Charlie Nutt, Executive Director of NACADA talks about the relevance of the 2011 Persistence Seminar.
Any comprehensive strategy to increase student persistence and success includes careful analysis and use of research in the field as well as of institutional data. Fundamentally, persistence and retention plans, i.e., enrollment plans, ought to be theoretically grounded and responsive to an institution’s academic mission. As such, the design should be intentional and student-learning focused. The literature is clear that the time and effort students put into their studies are important variables in the student success formula. Equally important are the ways institutions construct and support environments that connect students to the campus and to experiences that will optimize their learning.
This seminar, Utilizing Research and Data to Increase Student Persistence and Retention will focus on several key issues for the participants:
The research and scholarship connection to campus efforts to enhance student persistence to graduation
Approaches to gathering, analyzing, and using institutional data to identify target populations, focused initiatives, and assessment metrics
Strategies to build collaborative campus partnerships between faculty, staff, and students to support student success
The critical link between student success and the instructional mission of the institution
Strategies to increase student engagement in experiences known to enhance learning
Strategies to foster a campus culture committed to student engagement, persistence, and success
Please see the "It's Not How Much Student Data You Have, but How You Use It" article published in the November 4, 2010 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education to understand the relevance of this Seminar today. (A password for the Chronicle may be required to view)
Who Should Participate
As Student Persistence and Retention is a campus-wide goal and responsibility, those who should participate in this seminar are:
Academic Administrators (including Provosts, Deans, Department Chairs)
Student Affairs Administrators
Faculty
Academic Advising Administrators
Academic Advisors
Career Development Specialists
Academic Support/Learning Assistance Administrators and Staff
Seminar Format
In addition to workshops and concurrent sessions on key issues, participants will have the opportunity to work in learning communities to share successes they have had on their campuses, to network with their peers from like institutions and with similar responsibilities, to explore a variety of exemplary practices, and to begin development of new initiatives for their campuses.
Participants will take with them plans to:
STUDY the issues and factors on their own campus in regard to retention and persistence rates.
EVALUATE retention initiatives and programs already in place on their campus to determine their effectiveness or perceived effectiveness based on research and literature in the field.
ANALYZE what High Impact Activities they have and DO NOT have on their campus which affects student success, retention, and persistence.
CREATE change in their institutions and their students to improve student success, retention, and persistence.
The Faculty
Susan Campbell
University of Southern Maine
Casey Self
Arizona State University-Downtown
Charlie Nutt
Executive Director, NACADA Executive Office
Note:
This is an intensive, working seminar; you may want to schedule
an extra day to enjoy all that Clearwater Beach has to offer!
