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Article Type

Professional Proficiency

Article Abstract

Related Issue:

As performance-based funding models have become the new norm for allocating state funds, universities have begun to focus more on meeting and exceeding persistence and graduation metrics. For those universities that have already made substantial gains in these metrics by implementing changes that address large populations of students, attaining critical benchmarks may prove even more difficult. An organized approach that identified, addressed, and resolved individual student cases in a timely and efficient manner was critical in making the incremental gains to reach desired metrics at the University of South Florida (USF). In the last five years, USF has made significant gains in its four- and six-year graduation rates. In addition, USF broke its first-year retention rate plateau to reach its aspirational goal of 90 percent. This paper highlights the specific initiatives USF implemented in order to realize these gains.

Author(s)

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Michelle Bombaugh is Assistant Director for the Office of Academic Advocacy at the University of South Florida. She has held positions in admissions and academic advising. Bombaugh earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida Southern College and master and doctoral degrees from the University of South Florida.

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Thomas E. Miller is an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. He previously served as vice president for student affairs at the University of South Florida, Eckerd College, and Canisius College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College and master and doctoral degrees from Indiana University. He has received several awards and honors from NASPA, including the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean in 2001, designation as a Pillar of the Profession in 2004, and the Robert H. Shaffer Award for Academic Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member in 2015.

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