President Rick Muma and Provost Shirley Lefever hosted a town hall event on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to discuss Wichita State’s new Student Success and Persistence (SSP) initiative. The initiative is the next iteration of Wichita State’s implementation of recommendations from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) in the report commissioned by the Kansas Board of Regents.
The overall goal of Wichita State is to narrow the equity gap between the university’s underserved and non-underserved student populations.
During the town hall, Lefever identified three strategies that faculty and staff are expected to embrace as part of the university’s efforts to foster student achievement and promote success.
- Foster a culture of empowerment, leadership and ownership.
- Take an equity-first mindset and student-centered approach that will lead to increased graduation rates.
- Increase strategic education and promotion of financial wellness.
After remarks from Muma and Lefever, participants gathered in small groups to share feedback about the SSP initiative, the university’s culture regarding students, suggestions and experiences with student success.