FAll 2022 OA

LILLY GRANTS BREAK BARRIERS TO SUCCESS AND RETENTION By BJ Riley ’16, Director of Marketing

explained Clark. “Our small and intentional approach in the classroom has served us well, and now we’re working on improving the student wrap around services which can make all the difference to students’ progression through college.” The grant, along with a $250,000 grant from the Hollie and Anna Oakley Foundation, will fund renovations to the second floor of the Rooney Library as it is transformed into a student success center. The center will combine the Learning Resource Center (LRC), with professional advising and career services and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Boyer has taken a lead role in implementation of the grant, which includes training in the Lean Six Sigma Program. The objective is to develop solutions to overcome student barriers to learning. “It was eye-opening. There were things that we thought we were doing well that we learned we can improve upon,” Boyer explained. “Lean Six Sigma begins with the voice of the customer which positions the team to tackle issues surrounding college preparedness and success through an algorithm designed to identify at-risk students.” Professional advisors Success Center began mid-year and is scheduled to be completed by January 2023. “The predictive model will help us to identify students at risk, while the addition of the professional advisors and retention navigators and the completion of the Student Success Center will make a huge difference in improving student retention and success,” said Clark. “The neat thing about the Student Success Center is that it will be a one-stop shop for students. The retention navigators will be able to help students by working in tandem with the LRC or the Career Center,” said Boyer. “We have embraced this idea of being a student-ready college rather than expecting every student to be college-ready. Early interventions and collaborative services will help us meet students where they are.” and retention navigators are being added to assist students in their journey. Construction of the Student

Data and new student success center provide advising and solutions to learning.

“Delivering exceptional customer value through the implementation of efficient operations and quality standards is what SMWC plans to accomplish with $1.35 million in funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc.,” according to Sara Boyer ‘02, ‘13G, executive director of student success at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods College (SMWC). “The grant has helped us identify barriers to success and retention for campus students. Its funding enables the College to be creative, establishing new and innovative initiatives to help students overcome challenges that may prevent them from persisting,” said Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. SMWC is partnering with lead grant applicant, University of Indianapolis, as well as other partners Anderson University,

and the University of Southern Indiana to pilot a new predictive modeling system designed to improve retention and graduation rates, especially with first-generation college students, students of color and students eligible to receive federal Pell grants. “As the College continues to grow with strong enrollments, we knew that our next strategic initiative needed to focus

on increasing student retention, especially as today’s students juggle the unique challenges of going to school

during this pandemic era,”

Indiana Institute of Technology, Martin University