Cutting Down on First Year College Dropouts Goal of New Project Involving Stockton University

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has selected Stockton University to participate in the three-year “Re-Imagining the First Year of College” (RFY) project, a sweeping initiative aimed at transforming the first year of college to enhance students’ success in their undergraduate years and in the 21st century workplace.

It was one of 44 institutions nationwide selected to participate in the project, which select and implement strategies and programs, adapting them to the campus’s unique environment and needs. The evidence-based strategies focus on four core areas to help first-year students succeed: institutional intentionality - mission-based initiatives; curriculum; faculty and staff roles; and student roles.

The program kicks off with the association’s 2016 Academic Affairs Winter Meeting in Austin, Texas from Feb. 4-6. RFY is being funded by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USA Funds.

Undergraduate institutions generally experience the greatest loss of students in the first year. The objective of the RFY project is to help project participants – and ultimately the broader AASCU membership of 420 state colleges and universities cut down on first year losses.

“Attracting and retaining students, particularly low income, first generation, and students of color who are included in this AASCU program, is crucial to ensuring that the future of higher education remains not only relevant but also accessible to all,” Stockton President Harvey Kesselman said.

“The AASCU ‘Reimagining the First Year’ experience offers an opportunity to engage in a national conversation about a question of vital concern for all institutions of higher education,” Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Susan Davenport said. “Simply put, this is about how best can we serve those constituencies who need us the most. Stockton is proud of the resources it has already developed for these incoming students. It has also invested, and will continue to invest, in recruiting efforts that seek to diversify our student body. But we could do more, and would welcome the opportunity to learn from our peers.”

“We are pleased that these AASCU institutions will commit their enormous talent and knowledge to the success of this initiative, which I believe will have a profound effect on undergraduate education in the 21st century,” said George Mehaffy, vice president for academic leadership and change at AASCU. “The state colleges and universities we selected for RFY represent a broad swath of the institutional landscape and exhibit strong leadership and other qualities that are conducive to effecting broad-scale and sustainable change. Together, with the engagement of all campus stakeholders – from students to academic leadership – we will strive to transform the first-year student experience and ensure student success.”