University Of Arkansas Heads Up State-Wide Student Retention Conference Among Public And Private Institutions

Media are invited to attend the conference. A schedule of events is attached.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas is taking the lead in finding solutions to improve student retention among Arkansas’ colleges and universities. Organized and sponsored by the U of A, the Arkansas Higher Education Retention Conference will take place October 11, 12, 13 on campus. Most of the state’s 44 public and private two and four-year institutions will send representatives.

"If the state is to move forward, we need to take a serious look at our higher education system and what we are doing to make sure our students are graduating," said Dr. Johnetta Cross Brazzell, vice chancellor for student affairs. "Low retention rates are a statewide concern that we hope to address collaboratively, beginning with this conference."

The objectives of the conference are:

• Develop and leave with strategies to improve retention
• Network with other institutions to build relationships
• Increase awareness of available resources
• Identify best practices around the state and nation
• Determine barriers/needs related to retention at the institutional level

The idea for the conference grew from the University’s "First-Year-Experience" initiative, a new program to provide freshmen and all new students a personal support structure that undergirds their academic careers and that enhances their prospects for staying in school and graduating.

To address student retention, the U of A has formed a student retention team. This team concept has been extended to the conference.

"We’ve asked the institutions to give retention on their campuses some serious thought and form teams of at least four people to attend the conference," Brazzell said. "We believe the best results will come from focusing on this issue with people who are directly responsible for retention efforts on their campuses. By doing this, we hope to pinpoint commonalities and thus define the indicators that will benefit all the state’s colleges and universities in their efforts to enhance retention."

To better facilitate these teams, the U of A has forwarded materials to guide them through early strategizing, thus helping them be better prepared as a team for what they can both get out of and contribute to the conference, Brazzell said,

Both Governor Mike Huckabee and Lu Hardin, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, have endorsed the conference by sending letters encouraging the state’s higher education institutions to participate.

Biographies of guest speakers and the conference schedule are included with this release and can also be found on the web at: www.uacted.uark.edu/RetentionConference