To lead this new initiative, effectively immediately I am appointing Kim Hayworth, Vice President, Student Development and Learning the additional responsibility of Executive Director of Retention for all three delivery systems at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a University Officer responsible for retention she will guide SAU to the next level of SAU’s focus on student success and retention.

Additionally, SAU has partnered with vendor Jenzabar to guide us in the implementation of a comprehensive tool that will help SAU identify which students are most likely to persist, gauge a student’s openness to assistance, and help us connect at-risk students to the most appropriate resources in our undergraduate, GPS or Online delivery systems.

Student Retention has been a focus of SAU.  I thank you for what you have been doing to support students. We believe with the proper tools and resources we can do more to aid our students in finishing well at SAU.  In the last five years our freshman retention has been as high as 78% and low as 72%.  At SAU we would like to see our retention average return to the upper 70’s.

As you can appreciate Kim will not be doing this by herself.  To take our investment in helping more students persist to graduation your active involvement is required.  Since students are making a major time and financial investment for their education we want to ensure we are working with them so they can matriculate. Intervention is one key to ensure student success.  Kim in her new position has the authority to work with any officer, Dean, faculty and staff member to ensure student success at SAU.  The leadership guiding the implementation process for all delivery systems with Kim includes:

• · Jeff Edwards, VP Technology Services and CIO
• · Betty Overton-Adkins, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
• · Matt Osborne, VP Enrollment Services
• · Cynthia Churchwell, Project Manager
• · Robin Smith, Director of Student Success and Freshmen Programming
• · Todd Marshall, Dean SAU Online
• · Tammy Dindoffer, Associate Dean, GPS Undergraduate Programs
• · Carl Pavey, Associate Dean, GPS Graduate Programs
• · Mike Dever, Assistant VP Technology Services

On behalf of students who are most vulnerable thank you for your direct support and involvement.

College student retention expert, Dr. Laurie Schreiner of Azusa Pacific University, tells us that “College success cannot be separated from student success”.  That means as SAU students succeed, SAU will succeed.

Please congratulate Kim in her expanded role at SAU.

- President Webb

In the video below, Kim discusses Jenzebar, SAU’s retention management system that helps make Student Success possible at Spring Arbor University.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Jeff Edwards, VP Technology Services and CIO
• Betty Overton-Adkins, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
• Matt Osborne, VP Enrollment Services
• Cynthia Churchwell, Project Manager
• Robin Smith, Director of Student Success and Freshmen Programming
• Todd Marshall, Dean SAU Online
• Tammy Dindoffer, Associate Dean, GPS Undergraduate Programs
• Carl Pavey, Associate Dean, GPS Graduate Programs
• Mike Dever, Assistant VP Technology Services