SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane (fourth from the right) and other university officials recently met with Timothy M. Renick (to Lane’s left), the founding executive director of the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University, to discuss SIU’s progress in student retention. (Photo provided)
September 10, 2026
SIU strengthens student success collaboration with Georgia State
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale leaders met Sept. 1 with Timothy M. Renick, founding executive director of the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, to discuss SIU’s progress in student retention.
The meeting continued a relationship that began with an SIU leadership visit in June 2023. Since then, SIU has developed a retention model with targeted interventions and infrastructure to improve retention.
“Our 2023 visit encouraged us to examine how university practices and support systems affect student success,” SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane said. “We have adapted those lessons to the needs of SIU students, and we are seeing significant progress.”
A key principle emphasized by NISS is that institutions can achieve greater gains by focusing on areas where students face the greatest challenges rather than concentrating additional attention on areas already performing well.
SIU’s newest first-time, full-time cohort posted a 73.9% fall-to-fall retention rate, up 7.1 percentage points from last year’s data. Several of the largest gains occurred among populations that previously had lower retention rates:
- Cook County students: 42.7% to 62.4%, up 19.7 percentage points.
- Hispanic students: 60.9% to 79.4%, up 18.5 points.
- Black students: 43.8% to 56.7%, up 12.9 points.
- Students entering with a high school GPA below 2.75: 36% to 46.9%, up 10.9 points.
- Students from outside Southern Illinois: 64.5% to 72%, up 7.5 points.
- Southern Illinois students: 75.8% to 80%, up 4.2 points.
SIU’s retention gains are driven by a series of data-informed interventions, many of them reflecting practices advocated by NISS, including:
Conditional admission and the Saluki Success Initiative: Students entering with a high school GPA below 2.75 receive targeted support through the Saluki Success Initiative. Dedicated case managers work closely with these students to help them navigate challenges, connect with campus resources and remain on a path toward academic success.
Early alerts and coordinated outreach: Early alerts help SIU quickly identify students experiencing academic or nonacademic challenges and route them to appropriate wraparound services before those challenges become barriers to persistence. This helps the university connect students quickly with support for mental health and wellness, food insecurity, professional clothing needs and other concerns that may affect their ability to remain enrolled and succeed.
Progress reports and academic support: Instructors provide academic progress reports at weeks four, eight and 12, giving students a clearer understanding of their standing and allowing faculty and staff to check in before small concerns become larger issues. Students can be connected with the Tutoring Center, Writing Center, academic advising and other learning-support resources while there is still time to improve their performance.
First-Year Writing improvements: SIU revamped early English courses through updates to curriculum, instructor development, textbook costs, flexible course options and connections to student support. These changes help reduce barriers and support successful completion of foundational writing courses.
“Our progress reflects people across SIU working together to address academic and nonacademic barriers and give every student a clearer path toward completing an SIU degree.” Lane said. “I want to thank faculty and staff across our entire campus community for their commitment to improving retention, and we look forward to continued opportunities to partner with NISS and further improve our retention efforts and results.”