By Steven Yoho, Ph.D. – Chancellor, South University
As chancellor of South University, I understand how vital student engagement is to academic success. Retention rates are more than just numbers. They denote the very essence of our institution, reflecting the myriad experiences, formative moments, and expressions of well-being that our students experience. While the journey of each of our students is singular, we have discerned enough commonality in the paths they take to identify some important prerequisites that may guide our institution toward improving both engagement and retention. Here are five strategies that hold promise for doing just that.
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Foster a Strong Sense of Belonging
Individuals who are frequently apart from the campus community may have a good reason to struggle with their college’s retention rates. Why? Because it’s difficult to engage with something—like a community—if you feel you can’t be a part of it. Any sense of isolation might lead a student to question not just their presence on this campus but also the legitimacy of the chosen pathway. Without meaningful connections, students may feel like they are navigating their collegiate expedition solo.
Colleges are recommended to implement peer mentorship programs that link first-year students with those who are further along in their academic journey. This helps establish a sense of companionship, making the move into college life slightly less unsettling. Moreover, colleges are encouraged to hold regular events that encourage students (and faculty) to build a sense of community. They should make sure that all students are part of the conversation. In being part of this exchange, faculty and staff should be warm, approachable, and invested in students.
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Provide Personalized Academic Support
Numerous students run into academic problems that can dishearten them and result in withdrawal from the institution. Students are l more likely to persist when they feel supported. They may be struggling not because they can’t handle the work but because they are in a vicious cycle of trying to keep up and failing. Often, struggling students do not seek help until it is too late. And here is the rub: A failing student will seek help when they are failing, but they don’t often know they are failing until it is almost too late. And they don’t know how to seek that help effectively when they are in the very thick of things.
Advice: Create a strong early warning system that uses data analytics to monitor not just academic performance but also trends in student engagement. Work with the advising office to identify those students flagged by the system who might really need more than just a warning sign to turn things around. These “at-risk” students could benefit from the one-on-one attention that a dedicated academic advisor could give them. It is also recommended that the students make use of the strengthened campus tutoring centers, which are now be equipped to serve students on demand.
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Promote Career Readiness from Day One
When students fail to perceive the relevance of their education, especially in regard to future career prospects, they may become disengaged. Without a direct path that connects what they are learning to what they will do in the future, too many students might reason that it just doesn’t matter if they plow through two more years of school or not. They might conclude that “somebody else” (like an advisor or mentor) would know if it was worth it to them. But when matters of relevance and connection are not discussed, that’s a dangerous path to near potential dropout.
The recommendation is to incorporate career preparation in the general curriculum by embedding it in first-year orientation courses along with workshops, resume-building sessions, and mock interviews. Each department should link with industry professionals to provide guest lectures, as well as recommend students for internships, job shadowing, and other career-related opportunities. When students see the direct connection between their coursework and their eventual careers, they are more likely to remain engaged and motivated.
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Create Flexible Learning Pathways
It can be challenging for students to juggle work, family, or other responsibilities when they are on a fixed path in an academic program. These students might feel like they’re being pulled in too many directions. They could experience week-to-week, month-to-month, or even term-to-term variations in how much time and energy they can devote to their studies.
I recommend providing stackable credentials and micro-certifications that students can earn in shorter increments, allowing them to pause and resume their education easily. By developing hybrid and online courses, we can better serve students’ needs for flexible scheduling. More importantly, we need to consider this: If we are to overcome barriers to access truly, then especially working-class students need the option to educate themselves on their own terms—day or night, virtually or in-person, even when life is layered with unexpected changes.
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Encourage Open Communication and Feedback
When students feel their concerns and ideas are disregarded, they sometimes choose to step back from life on campus and from academic pursuits. A lack of effective communication from the institution can lead to students feeling like they have no voice, which can directly harm their increasing sense of investment in both the campus and their academic pursuits.
Our recommendation is to create a student advisory council that meets with faculty and administrators on a frequent basis. This council should be tasked with discussing campus policies and critiquing them in an effort to make suggested improvements. We also recommend a more digital method of feedback that allows students to share their experiences and concerns in a way that is more in line with today’s culture of immediate sharing.
Moving Forward Together
Enhancing the rate at which students remain and engage with the institution is a process that is not one-and-done but ongoing and requires the collaboration of faculty, staff, and students. It is a shared partnership, with all groups having obligations that must be fulfilled to retain the student. Institutions create the foundation for lasting success when they foster a supportive environment, provide personalized resources, and emphasize a career-ready curriculum.
About Dr. Yoho
Dr. Steven Yoho, PhD (Ex Officio), has been a prominent figure at South University since he joined as Vice Chancellor for Administration and Strategy in April 2018 before stepping into the role of Chancellor in July of the same year. His leadership journey at the university includes serving as Dean of the College of Business from 2007 to 2008, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 2008 to 2013, and Campus President from 2013 to 2018. Before his extensive career in higher education, Dr. Yoho gained valuable experience in manufacturing management as a plant manager.
Dr. Yoho holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Ohio University, a Master of Science in Management from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma Christian University.