Student Success Belongs to Everyone
Before the first day of classes in August, all first-year Vols come together for one of my favorite traditions of the year—Torch Night. During this ceremony, upperclassmen pass the torch to our newest class of Volunteers, and together they pledge to “step forward in moments big and small, to lead and to serve and light the way.”
In addition to the fun vibes and pep talks from campus leaders, students also receive tassels for their graduation caps as a reminder of what they’re working so hard to achieve in the coming years.
Initiatives like this one, focused on well-being and belonging, create treasured memories for our students and set UT apart when it comes to championing their success.
This fall, we celebrated our highest retention and graduation rates ever at nearly 92 percent and 74 percent, respectively. The gains we’ve seen since launching the Division of Student Success five years ago—with retention up 5 percentage points and graduation up 3 percentage points—have bolstered our national reputation as a leader in supporting students and improving outcomes.
This week we co-hosted the Student Success US 2024 conference along with Times Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. More than 500 professionals from 200 colleges and universities from around the country visited our campus to hear from student success experts, including thought leaders here at UT.
We have an incredible story to tell about the difference it makes when you center student well-being and focus on students’ strengths. From creating structures and systemic supports that keep students from slipping through the cracks to providing personalized care and resources, we are helping shape the future of student success in higher education.
Earlier this semester, 93 percent of undergraduates said they feel like they are part of the UT community and 89 percent said they attended social activities with fellow students, according to our first pulse survey of the academic year. These surveys, repeated throughout the academic year, help us gauge the climate on campus and how students are responding to the resources we provide.
Creating community and a sense of belonging is one of the most impactful ways to improve student success, and we continue to see evidence that our efforts are paying off. It’s also a reminder that while the Division of Student Success provides important leadership, ensuring that our students thrive is a responsibility—and a success—that belongs to all of us.
From the faculty members who mentor our students and engage their curiosity in the classroom to the advisors, tutors, and coaches who support their academic goals, from the staff who help them navigate financial aid and other logistics to the facility workers who make our campus an inviting place where they want to learn and spend time—everyone has played a part in helping more students persist toward a degree.
Thank you for all you do for our students.