Our new SEM 2025 goals include expanding our enrollments to 17,000 students, increasing our first to second-year retention rate to 75%, and closing the equity gap for our underserved students. Everyone on campus plays a direct or indirect role in the recruitment and retention of our students. Promoting student success is at the heart of what we do.
Check out the featured strategy this week to see how it aligns with work in your area:
Strategy 3.7: Establish a consistent welcoming environment across the university that promotes a sense of community. Improve physical and virtual spaces associated with offices and departments to promote community and belonging; Embrace PROUD service standards.
Ideas for the classroom: Faculty should list their office hours as student hours to encourage visits and include an explicit invitation to contact the instructor with questions on all of their email communications. Faculty should also directly share that that they are interested in their students’ success by taking time for a few icebreakers at the start of the semester to build community within the class. This makes it easier to connect with potential study partners later.
Shout-outs to: Dean Engber and current students in the Cohen Honors College send hand-written postcards to all of the accepted incoming students who have been accepted. Similarly, the Office of Admissions sends more than 5,500 valentines to incoming freshmen and transfer students that are handwritten by volunteers from across campus.
For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Shaw 316-978-7130 carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu.