With a retention rate hovering just above 62 percent, officials with IU Southeast are taking action.
School officials will develop a new comprehensive retention program this spring that will be aimed at keeping students in school through graduation, said Lawrence Mand, vice chancellor for information technology and community engagement. This is part of a statewide initiative to increase the retention rates at all public colleges and universities.
Leaders at IUS already are implementing changes that a university task force came up with last year. One of those changes includes having an academic adviser for each of the six schools.
“Far too often students quit school simply because, ‘Well, I’m not doing well in class’ and ‘It’s not working out and I don’t know what else I can do, so I’m out of here,’” said Mand, who co-chaired the task force. “So they leave on the basis of incomplete or incorrect information or without actually checking out their options.”
He said he hopes the advisers will stop those students from checking out early.
“We feel that is going to be a very effective way to help students stay on track, catch them before they fall off and give them the right information at the right times so that they can make good decisions,” Mand said.
Another segment includes adding more flexible courses, such as ones that start later in the semester and others that meet online. Mand said the goal of the shorter classes is to catch students who drop a class midway through the semester. He said IUS hopes to have that new option available in the fall.
These ideas do not come without a cost. Mand said adding a few more advisers will cost the university more than $100,000 a year. Adding teachers for the shorter classes also will take another chunk out of the funds.
One way the university came up with extra money to pay for the changes was eliminating the position of vice chancellor for university advancement held until recently by Susan Griffin.
Mand and Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles will now split the responsibilities left by that vacancy. Mand said Patterson-Randles elected to take over the fundraising aspect and he will oversee public relations, marketing, alumni affairs and special events, which is something he had done on an interim basis when the school was seeking a candidate for the former advancement position.
Mand said the goal is to keep adding money to the retention program for the next five years.
“It’s an investment with the expectation that it’s going to pay off,” he said, explaining that students who come back keep paying tuition. “If this is successful, it should pay its own way.”
Since the school had already started a retention initiative before the state called for action, Mand said IUS has a head start.
“We got a leg up,” he said. “We got started before the ball game was announced.”
Mand said the impact of the changes that were already made should start to show this fall.
There is no set time for when IU will announce the university-wide retention initiative, though Mand said he hopes the changes decided then will start in August. However, he said even when that is over the issue will not be solved.
“This will be an ongoing process in trying to increase our investment in retention and graduation,” he said.
Recent Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
IU Southeast officials taking action to increase student retention
- Recent Local News
-
-
Checkered past: Cab company’s permit suspended in New Albany after employee arrests
“We’re not an evil company,” White said after the meeting.
-
Jeffersonville mayor, council disagree on hiring
Moore said he would veto the legislation, but include a recommendation that the three already hired positions be funded. Zastawny said the council would consider that recommendation.
-
GCCS OKs modified balanced calendar
The calendar for 2012-2013 closely follows the calendar adopted by the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation for the same year.
-
Utility vows to bring projects to council
Stormwater officials shared letters with the council from residents in the Castlewood neighborhood who credited the basin addition for easing flooding in the area.
- News and Tribune briefs for Feb. 8, 2012
-
Just doing their jobs, well: Fairmont Elementary School gets recognition, $25,000 award
-
House panel leader leery of creationism bill
Supporters in the Senate, which approved the bill last week in a 28-22 vote, say the broader religious reference improves the bill’s chances of being ruled constitutional.
-
Statehouse action resumes after Super Bowl break
Daniels wants legislators to concede to some more of his wish-list items as they head toward their mandatory March 14 deadline for the session’s end.
-
Work on Pine View under way
He also said work was “significantly” moving forward. He expects the building to be completed by mid-June. The county approved $1.2 million for renovation work for Pine View, which will also be used for some county offices.
-
Prosser hosts heated competition
-
Clarksville decides to rethink bridge project
“Anytime you have a traffic light, you have a built-in safety concern,” Gilkey said after the meeting. “Sooner or later, someone’s going to go through it."
- Four more arrests made in Jeffersonville shooting case
-
Vissing Park construction over budget by $2M
“I don’t even know if there was ever a working budget” that included the $2 million figure, Parks and Recreation Director Paul Northam said. “I think it’s basically a guesstimate.”
-
Georgetown spelunker died of self-inflicted gunshot wound
Crawford County Coroner Chris Brown said he agreed with the pathologist’s finding that Eve died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a statement released Tuesday morning by the Department of Natural Resources.
-
Greenville town manager hired, incensing silenced crowd
Richardson threatened to have the town marshal clear the gym, but decided against it.
“I am asking people out there to stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you. You elected us to represent you.”
But that only go the crowd more incensed.
“You ought to be run out of town Talbotte,” yelled one resident. - More Recent Local News Headlines
-
Checkered past: Cab company’s permit suspended in New Albany after employee arrests
