Transform your institution’s approach to student success with the Retention Academy. This academy equips your institution with the expertise and tools needed to implement a research-backed student retention plan designed to minimize disparities and enhance student outcomes. Join us and redefine what student success means for your institution.
At the Gardner Institute, we are driven by a deep commitment to student success. By participating in the Retention Academy, you’ll gain insights and strategies to foster an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed. Don’t miss out on the chance to make a lasting impact on your campus community.
Be a catalyst for positive change at your institution by joining us in building a brighter tomorrow where every student has the opportunity to flourish.
Begin work towards understanding and closing retention and persistence gaps at your institution.
Employ a retention framework to identify solutions linked to your student retention analysis
Identify internal resources, address barriers, and suggest needed practices that are in alignment with the Retention Framework.Use your institution’s publicly available Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) data to help institutional teams see disaggregated outcomes for your students.
Institutional teams receive data visualizations that allow them to compare their own outcomes to those of their identified institutional peers as well as to examples from institutions that have a similar enrollment profile.
Peer comparison cohort so they can speedily explore themselves in relation to their peer institutions and student success
Our team is dedicated to supporting institutions in developing and implementing plans that work in their unique context. We provide guidance on establishing your team, offer feedback throughout the plan-to-plan process, and support implementation to promote sustained student retention.
An experienced and dedicated Gardner Institute team of facilitators will guide and lead the Academy.
Understand what shapes student outcomes and retention.
Find and understand the quantitive and qualitative evidence that shape your campus climate and impact student success evidence.
Identify the people, principles, and evidence needed to plan for improved retention and student success at your institution.
Fees are based on undergraduate enrollment as determined by College Navigator. Fees are assessed per institution, not per individual
Undergraduate Enrollment:
Applications for the next cohort to be announced. You can apply at this link.
Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis; subject to approval. Early registration is recommended. Applications for the Fall 2025 Cohort will be available in Summer of 2025.
• Academic Affairs
• Student Affairs
• Enrollment Management
• Institutional Research
• Financial Aid Services
• Student Success
• Faculty
• Advisors
• Students
Your Institution has the option to create a team or utilize an existing team or committee. The individuals will vary by institution, a successful team is one most likely to design and create a student focused retention process at your institution.
The Academy will begin in October of 2025, dates and times to be announced.
Depending on the size of your team and how the work is divided we estimate approximately 3 -5 hours per person per week for the 5-week Academy.
You will receive an application confirmation email within 1 week of applying. An agreement will be sent to the person completing the application. Once the agreement has been signed you will receive further information from the Academy facilitators. Please contact info@gardnerinstitute.org
The academy is divided into the following four core content modules and an introductory overview.
This process will help your team work through data. You will be able to to compare your student retention with other similar institutions and discover patterns at your institution.
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