University of Cincinnati’s SUCCESS CHALLENGE: Placing Student Success at the Center

1. Maria Palmieri, PhD • Sr. Research Assoc, IR • maria.palmieri@uc.edu Caroline Miller, PhD Sr. AVP Enrollment caroline.miller@uc.edu University of Cincinnati’sSUCCESS CHALLENGE: Placing Student Success at the Center Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange For Early Intervention Committee Meeting – October 16, 2008

2. UC status in 2000 • Almost 30% baccalaureate Freshmen gone by the start of the second year • Fewer than half graduated within 6 years • That’s a tragedy for students & tax payers • That’s a tough track record to market for a research extensive campus

3. What Contributes to Retention? • Profile – largely a function of institutional & student profile (academic, financial & demographic) • Progress – prevailing model is around persistence, but if the goal is graduation we must focus on progress – the distance to the finish line, not the distance from the start line

4. What Contributes to Retention? • Process – If the goal is to raise the overall retention and grad rates, it’s important to focus on the “all” not just those most at risk • Promise – Experiences are consistent with the “Promise of the Brand” – break the promise, we will lose students

5. Access Without Success National Trends: • Retention rates up, then stable – now reported to be dropping • Graduation rates now reported to be dropping • The disparity is greater for students from low socio-economic backgrounds

6. Pell Eligibility • UC’s Uptown campus enrolls the third highest percentage of Pell-eligible students among research extensive institutions nationwide – about 30%. • 50% of UC students are 1st-generation (40% of Uptown students are 1st-generation)

7. So how does UC compare – particularly for High Risk Students?ENTERSUCCESS CHALLENGE

8. Success Challenge Ohio Board of Regents Initiative (1999) Challenges university main campuses: • To increase the baccalaureate graduation rates of in-state at-risk students • To shorten the length of time to degree Note: Not U College, Not CAT, Not Branches

9. Success Challenge Management & Partnership • Oversight shared by Sr. Assoc VP for EM and Sr. Vice Provost for Academic Planning • PI’s in Academic Affairs and Student Affairs manage programs and are accountable for budget and reporting • Research Office within Institutional Research performs annual assessment and maintains the data mart

10. Efforts that Touch all First-Year Students • Bearcat Bound Summer Orientation • Mandatory Placement in math, English & languages • First-Year Experience (some colleges) • Mandatory advising (some colleges)

11. Writing Center Math Learning Lab Learning Assistance Center Killer-Course Supports Supplemental Instruction Faculty-Student Interactions Learning Communities First-Year Experience Courses Academic / SocialIntegration

12. Students of Color BASE – Brothers And Sisters Excelling Cincinnati Pride Grant Students in Transition Center for Exploratory Studies Career Navigator Series Transfer and Lifelong Learning Center Focused Efforts

14. Research Goal:Determine if Success Challenge is achieving its goals • Are in-state at-risk baccalaureate students graduating at higher rates? • Are they graduating in a more timely manner?

15. Methodology • 2000 and 2001 First-Time, Full-Time Baccalaureate Degree-Seeking Cohorts • Compared Success Challenge Participants to SC Non-Participants • Graduation Rates • Time to Degree • Grouped by Pell-Eligibility Status

16. Degree Sought Pell-Eligibility Status Residency Status Credit Load Level Gender Ethnicity ACT/SAT Scores Graduation Status SC Participation 1st Year GPA Methodology • Defined 2000, 2001 Cohorts • Collected Data:

17. Control Group • Chosen from pool of Success Challenge participants • Match the proportion of Success Challenge non-participants • Based on stratification variables

18. Stratification Variables

19. Preparedness Groupings

20. Mean ACT/SAT (t-Test)

21. RESULTS

22. Success Challenge Participants DoGraduate at Higher Rates than Non-Participants

23. 2000 Cohort Graduation Rates 51.9% 38.5%

24. Success Challenge Participants Do Graduate in a More Timely Mannerthan Non-Participants

25. 2000 Cohort Time-to-Degree 4.69 5.07

26. 2001 Cohort Time-to-Degree 4.75 4.92

27. Success Challenge Participants Have Better First-Year Academic Performancethan Non-Participants

28. 2000 Cohort First Year GPA

29. Validation • Rising scores in Student Satisfaction as measured by Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory • Rising levels of Student Engagement as measured by NSSE.

30. Continued Success University of Cincinnati Uptown Campus Retention Rates (Autumn Quarter, 2008) UC Graduation Rate climbs to 55% – Up from 48% just 5 years ago!

31. UC|Recognition Awarded National Best Practice Recipient for the institutionalization of enhanced retention and graduation rates By Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange at the National Symposium on Student Retention