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Student Persistence and Retention Initiatives
Milneburg Hall 124/126
2000 Lakeshore Drive
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA 70148

Phone: 280-7198/6780
Fax: (504) 280-7197
Email: spri@uno.edu

Web Administrator

Let us introduce ourselves. We are the Task Force for Student Persistence and Retention Initiatives, SPRI for short. It’s a somewhat cumbersome title, so what exactly does it mean and what do we do?

SPRI was formed by former Provost Rick Barton in the fall of 2007.  “…to study current trends in student persistence at UNO, to investigate reasons for student attrition, and to recommend ways and strategies for increasing persistence and raising graduation rates.”  The formation of such a task force was called for in a previous UNO Retention Plan, and SPRI’s mandate to make recommendations for improving student persistence and six-year graduation rates figures prominently in the University of New Orleans Strategic Plan 2007-2010.

But over and above our formal connection to university planning documents, the main purpose of the SPRI Task Force is to assist the university in providing the means by which UNO students can make a success of their academic careers with us and their future lives.  If our students are challenged by the opportunities we present to them, if they are supported in their efforts, and if they are stimulated and engaged by their experiences on campus, they will persist, they will succeed, and they will graduate in increasing numbers. The thirty-two members of the task force, who include representatives from among faculty, administrators, deans, staff, and students, are working to make sure that every aspect of campus life that affects the ability of our students to be successful is aligned to that purpose. 

At this writing SPRI is in the final stages of producing a new UNO Plan for Student Success 2009-2010.  The plan concentrates on four focus areas: early alert, to devise ways to identify students at risk and intervene in a timely fashion; student-faculty interaction to foster greater awareness on the part of faculty of their vital role in student success and to promote more active learning on the part of students; academic and career advisement to formulate a more developmental approach to advising and a more integrated delivery system; and student engagement to increase opportunities for students to be involved in campus life and to recommend improvements to the physical environment of the university.

It remains to be seen how the success of our students will be affected by this plan and by the combined efforts of the university community to support them. We will continue to monitor our progress, to review and amend, if necessary, the objectives and plans we put forth, and to measure the results in student satisfaction and completion.

If you are reading this and have some ideas or perspective that you would like to share with us, please drop by our offices in Milneburg Hall, rooms 124 and 126, give us a call at 280-7198 or 280-6780, or send us an e-mail at spri@uno.edu to let us know what’s on your mind.  

Creating a dynamic and supportive learning environment for our students is everyone’s job. =