Summer 2001

Retention efforts to be recognized with national award

Loyola's successful campus-wide retention initiatives resulting from the May 1999 Report of the Task Force on Student Success and Retention will be recognized with a "Retention Excellence Award" this summer at the 2001 National Conference on Student Retention. The conference is scheduled for July 25 - 28 in New Orleans and the Rev. Bernard P. Knoth, S.J., university president, has been invited to be among the guest speakers. The award recognizes our unique campus-wide process which has led to improvements in the quality of student life and learning and to a significant rise in our retention rates.

The conference brings together leading practitioners from campuses with effective retention management processes to present topics of interest such as technological breakthroughs in recruitment and financial aid, academic advising, freshman programs, and student-centered service initiatives.

The task force celebrated the many successes of the Loyola effort at a town meeting April 3. Accomplishments include over 60 enhancements ranging from the consideration of "staff sensitivity to student needs" in performance evaluations to the formation of 11 learning communities to the institution of a freshman convocation and class picture as new traditions. Other initiatives include the establishment of the new Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) Center located in the Monroe Library; the development of an integrated marketing communications plan and grassroots campus pride campaign scheduled to kick off this fall; the establishment of a Service Learning Center; and the expansion of student life and traditions and the Women's Resource Center. These initiatives are particularly significant because they institutionalize enhancements that encourage student success. When students are successful, retention rates are improved.

"While Loyola's persistence rates (e.g. freshman to sophomore transition) and graduation rates have been climbing, by comparison, these rates at other public and private four-year institutions have been declining or remain unchanged," reported Dr. Lydia Voigt, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. "This suggests that our improvements are not part of some national trend but may be the result of our campus working together to ensure student success." These initiatives have also resulted in improved student satisfaction rates. According to the results of the National Survey of Student Engagement, Loyola seniors indicated they are significantly more satisfied with their educational experience than are their counterparts at other institutions across the nation.

"Our successes are directly tied to the dedication and hard work of the 100+ members of the task force and the involvement of our campus," Voigt emphasized. "It takes a campus to graduate a student!"