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Augusta University Campus Plan Update 2025

Augusta University (AU) is Georgia’s designated health-sciences University and a dynamic, comprehensive research university offering more than 160+ areas of study, across eleven colleges and schools through undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. AU provides a rich intellectual environment for students to become leaders, scholars, researchers, educators and clinicians as they seek to advance their field and impact their community. 

Among five strategic and three interwoven priorities, the AU Strategic Plan is anchored by strategic priorities for Learning and Student Success.  This commitment reflects AU’s efforts to be a student’s destination of choice for education, health care, discovery and innovation.  Of course, the strategic goals developed through the strategic plan will directly influence key priorities in AU’s Momentum planning and newly developed goals.  

Augusta University enrollment has grown each year for the past nine years. For fall 2024, Augusta University welcomed the largest freshman class and largest new graduate class in the University’s history, and a total of 11,584 students, an increase of 9.8%. Undergraduate student enrollment increased to 6,078 students. Graduate and professional enrollment increased to 5,506 students. Additionally, Augusta University also increased in degrees conferred with 2,578 in 2023 and 2,815 in 2024.

Importantly, the fall 2024 freshman student population at Augusta University continues to represent a wide range of students, both demographically and academically:

  • 42% are local area (CSRA) students
  • 47% are Pell Grant recipients
  • 21% are First Generation
  • 41% are Underrepresented Minority Students
  • 16% have Military Affiliations
  • 83% are Georgia HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship Recipients

AU’s retention and persistence rate goals were formulated with the creation of the SEM Plan and informed by reviewing peer, aspirational, and comparative institutions. A list of peer institutions can be found here: https://www.augusta.edu/ie/facts/peers

Success Inventory

Fall to Spring Persistence (Augusta University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Fall to Spring Persistence
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Data & Communications
Category: 
Advising
First Year Experience
Other/Undefined
Strategy/Project Description: 

AU recognizes the need to first improve semester to semester persistence. In Spring 2023, the institution set a Fall 1 to Spring 1 aspirational goal of 95%. Since then, the institution has seen continuous improvement in cohort persistence (i.e. Spring 2023--92.6%; Spring 2024—94.1%).  Several tactics have been implemented to achieve these ends.

 

This goal aligns with two of the ASPIRE strategies: 1) To improve availability of core class seats each semester; and 2) Improve undergraduate student success in Gateway Courses (BIOL 1101, CHEM 1211, HIST 2111, and Math 1113). Growing enrollment has challenged AU’s ability to provide the class seats each semester. To address this issue, AU has established a Waitlist Task Force. This task force has been established to ensure all students have seats in classes needed to support progression. To support this effort, the Registrar's Office has created a Course Scheduling Dashboard that includes data on the waitlist, fill rates, etc. The dashboard is used to inform decision-making regarding addition of class sections, class seats, and faculty hiring. New faculty were hired to teach high-enrollment classes, particularly those related to the core curriculum. This strategy aligns with AU's Aspirational Imperative to enroll 16,000 students by 2030, particularly with regard to retaining already enrolled students.

 

As outlined as one of AU’s ASPIRE priorities, the institution will improve undergraduate success in gateway courses, specifically BIOL1101, CHEM 1211, HIST 2111, and MATH 1113.  As AU’s FTFT enrollment continues to grow, the institution is committed to retaining those students. As such, AU recognizes that non-success in the first few semesters can deter students from returning in subsequent semesters. University leaders are closely monitoring and tracking DFW rates to inform intentional curriculum review, faculty development, and other strategies to improve students' ability to perform successfully in all of their courses.

Activity Status: 
Initiating
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Augusta University’s evaluation plan is designed to foster a culture of continuous improvement through regular assessment, data-informed decision making, and targeted support for groups with historically lower persistence rates. By aligning predictive modeling, infrastructure development, and proactive interventions with ongoing monitoring and evaluation, the university is committed to achieving and sustaining a 95% persistence rate from the first Fall to the first Spring semester.

Evaluation Timeline

  • Spring 2025 & Summer 2025: Use predictive modeling to identify at-risk students and implement tailored interventions; establish support infrastructure including classes and wraparound services for the incoming FTFT 2025 cohort.
  • Fall 2025: Monitor and track student performance and registration throughout the semester, using real-time data to inform interventions.
  • Spring 2026: Evaluate student persistence rates to assess progress toward the 95% goal.

Key Performance Indicators and Measures

  • Persistence Rate: Percentage of FTFT students who enroll in both their first Fall and the following Spring semester.
  • DFW Rates: Proportion of students receiving D, F, or Withdrawal grades, monitored to identify academic risk factors.
  • Course Registration Data: Analysis of class seat availability, waitlists, and fill rates to ensure students have access to required courses.
  • Advisement and Progress Reports: Mid-semester performance data used to guide academic interventions.

Assessment Frequency

  • Ongoing: Continuous monitoring of core curriculum seat availability and registration trends each semester.
  • Mid-Semester: Collection of student progress reports around week seven to inform timely interventions.
  • End of Each Semester: Review of DFW rates and persistence outcomes.
  • Annual: Comprehensive evaluation of year-to-year persistence and effectiveness of interventions each Spring.

Baseline, Goal, and Current Status

  • Baseline Measure: The most recent persistence rate for FTFT students from Fall to Spring serves as the starting point for evaluation (specific percentage to be provided based on institutional data).
  • Goal: Achieve a 95% persistence rate from the first Fall to the first Spring semester for the FTFT 2025 cohort.
  • Current Status: Student performance and registration data are actively monitored, with ongoing efforts to identify at-risk students and implement support strategies. The current persistence rate will be compared to the baseline after the Spring 2026 evaluation.

Key Tactics and Interventions

  • Predictive Modeling: Analyze student data to identify those at higher risk of attrition, focusing on groups such as students with a high school GPA below 3.55, Pell-eligible students, local students from the Central Savannah River Area, and first-generation students.
  • Support Infrastructure: Implement wraparound services and ensure availability of required classes and academic resources.
  • Task Forces: Establish an FTFT 2025 Task Force and maintain the Waitlist Task Force for proactive and responsive interventions.
  • Data-Driven Scheduling: Utilize the Course Scheduling Dashboard to monitor course demand and adjust offerings accordingly.
  • Next Term Advisement (NTA): Begin advisement early each semester to facilitate timely registration for the following term.
  • Academic Interventions: Use week seven progress reports to provide targeted support and advisement for students needing additional assistance.
Progress and Adjustments: 

Several key accomplishments have been made toward Augusta University's goal of achieving a 95% persistence rate from the first Fall to the first Spring semester. The establishment of the FTFT Task Force and the implementation of predictive modeling have enabled targeted interventions for at-risk student groups, such as those with a high school GPA below 3.55, Pell-eligible students, local students from the Central Savannah River Area, and first-generation students. These efforts, combined with proactive advising campaigns and the monitoring of student registration and course availability, have contributed to an 88% registration rate for the current cohort as of early November.

Notably, the STRIDE initiative was developed to provide tailored support to students with historically lower retention rates. It was designed to support students pursuing highly competitive majors, implemented four primary strategies: a Virtual Summer Bootcamp, first-term course load limitations, intensive Leap Week programming, and the introduction of Parallel Plans. These strategies fostered early engagement, academic preparedness, and individualized planning, with interventions tailored to the unique needs of STRIDE students.  The institution will not be able to fully measure the impact and effectiveness of all these strategies until early Spring 2026 when reviewing student performance and persistence rates.

Au also recognizes the need to ensure that students are engaged properly to have a balanced approach to their academic journey. This past year, the institution launched an engagement initiative. The 5-1-1 Student Engagement initiative is a comprehensive effort to foster early and meaningful involvement by tracking participation in three key categories: attending five or more events, membership in a student organization, and holding a leadership role. Each category awards 100 points—measured through systems like Presence and the Campus Rec System—for a maximum of 300 points per student. The initiative’s name, "5-1-1," reflects these benchmarks: 5 or more events, 1 organization membership, and 1 leadership role. This point-based system helps set clear engagement goals for undergraduate and graduate students. Regular data collection and analysis inform strategies for effective interventions, while feedback from students and staff supports ongoing improvement in cultivating a dynamic, student-centered campus culture.

To further improve and reach the 95% persistence target, the university should continue evaluating and refining predictive models, enhance communication between departments, and strengthen wraparound support services for students. It will also be important to assess the effectiveness of current strategies, gather feedback from participants, and make data-driven adjustments as needed. By prioritizing early preparation, ongoing evaluation, and responsive adaptation, Augusta University can ensure that its initiatives continue to evolve and meet the needs of future student cohorts.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

To achieve the 95% persistence rate, Augusta University is implementing a comprehensive, multi-faceted plan focused on continuous improvement, targeted support, and institutional collaboration. The following steps will be undertaken throughout the year to ensure meaningful progress toward this goal:

  • Refinement of Predictive Models and Data-Driven Decision Making: The university will continue to evaluate and enhance its predictive analytics to identify students at higher risk of attrition. This includes ongoing analysis of student data, particularly focusing on critical groups such as students with a high school GPA below 3.55, Pell-eligible students, local students from the Central Savannah River Area, and first-generation students. Regular assessment of current strategies and the incorporation of participant feedback will ensure that interventions are both timely and effective.
  • Strategic Initiatives through the Student Success Sprint: Launched on November 1, 2025, the Student Success Sprint is a university-wide initiative aimed at accelerating progress toward key student success benchmarks, including first-to-second-year retention, first-to-third-year retention, six-year graduation rates, and overall enrollment goals. Dedicated teams—such as the Undergraduate Student Success Sprint Team and the Graduate Enrollment Sprint Team—will review current efforts, identify gaps, and implement high-impact strategies to improve undergraduate persistence and expand graduate enrollment opportunities.
  • Monthly Campus Updates and Community Engagement: Beginning next month, the university will share regular updates on the Student Success Sprint with the entire campus community. These updates will highlight data trends, celebrate progress, and recognize individuals or units making significant contributions to student success.
  • Enhancing Cross-Departmental Communication and Collaboration: Efforts will be made to strengthen communication and coordination between Academic Affairs, Enrollment and Student Affairs, and other key units. The realignment of Academic Advising, the Academic Success Center, Health Professions Outreach, and Career Services under the direct leadership of the Provost, with continued collaboration with the EVP for Enrollment and Student Affairs, is designed to create a seamless continuum of support from recruitment through graduation and beyond.
  • Strengthening Wraparound Support Services: The university will continue to ensure that wraparound services, required classes, and academic resources are readily available to all students. This includes the implementation of proactive and responsive interventions through the FTFT 2025 Task Force and the ongoing work of the Waitlist Task Force.
  • Key Tactical Interventions:
    • Utilization of the Course Scheduling Dashboard for data-driven course scheduling and adjustment based on student demand.
    • Early advisement each semester (Next Term Advisement) to facilitate timely registration and planning for the next term.
    • Deployment of week seven progress reports to identify and support students in need of additional academic assistance.

Continuous Assessment and Responsive Adaptation: The effectiveness of all strategies will be regularly evaluated, with data-informed adjustments made as needed to ensure ongoing improvement and alignment with student needs. Augusta University’s plan for the year ahead is anchored in early preparation, rigorous evaluation, and flexible adaptation. Through strategic initiatives, robust support structures, and a campus-wide commitment to student achievement, the institution is well-positioned to reach the 95% persistence rate and support the success of every student cohort.

Challenges and Support: 

Currently, AU does not anticipate major obstacles, as its infrastructure supports the planned initiatives. Potential challenges include shifting priorities or resources, faculty support, employee turnover, student engagement, infrastructure scalability, and resource allocation for growth. Nevertheless, AU remains confident in addressing these issues and achieving its goals.

Contact email: 
stsingleton@augusta.edu
Primary Contact: 
Stanley D. Singleton, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Andrew Goss, Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning

Credit Intensity (Augusta University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Credit Intensity
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Category: 
Advising
Credit Intensity
Other/Undefined
Strategy/Project Description: 

Augusta University has an aspiration to enroll 16,000 students by 2030. To reach this mark, we not only have to hit our enrollment goals, but focus on student retention. Our research shows that students who earn 30 hours in Year 1 are more likely to persist to Year 2 and to reach graduation in a timely manner.  Since the initial implementation of Momentum Year, AU has sought to increase student success by focusing on enrolling freshman students in 15+ credit hours during the first two semesters. Academic Advisors have encouraged students to register for more hours in their first year, which puts students on track for a timely graduation. This momentum goal aligns with the ASPIRE priority to increase the number of FTFT freshmen completing 30 credit hours by fall 2. AU’s Native Undergraduate Retention Study also affirmed, through correlation, that students who enrolled and completed more hours are more likely to be retained by the institution. During the Fall 2024 semester, 74.6% of FTFT Freshman attempted 15 or more hours, and 67% of them completed more than 15 credit hours. In Spring 2025, an analysis of graduation rate data, persistence and retention data, along with predictive modeling revealed that 13 completed hours may each semester coupled with a credit recovery strategy may yield the most positive student outcomes.  This aligns with our Four-to-Finish principles of Mindset, Purpose, Pathways and Engagement.

AU remains committed to a full implementation of Momentum Year, including a focus on having freshman complete required English and Mathematics courses in the first year. This is reflected in the first ASPIRE goal, which is to increase the number of FTFT Freshman completing 30 credit hours by the beginning of Fall 2. In Spring 2025, AU has also completed a comprehensive review and update to undergraduate Program Maps. Academic Affairs has appointed a 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force to recommend data-informed strategies for improving undergraduate student progression to graduation. This task force submitted a report in May 2025. A preliminary finding from the task force indicated a possibility of a need to increase the utilization of Focus Areas to facilitate undecided freshman a more structured approach to exploring majors during the first year. This will be explored in 2025-26 when combined with AU’s focus on completion of 24 to 30 credits within the first year with a strategic credit recovery strategy.  This will increase first-year retention (Fall 1 to Fall 2) for the FTFT cohorts.

AU will continue to encourage FTFT students at the institution to enroll for 15 credits or more each semester. This puts them on track to graduate in four years. However, for students who wish to attend part-time, or who are unable to complete 15 credits, we will continue to focus on having FTFT freshman complete at least 13 credits each semester in their first year. This 13 credit hours minimum target is supported by our predictive model for six-year graduation. It indicates that FTFT students who complete less than 13 credit hours in the first semester are at a significantly increased risk of not graduating in six years, compared to students at 13 credits or above.

As a part of the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan, the institution has established the goal of increasing retention each year by 2%.  AU has consistently increased the FTFT undergraduate Fall 1 to Fall 2 retention rate over the last few years: Fall 2022: 73.4% (an increase from the prior year of 72.9%) and Fall 2023: 75.6%.

AU will utilize several measures in assessing the momentum goal. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

  1. AU has appointed a 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force to recommend data-informed strategies for improving undergraduate student progression to graduation.
  2. We have convened a Waitlist Task Force to monitor, and resolve wait lists.
  3. Academic Advising ensures priority registration for students who need specific classes to support on-time graduation.
Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 
  • Goal 2: Ensure students complete between 24 to 30 credit hours by the end of their first year.
    • Spring 2025 and Summer 2025: Ensure the availability of essential courses to maximize schedule building (faculty and advising staff)
    • Fall 2025: Monitor and track student performance and registration; leverage progress reporting to decrease W’s in courses; engage students in credit recovery strategies 
    • Spring 2026: review and assess student earned versus attempted hours
    • Key Tactics:
      • Establish a 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force to recommend data-informed strategies for improving undergraduate student progression to graduation.
      • Academic Advising ensures priority registration for students who need specific classes to support on-time graduation.
      • Designing a credit recovery strategy specifically for students who do not complete 26 to 30 credit hours within their first year
      • Continuing to build and increase student progression rates by doing the following:
  • Increasing student persistence rates.
  • Increasing student retention rates.
  • Increasing the availability of class sections and seats in core curriculum courses through consistent monitoring with appropriate calls to action.
  • convening a Waitlist Task Force to monitor and resolve wait lists.
  • Improving undergraduate student success in gateway courses.
Progress and Adjustments: 

This evaluation plan outlines Augusta University's approach to ensuring First-Time, Full-Time (FTFT) undergraduate cohorts complete between 26 and 30 credit hours by the end of their first year. The plan defines clear performance indicators, establishes assessment intervals, and integrates targeted tactics to support student progression and timely degree attainment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Measures

  • Credit Hour Completion Rate: Percentage of FTFT students completing 26–30 credit hours by the end of their first academic year.
  • Persistence Rate: Percentage of FTFT students who enroll in both fall and spring semesters and successfully progress to sophomore standing.
  • Retention Rate: Proportion of FTFT students returning for their second year.
  • Course Availability Index: Measure of the percentage of required core courses with sufficient seats and sections available for FTFT students each term.
  • Credit Recovery Participation: Number and percentage of students participating in credit recovery initiatives who subsequently reach the 26–30 credit hour benchmark.

Assessment Frequency

  • Data Collection: At the end of each academic term (fall, spring, and summer, if applicable).
  • Review and Analysis: Conducted at the close of each academic year and at mid-year checkpoints for real-time adjustments.
  • Reporting: Annual report to university leadership and relevant stakeholders; interim updates provided to task forces and academic advising teams.

Baseline Measure

Based on the most recent FTFT cohort data, 62% of students completed between 26 and 30 credit hours by the end of their first year. This baseline reflects both the strengths and gaps in current student progression strategies.

Goal/Target for Success

The project aims to increase the percentage of FTFT students completing 26–30 credit hours in their first year to 75% by the end of the next three academic years.

Current Status

Initial implementation of enhanced advising and credit recovery strategies has resulted in a modest improvement from the previous year’s completion rate. Task forces are actively engaged in identifying bottlenecks and recommending immediate interventions, while course availability and waitlist monitoring continue to be refined.

Launched on November 1, 2025, the Student Success Sprint is a university-wide initiative aimed at accelerating progress toward key student success benchmarks, including first-to-second-year retention, first-to-third-year retention, six-year graduation rates, overall enrollment goals, and increased credit hour completion. The new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs has appointed a dedicated team, the Undergraduate Student Success Sprint Team, to address these goals as well as several other initiatives. This team is actively reviewing current efforts related to credit hour attainment, identifying barriers that hinder students from completing required credits on time, and implementing high-impact strategies such as enhanced academic advising, targeted intervention for at-risk students, and expanded course availability to ensure timely progression toward degree completion.

Supporting Tactics

  • Course Availability: Regular monitoring and expansion of class sections and seats in core courses; rapid response to waitlist trends via a dedicated Waitlist Task Force.
  • Academic Advising: Priority registration for students at risk of falling behind; proactive outreach to ensure students enroll in necessary courses for on-time progression.
  • Credit Recovery: Implementation of targeted interventions for students failing to reach the 26–30 credit hour threshold, including summer bridge programs and supplemental instruction opportunities.

Task Forces: The 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force and Waitlist Task Force convene regularly to review data, recommend strategies, and oversee progress monitoring.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

As a joint initiative between ESA and Academic Affairs, the credit recovery strategy will be focused on improving first-year student retention and timely graduation. AU encourages FTFT cohorts to complete an optimal target of 15 or more credits each semester, to achieve 30 credit hours by the start of their second year. The credit recovery strategy will support students who do not meet this optimal target and includes comprehensive program map updates, enhanced utilization of Focus Areas, and ongoing assessment by a 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force.  

The institution aims to increase retention rates by 2% annually and supports students through priority registration and academic advising interventions. This approach aligns with Augusta University’s commitment to Momentum Year principles and the ASPIRE priority for student success. 

ESA and Academic Affairs are jointly implementing a credit recovery strategy to boost first-year retention and on-time graduation. AU urges FTFT students to complete at least 15 credits per semester, totaling 30 credits by year two. The strategy aids students who fall short through updated program maps, better Focus Area usage, and ongoing review by the 6-Year Graduation Rate Task Force. 

This can be addressed by addressing challenges faced by students in completing required courses such as high DFW rates in subjects like Biology, Chemistry, and math. Although in it’s infancy, some early conversations around credit recovery have included interventions such as adaptive learning courses, review and implementation of credit forgiveness policies, and limiting the number of course withdrawals permitted by students while they matriculate. These conversations and actions began in Fall 2025 for full implementation planned for Fall 2026.

Augusta University will continually monitor and assess all strategies, including those aimed at helping students complete credit hours, making changes based on data to better meet student needs. The university’s plan focuses on early preparation, thorough evaluation, and flexible improvement, with targeted efforts to help students earn credits steadily and finish their degrees faster. By launching strategic programs, building strong support systems, and maintaining a campus-wide commitment to student success, Augusta University aims to improve retention rates and ensure students complete their credit hours.

Challenges and Support: 

At present, AU does not foresee significant barriers, beyond that which is typical--employee turnover, effective engagement of students, ensuring infrastructure scalability, and allocating resources for expansion. Despite these potential hurdles, AU is confident in its ability to address them and achieve its objectives.

Contact email: 
STSINGLETON@augusta.edu
Primary Contact: 
Stanley D. Singleton, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Andrew Goss, Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning

Early Alert Response Rates (Augusta University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Early Alert Response Rates
Momentum Area: 
Change Management
Data & Communications
Category: 
Early Alerts
Strategy/Project Description: 

The Academic Success Center (ASC) requests progress reports three times a semester to gather feedback on student performance. This helps identify potential barriers to student success and determine which students may need intervention and referral to campus resources to help them be successful. 

Faculty with concerns about student academic progress can mark a student as at-risk of earning a grade of D or below, and the ASC staff will encourage the students to come in for a meeting with one of their assigned ASC Coordinator.  AU has learned that students who have more than one at risk progress report in any given campaign benefit from visiting the ASC and the interventions they engage in. Consistently, the student success team has found that students who engage with the ASC because of a progress report, persist at high numbers (Fall 2023 FTFT Cohort: 87.7 % versus. 91.5%); are more likely to be retained at the institution, compared to those who do not engage with the ASC (Fall 2023 FTFT Cohort: 65.5% versus 72.6%) enroll the next term at greater rates than those students who do not engage; and are more likely to have higher term GPAs and a smaller number of Withdrawals.

AU understands that earlier identification and earlier intervention with student support results in greater student outcomes. Faculty are critical partners in the success of a student. In 2023, the institution identified the critical times of the semester to request progress reports from faculty as weeks four, seven, and ten. Since 2023, the institution has set a response rate goal by faculty of 80% or more. The Progress Report requests include 1000, 2000 and 3000 level courses.

AU will utilize several measures in assessing the momentum goal. Each of these align with aforementioned goals and ASPIRE strategies. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

Obtaining a faculty response rate of 80% or more on progress reports 1, 2, and 3:

1. Faculty Engagement and Training (Laying the Foundation)

  • CAPE Cluster Faculty Champions: Identify one faculty representative per CAPE Cluster (three total) to act as a Progress Report Advocate within their respective units.
  • Faculty Workshops and Lunch & Learns: Host structured workshops on best practices for submitting progress reports, emphasizing their impact on student persistence and credit completion.
  • Early Alerts Integration: Train faculty on how early progress reports connect to other student support services (ASC tutoring and academic support, advising interventions, mentoring).
  • Incentives for Faculty Participation: Recognize departments that achieve high response rates with certificates, small grants for professional development

2. Data-Driven Outreach (Connecting to Student Persistence)

  • Progress Report Dashboards: Develop real-time dashboards for faculty to monitor their submission rates and see student success metrics within their courses.
  • Targeted Follow-Ups: Identify faculty with low response rates and provide personalized support through department chairs and CAPE Cluster Faculty Champions.
  • Mid-Semester Checkpoints: Schedule reminder nudges for faculty using strategic touchpoints (week 3, 6 and 9) to ensure timely submission of reports that are released weeks 4, 7, and 10).

3. Student-Centered Support Systems (Connection with credit hour completion)

  • Tie Reports to Student Interventions: Ensure identified at risk students receive proactive outreach from AAC, ASC, and faculty mentoring within one week of report submission.
  • Faculty-Student Mentoring Pilot: Implement a pilot mentoring program in each CAPE Cluster, where faculty use progress report data to engage students at risk of not completing 26-30 credit hours in their first year.
  • Student Awareness Campaign: Educate students on the importance of progress reports and encourage them to engage with faculty, and the ASC when flagged for support.

4. Assessment & Continuous Improvement (Connection with lessons learned)

  • Departmental Accountability Meetings: Present response rate trends in monthly CAPE Cluster meetings to ensure faculty remain committed to improvement.
  • Recognition and Reporting: Publish faculty participation rates in university publications and CAPE Cluster reports to celebrate achievements and identify areas for improvement.
  • End-of-Term Faculty Survey: Collect faculty feedback on the process and adjust strategies based on challenges and recommendations.
Activity Status: 
Piloting
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

To achieve and surpass the 80% faculty response rate for Progress Reporting in 1000–3000 level courses, Augusta University will implement a multi-pronged strategy focused on communication, support, incentives, and accountability. First, the Student Success unit will work closely with department chairs to ensure that all faculty are aware of the importance of progress report submissions and the impact these reports have on student outcomes.

Regular training sessions and workshops will be offered to familiarize faculty with the progress reporting system, streamline the submission process, and address any technical challenges. Additionally, the university will provide timely reminders and clear submission deadlines at key points in each term to encourage prompt participation.

To motivate faculty engagement, Augusta University will introduce recognition programs that highlight departments and individuals who consistently meet or exceed the response rate target. Feedback mechanisms will be established to gather faculty input on the reporting process, allowing for adjustments that improve satisfaction and reduce barriers to participation.

Finally, the Student Success unit will monitor response rates in real time and collaborate with academic leaders to identify and support areas where participation may lag. By combining effective communication, robust support systems, recognition, and continuous assessment, Augusta University will foster a culture of collaboration and accountability, ensuring the sustained achievement of its 80% response rate goal and driving improvements in student success.

This evaluation plan outlines Augusta University's comprehensive approach to assessing and enhancing the collaboration between the Student Success unit and faculty with the objective of achieving an 80% response rate on progress reports for all 1000, 2000, and 3000 level courses. The plan is designed to provide a structured and transparent framework for university administrators and faculty, ensuring accountability, continuous improvement, and measurable progress toward this critical student success initiative.

Evaluation Framework

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Measures

  • Response Rate on Progress Reports: Percentage of submitted faculty progress reports in 1000, 2000, and 3000 level courses.
  • Faculty Participation Rate: Percentage of faculty engaging with the progress reporting system.
  • Timeliness of Submissions: Proportion of progress reports submitted by established deadlines.
  • Faculty Satisfaction: Feedback scores from faculty regarding the reporting process and support received.
  • Student Follow-up Rate: Percentage of students who receive timely outreach based on progress report data.

Assessment Frequency

  • Progress Report Response Rates: Assessed at the end of each major term (Spring, Summer, Fall).
  • Faculty Satisfaction Surveys: Administered post-term following submission windows.
  • Dashboard Monitoring: Ongoing, with weekly internal reviews during open reporting periods.
  • Student Outreach Metrics: Tracked monthly during and after reporting windows.

Baseline, Goals, and Current Status

  • Baseline (as of Fall 2024): 65% average response rate on progress reports in 1000–3000 level courses.
  • Goal: Achieve and sustain an 80% response rate for all reporting periods in 2025.
  • Current Status: 67% response rate in Spring 2025 pre-assessment; faculty satisfaction at 3.8/5; student follow-up at 55%.
Progress and Adjustments: 

In Spring 2025, the Student Success unit facilitated a "closing the loop" session with faculty to foster dialogue concerning progress reporting, address queries, and gather feedback. Additionally, a faculty survey regarding progress reporting was conducted prior to the semester’s conclusion. The institution leverages this input to refine and enhance its progress reporting processes.

Augusta University continues to request progress reports from faculty during the fourth, seventh, and tenth weeks of each semester. For Fall 2025 to date, the institution has surpassed its target of 80% participation, achieving faculty response rates of 88%, 87%, and 80% for weeks four, seven, and ten, respectively.

For Fall 2025, Augusta University will retire the student success platform EAB Navigate and transition to a new Student Success platform, Slate, branded as Jag360. This system has been tailored to AU’s current needs and shaped by feedback from both faculty and staff. Targeted discovery and data sessions were conducted to design an improved experience for progress reporting and to better support students at Augusta University.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Augusta University will consistently review and evaluate all methods related to progress reporting, taking into account feedback from faculty, staff, and students about their experiences. The university is dedicated to enhancing student retention, persistence, graduation rates, and overall engagement through this initiative.

Challenges and Support: 

Augusta University does not anticipate any significant barriers beyond those commonly encountered, such as employee turnover, engaging students effectively, ensuring the scalability of infrastructure, and allocating resources for expansion. Nevertheless, AU remains confident in its ability to address these challenges and successfully achieve its objectives.

Contact email: 
stsingleton@augusta.edu
Primary Contact: 
Stanley D. Singleton, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Andrew Goss, Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning

Faculty-Student Mentoring (Augusta University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Faculty-Student Mentoring
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Mindset
Category: 
Faculty Development
Other/Undefined
Strategy/Project Description: 

Cultivating an institutional infrastructure for meaningful faculty-student interactions is a multi-year commitment, and this initial assessment will focus on product development. Once the professional development options are in place, we can construct assessments that measure the impact on student retention and progression.

“Relationship Rich Education” by Peter Felton and Leo Lambert was selected as a text and framework to support and empower faculty to make meaningful connections with students, both inside and outside of the classroom, to foster student success.

A recent institutional project involved the development of a Faculty Toolkit for Student Success. The final product is housed in D2L and connects institutional data points with best practices on classroom pedagogy and student success. AU’s goal is to include a module based on the book by Felton and Lambert, Relationship-Rich Education. The module will allow all faculty, both those who previously operated as advisors as well as those who did not, to build awareness and a skill set centered on relational perspectives.

Moreover, given the recent inclusion of student success in faculty promotion and tenure requirements, AU intends on developing content that connects with college guidelines for student success and provides a template to include in promotion packets. The goal of the program will be to foster a culture that prioritizes relationship-building between faculty and students inside and outside the classroom. The plan is to develop a content module that highlights the variety of interactions that generate supportive relationships between faculty and students. The content would include offering such as:

  • Guidance and strategies on supporting students as it relates to degree, career path, or graduate school.
  • Additional academic support.
  • Research opportunities.

Over the past year, AU has taken some initial steps to outline the module content and this year we intend to utilize “Relationship Rich Education” to highlight the multiple mechanisms faculty can use to build strong relationships with students. By the end of Fall 2024 a first draft module was developed and shared with approximately 15 faculty stakeholders for feedback. Feedback has been received but has not been applied to the module (departure of Project Lead, Hurricane Helene, and Administrative changes have set us back). According to the adjusted timeline, AU will have a completed product incorporating both feedback and additional ideas from Student Success subject-matter experts 2025.

While the asynchronous module is incomplete, the Center for Instructional Innovation has provided a faculty development workshop that is roughly equivalent:

Motivating Students Part 2: Relatedness (Belonging) - 90 minutes. This workshop focused on fostering student motivation through the Self-Determination Theory concept of relatedness, emphasizing belonging in the classroom and campus community. The session was informed by Peter Felten and Leo Lambert’s Relationship-Rich Education, particularly ideas from:


  • Chapter 4: Relationship-Rich Classrooms
  • Chapter 6: Mentoring Conversations


The session was organized around two main categories of strategies:


  1. Classroom Strategies
  • Learning Student Names: Strategies to learn and remember students' names as a foundation for connection.
  • Community-Building Activities: The role of regular icebreakers and trust-building exercises.
  • Rituals: The use of classroom rituals to create predictable, relationship-building moments.
  • Faculty Stories: Sharing discoveries, successes, insights, encountering failure, and managing change.
  • Active Learning: Engaging students in peer-to-peer interaction through active learning and assigning multimodal tasks 

  1. Beyond-the-Classroom Strategies
  • Mentoring in the Moment: Emphasized the value of informal guidance when students need support
  • Reinventing Office Hours: Focused on creating more welcoming, engaging, and accessible spaces for student-faculty interaction.
  • Connecting Students with Campus Resources: Encouraged normalizing help-seeking by proactively sharing information about academic, wellness, and social resources.
  • Using Surveys: Described how intake and check-in surveys can surface student needs and guide instruction.
  • Communicating Care: Shared examples of early and mid-semester emails to demonstrate faculty care and gather feedback.

The momentum team has already started planning for Peter Felton to visit the institution to do workshops with faculty, staff, and students in Fall 2025. To prepare for his visit and these relationship building workshops, activities are planned to incorporate the distribution of his book (free of charge by digital download).

Activity Status: 
Initiating
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Cultivating an institutional infrastructure for meaningful faculty-student interactions is a multi-year commitment, and this initial assessment will focus on product development. Once the professional development options are in place, we can construct assessments that measure the impact on student retention and progression.

  • AU will gather feedback in the fall term (2025) and pilot the content the following spring term (2026).  The feedback gathered here will be utilized to improve the existing professional development module that was completed in fall 2024). 
  • Professional development module
    1. Outline of module reflecting content by Felton and Lambert (July 2025).
    2. Articulate options for faculty-student engagement (i.e. classroom tactics and mentoring options) with appropriate assessment by September 2025.
  • Publication of module (Spring 2026)
    1. Collaborate with Center of Instruction and Innovation and Director of Teaching and Learning to format learning module (Summer 2026).
    2. Integrate web-approved module into Student Success D2L site for faculty (Fall 2026.
  • Summer 2025: refine content for faculty mentoring modules
  • Fall 2025
    • Evaluate varying faculty levels of commitment to the faculty to student mentorship process
    • Engage faculty and staff in relationship rich text and workshops
    • Invite Peter Felton to campus for Relationship Rich workshops

1) Center for Instructional Innovation,

2) Faculty Senate Faculty Development Committee

3) Faculty Learning Communities for insight and feedback.

  • Spring 2026: Pilot content with select group of faculty (module)
  • Summer 2026: make any necessary adjustments

Fall 2026: Publish for all faculty and promote engagement

Progress and Adjustments: 

After reviewing last year’s achievements and obstacles, AU has renewed its commitment to student success by closely aligning initiatives with the Strategic Plan, Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, and APIRE strategies. This coordination led to the creation of AU's 2025 Momentum Plan. The university continues to uphold core elements from previous multi-year plans, recognizing their importance in shaping future priorities for student achievement. These foundational efforts highlight areas where ongoing improvement is needed.

Although AU has a strong support system for implementing these strategies, the arrival of a new Chief Academic Officer could introduce shifts in institutional focus and resource allocation. In response, several significant changes have been made: 1) onboarding a new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs; 2) reorganizing the Student Success unit from the Division of Enrollment and Student Affairs to Academic Affairs; and 3) changing the Student Success platform from EAB Navigate to Slate. These changes occurred throughout Summer and Fall 2025, prompting adjustments in the initiative’s priorities. The institution plans to reassess this multi-year initiative in late fall 2025.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

The institution plans to reassess this multi-year initiative in late fall 2025.

Challenges and Support: 

Other potential challenges that could impact AU's ability to execute this plan include: 1) faculty buy-in; 2) employee retention issues (turnover); 3) student buy-in; 4) maintaining adequate infrastructure to support institutional growth (smart growth); 5) centralized undergraduate academic advisement adjustments; and 6) leveraging resources to address the needs of a growing institution. Although these challenges may affect AU's ability to carry out this activity, AU remains confident in its capacity to be successful amidst these expected challenges.

Contact email: 
stsingleton@augusta.edu
Primary Contact: 
Stanley D. Singleton, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Andrew Goss, Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning