Student Support and Retention

Abstract

Traditional student support services offered by universities are broad and varied; however, many of these fall under either student or academic affairs and are located centrally on campus. Offering a decentralized, college-specific model of student support and retention that partners with both academic and student affairs allows for a holistic, integrated approach to student resources that is easily accessed within a student’s own academic area. UA Little Rock has implemented this innovative model by housing a licensed social worker in each main campus college. These social workers provide case management services ranging from triage of at-risk students to coordination of on-campus and community resources. Each social worker is also able to provide a limited number of small micro-grants as emergency funds. Primary goals of this initiative include increased student use of the case management services, increased faculty referrals, improved student retention, evaluation of interventions, and student satisfaction. Pilot evaluation data indicates that a diverse population of students across multiple disciplines are utilizing these services and that retention rates for students receiving case management services differs based on their presenting issue(s). To support ongoing evaluation of services, there is a need to more clearly standardize data collection without disruption to practice.