financial ones. National research and data suggest that students leave at:
a. End of freshman year because of:
Academic difficulty
Boredom
Lack of understanding of reasons for taking remedial classes
Inability to handle transition into college
Personal and financial problems
Dissatisfaction with campus services
b. End of sophomore year because of:
Academic difficulty
Personal and financial problems
Lack of clear academic goals and focus
Boredom
c. End of junior year because of:
Financial aid difficulties (often too many attempted hours)
Academic Difficulty
Personal and financial difficulty
Poor advising
The University understands that overall improvement of the quality of student life and learning leads to improved retention. It also understands that retention strategies that have been known to work include the following elements which must work together, concurrently:
Improved academic advising including early-alert, monitoring and intervention systems.
Coordination of academic progress with the financial aid situation.
Strong Academic support structures and committed manpower.
Bridging to support students that need multiple remediations.
Caring faculty and staff.
For this reason, the University presents the following strategies to achieve progress under the three failed objectives:
Major Initiatives to Improve Retention and Graduation Rates of Students
The University is undertaking some major initiatives in order to respond to the three areas of 1) retention of first year Kentucky undergraduate students, 2) retention of Kentucky undergraduate students in general and 3) graduation rates of Kentucky students:
1. The cornerstone initiative is the University's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The title of the plan is Academics with Attitude: Building the Foundation of Student Success. The purpose of the Kentucky State University QEP is to foster in students an attitude of educational engagement and planning necessary for academic success in developmental and gateway classes. Through an emphasis on collaboration among faculty, academic support services, and student support services, the QEP personalizes the college experience for the first-year students in need of extensive developmental coursework, personal growth and development, and acclimation to the academic environment. It promotes holistic student development into the second year as well
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