Thrive success featured in AJC

University College’s Thrive program was featured in the July 29 issue of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (metro section). The issue highlighted the program’s outstanding statistics as well as profiling student success.

 

In its fourth year, the nationally recognized and award-winning program is designed to assist students maintain the HOPE scholarship. This is accomplished by integrating academic courses and social activities as a method of developing the leadership skills required to become a successful student. Additionally, what makes Thrive unique is that students are assigned a graduation coach whose goal is to facilitate academic success from their first-year to graduation (read more).

 

Keisha Hoerrner, dean of University College, was interviewed last week by the AJC and shared the program’s history as well as its impressive four-year data. To date, the Thrive program has accepted 928 students and leads to higher retention rates (85 percent range) and graduation rates (approximately 20 percent graduated in four years with a bachelor’s degree; an additional 25 percent are projected to graduate in the summer 2015 and fall 2015 semesters). As documented, colleges and universities nationwide lose more than 30 percent of their students between the first and second years of higher education (ACT, 2014).

 

Both the First-Year and Transition Studies department and the Center for Student Leadership have much to celebrate given the program’s tremendous success.

 

Read the entire AJC article.