2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Clay N. Hixson Student Success Center within the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech University has recently undergone a significant transformation, significantly enhancing its support for student success. With an overarching commitment to enabling student success, the Student Success Center has introduced a myriad of initiatives over the past three years, with a particular focus on recruitment, retention, and fostering student success.
In the realm of recruitment, strategies such as a unified degree map, refined to ensure a consistent first-year course sequence, and a math bridge program for incoming first-year students have yielded impressive results. Recruitment efforts have led to a 10% increase in incoming first-year students, effectively expanding the reach of the College of Engineering.
In terms of student retention, changes within the Student Success Center have brought about a substantial 10% improvement in first-to-second-year student retention. Periodic advisor caseload redistribution and advisor cross-training have allowed for timely support of students without overburdening advisors. An academic support program has also reduced the population of at-risk students from 19% to 13%.
The Student Success Center's endeavors encompass an extensive range of activities, from refining the summer camps for high school students to conducting monthly advisor listening sessions and surveys to understand and meet student needs. Furthermore, the introduction of Niche areas for each academic advisor has not only fostered their professional growth but has also contributed to improved student success. This paper will delve into the comprehensive details of these initiatives. It serves as a valuable resource for institutions seeking to enhance their student support services, providing separate insights into the spheres of recruitment, retention, and, most importantly, student success within the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech University.