Development of the Center for Academic Persistence & Success (CAPS) – The traditional academic advising office that was previously charged with advising all undecided majors was transformed into CAPS, with professional staff who take a holistic approach to serving students and that will track and provide service to students from admission to graduation. In addition to advising, the plan is to begin to provide counseling and academic support, in a case-management style, to all students. CAPS Staff held 1,125 individual advising/counseling sessions during Fall 2012.
Spring Pre-Registration Campaign to Impact Persistence - To assist the spring preregistration efforts, staff within CAPS rigorously engaged in a calling campaign to assist students in eliminating any barriers to enrollment. Through this effort, over 75 percent of students that were enrolled in Fall 2012 completed pre-registration for Spring 2013.
Policy Revision for Students on Academic Probation – The University has undergone a policy revision that governs students on Academic Probation, to include required academic support services and intrusive counseling, during a student's probationary status. Under the previous policy, there were no guidelines as to how students who are on Academic Probation were monitored during their probationary status, which led to a high number of those students being dismissed from the University. The goal of this new policy is to provide a better system of monitoring these students, offer more support, and build healthier relationships with this at-risk population of students and to improve retention rates.