Bringing Solutions to the Puzzle of Retention in Higher Education 

Changing Our Narrative 

By MeShonya Wren-Coleman, Ph.D.

School is back in session for most institutions of higher education. So many of these colleges have been banging their heads trying to meet their incoming new students quota as well as accommodating the needs of first-time students. 

So what happens when the quota is met, all the students have settled into their new residencies, class schedules have been completed and classes have begun? What is your next step in making sure that these students are retained over the next four to five years? Hopefully, these few tidbits from several years of observation will help.

Let’s take a few moments for those who are academicians and reflect on what our roles are in retaining the students that Enrollment Management has diligently worked so hard at recruiting the previous year. There are three areas faculty and staff should focus on as they evaluate themselves on the retention process: customer service, resources and infrastructure.

“Do unto others as you will have them to do unto you” is the Golden Rule that most are familiar with. This quote is what always triggers me when I think about our customer service skills. The service you provide, like anywhere else, is what keeps customers coming back. 

Too often small common courtesy goes unnoticed in higher education. Take this note: your students are the customers and without making customer service a priority and having them talk about the red-carpet service they receive at your institution will decrease enrollment and retention. 

Don’t blow bells and whistles to just get them there. Those same whistles should be going off to keep them. Just like a marriage, whatever you did to get them, you need to do the same thing to keep them. This type of sentiment and service needs to be communicated campus-wide. A welcoming environment, questions being answered, and personnel being accessible should be an ongoing practice for each office and department.

Some advice for leadership: start each semester with campus-wide customer-service training, allowing experts to train your team members on better customer service practices. Providing what is needed for teenage students to keep them at your institution is a different ballgame than servicing adults. Much patience is required, many smiling faces and a 24-hour follow-up to any question or concern. This is a generation of students who want things done instantaneously and when it’s not done, there will most likely be complaining and transferring to another institution. 

Figure out ways to streamline processes, keep open lines of communication and never allow anyone to leave your office without a solution to any problem they may have. Forbid the hand-offs from office to office seeking those solutions. Every office should know their school and where to find the answers.

Yes, we would love to retain every student we recruit, but realistically we all know that’s only in a perfect world of academia. If the personnel of each institution would learn the components of providing the service that makes students brag about their educational experience, it’s almost a guarantee to keep their retention rate at 80% or higher.

In my opinion, you can never have enough resources. Is your institution prepared for the diversity of each student being recruited? Look at the population of first-generation, low-income, physically impaired, international, transferred, non-traditional, and academically challenged students who are coming to your institution. Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs should be working together to make sure the resources needed to equip these students with the necessary tools to matriculate successfully are in place and working efficiently and effectively. 

Think about a campus-wide committee from both areas that can identify what is needed to retain these students once recruited. Are there summer bridge programs, sign language instructors, intermediate college courses, tutorials, working computer labs, available scholarships and other structured programs to meet every student’s demand?

Today’s students are technically inclined and they use the word “bored” quite often. How do we as educators try to eliminate the word “bored” and not be just student-centered, but student-engaged? Are we listening to our students to make sure the activities that are planned are those that will not just educate them but entertain them, and most importantly, retain them? 

Students’ attention spans are probably like mine, about 45 minutes, which means faculty members must be creative and innovative in the classroom. Basic lecturing in the classrooms went out the door around 1999. Having students excited about learning and instructors who can present their course material with expertise and excitement is what is needed in the classroom today. And to be perfectly transparent, some seasoned professors may need to be sent home and called to substitute teach occasionally. Please don’t shoot the messenger but because of outdated teaching styles, some students are choosing not to remain at your institution.

If you are looking to retain freshman and sophomore students, evaluate those professors who are teaching the core curriculum courses. You don’t want those individuals standing behind a podium, monotoned and there just to collect a paycheck. Keep in mind the mentality of those instructors who use the line, “I got my degree, you need to get yours.” That’s a red flag if you constantly hear students complaining about this type of professor. 

Academic Affairs administrators, keep your Deans and Chairpersons on their toes and keep the majors challenging, programs ongoing and classes available. The aforementioned is relevant and holds true for in-person instruction as well as online/virtual courses. The online course needs to be invigorating and consistent. Students should not have to wait for you to post, you should only be waiting for the student to show up and complete the required assignments. Know your role in retention inside the classroom or online.

Be knowledgeable of the various learning styles as a professor. Students learn differently and you must be able to teach differently. Just because you enjoy lecturing, you may have to do a little hands-on and open discussion to keep your students wanting to come back to your class and telling other students to register for your class. Be that professor students brag about! And when you need more material to do your job, don’t be afraid to ask your administration for those resources.

Last, but certainly not least, please stay on top of your infrastructure and landscape maintenance. There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint, a mowed lawn and clean restrooms. This next statement is not to single out any college or individual, but you should treat your campus as you treat your home when waiting for guests to arrive. Always put out your best and that means hiring a maintenance team that takes pride in its work. 

Security should be one call and that’s all! Are the buildings on your campus holding a significant historical factor or are they just an eye sore? Some decisions need to be made by the administration concerning what facilities need to be kept and what facilities need to be let go. Are your buildings Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant? How often are your students complaining about not having hot water for showering, malfunctioning heating and cooling units and toilets not flushing? These are concerns that need to be immediately addressed.

It’s understood that emergencies do happen, but in case of an emergency what process has been put in place to ensure students’ safety, security, and basic needs are being met? Some colleges wait until the emergency arrives before pulling a team together but what if a team is already together that thinks outside of the box and prepares beforehand? Just a thought for the administration because planning ahead can never be too late.

Making the collegiate experience enjoyable and not miserable is made simple by applying some common theories that will work if put into practice. And to ensure that they do work, just go back to that common quote, “Do unto others as I would have them to do unto me,” and ask, “What if this was me attending this school, would I stay and why?” 

If your answer is no, then do something about it by initiating and completing a self-inventory on the services you’re providing and if your answer is yes, keep doing what you’re doing but never stop improving the service(s).

Here’s my thing: if you come to my home and I don’t make you feel welcomed and/or want to come back for another visit or stay, then I have failed as a hostess. Let’s not fail our students by not providing the services needed to recruit, retain, and graduate. If you work in any position on a college campus, then you’re the missing puzzle piece to retention. Retention is everybody’s business.