Ideas sought to improve student retention, graduation

A Nov. 15 Campus Town Hall meeting will focus on student retention and will feature both discussion and brainstorming opportunities.

The 90-minute town hall will begin at 10 a.m. in University Center 303 and will feature a brief introduction to the issues of student retention and graduation followed by the opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions of how UCCS can improve student retention and graduation rates.

Last year, about 65 percent of UCCS undergraduate students were retained from freshman to sophomore years. The six-year graduation rate is 47 percent.

The town hall is sponsored by Chancellor Venkat Reddy and Susan Szpyrka, senior vice chancellor, Administration and Finance. The event will feature members of a new strategic enrollment team.

The team’s members include: Szpyrka; Susan Taylor, interim associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education and academic planning, Academic Affairs; Mathew Cox, senior executive director of enrollment management, Admissions Services; Jevita Rogers, executive director, Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment; Barbara Gaddis, assistant vice chancellor for student success and retention, Student Retention and First Year Experience Office; Robyn Marschke, director, Institutional Research Office; and Megan Bell, executive director of community learning and assessment, Residence Life and Housing.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend town halls. Refreshments served. Summaries of town hall meetings are published in Communique.

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