Student retention in higher education is a primary indicator of institutional reputation, impacting factors such as
national rankings, admissions selectivity, and alumni support (Lee, Sanford, and Lee 2014). Programs designed to
support student success in the first year and beyond generally intersect with the institutional mission. Utilizing
quantitative data, the University of Miami (UM) identified academically at-risk students and developed an
intervention program to help them get back on track. UM positively affected retention rates for this population by
eight percentage points over the past seven years. This study highlights the specific details of data analytics,
program development, and both quantitative and qualitative outcomes for this student persistence initiative.
