The Association of Land Land-grant Universities (APLU) has named 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ a finalist for its 2024 Degree Completion Award. The annual award recognizes institutions that employ innovative approaches to improve degree completion while ensuring educational quality.
In addition to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, finalists include the University of Kentucky and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Degree Completion Award is open to all APLU members. A panel of outside reviewers examined the applications to determine the finalists, and the winner will be announced at the APLU Annual Meeting, scheduled for Nov. 10-12 in Orlando, Florida.
According to , 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ was lauded for its 2015 strategic plan initiative to advance student success with goals aimed at increasing retention and graduation rates and closing disparities in educational outcomes across populations.
This includes the introduction of a mandatory first-year seminar to foster students’ transition to college life, with clear impacts on retention; establishment of dedicated Retention, Progression, and Completion coordinators in each college to monitor students’ progress and provide necessary support; and the addition of Student Outreach Specialists to support students identified as being at risk of dropping out.
According to the APLU, these and other comprehensive efforts have contributed to a 14-percentage point increase in 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s four-year graduation rate and a 7-percentage point increase in the six-year graduation rate since the 2012-2013 academic year – while also narrowing disparities in outcomes across student populations.
