USA Funds Workshop Helps Voorhees College Build on Retention Plan

When plans fell through for Voorhees College retention- and financial-aid-staff members to attend an off-site USA Funds^® default-prevention/retention workshop, the school’s USA Funds debt-management consultant took the workshop to the Denmark, S.C., school.

At the request of the retention and financial-aid personnel at Voorhees College, Christopher Miller presented the workshop on campus for instructors and deans and to staff members from the retention, financial aid, records, admissions and business offices. South Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid members also attended the workshop, which drew a total of 50 participants.

Terria Williams, Voorhees College director of financial aid, explains that while the college has a retention plan in place, she hoped that the workshop would help the school’s participants understand that everyone on campus must get involved to ensure the success of the retention plan.

After the workshop the Voorhees College retention department became part of the enrollment-management division of academic affairs. Aligning these areas more closely will help the college achieve its main retention-plan goal of keeping students in school through graduation. A secondary goal is to maintain the school’s already-low cohort-default rate.

Miller will lead another workshop at Voorhees College in August — this time for the entire campus during Faculty/Staff Institute.

The USA Funds default-prevention/retention workshop makes clear the link between student retention and education-loan-default prevention, and explains how USA Funds Life Skills^® , a financial-literacy program, can help in both areas. Williams anticipates integrating five modules of USA Funds Life Skills in the freshman college-dynamics curriculum.

Creating innovative initiatives
Last year the college’s retention department took a unique approach to enhancing student persistence, through Voorhees College’s Freshman-Year Experience program. Counselors have one-on-one sessions with the freshmen dormitory residents, keep track of grades and attendance, and report at-risk students to the coordinator of the program.

The coordinator contacts parents of those students to advise the parents about slipping grades, poor attendance and other issues. Students first meet these counselors at summer orientation, where students pre-register, get their schedules and get familiar with the campus. The process makes registration much less stressful for them, according to Williams.

“Orientation gives students a chance to make a connection with their counselor,” Williams says. “I see it as a bonding experience. Students must feel comfortable enough to ask for assistance when they need it.”

The school refers its at-risk sophomores, juniors and seniors to the appropriate campus services for assistance.

To learn more about boosting student retention, thereby reducing loan defaults, visit the USA Funds online resource “Solving the Retention Puzzle.” If you would like help in developing a retention plan for your campus, contact your debt-management consultant.