By Clair Irvin & John Miller Staff Reporters
Since the Student Success Collaborative’s creation in 2012, over 3,700 grants have been awarded to students ranging in race, ethnicities and genders, according to Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success and Vice Provost Timothy Renick.
The collaborative, which is referred to as GPS Advising at Georgia State, was started by the Education Advisory Board, according to the board’s website.
Renick said GPS Advising helps advisors at Georgia State keep track of students by sending alerts to prevent academic risk factors.
“When one of these alerts goes off, the student’s advisor receives a notification and then reaches out to the student to try to help,” he said.
The program collects academic data, such as registration information and course grades, through Georgia State’s student information system Banner Web. The goal is to retain B, C and D students who otherwise would not seek out advisement, according to Renick.
Renick said during registration, academic advisors use GPS Advising to automatically help correct students who registered for classes that did not help them advance toward their degrees.
“In the vast majority of cases since we went live with GPS Advising in 2012, students have indicated that they did not understand when they registered for the course that it did not fit with their degree program and have voluntarily switched to a more appropriate course,” he said.
Renick also said various types of interventions are used to help students get back on track for graduation.
“The interventions can be as simple as an email or phone call form but extend to recommendations that a student meet one-on-one with an academic advisor, receive tutoring help, attend Supplemental Instruction, meet with a faculty member or academic coach or, in extreme cases, change their major,” he said.
Retention grants are another aspect of GPS Advising. These grants require no application and are given to students based on their registration information, course grades, academics and finances, according to Renick.
“Senior recipients of the retention grants, for instance, graduate at rates more than 100 percent higher than the rates for other seniors on the drop list. Ninety percent of non-senior grant recipients last year were retained, meaning that they stay enrolled at Georgia State for at least a year after receiving the grant,” he said.
Georgia State senior Thomas Clark said the grant paid for everything that HOPE did not, which totaled about $1,400.
Matthew Muller, Georgia State graduate, said the burden of financial stress was lifted off him after receiving the grant.
“I got it my Winter semester when I thought I wouldn’t be able to pay,” he said.
Renick said GPS advising has increased the number of minority students retained and Panther Retention Grants are awarded regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.
“They are awarded based on the students’ unmet financial need (as determined by federal standards), their academic progress (being on track for graduation) and the size of the gap that the students have in covering their tuition and fees,” he said.
