Frequent-touch programs: one key to increasing retention rates?

Madison, Wis.—February 5, 2009 — The student retention program at Suffolk University is a 30-month program, which begins the day the students get their letter of acceptance and ends the day they begin their junior year. During this time, students are contacted in some way by an administrator, a faculty member, members of the retention and student success committee, and the division of student services.

This “frequent touch” program is part of a wider initiative that began about a year ago at Suffolk, and is one reason its retention rate last spring was higher than the previous spring’s.

This initiative includes the restructuring of Suffolk's admissions and financial aid program, a greater emphasis on forming strategic alliances, and an expansion of online programming. Taken all together, these efforts have resulted in a 13 percent increase in applications for next fall.

In a recent online seminar titled The Economic Crisis: New Realities & Opportunities for Higher Ed, Marguerite Dennis, Vice President for Enrollment and International Programs, identified 16 trends and 10 ways to create new opportunities.

She emphasized that there can be no cookie-cutter approach to solving the problems all institutions face as a result of the downturn in the economy; each college and university will have to decide how to best approach the new realities.

In the 90-minute seminar, Dennis described how to:
• Re-tool financial aid for students and financial planning for families to meet the realities of the current economic situation.
• Brainstorm about new creative programs and collaborative efforts to market to potential domestic and international students.
• Consider new financial aid and planning programs.
• Consider new methods for communicating with families about financial aid.
• Anticipate and manage enrollment declines by creating new educational paradigms.
• Track trends in your area on a regular basis by using listserves

A package of supplemental materials accompanied the PowerPoint handouts.

If you missed the live event you can purchase the CD to get the research-based knowledge and practical insights that you need to:
• Create a new retreat or strengthen an existing one.
• Structure a retreat that emphasizes learning and relationships.
• Get better results without using lectures.
• Implement retreat activities successfully.
• Improve retreat assessment and planning.

To purchase this seminar for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenter's handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.