[072]COLLEGE RETENTION JUST MAY BOIL DOWN TO CARING … AND CARETAKING

COLLEGE RETENTION JUST MAY BOIL DOWN TO CARING … AND CARETAKING

MTSU Brings ‘Disney Keys to Excellence’ to Nashville

Aug. 25, 2008
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO, TENN—Retention is a hot-button issue in higher education. How do we attract students and keep them through graduation? Why do students drop out of college? Is it homesickness, finances, failing grades, boredom or something else? A common thread that runs through at least two and perhaps three of the aforementioned reasons relates directly or indirectly to the surroundings, the living environment in which new students find themselves.
Is there a level of comfort that the campus offers? Is there a sense of welcome fostered by students, faculty and administrators? Is there ready access to facilities? Are there opportunities for social involvement and active participation? It would seem that successful retention, rather than reflecting a “lowering of the bar” as it is sometimes characterized, is the result of making a commitment to students to help them get over the bar and experience real success. It is a combined effort of many factors, and taking care—or the caretaking—of students from top administrators to the faculty, from the food cashier to the custodian is an important part of the package. I’ve not taken any surveys, but I would venture to guess that if you asked ex-students why they dropped out of a particular university, many would respond with something like, “I just wasn’t happy there.”
Is it our job to make students happy? I don’t know that anyone can be entrusted with making someone else happy. But we can create a campus climate that opens the door to positive experiences. A student may have the funds, the smarts and a spirit of self-reliance to succeed in college. But if that student isn’t happy—isn’t made to feel welcomed—at a particular university, why would he or she stay? At the risk of spouting water-cooler jargon, good customer service would seem to be an important piece of the retention puzzle.
The Disney people may hold a key or two that would be helpful. MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business is a Silver Sponsor for the Disney Keys to Excellence program, a special one-day conference, which will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. The event will be an interactive workshop that provides business, industry and education professionals with the opportunity to experience the “business behind the magic.”
How often do we hear that the Disney people know how to do customer service, that their objective is to make guests to their theme parks and resorts feel special from arrival to departure. Sounds a little like retention, doesn’t it? The purpose of the full-day program will be to showcase the Disney formula for promoting leadership, management, customer service and loyalty. The organizers of the program feel confident that university faculty, staff and administrators also will be able to use much of what they learn when addressing retention issues on campus.
Leadership, Disney Style will show how effective leadership has been the catalyst to drive employee/customer satisfaction.
Management, Disney Style will examine the importance of integrating an organization’s corporate culture into the selection, training and care of employees.
Customer Service, Disney Style will explore the Disney principles for excellence in service.
Loyalty, Disney Style will teach practices and principles in building and sustaining loyalty.
For more information and to register for the program, visit http://www.keysnashville.com. Receive a $50 discount by using the following promotional code: MTSUNWSE. Registrations will be accepted right up to the event.

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MEDIA: Members of the media are welcomed to attend at no cost by presenting press credentials. Photography of any slides or presentation-specific material will be prohibited; otherwise, photography will be permitted. Organizers will help arrange on-site interviews with session presenters/facilitators, if requested. Contact Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919 (ttozer@mtsu.edu) in advance to register attendance.

The Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel is located at 623 Union Street, Nashville, Tenn. Phone is 1-800-987-9852.