Category: Student Success and Persistence

WSU’s Shocker Success Center — opening fall 2024 — is gaining national attention for its focus on a seamless student experience, combining 17 crucial student services into one spot.

Inside Higher Ed recently published a story where Provost Shirley Lefever and Vice President of Student Affairs Teri Hall were interviewed about the Shocker Success Center and how it will help students for years to come.

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.

President Rick Muma and Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president, are conducting a town hall for faculty and staff about WSU’s Student Success and Persistence (SSP) initiative. Join them 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 in the Rhatigan Student Center ballroom to learn more.

The SSP initiative, which falls under the umbrella of Strategic Enrollment Management, includes comprehensive and holistic tactics to support students throughout their academic journeys.

Wichita State University is committed to providing the best education and resources for our students, but we know that student persistence is an ongoing challenge for many institutions.

That’s why we’ve developed goals and an action plan to support our students and foster their success. The Student Success and Persistence (SSP) initiative, which falls under the umbrella of Strategic Enrollment Management, includes comprehensive and holistic tactics to support our students throughout their academic journeys.

To learn more about SSP, watch the above 90-second video and attend a town hall event at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 in the Rhatigan Student Center ballroom.

Join the Retention Fellows for their third installment of the “Teaching Matters” series, devoted to creating an engaging learning environment for your classes.

Student engagement can take many forms, including an in-person or virtual activity, use of case studies, the Socratic method of questioning students, or integration of relevant examples.

Share your experiments with other passionate teachers, and join the discussion at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in 231/232 Woolsey Hall.