Scholars Academy among key
initiatives to keep students on track
MURFREESBORO — As part
of the ongoing Quest for Student Success initiative, MTSU continues to enhance
its efforts in the recruitment, retention and graduation of minority students
through a variety of innovative and retooled programs.
Among such programs is
the Scholars Academy, a bridge program started in 2006 to serve
first-generation, minority and Pell Grant-eligible incoming freshmen who are
typically considered at-risk academically. Students attend a two-week,
early-arrival Freshman Summer Institute on campus where they are tutored,
mentored and coached about the college experience.
Academy students have
outperformed other freshmen in retention in every year, noted Vincent Windrow,
assistant vice provost for student success and a leading proponent of minority
student success efforts.
About 90 percent of
Academy participants are African-American, and university data on student
persistence shows the value of the program for participants, he said. For
example, the one-year retention rate of academy students is 84.9 percent, which
exceeds the 73.8 percent rate for all other freshmen.
“Our data folks provide
us the information on our students’ progress that reveals the best
opportunities for the university to direct attention and resources toward,”
said Windrow. “It is very gratifying to be able to help students pursue and
attain their academic goals.”
The Office of Student
Success is currently recruiting for the 2016 Freshman Summer Institute, set for
Aug. 5-18. For registration details, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/studentsuccess/scholars-academy.php.
MTSU President Sidney A.
McPhee has made campus diversity a priority during his administration, the
result being a 33 percent minority student population as of fall 2015, with
African-American students making up 20 percent. That compares to a state
minority population of 21 percent (17 percent African-American).
Meanwhile, MTSU’s
six-year graduation rate for black students is 46 percent, which mirrors the
six-year overall student graduation rate and the six-year graduation rate for
white students. The university has set a goal of a 60 percent graduation rate
by 2020.
McPhee identified the
Scholars Academy as a priority in the Quest for Student Success, a series of
reforms launched in 2013 to improve retention and graduation rates for all
students. The Academy was given more resources and challenged to double its
enrollment by the 2014 fall semester. The academy more than quadrupled this
goal, going from 32 students in fall 2013 to 168 students in fall 2015.
“The beauty of our Quest
for Student Success is that it draws the circle wide enough to include the
retention of all students, including veterans, international students, disabled
and minority students,” said Dr. Rick Sluder, vice provost for student success.
Another program in the
works is the “Eyes on 80” initiative, an effort to boost black female student
retention to above 80 percent, a goal that, if achieved, would represent a
first for any student sub-population on campus and would match the university’s
goal for the overall student body.
Windrow is initially
seeking to partner with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and two sororities
to identify and connect with female students at risk of not continuing their
education. If successful, the “Eyes on 80” program would be extended to other
Greek and student organizations.
Other ongoing efforts to
support minority students include workshops throughout each semester on
strategies for success, engagement opportunities and general encouragement; the
REBOUND program, which supports black students who fail to achieve a 2.0
grade-point average or above their first semester here at MTSU; and plans to
revive a special University 1010 class in fall 2016 geared toward black male
students.
For more information
about the Office of Student Success, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/studentsuccess/.
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