Loren Kroh

This is a great practice, Jeannette. Do you have students who are reluctant to share or who really don't know what motivates them?

Dennis, your action list is a great example of effective things that can be implemented without a lot of debate and money. The guided tour of Career Services can be particularly forceful with entering students. The idea of self-help programs is a clear demonstration that the school is concerned about the whole student. Please let me know how these initiatives work out.

How frequently do you recognize people for attendance, Melissa? What method do you use to “publicly recognize” the students? Do you get any negative feedback about the “best dressed” award from students who don't believe they can afford a new wardrobe?

That like seems quite a load for one person, Paula. How many students did the DSA serve? Can you think of any other ways to accomplish the same thing?

Paula, I agree that students do appreciate these kinds of events. However, if they become routine they begin to become right rather than privilege and may even become a dissatisfier if you change your practice. Do you do anything to make sure that everyone participates? Frequently, the students who are least engaged with the school simply take the opportunity to leave.

In my experience, Teri, faculty are most resistant to retention when they feel that they are shouldering a disproportionate share of the load. They are more responsive when they see that all the departments within the school are responsible for retention. Many are unwilling or unable to address non-classroom issues, but will refer students to others who are better prepared to help. General understanding and buy-in of the overall institutional vision of student success – and the vision of institutional success – are critical.

Do you have regularly scheduled training for faculty and/or staff, Teri? How about all campus meetings? If so, you can carve out some time from each of these sessions to present the material. Some institutions regularly schedule “in service” days during term breaks for exactly this sort of initiative.

Great point, Joseph. Anyone else have a similar experience where fact does not support the conventional wisdom?

I agree with you, Joseph. We spend time and energy trying to make sure the students get the “big picture”, but may overlook that with the faculty. This may be particularly important in programs that have multiple skill paths. What other steps do you plan to take to improve retention?

I agree, Teri, it’s wonderful to see students develop strong relationship with classmates. Do you do any sort of communication style or temperament indicator assessments to help students understand different approaches to problem solving and communication?