Career Cycle
University of Baltimore (Md.)
Career preparation and guidance
Recognizing the new economic realities—and the greater national scrutiny of how colleges were preparing students for life after graduation—University of Baltimore developed a program to provide students with the tools for professional success after graduation. The Career and Professional Development Center teaches the Career Cycle in freshman and sophomore seminar courses. The university's admissions team uses the cycle as a recruitment tool, and academic advisors across the campus incorporate it into their advising. Read the full story.
Project Success
William Rainey Harper College (Ill.)
Academic success/outcomes
Five years ago, William Rainey Harper College joined Achieving the Dream, an organization composed of community colleges committed to helping students complete their education. The partnership gave the college a framework and a new focus: student success and completion. Statistics show students in Project Success have a much higher chance of persisting and graduating. Those who followed a success plan had a 26-percentage-point higher fall-to-spring persistence rate than those who did not. Read the full story.
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SIUE 1st
Southern Illinois University (Ill.)
Academic success/outcomes
The percentage of first-generation students at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville has risen to more than one-quarter of the approximately 2,000 freshmen. So in 2014, officials developed SIUE 1st, a support network designed specifically for first-generation college students on campus. There are already signs that SIUE 1st is a success. As a group, the program participants had lower average ACT scores coming in to college, yet they achieved slightly higher GPAs than first-generation freshmen who aren't participating in the program. Read the full story.
Comprehensive Student Support Program
Paul Smith's College (N.Y.)
Improving retention
Five years ago, New York's Paul Smith's College discovered problems with communication and the flow of information between faculty and student support offices. To facilitate better information sharing and collaboration between faculty and student services, the college implemented a system of proactive and reactive success strategies. In the first year, retention of sophomores into junior year increased from 62 percent to 74 percent. And on-time graduation rates for associate and bachelor degrees is up significantly. Read the full story.
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African-American Male Student Success
Central Piedmont Community College (N.C.)
Academic success/outcomes
The need to act was undeniable when officials at Central Piedmont Community College faced retention and graduation rates that were substantially lower for African-American males than for white males. The college spread the word of the chance to earn co-credits through a dual-enrollment program. Students were also invited to one-on-one discussions and information sessions to provide support and encouragement. The results are promising, with an average increase of fall-to-spring retention of 6 percent and fall-to-fall retention of 4.5 percent for this student group. Read the full story.
Student Success
Mitchell Technical Institute (S.D.)
Life skills attainment
The advisory boards of Mitchell Technical Institute's 34 programs delivered a simple message to the South Dakota school's administrators: You're doing a great job turning out talented, skilled workers, but when it comes to "soft" skills, much more is needed. Mitchell's solution is a required, first-year course, called "Student Success" that confers nontechnical skills such as professionalism, critical thinking and effective communication. Data shows a yearly increase in students reporting that the topics covered are relevant and meet their needs. Read the full story.
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Money Smarts
Indiana University (Ind.)
Financial literacy/responsibility
Students at Indiana University were interested in learning more about their finances, so in 2012 the Office of Financial Literacy was created to educate students in money matters. Through its MoneySmarts program, the office provides tools designed to strengthen financial know-how before, during and after college. In its first year of activity, the program saw 11 percent decreases in both figures. Website visits reached nearly 32,000 between January 2013 and November 2014, and the MoneySmarts podcast has topped 42,000 play requests. Read the full story.
EKU GURUs
Eastern Kentucky University (Ky.)
Adjustment to college life
Until five years ago, Eastern Kentucky University had no central location where students could get their questions answered. With the creation of the EKU GURUs, students can get any and all questions answered—at one of three convenient locations—by successful juniors and seniors who get paid for their service. With an annual budget of about $127,000—which pays the salaries of full- and part-time staff members and the 30 to 35 GURUs—the program is having an impact on retention. Read the full story.
Success Connect
University of South Carolina (S.C.)
Adjustment to college life
The size of the freshman class at the University of South Carolina has doubled in the last 10 years, making it more challenging for students to develop one-on-one relationships with faculty and staff. In the Student Success Center, 21 full-time, master's-level staff members and 20 part-time success coaches (grad students) are committed to forging connections with students that will increase their odds of progression and graduation. The Student Success Hotline receives more than 11,000 calls a year and makes approximately 4,600 calls inviting students in for additional assistance. Read the full story.
Student Tailored Education Plan
LDS Business College (Utah)
Academic success/outcomes
As if limited resources didn't make advising tough enough, LDS Business College in Utah discovered that students were seeking services even before they set foot on campus and that current students wanted more advising than they were getting, as well. The college now offers everyone a Student Tailored Education Plan (STEP). Among new students, STEP is a hit, with 90 percent reporting that it has helped. The program is being modified to meet the needs of continuing students. Read the full story.
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