Promoting student success: Small steps senior administrators can take

Abstract

Colleges and universities can increase the number of students who graduate by making a number of small, strategic changes in institutional policies and practices. Some schools have done this by focusing on effective educational practices and empowering faculty, staff and students to work together in new, productive ways. Others have improved the campus climate for learning by carefully assessing what students are experiencing or by realigning resources to induce students to participate in activities associated with persistence and other desired outcomes of college. Senior administrators play a key role in such efforts when they speak plainly and consistently about the importance of student success and make decisions congruent with this priority. The suggestions offered here are drawn from a study of 20 diverse four-year colleges and universities that have higher-than-predicted graduation rates and, through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), demonstrated that they have effective practices for fostering success among students of differing abilities and aspirations. These institutions--called DEEP schools here because they were studied for the project on Documenting Effective Educational Practices--clearly communicate that they value high quality undergraduate teaching and learning, and provide effective, well-linked academic and support services. Despite constraints, they have found ways to create supportive learning environments, ensuring that students engage with course content, faculty and peers, inside and outside the classroom.