You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Sherri Erkel has dedicated her career to ensuring student success. Over the last 18 years, she has served in both enrollment and retention roles at institutions as diverse as Eastern Oregon University and St. Ambrose University in Iowa. The through line of her career has been helping her institutions develop processes and practices that underpin student success. In fact, her Ph.D. focused on student affairs and administration and sought to bring together enrollment and retention policy for the benefit of students
For the last six years, Sherri has promoted these priorities first as a senior consultant and then as vice president of consulting services at Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL). She has taken the leading role in the development of RNL’s new student success solution, and we wanted to ask her a few questions:
Q: Before we talk about why campuses need retention solutions, can you tell us why students leave college in the first place?
A: Students are leaving college for many of the same reasons we have known for many years. They leave for financial reasons, or because it is not a good fit. We are also learning more about the impact of mental health issues on student attrition. Survey data coming from college student health research suggests that mental health issues are an increasing cause of students leaving college. Anxiety and depression, especially as they relate to trauma, are on the rise.
Students are also looking for a sense of community, of belonging. So, those two things present a unique challenge to leaders on campus: How do we help students engage in ways that we know will contribute to a greater sense of belonging, while also recognizing that mental health issues like depression and anxiety present a real barrier?
- The Healthy Minds Network. Healthy Minds Study. 2021–22 Data Report.
- Center for Collegiate Mental Health. (2023, January). 2022 Annual Report(Publication No. STA 23-168)
Q: What is missing in the current conversation about retention and student success?
A: Despite the abundance of retention tools available in the higher education marketplace, many institutions are still not using data and analytics to inform their retention strategies. In one survey, approximately one-third to one-half of institutions reported using predictive analytics to inform retention strategies.* Data-driven strategies can provide compelling evidence to both internal and external constituents that student success leaders are good stewards of institutional budgets.
We can also do more to address the unique needs of various student populations. Students across various demographics are enrolling in online programs (especially post-pandemic), for example. Campuses need to include these groups in overall retention planning. Including key subpopulations like these in overall planning can positively impact student tuition revenue. More important, it demonstrates to students that we understand their needs.
- *RNL 2021 Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and Completion Report.
Q: Students enrolling on campuses today, particularly those enrolling post-pandemic, are challenged as they are enrolling and persisting on college campuses. What can be done to help campuses prepare for today’s college environment?
A: Campuses can implement tools that will help them understand their students’ motivations and preparedness as they enter college. Using assessments to inform practice is one of those “low-hanging fruit” solutions that can have an immediate impact. Tools like the College Student Inventory™ serve as a baseline for noncognitive factors that can inform early intervention strategies for both faculty and staff.
Another key to helping students make a smooth transition to college is understanding the recruitment process. When devising retention strategies, ask yourself, “Do I know the key recruitment messages that our colleagues in admissions communicated to our students?” and, “Are the strategies we are developing align with those messages?” Addressing these questions will build a bridge between recruitment and retention and help strengthen students’ affinity with your institution.
