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MSU’s retention rate is no campus secret. According to the Office of Planning & Analysis, about 30 percent of each freshman class over the past decade has dropped out. Only about 50 percent of each class admitted to the university exits with a diploma within six years.
A survey of students conducted by Student Success in 2008 found that one common difference between “persisters” and “withdraws” was a lack of career direction upon entry to the university. Another major cause of dropping out was a missing sense of personal belonging to the university.
Carina Beck, the Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Success for Retention, noted that “The people who persisted here had an affinity [for MSU] from both an academic standpoint and a personal standpoint.” In order to thrive, an incoming freshman must “learn to be a university student,” she added.
Student Success has developed several initiatives to help freshmen become accustomed to the university. Examples include the Champ Change program introduced this semester and seminars meant to strengthen study skills. Even seemingly small gestures, such as brochures of common campus knowledge given out during orientation, are meant to contribute to stronger integration into MSU.
Erika Swanson, the First Year Initiative (FYI) coordinator, commented that each individual student must find their own niche within the campus experience. Her program functions primarily as a retention agent, running support services like study workshops and Early Alert Meetings for struggling students.
However, FYI tries to reach far deeper into individual struggles. Students puzzling over their identity in relation to MSU usually have less than clear-cut goals, said Swanson, mostly because “many students view college as the high school after high school.” Instead of mapping out specific reasons for attending college, freshmen often come with little to no direction.
In many cases, this leads to students choosing to neglect engagement both in the classroom and on campus, places that provide the sense of identity that Swanson and Beck believe is needed to thrive in an unfamiliar culture.
Freshman Katie Roberts agreed that support programs can aid freshman integration. “Knowing that programs are there makes me feel more comfortable,” she said, even if she doesn’t personally use them. Roberts also cited outreach efforts, such as FYI emails, as helpful in identifying new support programs.
Students, however, can be reluctant to turn to support programs for help. “It seems to me that programs such as FYI and RHA are trying to endorse a campus-wide identity or school spirit,” said sophomore Patrick Liddell. “I don’t think [identity] has to be shared and uniform throughout the student body in order to create a meaningful college experience.”
Freshman Jake Losinski agreed: “There’s a big difference between what [FYI and other organizations] try to do and what they actually do.” Although support programs can be effective, students often don’t see the need for them on an individual level.
Both Swanson and Beck did stress the importance of approaching students as people rather than numbers and the concern student success initiatives place on helping students find the right fit for them individually. If a student finds that he would be more comfortable at another university or outside academics altogether, Student Success is there to help him make the switch. “Students need to remember: we work for them,” Swanson said.
