University of Dubuque to Participate in New Study of College and University Policies
Mar 30, 2012 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
In collaboration with the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Center for Higher Education Research, Teaching, and Innovation (CHERTI) at Florida State University, the University of Dubuque will participate in a new study titled Linking Institutional Policies to Student Success (LIPSS).
In an effort to implement institutional policies that foster student success, the LIPSS project will survey Chief Academic Officers and Chief Student Affairs Officers at 57 bachelor's degree granting colleges and universities in five states including California, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
"We are pleased to participate in this research project along with many of our colleagues in other universities and colleges," commented Henry Pitman, executive director for institutional research and assessment. "Our aim at the University of Dubuque is to have our students be successful in their college experience. The LIPSS Project will give us the opportunity to gain new insights as to how we can continue to do this."
College and university administrators have long struggled to implement institutional policies that foster student success in a way that is both cost effective and consistent with the latest research findings. The survey will address institutional policies and practices related to issues such as assessment, faculty/staff hiring practices, curricular offerings, and student services. Data collection will begin in spring of 2012.
Over the past 30 years, hundreds of specific initiatives have been designed to facilitate student engagement during their first year of college - a time during which four-year colleges and universities lose an average of 26% of their beginning students. Although these efforts have improved outcomes at countless institutions, such initiatives are often costly and typically serve only a small group of students who participate directly in a given program.
Therefore, the LIPSS project seeks to identify specific institution-wide policies that can be leveraged to increase college student engagement - a key predictor of student grades and persistence.
For more information on the LIPSS project please visit http://CHERTI.fsu.edu/LIPSS, or contact Dr. Bradley Cox, Assistant Professor of Higher Education in Florida State University's College of Education, at 850-644-6446 or mailto:brad.cox@fsu.edu .
