Supporting students as they advance from first year, to graduation, to employment.
Strategies to improve retention can be extremely effective.
Intrusive advising can help students overcome obstacles.
Hartford has 11 colleges and universities downtown or nearby — including the newly opened UConn Hartford — but that alone doesn’t make the city a college town.
“A lot of towns would be jealous to have this many colleges,” said Richard Sugarman, who is president of Hartford Promise, but he said the schools don’t yet have the kind of presence that seeps into the community and transforms it.
“It’s a mutual thing where the community feels connected and informed and engaged by the college,” Sugarman said, “and the college feels connected, informed and engaged by the community.”
The degree to which college students are capable of successfully moving from matriculation to graduation, described as “retention” or “persistence,” should be a concern for all of us. Employers regularly complain that the skills needed for the workplace are lacking. Policy wonks lament the declining ratio of productive workers to retirees, now about three to one, down drastically from decades ago – an ominous threat to the solvency of the Social Security system, as well as the viability of the economy and the health care system.
Next Conference: Friday, April 26
So, I Got Into College – Now What? Guided Pathways & More
at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury. Registration now open!
2018 Conference Series Finishes Strong
A three-part exploration, via three conferences in June, Sept. and Dec. last year, looked at the specific needs of different groups of students for whom specific programs work best - based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, plus teams, various affinity groups, and more. Thanks for all your participation.
SUPPORTING CHERE
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“ To improve graduation rates, we must identify and advance the best solutions. CHERE brings people together to do just that. ”
“ CHERE works diligently to advance collaborative efforts aimed at improving student retention in higher education. ”
“ CHERE convenes programs and workshops designed to improve policies and practices that will lead to higher college retention. ”
“ We cannot afford up to half of community college students and a third of state university students not surviving freshman year, not graduating, and not entering the workforce at their potential. ”
“ CHERE is committed to working collaboratively and recognizes the significant and ongoing contributions by organizations and individuals in Connecticut and nationwide. ”
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Center for Higher Education Retention Excellence
Of the questions that preoccupy incoming college students — financial, scheduling, housing, belonging — advisors report that the choice of major and career path is the most anxiety-inducing. After all, isn’t choosing the right major the ticket to a successful career and life? Unfortunately, most students feel undue pressure to discover the perfect major.