Skyline College has been inducted into the Foundations of Excellence in the First Year Experience Project. According to the official website of the organization (www.fyfoundations.org), the program is a comprehensive college-wide study that will research Skyline’s academics and then gear the college towards helping new students make a successful transition to higher education.

The main tool needed for this year-long research and development program is a model composed of a set of principles called “Foundational Dimensions,” which is driven by a campus-based committee of Skyline professors and students.

“This college is planning to institutionalize a first-year program that will create a very family-oriented, academically-oriented and student service oriented campus,” said Patricia Deamer, an instructor from the mathematics, science and technology division of Skyline College.

The Foundations of Excellence in the First Year Experience Project (F.Y.E.) is mainly focused on first-year students, whom the foundation defines as college enrollees who have taken 0 to 34 units.

“The first year is very important because it can make or break a student,” said Liza Erpelo, assistant professor of language arts and a committee member.

Past surveys from the program resulted in retention rates of the sample first year student population that shows that 79 percent of the students in the program receive good grades, compared to the 85 percent of students have completed their first year. Previous surveys done by the F.Y.E. program measured the rate of course completion. Sixty-one percent of new students complete their subjects, in contrast to the 72 percent course completion rate of students who have spent more time in college, according to Cathy Hasson, who works in Skyline’s planning, research and institutional effectiveness department

“I didn’t know anything about college,” said Christine Leuterio, a second-year student at Skyline, when asked to describe her first year at a community college. “It’s different because you had to pick your own classes.” Leuterio also added that it would’ve been helpful if she had someone to guide her.

Though it’s still in its research phase, Loretta Adrian, vice president of student services at Skyline College, stated an example of how things could change. Adrian referred to the matriculation process that new applicants must go through before enrolling and emphasized that they wanted to make it smoother.

“After taking placement tests, a student must sometimes wait for days, even weeks to attend an orientation,” said Adrian, when asked about the results that this project would produce. “I realized we needed to organize. The end product of our work would be an improved transition program. In general we end up looking at programs needed by all students to succeed.”