It takes a campus: when it comes to retention efforts, Loyola University in New Orleans has learned that it takes an entire campus to graduate a student - profile in change

Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education, Oct, 2001 by Nicole Rivard

An unusually collaborative approach is the hallmark of the retention initiative at Loyola that has yielded positive results for the school. It was so successful that Noel-Levitz, a consulting firm specializing in higher-education enrollment, named Loyola one of seven winners of the Retention Excellence Award in July for its innovative programs to retain students and improve academic performance. Loyola's focus on retention was unexpected. The institution had just gone through a successful accreditation in 1995 and confidence was at an all-time high.

"We raised our strategic goals to seek to become a preeminent leading national comprehensive university," says Lydia Voigt, interim provost and academic vice president. "Prior to that we had set out to become a leading regional institution. We had raised the bar."

But in 1996 Loyola finished with a smaller class than projected. Administrators weren't really sure why that happened, so they began to study the situation intensively.

"We discovered first that recruitment and retention are inseparable," says Voigt. "We needed to understand better both the dynamics of recruitment and retention. And we needed to not just react to the internal conditions of the campus, but to realize there were external trends and forces that had changed."

Loyola was looking at a more competitive market because in the early 1990s there was a decrease in high school graduates. Faced with stiff competition for the best students, those colleges that launched aggressive strategies using scholarships and financial aid, or improving the quality of their facilities, were having the most success.

Another external factor affecting private schools such as Loyola is the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students established in Louisiana a few years ago. Under TOPS, the state pays full tuition for students to attend state schools if they meet requirements such as ACT scores between 19 and 27, and a high school GPA of 2.50. Public education and TOPS take on added appeal as Louisiana struggles with an uncertain economy, affecting families' ability to pay for private education.

Award-winning Results

The turning point for Loyola was the creation in 1998 of a task force on student success and retention, composed of faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni.

"I think it was important for us to have support from the top, including the president and provost," says Voigt. "It really set the stage. It's important to make sure there is total campus buy-in and that retention efforts include participation from all levels and from all areas of the institution. It was also important for us to reward and recognize contributions and achievements."

The 120-member task force was divided into 10 workgroups, each assigned to review institutional data related to its focal area, and to develop action plans to enhance student life and learning. Topics covered included instructional effectiveness, academic advising, academic support and career development, campus diversity, freshman experience, post baccalaureate programs, student life and campus traditions, campus services, alumni affairs and public relations, and recruitment and financial aid.

In some areas, work-groups had to compile their own data where none existed. For example, in student affairs there wasn't a body of research that focused on what students liked most, or what kind of activities they would prefer to have.

The accomplishments of the task force include more than 60 enhancements, from a simple freshman class photo to the new Academic and Career Excellence Center.

The freshman class photo was just the beginning of task force ideas for enhancing freshman traditions. "We have a class photo now and a convocation, but when it came to talking about a freshman seminar, that really sparked a lot of discussion and interest," says Voigt. "We realized there were many models out there and we really needed to learn more about what other universities were doing. We have been studying that and a lot more faculty and staff development."

The new Academic and Career Excellence Center includes an academic resource center, career services, disability services, a writing lab, mathematics center, foreign language center and tutor training. Students can also get help creating a portfolio of their academic and co-curricular accomplishments.

"The library gave up prime space for the center, so it's very visible," says Voigt. "We brought together eight university services in one location for students seeking guidance or tutoring on all academic issues. It's a consolidation of resources, and it required no extra funds or budgets. It is wonderful consortium teaching us there are lots of different ways to put together a new center based on partnership and collaboration."

As part of the retention efforts, several student groups launched a campus pride campaign this fall, with the slogan, "Be part of the pack." Pictures of various offices and student organizations are displayed throughout the campus all year to reinforce the idea that everyone is a part of Loyola. The campaign emphasizes the school's academic excellence, its rich Jesuit tradition and its "ideal size" as three points of Loyola pride.