Student Success

13Oct 2015

The One Thing You Do to Your At-risk Students that Crushes Them

October 13, 2015 Rachel Phillips-Buck Higher Education, Student Success

I was an at-risk student

You will hear me say often, and loudly, that I was an at-risk student. I know what it feels like to not be living up to one’s potential. I am also intimately familiar with the feeling that no one on campus can see me; no one cares that I am not doing well, no one is paying attention to my struggling, and most devastating- that no one is offering me any help.

Automatic notice: You’re failing

Think for just a second what it means to a student in that state of mind to receive an automatic email that says something like, “You have 5 absences in your history class. Please be advised that if you miss one more, you will be dropped from the class. If you have any questions, talk to your faculty or your advisor.”

It.

Is.

Crushing.

01Sep 2015

Transitions and Turbulence: Navigating the Struggles of First-Year Students

September 1, 2015 Matt Boisvert Higher Education, Student Success, Students and Parents

turbulence

/ˈtɜːbjʊləns/

noun

1. a state or condition of confusion, movement, or agitation; disorder

2. (meteorol) local instability in the atmosphere, oceans, or rivers

3. turbulent flow in a liquid or gas

Middle School – UGH!

It’s the start of a new school year. Which means this week I was instantly forced to accept that my oldest is now a middle schooler. He is getting older and I can’t hold him back. I realized as I was driving him to his new school that this transition was going to be difficult and stressful… it has been years since I worried about him at school. Now, there is so much to consider: new experiences, rules, processes, teachers, students, challenges…Last week, hundreds of new middle schoolers poured out of their parents’ cars and anxiously walked through the front doors alone. My son went in without me.

17Jun 2015

Client Spotlight: The King’s College

June 17, 2015 Sam Martinez Client Spotlight, Student Success

Campuses often define retention as keeping students enrolled, but this simple definition doesn’t encompass all of the practices that help students persist in their goals. Retention should be focused on student support, which is why we want to thank The King’s College for their incredible efforts in achieving this goal! Continue reading

29May 2015

5 Ways Make Procrastination Work for You

May 29, 2015 Rachel Phillips-Buck Advising and Counseling, Pharos Stories, Student Success

As a die-hard procrastinator, I am determined to give this life strategy the credit it deserves…
starting tomorrow.

Preaching to students about the dangers of procrastination has never worked for me — mostly because I embrace my own natural tendency to procrastinate. I decided long ago that sharing my strategies for taming and optimizing this habit is a much better use of my time. So instead of trying to convince students to start their work earlier, here are the five things I tell them that have helped me harness and optimize my gift of procrastination. Continue reading

28May 2015

The Promises You Make: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself and Your School

May 28, 2015 Sam Martinez Higher Education, Student Success

An institution’s mission statement is the cornerstone of its very existence; it’s what governs all of your school’s activities. Everything from faculty, to staff, to admissions, to curriculum, to landscaping, to dorm culture, and everything in between is a reflection of your institution’s mission. With so many independent pieces, it’s easy for that mission to get muddled up.

**But not to worry! We’re here with five easy questions that you can ask yourself and your institution to make sure you live up to the promises you make.**

27May 2015

The Next Generation of Early Alert

May 27, 2015 Sam Martinez Retention, Solutions, Student Success

We all know what an at-risk student looks like… right? They’re lazy students… right? They’re late to class, they don’t turn in assignments, they skip class, they’re failing, they drop out… right? They have bad grades and low GPAs… right? You know ‘em when you see ‘em…. Right?

Wrong.

Well, maybe let’s rephrase that a little nicer, shall we?

01Oct 2011

ACU Receives National Recognition for First Year Experience Excellence

October 1, 2011 Matt Boisvert Higher Education, Student Success

Pharos Resources wants to congratulate our valued partner, Abilene Christian University, for its success in the First Year Experience.

“ACU is one of only 18 institutions in the nation saluted by U.S. News for having a stellar First-Year Experience, including Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University. In that research conducted by U.S. News, Abilene Christian was one of the most-mentioned colleges and universities in a survey of college presidents, chief academic officers, deans of students, and deans of admissions from more than 1,500 schools.

The university’s First-Year Program is directed by Dr. Eric Gumm (’97 M.S.) and includes Passport student/parent orientation and Welcome Week, among a campus-wide, year-long commitment to help new students succeed intellectually, socially and spiritually. ACU reported a 4.6 percent increase in the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate this fall, an excellent indicator that first-year students like what they find in their new college home.” Continue reading

The One Thing You Do to Your At-risk Students that Crushes Them