At Goucher, we endeavor to inspire Global changemakers by delivering educational programs that prepare students with a broad, humane perspective and that leads to student success. These endeavors are inclusive and attentive to those who have been historically marginalized or excluded. We believe that students who engage deeply with our institutional learning outcomes are more likely to become stewards of their educational journey, able to set and pursue their own goals, and persist to graduation in a timely manner.  In addition, by investing in the learning experiences that Goucher has to offer, students will make meaningful contributions to the Goucher community and will be prepared to lead lives that are meaningful and purposeful, to contribute to their communities, and to achieve their career, financial, and personal goals.

The Office of Retention and Student Success contributes to this mission by:

• Establishing a college-wide vision for student success and identifying issues and solutions that improve the overall student experience and positively impact retention and graduation rates.
• Serving as advocates to promote and operationalize a student-centered culture.
• Welcoming and advising new transfer students through transfer pre-advising, which includes setting up their first semester schedule, identifying key connections on campus, and removing barriers to a successful transition to Goucher.
• Working collaboratively with units across the college to implement various student success initiatives (e.g. the LAUNCH Network, the onboarding process for all new students, etc.)
• Providing registration and re-enrollment support through proactive engagement with students as well as coordinated follow-up to those who have not registered in a timely manner. Assisting students with various roadblocks, including billing holds and other financial issues.
• Providing support and coaching to students who are contemplating a leave of absence or are considering withdrawing from the college. Assisting students who decide to leave with the completion of leave of absence forms, withdrawal forms, and/or exit surveys.
• Gathering, interpreting, and sharing retention and graduation data with the campus community, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and other campus experts.
• Providing leadership to efforts to identify and support students who are experiencing difficulties that impede their success. This work is coordinated through the Care Team and the use of the Navigate student success software.

Our key campus partners include:

• Academic Center for Excellence
• Student Success Teams
• The Dean of Students Office
• The Center for Race, Equity, and Identity
• Office of Residential Life
• Office of New Student Programs
• Office of Institutional Effectiveness
• Student Financial Services

Contacts:
StudentSuccess@goucher.edu
Emily Perl, Associate Vice President for Student Success
Alexandra Graves, Director for Student Success