Student Success and Opportunity

Student Success and Opportunity

IUB will ensure the long-term success of all students—undergraduates, graduates, professional students, online, and lifelong learners— by providing the highest quality of education through a rich and engaging environment.

Goal 1 | Undergraduate Academic Experience and Career Preparation

Goal 2 | Graduate Student Academic Experience and Career Preparation

Goal 3 | Access, Wellness, and Student Support

Goal 1 | Undergraduate Academic Experience and Career Preparation

IUB will provide an exceptional academic experience for all undergraduate students and uniquely prepare them for the careers of the future.

IUB graduates will be ready for life in the 21st century, equipped with a deep set of knowledge and skills sharpened through rigorous coursework, experiential learning opportunities, and intentionally designed career preparation. They will be poised to lead enriched lives and make positive contributions to society through a lifetime of meaningful and creative work. To realize these goals, IUB will reenvision the first-year experience, define academic and cocurricular milestones, and embed career-relevant experiences into degree programs.

  • Student’s first year. Reconceptualize and redesign a student’s first year on campus into a comprehensive experience with a seamless transition from admission through the end of a student’s first year. This includes a first-year seminar that is academically based and fosters student engagement, wellness, connection to campus, and support resources.
  • Annual experiential learning. All students will participate in at least one experiential learning opportunity each year. These can include a common first-year seminar course, a culminating academic capstone experience in the final year, and additional career-relevant experiences such as internships, undergraduate research, intensive writing courses, study abroad, or community-based learning experiences.
    • Internships. Offer more intentional opportunities for students to actively engage with industry and communities to address real-world challenges.
    • Undergraduate research. Expand opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in meaningful and mentored research and creative experiences, making undergraduate research a hallmark of the IUB student experience while simultaneously expanding awareness of the value of research and creative activity.
    • International learning opportunities. Mobilize IUB’s university partnerships and international alumni network to increase the accessibility of international education for IUB students, including study abroad, international internships, international service-learning programs, and high-impact virtual classroom programs.
  • Evidence-based pedagogy. Enhance evidence-based pedagogy and cutting-edge teaching practices to improve student outcomes in academic courses.
  • Academic support and advising. Ensure that all student populations have equal access to academic advising and academic support resources.
  • Degree pathways. Implement degree pathways and track key progression milestones to enable prompt student interventions that ensure students efficiently progress to timely degree completion.
  • Career preparation. Ensure that all academic units offer individualized career development services and opportunities in each year of a student’s undergraduate experience, tailored to student needs and career aspirations.

Primary

  • Increase four-year undergraduate graduation rates to the top 25% (75th percentile) of AAU public universities from our current standing at the 63rd percentile (as of Cohort 2015).
  • Increase six-year undergraduate graduation rates to the top 25% (75th percentile) of AAU public universities from our current standing at the 34th percentile (as of Cohort 2015).
  • Increase retention rates for first-year, full-time undergraduate students to the top 25% of AAU public universities (75th percentile) of AAU public universities from our current standing at the 34th percentile (as of Cohort 2020).
  • Maintain or increase annually undergraduate career outcome rates from 95% as of academic year 2020-2021.

Secondary

  • Redesign and deploy a signature first-year experience for all first-year and transfer students.
  • Increase annually the percentage of undergraduate students who complete at least one experiential learning opportunity each year as part of their 120-hour curriculum.
  • Increase undergraduate second- to third-year persistence rate by 5%.
  • Increase annually the percentage of students who meet with an academic advisor at least once a semester.
  • Increase annually the number of courses that utilize evidence-based pedagogy and cutting-edge teaching practices.
  • Reduce freshman and sophomore DFW rate (students who withdraw from or receive a D or F in a course) in high-enrolling (50+ students) 100-200-level courses.
  • Increase the percentage of students using career services each year. 
Goal 2 | Graduate Student Academic Experience and Career Preparation

IUB will ensure graduate and professional students are prepared for myriad career opportunities through excellent and innovative degree programs.

Graduate and professional students at IUB will benefit from excellence and innovation in academic training, and receive comprehensive professional and career development support. IUB’s cutting-edge degree programs will prepare students to become innovative researchers and thinkers who have the skills to succeed in whatever career path they pursue.

  • Leader in curricular innovation. Improve graduate and professional student success outcomes by designing flexible curricula that position them for academic and non-academic careers.
  • Mentorship. Enhance training and resources for faculty to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to optimally mentor their graduate students.
  • Career-based support. All graduate students will have access to professional development and career services that allow them to successfully prepare for the career of their choice, whether academic or professional.
  • Relevant assistantships. Maximize campus resources by focusing on philanthropic and external grant funding to support graduate student assistantships related to their research, creative activity, and professional goals.
  • Graduate experience. Foster a distinctive, welcoming, and supportive community of graduate scholars that prioritizes their well-being and enables them to excel.
  • Workforce opportunities. Increase capacity to rapidly establish graduate degrees, certificates, and stackable microcredential programs to respond to current and emerging workforce opportunities.
  • Online offerings. Grow high-quality online, hybrid, and low-residency programs that leverage the existing strengths of the campus and are in high-demand areas, both nationally and internationally.
  • Accelerated pathways. Increase accelerated master’s pathway offerings that creatively combine IUB bachelor’s degrees with graduate credentials to create distinctive combinations of training for careers of the future.
  • Cutting-edge, interdisciplinary master’s programs. Strategically develop interdisciplinary master’s programs that synergize unique combinations of disciplines required for emerging careers.

Primary

  • Reduce median time-to-degree for doctoral students entering under the IUB 2030 plan.
  • Maintain or improve completion rates in doctoral-level, master’s, and professional degree programs.
  • Increase enrollment in graduate online, hybrid, or low-residency programs.

Secondary

  • Increase annually the percentage of doctoral advisors and/or graduate committee chairs accessing mentorship training and resources.
  • Increase the percentage of graduate students accessing career services each year.
  • Improve or maintain measures related to overall satisfaction, advising, and program climate, using Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (GradSERU) and other survey tools.
  • Increase the number of doctoral students fully funded through extramural research grants or philanthropy.
  • Increase annually the number of new degrees, certificates, or microcredentials created in response to emerging workforce needs.
  • Increase master’s student enrollment by at least 50%.
  • Increase enrollment in graduate certificates or microcredentials.
  • Increase the number of IU undergraduates pursuing an accelerated master’s pathway.
  • Increase enrollment in interdisciplinary graduate degrees.
Goal 3 | Access, Wellness, and Student Support

IUB will foster a student community that stimulates a strong sense of engagement and well-being among all students.

At IUB, each student’s success is at the center of our work. Our campus will be a space where every student matters and belongs. Students will experience a supportive and empowering environment where what they do outside the classroom prepares them for success inside the classroom and in life after graduation. Resources and support will be easily accessible for all students throughout their time at IUB.

  • Early alert for academic success. Develop, implement, and continually assess an early alert system to identify and support students before they are in crisis or at risk of academic probation.
  • Support framework. Create and implement a comprehensive student support framework that includes components in academic, health, well-being, and student life issues.
  • Policy revision. Review, update, and continually assess student policies and processes (including but not limited to academic integrity, academic probation, behavioral conduct, withdrawal, admission, and financial aid) to ensure these are updated, consistently applied, and do not pose barriers to success for any student.
  • Access and opportunity. Create and implement a new model for student support services—including student organization support and campus cultural centers—to balance the need to create a deeper sense of shared community while also providing supportive spaces for individual needs.
  • Mentoring. Create, implement, and evolve peer mentoring programs for students at IUB.
  • Engagement. Increase and continually assess the quality of student engagement in campus life and cocurricular learning by leveraging IU’s strong arts, culture, student activity, recreation, and athletic assets.

Primary

  • Reduce gaps in all key student success metrics (four- and six-year graduation rates, retention, percentage of students on academic probation).
  • Through fundraising, increase the number of endowed scholarships for undergraduate students.

Secondary

  • Improve sense-of-belonging measures and climate assessment measures, using National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) or other climate survey tools.
  • Increase student participation in campus life and cocurricular activities.
  • Increase participation in and satisfaction with peer mentoring programs.
  • Improve holistic wellness and wraparound services using point-of-service, satisfaction, and assessment tools.
  • Expansion/Increase of degree pathways including intentional and meaningful opportunities to engage with faculty and staff.

Explore the other pillars of our strategic plan