Carson-Newman’s Vision2020 strategic plan supports the University’s mission “to help our students reach their full potential as educated citizens and worldwide servant-leaders.” The plan set forth four strategic initiatives that address teaching and learning, financial growth, stewardship of resources, and a thriving workplace. Within these initiatives, the University set several goals for student achievement.
The Retention and Student Success Subcommittee, part of the standing Enrollment Management Committee sets yearly goals, evaluates outcomes, and creates plans for improvement. The committee uses traditional IPEDs data for this process. The committee began by setting attainable goals, which would move the University closer to the aspirational goals of Vision2020. The University did not meet the Fall 2018 target and fell below the minimum threshold. The Retention and Student Success Subcommittee is currently addressing retention efforts through the Enrollment Management Committee’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan.
The Vision 2020 Plan set an aspirational six-year graduation rate of 60%. The Retention and Student Success Subcommittee, part of the standing Enrollment Management Committee is responsible for setting yearly goals, evaluating outcomes, and creating plans for improvement. The committee uses the traditional IPEDs data for this process. The committee acknowledges the aspirational nature of the 60% six-year graduation rate and set a more realistic goal of 57% by 2020 through increasing the graduation rate by 1% each year leading up to 2020.
While retention and graduations rates help C-N accomplish its mission to help students become educated citizens, the student achievement service rate goal and outcomes address our mission to help students become servant leaders. The Vision 2020 plan set the service rate goal of 80% undergraduate student involvement in service, service-learning, and civic engagement experiences. The Community Service and Service Learning committee, a standing committee, is responsible for setting goals, evaluating outcomes, and creating plans for improvement. The committee gathers data from a variety of places including records of student involvement in service-oriented Community Life and Worship events, service-learning courses, the Eagles Scholars program (a service scholarship program), the Bonner Scholars program (a selective service-oriented student program), and the Faith and Justice Scholars program (a selective service-oriented student program). The University exceeded the goal with 92% of students participating in service during the 2017-2018 year.
