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TSUS student advisory board urges system focus on mental health, engagement and career readiness to boost retention
Summary
Joshua Taylor, chair of the Texas State University System Student Advisory Board, presented survey results and recommendations emphasizing expanded mental-health outreach, student engagement programs and internship access as strategies to increase retention toward the system goal of 100,000 students.
Joshua Taylor, chair of the Texas State University System (TSUS) Student Advisory Board, told the Board of Regents on Feb. 14 that the board’s priorities to support student retention are expanding mental-health outreach, strengthening student engagement and widening internship and career-development opportunities.
Taylor said the advisory board surveyed students across the system and received responses from “over 1,000 students” to inform its report. “My story is just one of over 96,000 students’ stories that are a part of this TSUS system,” he said, framing the recommendations as systemwide priorities.
The nut of the report was that access to and awareness of counseling and wellness services remain uneven and that financial stress and scheduling conflicts limit some students’ ability to use services. Taylor said the board applauds recent investments in “timely care” counseling and asked system and campus leaders to boost outreach so students who work or have classes during standard clinic hours can still access help.
The student advisory board also recommended systemwide efforts to diversify engagement options for first-generation students, adult learners, veterans and student-parents so those groups can better connect with campus life. Taylor said those connections, paired with targeted programs, can reduce anxiety and improve retention.
On career readiness, the board reported that roughly 90 percent of surveyed students “felt supported in their career path,” and it recommended expanding internships and employer partnerships to translate that support into post-graduation employment.
Taylor closed by urging continued collaboration between student leaders and chief student affairs officers and said the student advisory board will hand off its work to the next membership in May.
The student advisory board report was delivered during the agenda item for student representatives and was followed by an opportunity for regents to ask questions.
