Student success has been a salient topic at institutions of higher education for decades.  How success is measured by various stake holders will have lasting impact on the face of higher education.  More importantly the work done in this realm is essential to the students served and broader social contexts of today’s society. The relevance of higher education may well be measured by improvements in the areas of persistence and graduation rates; therefore there is an urgent call to action.  This conference will pull together faculty, student affairs personnel, and administrators in Michigan to explore and examine practices for improving student persistence and retention in our educational institutions. 

The conference features a keynote presentation by Vincent Tinto and a variety of panel and individual presentations that focus on research, programs, and services shown to improve student completion rates. The conference will explore the university as a community and how working towards common goals, can foster student retention.