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Help Our Students THRIVE: A Proactive Approach to Addressing College Retention and Success

Student Success
March 4, 2015 Delvina Miremadi-Baldino Life Advantages

When I examine the current college retention and degree attainment rates in American colleges and universities, I feel both alarmed as well as determined to transform how the higher education community thinks and acts to solve this problem. Just over half (59 percent) of undergraduate students enrolled in four-year institutions graduate within six years and only 31 percent of full-time, first-time undergraduate students at two-year degree-granting institutions attained their degree or certificate in the normal time (NCES, 2012).

The literature on retention and persistence attempts to explain the characteristics and processes involved in a student’s decision to leave college before completing their undergraduate degree. Historically however, many of the external retention programs sold and implemented on campuses fail to incorporate these ideas and focus more on early alert, assessment, and monitoring systems to identify students at risk of dropping out. According to a recent study in 2010, student respondents from all colleges (Community Colleges, Private Four-Year Colleges and Universities, and Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities) reported that first-year programs, academic advising, and learning support were responsible for the greatest contribution to their persistence (ACT, 2010).  Clearly, students are telling us that the kind of support programs they need are those that see them as a person, not a number, and can address the variety of unique challenges they face as a student that interfere with their ability to persist, both academically and non-academically.  In other words, we must approach retention in a multifaceted, holistic manner in order to meet the true needs of today’s college student.

Over the last couple of years, NASPA has taken on this challenge by developing a unique college life program for colleges and universities.  Through a partnership with the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), NASPA created CU Thrive- an online program built specifically for college students to help them explore, understand, share and cope with their unique college experiences.

This program targets the many academic and non-academic challenges that are specific to being a college student in today’s world. New relationships, new living environments, new pressures, new responsibilities and new expectations all contribute to the difficulties students face on a day-to-day basis. The CU Thrive program was developed to target these specific issues and to help students successfully work through them. 

“This is the best resource I have found with information about having a mental illness while in college and helping be able to create a healthy balance,” according to a current CU Thrive student user. In a recent survey from a sample of students using CU Thrive on their campus, 72 percent reported that CU Thrive helped to improve their sense of health and wellness.

Additionally, the program provides a platform for peer support by creating a space for students to share their own tips and techniques to help other students struggling with similar issues. Based on student feedback, this is an important and effective element missing from existing student retention programs. According to one student, “I felt less alone by reading that other people face the same problems that I do.”  

These elements of CU Thrive, as well as the wealth of valuable and vetted information, provide a unique opportunity for students to engage their peers, connect with resources and support programs on campus, and help promote positive academic engagement and success. Ninety percent of students from our sample reported that the program made them more aware of mental health services on campus, and 70 percent reported that they learned study and time management skills that helped improve their academics.

At the end of the day, the issue of retention comes down to addressing both the academic and the private struggles of individual students that interfere with daily college life and ultimately their potential for success. CU Thrive helps us simplify how we think about addressing these issues by bringing our focus back to the students themselves. “It [CU Thrive] empowered me to talk to others about things I didn't previously have a great understanding of and helped me identify what I am going through by giving me the language to talk about it and resources to use.”  

The feedback from students can’t be ignored. CU Thrive can have a significant impact on students’ daily lives, which, in the end, is going to have a significant and positive impact on persistence and retention. Eighty percent of students from our sample reported that CU Thrive has had a positive impact on their persistence and decision to return to school for another semester, and close to 20 percent reported that if it weren’t for CU Thrive they would have dropped out of school.

If higher education institutions want to enhance the protective factors that lead to more positive outcomes, such as academic success and persistence, they must be proactive and start by addressing the everyday needs of their students and implementing support programs like CU Thrive.

For more information about NASPA’s CU Thrive program and the ways it can support your school’s existing student engagement and retention programs, please contact Mike Norris

More about the author:  Delvina Miremadi, Ph.D., Director of Research and Program Development

Delvina Miremadi, currently serves as the Director of Research and Program Development at Life Advantages LLC and has over eight years of experience specializing in resilience education and program development. Dr. Miremadi is currently directing and developing innovative resilience programs for colleges and universities, including NASPA’s CU Thrive and most recently, the Realize Your Realize Toolkit and Resilience Assessment specifically for college students. Prior to this, Dr. Miremadi worked for Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Department of Psychiatry, developing innovative prevention tools and curriculum for the Swensrud Depression Prevention Initiative. Dr. Miremadi earned her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Simmons College, focusing her research on academic resilience in higher education. She received her Ed.M from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology, where she conducted research at Harvard's Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Research. Her expertise and passion lie in the creation and implementation of health promotion and prevention programs that address student issues, including mental health, degree attainment, and various everyday wellness needs. Dr. Miremadi’s research interests include resilience, particularly in understanding how resilience can be taught through educational approaches to help at-risk students engage in healthy coping and thrive across their lifespan.