Saginaw Valley State sees 3% increase in retention

SVSU received a $3 million, five-year Title III grant to boost student success and retention, and have begun to implement various new processes and technologies.

Students receive conflicting information from different offices, and staff aren’t able to provide the necessary support to those who need it. Financial literacy is a key part of the grant, and SVSU has utilized creative ways to engage students in this area with their chatbot, Coop. After their first season of collaborating with Mainstay (launched in July 2019), SVSU saw a 3% increase in retention for first-to-second year students.

Challenges:

Simplifying experience for students as they receive conflicting info across various offices
Staff could not handle influx of phone calls

Saginaw Valley State

Type of institution: Regional Public University
Location: University Center, Michigan
Student population: 8,500

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Valdosta State University

70% Enrollment increase in the Fall 2020 freshman class, a record-breaker for VSU
12,300 Total students enrolled for fall 2020 is Valdosta State University's largest enrollment level in eight years
9% Increase in retention over the past two years, bringing it to 74% in 2020
85% Increase in orientation registration
1,000 More students enrolled in 2020 freshman class than 2019