ATU joins national student success effort
Arkansas Tech University is one of 18 schools selected for a national student success equity initiative.
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Student Success Equity Intensive (SSEI) “is a comprehensive multi-year initiative designed to help institutions close the equity gaps” among underrepresented populations and low-income students, according to the association.
This is the third such cohort aimed at student success equity, which provides school representatives the chance to collaborate with peers from other institutions to develop solutions to improve higher education access and success for identified populations.
Roughly a quarter of ATU’s students self-identify as from minority groups, said Sam Strasner, ATU’s director of university relations. Jeanine Myers, ATU associate vice president for academic affairs, is leading ATU’s engagement in the AASCU SSEI, joined on the university’s team by: Russell Jones, interim president; Alejandra Carballo, professor of Spanish; Malik McBride, assistant dean of multicultural student support; Kevin Solomon, dean of student engagement; Scott Tomlin, coordinator of Tech Learning Center; Wyatt Watson, director of institutional research; and Georgeanna Wright, University Honors director and associate professor of health informatics.
Arkansas Tech “is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this important program,” Myers said in a news release from the university. “As an institution that serves a largely rural area, we must be intentional in pursuing approaches that serve our students, their specific needs, and their post-graduation goals. I look forward to working with my colleagues at ATU and around the country in pursuit of innovative ways we can increase retention and graduation for all students, regardless of background.”
The SSEI, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, “is specifically for institutions committed to student success and closing equity gaps for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students,” according to the AASCU. There is no cost for universities to participate, and they have access to resources — like online modules and webinars — while receiving support from subject matter experts in data analytics, equity, student success, advising, institutional transformation, and strategic and systems planning.
“AASCU is proud to continue promoting post-secondary student success among America’s new majority at state colleges and universities,” José A. Cabrales, AASCU’s executive in charge, stated in ATU’s news release. “Since 48% of undergraduates at AASCU institutions are students of color, this expansion of SSEI is a powerful investment in helping diverse students succeed in college and beyond.”
Based in Washington, D.C., the American Association of State Colleges and Universities is a higher-education association of 350 public colleges, universities and systems.