Student Success Soars to Unprecedented Rates

Last May, 41 percent of students from Plymouth State University's 2007 cohort turned their tassels at the Commencement Ceremony, constituting the largest group of students to graduate in four years in more than two decades.

In her October 2011 Report to the Faculty, Provost Julie Bernier compared 2011's four-year completion rate to that in the 1990's, which was 24 percent. According to thecollegesolution.com, the national average of four-year graduation rates at public colleges and universities is 29.4 percent. 

Looking at the four-year graduation rate over twenty years, one will see that "it just keeps going up," said Provost Bernier. Both the four-year and the six-year rates "have grown hugely since the ‘90's."

"It's difficult to point to any one factor," said  Bernier in her report, but she attributes much of the improvement to the roles of a few programs on campus, including the Undergraduate Advising Center, the University Studies program, the PASS Office, and the Writing Center.

"I think one of the biggest [factors] is the Undergraduate Advising Center. One of their main jobs is to do a junior audit for every student." This audit, which is sent out to every student during their junior year, provides a detailed list of everything that the student must do to graduate the next year, including what classes they have left and where they stand academically.

A second factor that Bernier mentioned was the creation of the University Studies program.

"Our largest group of incoming students are undecided, and the University Studies program helps students stay on track, choose the right courses, and choose a major quickly."

Bernier said that the undecided group was "historically the most vulnerable to not graduate on time, but because of University Studies we've seen big increases in their retention and graduation rate."

Third, Bernier said that, about four years ago, academic departments were challenged to "take a hard look at their curriculum" to determine which requirements "weren't necessary" and to find "barriers" within the majors to "streamline the curriculum to make it more student-friendly."

Dr. David Zehr, Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, says that curricula reform has played a "key role" in improving four-year graduation rates at PSU.

"I'd like to see more simplification in departments," said Zehr, who, like Bernier, believes that it is important to have a balance of free electives and major requirements in all majors. 

Dr. Zehr, in addition to working on an individual basis with students, has also been working with Dean of Students Timothy Keefe for three years on a project titled simply Supporting Our Students.

Every month, Zehr and Dean Keefe send out an email to all faculty members asking them to send a list of students that are consistently missing class or seem particularly disengaged with their studies. Zehr then contacts these students directly to discuss potential solutions to help improve their academic standing.

"The earlier we intervene with students, the quicker we can identify problems and help them find solutions," said Zehr, who notes having "absolutely had good feedback" on the part of faculty and students. "I think it's become part of the culture," said Zehr, who will often receive these emails from faculty members before having sent out a request. 

Zehr also mentioned the importance of having a large variety of online course offerings to "help students catch up or to get ahead," and of the implementation of the mid-semester grades policy last year for all students with 47 credits or less.

Another program that Bernier applauded was the PASS Office, which offers tutoring services across subjects to all students. Angela Ricciardi, Tutor Coordinator at the PASS Office since 2008, has seen tremendous growth in the program in the last few years.

In the Spring of 2008, the PASS Office received 80 requests for tutors in a semester and was only able to meet about a quarter of them. When Ricciardi came to the program in Fall 2008, 162 tutor requests were made and filled. This semester, by contrast, she has received 513 requests and has met 511 of them.

The PASS Office helps their tutors become certified by the College Reading and Learning Association, an internationally recognized certification program that produces high-quality tutors. 

The tutors are specialized on a broad scale of subjects, including study skills. "Sometimes, a student thinks that they need a history tutor, when what they really need is a tutor to help them organize themselves and hone their study habits," said Susan Keefe, Director of the PASS Office. 

Keefe and Ricciardi believe that the PASS Office has improved immensely in "identifying needs for students."

"As the tutoring program grows, we reach out to more students," said Keefe, "creating a culture of students who know where to go for assistance."

"I'm very happy about the progress that we've been able to make," said Bernier about the overall improvement in student success. "I think people are really conscientious about helping students."

Zehr, who has worked at PSU since 1985, remarked on the increased amount of initiative that the University has taken to ensure student success. "We do a lot more nowadays in terms of supporting students," said Zehr, including the creation of better policies and more effective programs. "Students still bear the responsibility of knowing where they stand academically, but we're all in this together."