Retention via Relationship

Like many community colleges, Lane Community College has long struggled with communication silos, particularly post-COVID. The Retention via Relationships (RvR) project sought to improve retention rates for all students by bridging these gaps. The fellowship team leveraged existing student-faculty relationships by pairing data about their current students’ enrollment with messaging designed to inspire instructors to have active and frequent conversations with their students about enrollment during the registration period. Instructors also passed along information about registration supports, including reminders about registration deadlines, information about how to schedule time with an advisor, and promotional materials for registration support events. These discussions created space for students to ask questions, which surfaced unknown issues students were encountering. As a result of the collaborative relationships fostered by RvR, new approaches to student support were developed and brought to scale. Since the inception of the project, enrollments have consistently risen from term to term and year to year.

Innovators

• Gina Szabady, Faculty, Writing
• Cathy Thomas, Institutional Researcher