Student Retention

Universities Recognized for Student Success Work

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 11/03/16

An education consultancy has recognized four of its institutional customers for their work in the area of student success. The recipients of EAB's "2016 Student Success Collaborative Awards" have all applied data analytics, the use of technology and adherence to best practices to keep more students in school, thereby also improving their financial performance.

Eastern Kentucky University was recognized for its "data-driven impact." According to EAB, 340 professional and faculty advisors now work on efforts to identify at-risk students at the school. Gains have included a 6.8 percentage point increase in retention since 2012, which has translated to $1.67 million in additional revenue.

Salisbury University's assistant vice president of academic affairs, Melissa Boog, received acknowledgement for her work in centralizing advising at her Maryland campus. Among Boog's efforts were the expansion of condensed courses, called "minimesters," and creation of four-year curriculum guides to encourage degree completion. Those efforts, among others, resulted in an increase of 2.2 percentage points in first-time, full-time student retention from 2015 to 2016, gaining $340,000 in additional revenue.

The University of Northern Colorado was credited for its innovative use of technology to manage the workflow and communications for student success initiatives and consolidating student services in one place on campus. In addition, the campus has shared its data and analytics with other institutions "in an effort to improve persistence for all students," EBA noted.

West Virginia University was recognized for its willingness to test new forms of technology, including Guide, a mobile platform from EAB intended to help simplify communication with students and nudges them to take appropriate actions at the right time.

"Colleges and universities across the country continue to embrace new student success initiatives because they are more committed than ever to ensuring all students graduate," said Scott Schirmeier, EAB executive vice president, in a prepared statement. "The winners of this year's Student Success Collaborative Awards embody the collaborative spirit, innovative mindset, and effective use of data and analytics that are necessary to truly improve student outcomes."

Recipients received their awards during EAB's annual customer event, CONNECTED, which took place this week in Washington, D.C.