Creating an Institutional Culture Focused on Retention

Nancy Mitchell, Director Undergraduate Education Programs Amy Goodburn, Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs

How can institutions create a culture of change?

• Describe our attempts to change UNL’s culture

• Share efforts on your campuses

Who is UNL?Land-grant, research-

intensive~20,000 undergraduatesState capital, pop. 250,000

Chancellor’s Goals by 2017• Increase enrollment from 24K to 30K• Increase 6-year grad rate from 63 to

70%• Double research expenditures to $300

M• Hire 160 additional tenure-track faculty• Double national faculty awards &

prizes

Question• If you had the

power to make ONE change at your institution to improve six-year graduation rates, what would it be?

Key Questions for Achieving Goals• How can we mobilize and support

faculty?

• How can we (re)structure units &

processes?

• How can we prioritize and invest

resources?

Listening to Campus Leaders• Housing• Learning

Communities• Deans Council• Health Center• Registration &

Records• Residence Life• Union & Rec

Center• Distance

Education• Career Services• Disciplinary

Offices• Communications

• Financial Aid• Student Senate• Honors College• New Student

Enrollment• Libraries• Transfer Credit• Information Services• General Studies• Intercultural

Services• Admissions• Advising Centers

Mobilizing People & Changing Attitudes• Enrollment Management Council (30

members) developed Campus Blueprint • Retreats with over 300 academic leaders• Individual meetings with leaders and

groups• Media campaign (newspapers, email,

etc.)• New advisory groups (Student Success

Council)

Mobilizing People Outcomes

• Promote awareness & importance of goals

• Convey to leaders they are accountable • Promote campus networking &

collaboration

• Change attitudes—everyone is involved

Reorganize Academic Structures• Moved student units to academic affairs

• Integrated summer sessions within

colleges

• Reorganized office of International

Affairs

• Created Explore Center for undeclareds

Reorganizational Outcomes• Prioritized retention & eliminated other

efforts

• Reaffirmed leadership of academic deans

• Promoted coordinated messaging

• Fostered new attitudes about change

“We can’t do this” “We never thought

about that”

“How can we do this?

Revising Policies & Processes• Moved to electronic advising system

• Streamlined transfer credit processes

• Moved to 120 credit hour degree

requirement

• Registration holds for students on

probation

• Redesigned form & messages of web

page

Revising Policies & Processes Outcomes

• Advising notes for 41% undergrads in 1st semester

• ~2,200 transfer course equivalencies created

• More hits and strong feedback to web page

• 150 student increase in learning communities

Reallocating Resources

• Allocated $250,000 for student-success and curricular reform proposals

• Allocated $80,000 for department

initiatives

• Prioritized $2 million for strategic faculty

hiring• Created new positions for Retention

Analyst, Director of Advising, Senior International Officer

Reallocation Outcomes

• Course reforms in Math, Psychology, & History

• Electronic advising inventory for new

students • Faculty hires in Brain/Biology & Digital

Humanities

• Increased staff for Learning Communities

Ongoing Challenges

• Improve grad rates & retain academic quality

• Scarce resources & competing priorities• Keeping people marching in same

direction

Questions for Discussion• What initiatives are taking place on your

campus?• Have you faced barriers in changing your

campus culture? How have you faced them?