Forward Together: Towards 90% Retention
The number 283 has appeared on the Edwardsville campus – yard signs, social media feeds, even campus dining specials. What does 283 mean?
SIUE has a goal to increase the first-to-second year retention rate for students to 90%.
Student retention is everyone’s responsibility. Every student that enrolls at SIUE expects to – and should – graduate from the university. Let’s move forward together to affirm, intervene, and connect with students to help them thrive during their time at SIUE!
| Fall 2021 Cohort Retention | Fall 2022 Cohort Retention | |
|---|---|---|
| All | 70% | 73.6% |
| African American | 56% | 71.6% |
| Latinx | 67% | 73.8% |
| Asian | 81% | 83.7% |
| White | 74% | 78.8% |
SIUE has made progress in increasing its student retention in the last academic years. To achieve the goal of 90%, we need to retain 283 more students in the fall 2023 cohort, compared to the class of students that entered in fall 2022.
This fall, SIUE will welcome more than 1,700 new students and all of them will begin with the expectation of earning a college degree. Living up to the SIUE mission means doing everything in our power to ensure that the students enrolled at this university succeed.
We all play a part in accomplishing this ambitious, yet achievable goal. Here are things we can do together to help our campus community – and, most importantly, our students – get off to a strong start:
Faculty & Staff
- Submit a Starfish Survey – Edwardsville Academic Success Evaluation (EASE) – for every student. The Starfish Survey program supports data collection for all students, not just those who are struggling with a course. If you have a concern about a student’s academic performance, please raise a flag in Starfish at any point of the semester to notify the student and their academic advisor; it is not required to wait until reminders are sent during the fifth week of classes. Starfish can be used to make referrals directly to specific offices on campus, including ACCESS, the Career Development Center, and Learning Support Services. What is the Starfish Survey Process?
- Make assessments accessible to students. Faculty are strongly encouraged to regularly update grades on Blackboard throughout the semester and to assess student work before the fifth week of classes.
- Engage with students early and often. Students often report not enrolling in the subsequent semester due to having earned a non-passing grade or feeling like they do not belong on campus. Check-in with students more intentionally in the first four to six weeks of the semester - to actively affirm that students belong here, to direct to resources (such as tutoring or counseling), and to offer help if they need it.
- Get creative with connecting students to campus resources. Every university has a “hidden curriculum” and can be a difficult place to navigate. Help SIUE build a community of care by taking a few extra minutes to walk a student into an office or to improve the accessibility and visibility of a resource or office to students.
- Participate in professional development related to closing equity gaps. SIUE’s IMPACT Academy and the Center for Faculty Development and Innovation provide workshop opportunities and other learning resources to help foster a campus community that is equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist.
Students
- Get involved on campus. Join one of 300 student organizations, attend events, develop your leadership skills, or serve with a community organization. The Kimmel Belonging and Engagement Hub is a resource for campus life at SIUE.
- Take advantage of Academic Support Services:
- Academic Advisers are dedicated to helping students navigate the academic rigor and expectations of curriculum requirements.
- Success Coaches assist students experiencing academic distress and life stressors. They help navigate time management, study strategies, academic preparedness, and fostering a sense of belonging on campus - the building blocks of student success.
- Academic excellence is not something that usually comes naturally. Learning Support Services organizes group study sessions, writing support, and one-on-one tutoring – including online! – as free resources available to help you thrive in classes.
- The Student Opportunities for Academic Results program elevates success by offering first-year students academic and professional support. SOAR provides student advising, coordinates academic programs, makes resources available, and organizes humanities programming such as a series of public thinking events and online reading groups.
- Respond to Starfish notifications. Receiving a notification from Starfish does not mean you are in trouble; faculty and staff on campus are ready and want to support you with campus resources. The campus community is here for your success.
- Take care of yourself mentally and physically. Counseling Services, Health Service, Campus Recreation, and Dining Services will help you feed your mind, body, and soul.
