Freshmen Retention Rate Reaches All-Time High

September 25, 2017 Grace Mitchell, Staff Writer

Hardin-Simmons’ first-time freshman retention rate reached an all-time high this year at 75.1 percent. The rate increased by 12.5 percent in just four years.

A high retention rate is one element that shows the health and success of a university. The U.S. News and World Report uses it as a criterion to determine the best colleges.

“The retention rate is a result of an enriched university experience,” said Dr. Dave Rozeboom, Vice President for Student Life. “We definitely want to recruit new students, but we also want to take care of the students we do have.”

The three areas Student Life has focused on improving are personnel, environments, and programmatics.

“We’ve hired dedicated people who understand what we’re trying to do,” Dr. Rozeboom said. “We are improving facilities and adding new ones like the fitness center and apartments. We are also focusing on our five pillars: engagement, calling, perspective, community and leadership.”

Student Life has initiated and expanded several programs in partnership with other departments across campus in the past few years to emphasize freshmen. The First-Year Experience now includes the First-Year Celebration, First-Year Chapel, and the faculty-developed First-Year Seminar (FYSM).

This is the first year that the FYSM has been implemented into the foundational curriculum. As a result, a variety of engaging classes have been developed through a close partnership between faculty and staff including Hamilton, The Disney Version, Hogwarts at Hardin-Simmons, The C. S. Lewis Society, The Office, and many more. Not only do these classes allow freshmen to explore a topic that interests them, but they also give them a community of other first-year students. Each class is assigned an upperclassman peer mentor who meets with them outside of class to guide students through their transition to college life.

The HSU Student Success Team have expanded their use of Pharos 360 (known as “Beacon” as HSU), an early alert system by Pharos Resources that monitors and manages interventions. The system allows professors, coaches, and staff to alert a team of professionals if they notice any troubling behaviors in their students, such as skipping class.

“This system is just one more way to make sure our freshmen don’t fall through the cracks,” said Dr. Rozeboom.

Student Life is improving more than just the academic experience for freshmen. They have also increased the number of resident assistants in their residence halls. The RAs and chaplains in residence are now able to give more individualized attention to students.

Student Life has also worked to help students find their niche by creating new club sports teams including handball, paintball, ping pong, and tennis.

“We’re adding more color and vibrancy to our school,” Dr. Rozeboom said. “All these things help shape the university experience.”

The Student Life department’s goal is for the retention rate to reach over 80 percent.

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