Retention is a huge buzzword on university and college campuses across the United States, and USI is no exception. Retention is a critical part of USI’s 2021-25 strategic plan and is highlighted in one of its goals, to improve student success. Currently, the University is striving to increase retention rates of first-time, full-time students seeking baccalaureate degrees to 76% by 2025; increase second-year retention to 65% by 2025 and increase third-year retention to 58% by 2025. There are also goals for increases in retention of underrepresented students in the plan.
Since the end of summer, employees have been hearing a lot about retention of students, efforts in place, goals moving forward and what we can do on campus to encourage students to continue their higher education careers with USI.
At the regular Board of Trustees meeting on September 1, work on a project in partnership with five other Indiana universities was shared with Board members and the University community. Charting the Future for Indiana’s College and Universities is a part of a Lilly Endowment initiative supporting nine large-scale projects which address a range of challenges and opportunities many Indiana colleges and universities face. Earlier rounds of funding from the initiative were approved in December 2019 and implementation grants were approved in June and September 2020, which funded the strategies presented by 38 Indiana colleges and universities, including USI.
Currently in Phase 3 of the initiative, USI is one of six partner higher-education institutions examining retention through different avenues and data analytics. USI is the only public institution participating with, Indiana Tech, Martin University, University of Indianapolis, Anderson University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College making up the other partner universities.
Through a process led by consultants familiar with the Lean Six Sigma method of improving performance in February, three areas of retention challenges and opportunities were chosen as a focus for USI—retention of first-year underrepresented students, College of Liberal Arts Advising and strategic deployment of merit scholarship funds. Lean Six-Sigma relies on a collaborative effort to identify both waste and the variability in processes and remove or reduce them to improve outcomes.
For this project, three USI employees were chosen to not only receive Lean Six Sigma training, but also to spearhead teams of faculty and administrators to address the areas identified: Dr. Brandi Neal, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Student Affairs; Cesar Berrios Chavarria, Associate Director of the Multicultural Center, and Dr. Uditha Wijesuriya, Associate Professor of Mathematics.
“We, as a University, are focusing on retention, and that looks different for different processes, different people, different areas,” says Neal, who is overseeing the College of Liberal Arts Advising project. “But we all play a role in the experiences and retention of our students on campus.”
Since May, the three teams have been analyzing their topics, implementing the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control method (DMAIC) and other techniques learned from the Greenbelt Lean Six-Sigma method two-week training workshop held in March and April 2022. While they move through these steps in the name of retention, the three Greenbelt leaders say they have gained much more than just an opportunity to be a part of such a big project.
Berrios Chavarria (leader of the project on retention of first-year underrepresented students) says the Charting the Future grant has allowed the teams to learn from one another, and have thorough discussions about challenges, processes, opportunities and more. With training from Greenbelt, he says he can now view processes in a different light.
“Lean Six-Sigma is all about following the process,” he explains. “It’s easy to make assumptions of what is causing an issue and quickly offer solutions, but Lean Six Sigma teaches us to gather data, find root causes, and analyze the data before making any form of recommendation for solutions. Because we have worked well as a team and everyone has been patient and believes in the process, we will get to the solution.”
“I believe the Greenbelt training has opened my eyes to viewing processes and areas of improvement in a new way,” says Berrios Chavarria. “I now have the basic tools needed to take a project and follow the process to generate potential solutions.”
Wijesuriya agrees, adding this project has been a step toward breaking down silos that exist between different areas. As a faculty member in the mathematical sciences department and in charge of the project looking at the strategic deployment of merit scholarship funds, he knew nothing of the merit scholarship awarding process. Not only has he come to understand more about this particular area, but he’s also had the opportunity to work with administrators from across campus, giving him a new perspective.
“It’s been exciting to dive into the data, breaking down the processes and finding out how they work,” he says. “The team for my project has been so supportive and helpful in finding the data needed. It’s been a new and rewarding experience.”
The teams are currently working through their topics and operating on separate completion deadlines. But as they near the last two steps of the DMAIC method, they hope to soon share solutions with University leadership.
“I feel fortunate to be on this project, not only because of the strategic plan, but also to gain these skills that will translate into my everyday job and life,” says Neal. “Through this process, I’ve learned everything can be improved."
Project 1: Retention of First-Year Underrepresented Students team members
Cesar Berrios Chavarria, Associate Director, Multicultural Center
Tim Fitzgibbon, Director of Advising, University Division
Cathy Nickens, Senior Assistant Director of Student Financial Assistance
John Race, Assistant Director of Student Transitional Programs
Angie Valuch, Academic Counselor, University Division
Nathan Payne, Assistant Director, Student Activities and Traditions
Erin Altman, Assistant Director, Resident Engagement
Project 2: Process Improvement for College of Liberal Arts Advising team members
Dr. Brandi Neal, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Student Affairs
Dr. Shelly Blunt, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Renee Rowland, Director of Advising, Advising Center-Liberal Arts
Brody Broshears, Assistant Vice President for Academic Success
Dr. Urska Dobersek, Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. Jason Hardgrave, Associate Professor of History
Susan Todd, Academic Advisor, Advising Center-Liberal Arts
Project 3: Strategic Deployment of Merit Scholarship Funds
Dr. Uditha Wijesuriya, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Andrea Gentry, Director of Development, USI Foundation
Joanna Riney, Associate Director of Student Financial Assistance
Ryan Ross, Manager of Foundation Scholarships, USI Foundation
Shawn Robey, Student Financial Success Specialist
