"Explore and Share" gatherings lead to valuable feedback about student success and retention

Amid end-of-semester planning, teaching, grading and organizing (and the list goes on), more than 200 USI faculty and staff members made time to attend two Student Success and Retention: "Explore and Share" Gatherings in April.

The sessions, organized by a working group that includes Michael "Brody" Broshears, assistant vice president for academic success; Dr. Amy Chan Hilton, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Dr. William Elliott, Jr., associate professor of geology; Heidi Gregori-Gahan, associate provost for International Programs and Services; Pamela Hopson, executive director of the Multicultural Center; Dr. Nicholas LaRowe, associate professor of political science; Ingrid Lindy '90, manager of human resource information systems; William Pool, transfer credit coordinator; Jeff Sickman '93 M'00, assistant treasurer and controller; and Linda Trible M'03 M'08, associate registrar (now retired), facilitated valuable campus-wide conversations about critical issues.

"We came together to create a way for the USI community to share their perspectives on student success and retention, learn about what's going on and explore trends, and have conversations related to those trends," said Chan Hilton.

The working group hoped for at least 50 participants-and was thrilled when close to 210 people from USI's four colleges, as well as Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, University Division, Rice Library, USI Foundation, University Communications, Alumni Relations, Registrar's Office, Business Office, IT Services, Special Events and other offices filled tables in the UC and Carter Hall. "It was so exciting to see and hear how individuals saw their role in student success and retention from the sessions, regardless of what office they work in," Chan Hilton said.

Following presentations about USI's Student Scholars Program (Hopson), Campus Action Response and Engagement (CARE) Team (LaRowe), Advising and Student Success (Broshears) and the soon-to-be-launched Financial Care Team (Sickman), attendees participated in small group discussions. Each table focused on one of the following topics: academic support, curriculum and instruction, first year experience, financial support, interacting with students, marginalized students, measuring success and retention, sophomore retention, student life and University processes.

Fifteen pages of table discussion notes and more than 200 responses from an online Student Success and Retention survey were also collected. That feedback, along with copies of the presentations and data handouts, are available to all USI employees via the Student Success Retention 2019 OneDrive folder. Opportunities to learn more about student financial success programs will be available this fall.

With preparation underway for a new academic year, the working group behind the "Explore and Share" gatherings continues to meet as it focuses on future collaborations among the entire USI community to improve student success and retention. "We are making plans to continue the momentum, continue the conversation and move to action," said Chan Hilton.