Retention and graduation

Record numbers of students want to get into Carolina-and Carolina is working to ensure that those who enroll will stay and graduate.

In the dark ages of academia, students enrolled in college and were mostly left to their own devices to figure out how to succeed and graduate. The sink-or-swim approach was OK-so long as you weren't one of the sinkers!

Now universities are making it their business to help students persist in their studies and complete their degrees. Chrissy Coley is USC's director of retention and planning in the Division of Student Affairs. She and her staff have launched an array of programs designed to help students stay on track.

"USC has made great strides in its persistence rates from freshman to sophomore year, but we realized there were some new things we could be doing to improve not only retention but graduation rates," Coley said. "If you compare our numbers with other selective Ph.D. public universities, we're not in a bad place, but we do have room to improve."

USC's new Supplemental Instruction Program is aimed at improving pass rates in several large lecture classes and other courses that historically have been stumbling blocks for many students. These gateway courses include Math 141, Biology 101 and 102, Chemistry 111 and 112, History 111, and Psychology 101.

This fall, USC recruited about 30 undergraduate students who already had completed those courses with flying colors to work as Supplemental Instruction leaders. Each earned a $1,500 stipend to retake a course and lead students through thrice-weekly study and homework sessions.

"These study sessions are open to everybody, not just the students who are struggling," said Julie Holliday, coordinator of Academic Success Initiatives. "So a 'B student' attending the supplemental instruction sessions could potentially earn an A, and the 'D student' could improve enough to pass the course. This is brand new for USC."

And it seems to be working.

"Many of the students coming out of sessions seem to have a better understanding of the subject," said Dan Burk, an SI leader for Math 141 (calculus). "I've heard things like, 'Oh, it's soooo easy now.' I love this program and what it's accomplishing."

Another SI leader, Justine Siegers, leads a study group for Psychology 101. "At the beginning of the semester the students seemed shy and inhibited, but now that they understand the structure of the course, they are much more aware of possible test questions, how to study, and what methods work best for them," she said. "They know that we're on their side-not out to trick them, but merely make them think and work as hard as we did to achieve superior grades."

Holliday is considering adding Math 142 (calculus II) to the Supplemental Instruction Program for the spring semester. Coley and her staff also are working with several pilot programs aimed at improving retention and graduation rates. One of the most basic is the Early Intervention Initiative, which monitors freshman attendance in all University 101 and English 101 and 102 courses and intervenes after two absences.

"It's common sense that you should go to class, and research has proven that freshman class attendance is linked to first-year GPAs, which are linked to graduation rates," Coley said. "Students with identical academic preparation coming into college can end up with very different graduation rates just because of their first-year performance."

University Housing's Academic Centers for Excellence-located in Bates, Columbia Hall, Sims, and the Towers-have been expanded to offer assistance in general academic skills in addition to writing and math. And the English department and Thomas Cooper Library have joined forces to provide Writing Center consultations in the library this year.

None of the programs provides a complete safety net. But for those students who want to finish what they've begun, USC has put the tools in place for success.