As we all know by now, 乐播传媒入口鈥檚聽new funding model for higher聽education places the highest priority聽on student progress, matriculation, and聽graduation success. Gov. Bill Haslam鈥檚聽Drive to 55 initiative seeks to improve聽乐播传媒入口鈥檚 workforce by increasing聽the percentage of Tennesseans with聽postsecondary degrees or certificates聽to 55 percent.
Last academic year, we made great聽strides in helping our students stay聽enrolled and on a clear聽path to earning a degree.聽Our achievements can聽be largely attributed to聽our ambitious Quest聽for Student Success,聽which has proven to聽be an effective roadmap in the effort聽to improve retention and graduation.
Within the first six months of implementing聽just two key components of聽the Quest鈥攁 new advising model聽and use of a predictive聽analytics software聽system to better monitor student聽progress鈥斅爏ignificant聽increases in聽persistence聽were聽measured:
鈥⒙� Persistence rates increased by +2.2 percentage points for聽new freshmen.
鈥⒙� Rates increased +4.5 percentage points for transfers.
鈥⒙� Rates increased +2.1 percentage points for sophomores.
鈥⒙� These improvements resulted in approximately $1.5聽million in additional spring 2015 tuition and fees.
The near future also looks bright. Although official data聽will not be available until census on September 7, 2015,聽trend projections have consistently indicated that MTSU聽will achieve record or near-record retention increases in聽the upcoming semester for first-time freshmen, new transfer聽students, and sophomore students.
The Quest is helping redefine and refocus our efforts and聽investments in recruitment, advising, and classroom teaching聽to better meet the needs of our students. With broad support聽from the University鈥檚 central administrative team, led by聽Provost Brad Bartel and under the direction of Dr. Rick聽Sluder, vice provost for student success, and the leadership of聽the academic deans, department chairs, and faculty, our plan聽has shown tangible progress.
Driving those increases are a number of specific initiatives:
鈥⒙� The redesign of more than 20 courses聽 has enhanced聽the learning environment for students, enabling them to聽better master the material and offering a greater chance for聽success. By the close of the fall 2015 semester, 28 courses聽will have been through some form of redesign. Eleven of聽MTSU鈥檚 top 12 most predictive and most enrolled courses聽will have been redesigned.
鈥⒙� The recent hiring of 47 new college-based academic聽advisors聽 has greatly enhanced our ability to effectively聽address critical advising and academic support needs.
鈥⒙� The use of new predictive analytics software聽 has helped聽us sharpen our focus on areas that have the greatest聽opportunity to positively affect academic needs and聽achieve measurable, sustainable results.
From October 29,聽2014, through April 30, 2015鈥攖he first six months of the聽system鈥檚 use鈥攁cademic advisors
- met in person with 19,464 students,
- conducted 5,727 advising sessions by email or online,
- advised 772 students by phone,
- 聽reviewed the files of 12,627 students and reached聽out to assist them, and
- altogether, made 40,206 contacts with students!
I am proud to say these early successes have not gone聽unnoticed. An article in the March 13 issue of The Chronicle聽of Higher Education says that MTSU is at the forefront nationally聽of efforts to improve retention and graduation, and many of聽the programs we are implementing are being adopted by聽institutions around the country (See page 4) . MTSU鈥檚 student聽success efforts were also pointed out in the Washington Post聽on June 14, 2015. And most recently, the Association of聽Public and Land-grant Universities named MTSU one of five聽finalists nationally for its Project Degree Completion Award聽recognizing institutions that employ innovative approaches聽to improve retention and degree completion.
We have long said that we are a student-centered institution,聽and I am pleased that our actions are validating that for聽students and our peers. But with this recognition it鈥檚 critical聽that we not rest on our laurels. There remains much to be聽done. Looking forward to the 2015鈥�16 academic year, in聽addition to the previously mentioned efforts underway, there聽are a number of other activities we are launching:
鈥⒙� A total of twenty-eight (28) Raider Learning Communities聽are offered in fall 2015. Students in RLCs attend paired聽courses where instructors create collaborative learning聽experiences to not only magnify student learning, but also聽allow them to build personal and professional networks.
鈥⒙� Our highly successful Scholars Academy聽 will be聽expanded to serve greater numbers of first-generation聽and/or at-risk students as they prepare for college.
鈥⒙� To continue to improve sophomore retention, a聽Second-Year Experience聽 program has been developed.
鈥⒙� Restructuring our financial aid program to provide聽better incentives and support for students who make聽sustained progress toward completing their degree.
鈥⒙� Initiating a new program called Rebound , which provides聽academic support and assistance in retaining freshmen聽who had below a 2.0 at the end of the fall 2014 semester.
For example, a Finish Line Scholarship has been developed聽for new freshmen and transfer students that will reward聽students who stay on track to finish their degrees by taking聽an average of 15 hours each semester.
鈥⒙� Expanding our dual-enrollment聽program . Courses counting for both聽high school and MTSU graduation聽requirements are available at our聽partnering high schools, on the聽MTSU campus, and online.
鈥⒙� Attracting non-traditional students聽to our campus through unique聽programs including the Recapture聽program聽 that focuses on adults聽who earned a significant number of聽college credits but did not graduate.
鈥⒙� Building on our existing efforts聽to support our military students聽and veterans.
Clearly, the University is committed to聽the success of every student, and we聽have committed considerable resources聽to making MTSU a success-oriented聽institution. However, the interactions聽you have in your classrooms and in聽your encounters with students form聽the basis of everything we do . I would聽urge each of you to take a look at聽your own students and classes, asking聽yourself 鈥淲hat can I do to make this聽experience better, more meaningful,聽and more effective?鈥� I ask鈥攏o urge鈥斅爀ach of you to be accountable and聽accept your responsibility to help聽take us to an even higher level of聽achievement. Much can be done if聽we all work together.
Best wishes for a wonderful fall聽semester, and I look forward to聽an even greater year for our Blue聽Raider family!