Initiating

Create structures focused on the first-year experience –scaled summer bridge program, freshman learning communities, meta-major based curricular and co-curricular activities-to promote student belonging and to guide students into right-fit academic majors in the first year.

Augusta University has a robust, multi-year plan to promote student retention and graduation utilizing the Four-to-Finish principles of Mindset, Purpose, Pathways and Engagement. Over the previous years, AU has implemented new strategies to support enrollment growth, and most recently created holistic student support structures organized by meta-majors.

ABAC’s Office of Student Affairs is creating Living Learning Communities (LLCs) for incoming first-year students living on campus. The LLCs will incorporate mentorships and peer support that will focus on academic and social skillsets, communication practices, leadership, empathy, community engagement, and relationship building.

ABAC Housing has a long track record of hosting LLCs over the last decade, in Lakeside, the typical first-year student dorm; however, this new model will be the first that the LLCs will be hosted outside of the typical freshmen dorms.

Consistent, reliable pipelines are important in sustaining program quality, viability, and productivity. This project seeks to increase the pipelines of student at all levels of AMSC certificates and degree programs. Historically, more effort has been dedicated to increasing the traditional student pipelines, the adult learner population provides a great opportunity for a new pipeline of students.  This is especially true given that the student population for traditional and adult learners is essential equal at 50%.  

The project is to update our CPR process to include pressure testing of our Storm Tracks using Curricular Analytics. In addition, we are working to make the CPR process more focused on student success, to make the process a student success activity.

The goal is implement messaging, events and workshops to get students thinking about their career from the moment they begin at GHC, and for them to start building towards that career goal through the courses they choose and personal and professional development

New Idea: Supplemental Instruction/Tutoring Subject with adjacent lab

The reorganization of retention/advising is almost complete. It includes:

i) Restructuration of advising and retention staffs: The Director of Retention is becoming the Director of Student Success, and we are recruiting an Assistant Director. All advisors and student success coaches will all have the same title – Student Success Coach – but they will all do a little of both roles.

Using predictive modeling to determine fall and spring semester enrollment. This requires two sets of models that must be joined together. The first set will focus on the predicted retention of currently enrolled students and the second set will focus on the enrollment of new applications.

Incorporate Success Coach workshops within the academic classrooms to improve student success.