SVSU received a $3 million, five-year Title III grant to boost student success and retention, and have begun to implement various new processes and technologies.
Students receive conflicting information from different offices, and staff aren’t able to provide the necessary support to those who need it. Financial literacy is a key part of the grant, and SVSU has utilized creative ways to engage students in this area with their chatbot, Coop. After their first season of collaborating with Mainstay (launched in July 2019), SVSU saw a 3% increase in retention for first-to-second year students.
Challenges:
- Simplifying experience for students as they receive conflicting info across various offices
- Staff could not handle influx of phone calls
