The document discusses student retention initiatives between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. It notes that the first year experience program had a retention rate of only 45% with 165 students not returning for reasons such as poor academic performance, financial problems, and conduct issues. It emphasizes the importance of high expectations, academic advising, and academic and social support for students. It also stresses the role of feedback, involvement, and national surveys in developing comprehensive retention initiatives.

1. Student Initiatives in Collaboration
with Academic Affairs
Developed by: Todd Long, M.Ed.

2. Student Affairs in conjunction with Academic Affairs are
evaluating our first year experience program
• First-to-second-year retention is generally most critical of
academic affairs and student affairs
• Variety of issues impact retention rates including
selectivity, admissions standards, student characteristics,
institutional characteristics, and more
• Focus for students, faculty, and staff should be on
intentionality by first year experience institution initiatives

3. Concerns of First Year Experience
• The first year experience consist of 300 students.
• Only 45 % of the first year student body returned as second
year students.
• The first year experience included students in the following
degree programs: Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Fashion
Merchandising, and Interior Design.
• 135 students matriculated to second year.
• 165 students did not return for the following reasons:
• Poor academic performance (CGPA below 2.0), Financial
problems, student conduct.

4. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Students are more likely to persist and graduate in
settings that hold high and clear expectations
• Challenging but explicit classroom expectations
• Academic advising that provides the roadmap to
degree completion

5. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Provide academic and social support
– Students may not be prepared for the
rigors of university coursework so
institutions should provide an array of
support structures
– Students need “safe havens” as they
learn to navigate campuses
• Counseling
• Mentoring
• Connections to peers

6. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Feedback is a condition for
student success
– Early alert/intervention programs
– Assessments to accurately gauge
student learning [not just exams]
– Faculty willingness to adjust based
on feedback
– Timely feedback about performance
– Connecting support structures to
feedback

7. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Involvement is a condition for student retention
• Academic and social integration opportunities with
faculty, peers, and staff members
• The more students learn, the more they find value in their
learning, the more they persist and graduate
• Build educational communities of learning

8. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Comprehensive national survey that looked not only at
retention, progression and graduation rates (public v.
private, etc.) but also provided benchmarks for
institutions
– Program coordination
– Research and assessment
– Orientation programs
– Early warning systems
– Faculty/student interactions
– Advising practices

9. Taking Retention Initiatives Seriously
• Participants – when compared to
academically and demographically
matched control groups
– earn better grades
– progress more rapidly in academic
standing
– are retained at higher levels