The state Board of Governors’ metrics require at least a score of 90 percent to count toward the calculations when determining the preeminence standing. The rate was based on students who entered UCF in the summer or fall of 2017.

The university’s retention rate was 89.6 percent last year, which encouraged Maribeth Ehasz, vice president of , and her team to implement Operation 90%, an initiative to push for that goal.

“This is something that has been a priority for us a long, long time,” Ehasz says. “A year ago we got close. We learned from that how important it is to keep an eye on students through the entire registration cycle.”

“This is something that has been a priority for us a long, long time.” — Maribeth Ehasz, vice president of Student Development and Enrollment Services

As a result, SDES along with its college partners reached out this year to students who hadn’t re-registered to come back to classes. The SDES staff tried to help solve any personal, financial or academic problems the students may have been experiencing, and even the college deans called students to encourage their return and to offer assistance.

“There was a continuous effort to work with the first-year students and a specific high-intensive initiative between May and September to ensure that all students who could, were registered,” Ehasz says.

The latest national retention data available, which is two years old, shows an average of 81.9 percent retention for public research universities, says Paige Borden, associate vice president of UCF’s . Using those numbers, UCF’s performance was 48^th in the nation. But calculating with the current 90.4 percent score would boost the university to 40^th, she says.

“Together, we will build on this effort to champion more student success.” — UCF Provost Elizabeth A. Dooley

The increased retention of first-year-in-college students also should help boost UCF’s future graduation rates, Borden says. The new retention rate is 3.5 percentage points higher than the rate achieved by the 2012 entry class. That 2012 class also just set a six-year graduation rate for UCF with 72.6 percent, strong enough for a Top 50 achievement nationally.

“Reaching this key [retention] milestone underscores UCF’s strong commitment to student success and our dedication to become a leading preeminent university for the 21st century,” says Elizabeth A. Dooley, UCF’s provost and vice president for . “Thanks to our faculty, staff, advisors, coaches and academic leaders for their sustained hard work that made this achievement possible. Together, we will build on this effort to champion more student success.”

All students are invited to discuss their ideas, concerns and experiences at the forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union’s Key West Ballroom, Room 218ABCD.

The forum will be 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Key West Ballroom, Room 218AB.

Acting Provost Elizabeth Dooley and vice presidents Maribeth Ehasz, Grant Heston, Dan Holsenbeck and Bill Merck also will be at the meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Key West Ballroom, Room 218 ABCD.

The Florida College Learning Center Association offers learning center staff the opportunity to build professional networks by working with colleagues throughout the state as well as the opportunity for professional development for all members of the Florida postsecondary student academic support community.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase the work UCF has engaged in over the past few years to help increase the retention and graduation rates of undergraduate students,” said Rebecca Piety, director for Student Academic Resource Center. “It is also a wonderful opportunity to learn from colleagues across the state as we strive to provide quality education at a low cost for Florida’s students.”

Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services, will address the membership on Re-Imaging the First Year in College. UCF was recently selected as one of 44 postsecondary institutions to participate in the three-year project sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Mark Gumble, assistant vice president for Learning Support, is also scheduled to present on the work UCF has engaged in to improve the retention rate of high-risk students.

More information about the conference can be found at: www.floridacollegelearning.org/.

More than 3,300 students have officially graduated from LEAD Scholars Academy and are UCF alumni. LEAD Scholars Academy was initially created in 1995 as a leadership development program for incoming first year students. Today, LEAD Scholars Academy offers academic classes, co-curricular opportunities and events for FTIC and transfer students.

Amy Maitner, senior Advertising/Public Relations major, was one of the students who spoke to the audience. Maitner completed the two year academic program and is now a member of the Inspire Women’s Leadership Program-one of the Academy’s new third and fourth year tracks.

Maitner said, “Inspire created a community of empowerment for young college women, and we would meet throughout the semester to talk about a range of topics—anything from current trends and their effect on women to Emma Watson’s UN Speech. LEAD Scholars has helped me hone my leadership skills as a whole and connect further with the UCF community. I can thank LEAD for helping me become a member of the President’s Leadership Council, and I know that I am prepared for the adventures that lie ahead.”

Julien Meyer, UCF Class of 2014, stated, “LEAD taught me so much about servant leadership and the power of networking that I developed these skills to a point where they became second nature. Learning to inspire and motivate others through the program has proven to be my most valuable skill as a leader in the business world.”

LEAD Scholars Academy is located in Ferrell Commons 165 and includes two multi-purpose rooms, a study space and social areas for students.

To put the project into high gear, the Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities’ three members – Florida International şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą (Miami), the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą (Orlando) and the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida (Tampa) – have hired an executive director to coordinate their efforts to work together to achieve accomplishments greater than they can alone.

“My hope is that through the consortium we can enhance the collective influence of the three universities to drive economic development in Florida and to amplify that impact for generations to come,” said Michael Preston, director of UCF’s Office of Student Involvement, who will begin his new job as the consortium executive director in early July.

The consortium, which was formed last year, aims to produce more career-ready graduates with lower debt, better training and adaptable skill sets. It plans to do this by creating synergies between the universities and the public, private and non-profit sector businesses that require a growing supply of qualified graduates.

“In today’s economy it is not enough to simply provide access to higher education. We must be able to guide students on how they can leverage their education into a career-focused destination,” Preston added. “We hope that when employers in Florida are ready to hire new employees, they will think of FIU, UCF and USF first.”

These universities currently enroll about 162,000 students, which is 47 percent of the enrollment of the 12 institutions of the State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą System of Florida. Together, the three universities serve 63 percent of the state’s population, including 70 percent of the minority population and 25 percent of the state’s first-generation students.

Early steps taken by the consortium are creating a system of sharing information about available technology internships in the three metropolitan areas and pushing to increase the number of accounting graduates, which are both high-demand fields in Florida.

The universities have committed more than $1 million to the consortium, and the Helios Education Foundation has pledged $500,000 over five years.

Preston has been at UCF since 2011. In his role as director of the Office of Student Involvement, he provides leadership and support to the Student Government Association and other student organizations, and he helps design programs that provide learning opportunities that empower students to succeed through campus involvement.

He also teaches in the UCF higher education program on the subject of organization and administration in higher education.

Preston, who was hired after a national search, was selected in part because of a program he helped create that assists students in connecting their campus involvement with their academic major to identify their best career pathway, said Maribeth Ehasz, UCF vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services.

He previously was the director of student life at Stephen F. Austin State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Texas. He graduated from high school in Homestead, Fla., and earned his undergraduate degree in English from East Carolina şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą – where he was a first-generation college student – his master’s in higher education from Southern Illinois şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą at Carbondale and his doctorate in higher education from Texas A&M at Commerce.

°Őłó±đĚýwill be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. All students are invited to discuss their ideas, concerns and experiences.

The program, Student Care Services, is a new collaboration of departments on campus to ensure the wellbeing of UCF’s more than 60,000 students so their academic and personal success is not affected.

Students who have problems such as difficulty with economic or personal responsibilities, an unexpected health or financial issue, or who even just want to become more involved or connected on campus can find help.

The goal of the program is to intervene “before a student reaches crisis level and ensure the safety of both the student and the UCF community,” said Maribeth Ehasz, vice president in charge of SDES.

When a student reaches out, the Student Care Services team develops tailored action plans for individual success. Staff also coordinate referrals to campus and community resources, and provide education and outreach to university and community members.

Student Care Services also oversees UCF Cares, an umbrella of care programs and resources to foster a caring university community. The UCF Cares’ focus is more on safety and wellbeing, respect, sexual violence and mental health as part of its goal “to build a culture of care one Knight at a time.”

For a complete list of services offered by Student Care Services, go to . The office is in Ferrell Commons Room 142.

If any parents, student, or faculty and staff member have concerns about a student on campus, they should file a Student of Concern report available on the Student Care Services site. For reporting emergency and life-threatening situations, contact the UCF Police. 

For more information about the programs, contact caremanager@ucf.edu or call 407-823-5607.