MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The administrator leading MTSU’s
Quest for Student Success will now also serve as dean of the University College
and will oversee work with students undecided on majors, as well as adult
degree completion, online learning and academic outreach to high school
students.
Richard “Rick” Sluder, who joined MTSU as vice provost
for student success in September 2014, succeeds David Gotcher. Gotcher returns to his role as associate dean of the
college after serving as interim dean since August 2015.
Interim
Provost Mark Byrnes, who announced
the appointment to campus Wednesday, Nov. 23, said the University College’s
work with undecided students, as well as its efforts to support and attract
older students through flexible courses, online offerings and customized degree
programs, complements the work by Sluder and his Office of Student Success.
“Rick Sluder has emerged as a national leader in the
area of student success,” Byrnes said. “I look forward to his continued work in
that area and to the strong leadership he will undoubtedly provide to our
University College.”
The University
College is home to some of MTSU’s most successful outreach efforts, including
new academic programs tailored to the needs of business and industry, a
substantial increase in dual-enrollment college courses taught at area high
schools and the Adult Degree Completion Program, which leads the state in
enrollment and degree production.
Sluder
said he’s excited to serve the university in an expanded role.
“I look
forward to an incredible opportunity to build upon the great work that is
already occurring across campus,” Sluder said. “MTSU is an exceptional
institution, and the alignment of these two units will allow us to better serve
even more of the university’s constituents.”
MTSU
launched its Quest for Student Success initiative in October 2013, creating
extensive reforms aimed at helping its students stay on track academically and
complete their degrees. The MTSU effort works in conjunction with Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Drive to 55” goal to
extend the reach of higher education in the state.
Under
Sluder’s leadership, MTSU saw record increases this fall in its retention rates
and other key student success measures. Freshman retention has increased almost
12 percent since the success program launch, going from 68 percent in 2013 to
about 76 percent this fall.
“This
means that the MTSU freshman retention rate is at the highest level and
increased at the fastest rate in the history of the institution, based on an
analysis of available data,” Byrnes said.
Sluder
said the university also attained strong increases in retention for transfer
and sophomore students. A significantly larger proportion of freshmen — up
more than 12 percent from last year — are completing at least 30 hours in their
first year of classes, he added.
“More
students are on track to finish their degrees in four years, an accomplishment
in sync with both national and state initiatives,” Sluder said.
Byrnes
said MTSU’s Quest for Student Success received several national
higher-education awards this year and will be featured in a forthcoming
training course and a national case study.
“All of
this is the product of the hard work of our faculty and campus to facilitate
the success of our students,” Sluder said, “and these are important milestones
as we work to continue to improve every aspect of the learning experience at
MTSU.”
Sluder,
who served as vice provost for recruitment and outreach at the University of
Central Missouri before joining MTSU, earned his bachelor’s and doctoral
degrees in criminal justice from Truman State University and Sam Houston State
University, respectively, and a master’s degree in human resources management
from Truman State.
At
Central Missouri, Sluder also was part of a campus effort to establish the
Office of Military and Veterans Services to accommodate student veterans and
worked to strengthen its partnerships with community colleges. He also served
as dean of UCM’s College of Health and Human Services as well as a professor of
criminal justice.
Before
moving into academia, Sluder worked his way through the ranks of the Adams
County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Department, rising to captain and administrator of
the adult detention facility there.
For more
information about MTSU’S University College, visit its website at http://www.mtsu.edu/university-college.
The Office of Student Success at MTSU also has more information at its website,
http://mtsu.edu/studentsuccess.
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