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Regents hear record graduates and retention gains; committee seeks to revive '98 to graduate' outreach
Summary
The student affairs committee reported a record of 371 graduates (17.8% increase from 2024), semester-to-semester retention gains and plans to resurrect a close-to-completion outreach program to re-enroll stopouts.
The Board of Regents on April 24 received a Student Affairs Committee report noting a record number of graduates and improved retention, and the board approved the university's 2025 commencement graduate listing.
Regent Chun reported that Dean Gina Rojas of Enrollment Management and Student Services told the committee the graduate list for 2025 reached 371 students, a 17.8% increase from 2024. The committee highlighted a range of interventions aimed at improving persistence and graduation: expanded advisement services, financial literacy support, career and behavioral-health advisement, and an initiative to re-engage students who are close to completing degrees.
The committee signaled plans to resurrect an outreach program previously called "98 to Graduate" (name referenced as part of committee discussion) that focuses on students who left with only a few credits remaining. Committee members said past pilots of that approach produced high return-and-completion rates and the division plans to contact near-completers to identify barriers and re-enroll them for the fall term.
Regent Chun also reported retention gains reported by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness: semester-to-semester persistence figures improved, with a 2024 retention figure cited in committee discussion as 89% (up from mid-70s in prior years). The committee asked the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to prepare a student poll to identify the principal barriers preventing students from returning and finishing.
Direct quote
"The previous results showed almost 100% returned and graduated," Regent Chun said of the earlier pilot to re-enroll near-completers.
Context and next steps
The committee will develop reporting standards and metrics for tracking graduation and retention improvements and expects further updates on the revived re-enrollment outreach. The board approved Resolution 25-06, the 2025 commencement graduate listing, by voice vote during the meeting.
