About the Office of Student Success and Retention

The purpose of the Morgan State University Office of Student Success and Retention is to work in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Engineering, the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, the School of Business and Management, the School of Education and Urban Studies, the School Community and Public Health, the School of Architecture and Planning, the School of Social Work, and the various academic support programs of the University to provide continuous, quality support for undergraduate students from matriculation to graduation.  The goal of this comprehensive program is to increase student retention rates and persistence to graduation with a focus on academic success and achievement through early intervention and systematic tracking of undergraduate students.  Listed below are the Campus-Wide Retention Initiatives:

• Summer Programs for Freshmen – facilitating the mandatory ACCESS Orientation Program and PACE
• Placement Testing (Accuplacer) – proctoring, scoring & disseminating 1,200–1,600 tests per academic year
• Disability Support Services (SASS) – managing reasonable accommodations with University faculty & staff
• Academic Recovery Program – engaging and rehabilitating students who are eligible for dismissal/suspension
• Alumni Mentoring program – pairing freshmen with alumni volunteers to foster networking
• Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) – participating in the nation-wide longitudinal cohort of institutions
• Academic Advisement for First-time Freshmen -- (Summer & Fall semesters only of the first year)
• Mid-term grades of “D” or “F” – monitoring & intervening with students to prevent final grades of “D” or “F”
• Final grades of “D” or “F” – monitoring & intervening with students to replace grades with “C” grades or better
• Academic Probation – monitoring & intervening with students to restore Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Financial Literacy – providing a financial education curriculum designed to enhance students’ financial skills
• Financial Aid Probation – working to reduce number of students ineligible to receive financial aid
• FAFSA filing campaign –working to reduce the number students with incomplete or late FAFSA applications
• Students Dropped for Failure to Make Satisfactory Financial Arrangements – reinstating as many as possible
• No Longer Enrolled Students -- tracking and follow-up of student registration, withdrawals, and stop-outs
• Early Alert & Response System--assisting faculty with intervention for students performing below expectations
• Parents’ 411 newsletter – mailing to the permanent address of all undergraduate students each semester
• University Guide – publishing an annual comprehensive campus resource manual for students and parents
• Retention Research & Student Surveys – participating in national benchmarking & campus research/surveys
• Peer Tutoring – coordinating programs in the academic schools/departments

Although the University’s retention and graduates rates have been consistently hovering around 70% (freshman-sophomore retention rate) and 34% (six-year graduation rate) over the past ten years, each specific retention initiative at the University is evaluated annually based on cohort participation.  For example,  PACE students are five times more likely to test out of developmental MATH 106 than their peers who do not participate.  Specific measures are used on an annual basis to evaluate every program and initiative sponsored by the Office of Student Success and Retention.  And, the overall results show that when students participate in targeted retention programs and initiatives, they earn higher GPAs and have higher retention and graduation rates. 

The current academic year has been extremely productive for the Office of Student Success and Retention (OSSR).  The OSSR partnered with the White House Initiative on HBCUs and the FDIC to provide a comprehensive financial literacy program utilizing the FDIC’s MoneySmart financial literacy curriculum.  Additionally, the OSSR won the Campus Compact/VISTA AmeriCorp grant to employ a full-time AmeriCorp volunteer in the position of Financial Literacy Coordinator in the Office of Student Success and Retention (OSSR) for up to three years.  The vision for the new OSSR Financial Literacy Program is to reverse the cycle of low family income and socio-economic status by enhancing the financial literacy of students and their families thereby increasing students’ retention and graduation rates.  Also, the OSSR’s Student Accessibility Support Services (SASS) program was awarded a $36,000 four-year scholarship by the AT&T/ NAFEO Inclusion Scholars Program for a Morgan State University undergraduate student with disabilities. Additionally, the OSSR launched a new “Reclamation” Initiative.  This innovative project creates an opportunity for students who leave the University in good academic standing with a 2.0 GPA or better and have earned at least 90 credits to return in their 5th or 6th academic year to finish Morgan “on-time” in six consecutive years or less.