Marshall University’s retention rate for freshmen is at an all-time high, marking significant success after a challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
First-time, full-time freshmen who enrolled in Fall 2019 returned for Fall 2020 at a rate of 78 percent, which is 5 percent higher than the previous year.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jaime Taylor says the retention rate is significant because Marshall has never reported such a big increase in a single year and the rate is at an all-time high for the university. He credits a new effort that has been implemented to improve communication with students.
“We’ve seen remarkable success at the freshman level,” said Taylor. “In the last three years, we have really focused on smart, but efficient strategies to improve student success. Our signature student success program is called FAM (Friend at Marshall) Peer Mentoring. This program matches every incoming freshman or undergraduate transfer student with a peer mentor who checks in weekly, answers questions and inspires our new students with tips and strategies.”
Taylor says the new program has been a sweeping success and has been expanded this year to include new or continuing sophomores.
“The peer mentors really have the pulse of our students and are able to troubleshoot at just the right moment, before a small matter becomes a big issue,” said Taylor.
Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Sherri Smith says another important aspect in the retention rate increase is that it was achieved after the onset of the pandemic. Freshmen began their college experience with one normal semester, followed by two-thirds of the spring semester before in-person classes were forced to transition to online learning.
“We put a lot of effort into ensuring that virtual advising sessions during the pandemic offered students both convenience and quality,” said Smith. “Students are loving these virtual appointments and our cancellation and no-show rates are way down. We’re also doing a much better job of following up with students who haven’t re-enrolled for the upcoming semester. In some cases of financial hardship, we are able to offer small retention grants due to the generous gift of Mr. Lake Polan, who recently served as chairman of the Marshall University Foundation Board of Directors.”
Marshall University plans to resume face-to-face classes for all students when the fall semester begins Aug. 23.