Each University of Nebraska campus has implemented research-based strategies aimed at helping students stay on the path to a degree so they can graduate on time, with less debt, and enter the workforce sooner.
NU President Hank Bounds says increasing retention and graduation rates while also maintaining the university’s academic quality is a high priority.
He says NU is putting a range of strategies in place to improve student retention and graduation rates.
Bounds says a big focus is growing enrollment and first year to second year graduation rates.
"There’s lots of good data points and research around the things that move more students toward graduation and we are trying to check every single box.”
Some of the strategies NU will implement include giving faculty and staff access to real-time data on the students they advise, allowing them to identify and help off-track students early.
At UNO, there are newly customized orientation programs for first-year students, adult learners and veterans are in place to ensure that students from different backgrounds enroll in the right courses to keep them on track for graduation.
And, at UNK, freshmen are required to “huddle” with professional advisers early in the year to make sure they’re on the right track and flag any challenges early on.