
· Implemented a new software and database system to allow Admissions to post application status and document needs online in real time to better assist applicants and admitted students.
· Enhanced student tours to include opportunities to attend actual classes and to meet current students and professors.
· Created “Dining with Dexter” - dinner receptions designed to allay anxieties and to help prospective students select their law school. The event provides opportunities to ask candid questions, meet alumni, and to meet possible classmates.
· Expanded Yield Recruitment efforts to include all constituents from within the Coastal Community in an effort to be more proactive in reaching out to prospective candidates.
· Revamped our minority recruitment efforts to include a book scholarship for those attendees ultimately matriculating at Coastal Law.
Alumni Affairs
· Created an alumni chapter system to provide networking groups all over the country to students upon graduation.
· Identified key markets students indicate they will return to and prioritized those markets as future alumni chapters.
· Created CoastalConnect, an online community for graduates to keep in touch, assist with mentoring and networking, refer clients and add value to their degrees.
· Increased student-alumni interaction at premiere events like Alumni Weekend to show the growth of student involvement at the school and to connect students with alumni.
· Developed a process to connect students to alumni around the country, who offer feedback and analysis of the legal market, employment assistance, and bar exam tips.
· Offered online registration for student events that have resulted in revenue to school organizations.
Career Services Department
· Developed a 1L job readiness curriculum designed to serve as a step-by-step career plan.
· Created an on-line form students may use to schedule appointments with one of our career counselors.
· Visited more than 200 Florida law firms, met with federal government and public interest recruiters nationwide, and began identifying opportunities for students who want to pursue alternative legal careers.
· Collaborated with the SBA to create regional Networking Clubs for students interested in working in a wide variety of geographies across the United States.
· Met with executive directors and presidents of bar associations across the country to develop collaborative programs for Coastal Law students and their organizations.
Finance
· Processed student stipend checks during the first week of class in order to get funds to students as quickly as possible.
· Enhanced pre-bill functionality and posted on the student portal earlier so students can have a greater understanding of amounts received and owed in a more clear and timely manner.
· Updated and clarified important dates and procedures on the website and plasma screens to increase timely communication to students.
· Updated orientation financial information presentation to include samples and links to related tutorials so students can better understand their financial information.
· Increased customer service expectations so all staff understand the importance of greeting every student immediately with a smile and owning every request until students understand their situation.
Financial Aid
· Redesigned Financial Aid Handbook to be more student friendly and easier to read, while increasing the amount of information offered to help students understand the financial aid process.
· Nearly doubled the size of our staff to provide better service when you need us.
· Added a bulletin board to the lobby of the Financial Aid Office to further promote scholarship opportunities.
· Rearranged the seating area in the Financial Aid Office to make it more comfortable and inviting.
· Improved customer service by verbally greeting students with a smile.
IT Department
· Updated all furniture and equipment in student labs to provide a more comfortable experience.
· Enhanced student email accounts to provide lifetime access, a significant increase in storage, and collaborative tools to improve communication.
· Redesigned school web site to improve content organization and use-of-ease.
· Enhanced POD casting capabilities and recorded more than 800 course pod casts in the fall for convenient downloading.
· Doubled the number of free printed pages per student to reduce students’ costs.
Library
· Invited you to become our fan on Facebook - Coastal Law Library (LTC). As a fan, you will receive research tips; get announcements; learn about important legal news; and much more.
· Experimented with possible sound reduction solutions in the study rooms in an attempt to enhance your studying environment.
· Added more research workshop opportunities to meet the needs of second and third year students.
· Improved Saturday Reference Desk Hours by ensuring a full-time Reference Librarian in will be on staff to provide better service on the weekends.
· Added the Academic Success collection - study aids circulated for three days at a time to provide more and varied access for your studying needs.
Multicultural Affairs
· Created a more efficient and transparent budget process to ensure more and better multicultural programming.
· Instituted a new benchmarking system to track department successes and institute new goals.
· Increased cross-cultural sponsoring of multicultural events and activities to enhance organizational interdependence.
· Enhanced communication and information-sharing between Multicultural Roundtable (MCRT) members and the Academic Success Department to improve minority achievement during and after law school.
· Increased collaboration between the MCRT and external groups including the DW Perkins Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association to increase networking and mentorship opportunities.
Registrar
· Created a student focus group and used feedback to improve the online registration process.
· Created a system for students self service software to order transcripts electronically.
· Developed a process for students to submit Registrar forms electronically.
· Implemented a self-service option for enrollment verifications.
· Created a Registrar announcement page to reduce the number email communications to students.
Student Affairs
· Increased the number of campus presentations, group outreach programs, and individual counseling sessions to enhance student mental health and wellness.
· Improved relationships with the local legal and service communities to help increase opportunities and awareness of pro bono and volunteer opportunities for students
· Implemented a Student Code of Conduct to reinforce the school’s core values of professionalism, civility, mutual respect, and accountability.
· Improved the Honor Code, with direction from students and faculty, to ensure a fair and just process for handling complaints, and to further promote honesty, integrity, and accountability.
· Redesigned the process for creating amendments to the law school application to allow students to efficiently achieve compliance with the requirements of the school and the Bar.
