Update to the Strategic Enrollment and Retention Task Force April 29, 2010 Retention Subcommittee

Meeting Dates February 1, 15 March 1, 9 (Webinars on Retention) March 22 April 5, 19

Data Reviewed Student-Centered Services (Student Affairs & Enrollment Management) Recommendations from Presidential Task Force on Student Success ACT & high school GPA for Fall 2009 freshmen (by college) Predictive model for academic standing following year 1 (freshmen)

Date Reviewed Fall 2008 undergraduate student “leaver” data –By college –By credit hour (i.e., class standing) High enrollment first-year courses Percent of DFWI grades for high- enrollment courses taken by freshmen

Data Reviewed Percent DFWI for low & moderate enrollment first-year courses Comments from Foundations of Excellence Survey of Students Comments from Foundations of Excellence Survey of Faculty/Staff

Data Reviewed Hardwiring Student Success: Building Disciplines for Retention & Timely Graduation (University Leadership Council – Education Advisory Board) Survey of current programming to meet best practices CHANCE retention/graduation data Transfer “leaver” data

Preliminary Goals Targeted first-year retention rate for freshmen = 80% Places NIU at 75% for like institutions –Strategies Intervention with high-risk freshmen Intentional advising at orientation Systematic monitoring through first year MapWorks Early alert –COMS, ENGL, MATH

Preliminary Goals –First-Year Strategies – Continued Implementation of Foundations of Excellence recommendations Mid-semester check

Preliminary Goals Four-Year, Six-Year Graduation Rates –Priority should be given to four-year graduation rates –Six-year rate Return to 51%-52% Five-year plan = 54%-55% –Four-year rate 30%

Preliminary Goals –Graduation Strategies Retention coordinated through Office of Student Academic Success Retention Council Student Success Specialists –One per college –Coordinated through Office of Student Academic Success

Preliminary Goals Graduation Strategies – Continued Establish four-year plans Publish four-year plans for students Develop milestones for intervention –Success in key courses –GPA Thresholds Unified record keeping system tracking interventions

Preliminary Goals Graduation Strategies – Continued –Collect data on leavers Exit surveys Exit interviews –Identify potential leavers Transcript requests Financial holds

Preliminary Goals Graduation Strategies – Continued Identify students with graduation impediments –90 hours plus –Applied for graduation –Unfulfilled requirements Enhance Advising –High touch –Best practices –Fall 2010 Campus Summit

Preliminary Goals Transfer Students –Retention data not tracked in the past –Preliminary data First-year rate = 75% –Target rate = 80%-85% –More analysis is needed before establishing strategies

Additional Goals Decrease number of undergraduates who leave NIU prior to graduation Increase number of students who leave for community colleges and return to graduate from NIU

Work To Be Done Finalize strategies for freshmen Develop strategies for transfer students –Further analysis of data Four-year institutions vs. community colleges Feeder community college success rates College and departmental data

Work To BE Done Identify partners for success Establish outcomes for all strategies Establish targets for: –CHANCE –Graduate students –Law students

Work To Be Done How to capture graduation success –Degrees per FTE How to institutionalize culture of retention CHANCE expectations Graduate School & Law

Questions and Comments