“Within retention participation groups, retention rates have increased and gaps have decreased.”
– Ruth Williams, associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs

Faculty, staff and students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are banding together in efforts to increase student retention and to enhance the diversity and achievement of students.

A conference was held on Feb. 24 as part of the Access to Success program that was instituted by faculty and staff across campus this fall with the goal of retaining freshmen.

Faculty and staff presented data collected on freshmen and their success rates so far in the program. They also presented data on campus-wide programs that are offered to students such as mentoring, tutoring, advising, supplemental instruction and assistance from the Academic Opportunity Center.

Ruth Williams, associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, organized the event and has played a major role in Access to Success. Williams said several faculty and staff are contributing to the success of this program.

“Within retention participation groups, retention rates have increased and gaps have decreased,” Williams said.

Eric Keyes, assistant chair in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, is involved with redesigning remedial math courses by instituting a computer-based program that was piloted last fall with satisfactory results involving students in Math 090 through Math 105.

Faculty with freshmen in their classes are also participating in the Early Warning System. This system involves an evaluation of students after the four-week mark each semester. Once instructors identify in a report the students who are doing unsatisfactorily in their classes, the report is sent to their advisers, who contact the students by the eight-week mark.

“Some instructors have been planning their syllabus around this (Early Warning System) by even including the first test before the fourth week,” Williams said.

Based on the facts presented at the conference, freshmen who participate in retention programs such as mentoring, tutoring and first-year transition courses perform better and are retained at higher rates.

Williams said an important part of Access to Success is that students are taking a few things and doing them.

Several faculty and staff are involved in the re-creation of the Black and Gold Committee, which is what Access to Success falls under.

According to Williams, three aspects of the university experience that the committee is looking to improve by adding to the Access to Success initiative are:

• Financial strategies for students, including more effective student employment on campus and a textbook rental action team with the goal of early textbook adoption.
• More programs for transfer students.
• Increasing diversity among graduate students.

Students who are interested in getting involved with the Black and Gold Committee should contact Williams at rew@uwm.edu.

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