Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) is achieving record student persistence and retention by building a campuswide culture where every employee plays a role in helping students succeed.
Fall-to-spring retention reached an all-time high of 92.6% in the university’s most recently reported cohort, up from 78% just two years earlier. Fall-to-fall persistence has also climbed from 62% in 2022 to 76.3%. TAMUK President Dr. Robert Vela attributes those gains to a culture of care they have intentionally built through Caring Campus.
“You can’t deploy and execute strategy without culture,” Vela said. “Caring Campus has helped us build that university-wide caring culture where every employee understands they are an educator with a role in helping students succeed.”
During Welcome Week, TAMUK employees run welcome stations, answer questions, and help students feel prepared to begin their college journey. Throughout the year, staff reinforce that sense of belonging by wearing name badges, greeting students within a 10-foot radius, and walking students directly to the office or resource they need through warm hand-offs.
Faculty also strengthen that culture in the classroom by learning and using students’ names, clearly communicating course expectations, and encouraging students to take advantage of office hours.
“You can’t just wish for culture change and get it,” Vela said. “You have to put a framework in place that builds that caring culture and provides employees with tangible daily practices that create good habits. It’s a collective impact effort.”
TAMUK has continued expanding its commitment to student success by earning Caring Campus Bronze Certification and participating in a Caring Campus Regional Collaborative, which is bringing together regional community colleges and universities to align caring practices.
Looking ahead, Vela expects the university’s gains in persistence and retention to translate into stronger graduation rates as more students continue progressing toward earning their degrees.
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