WASHINGTON

Jackson State University discovered through a student survey that students were not feeling engaged at the institution, and despite problematic academic probation and retention rates, were not taking advantage of the support services available. To address these issues, the university realigned departments central to student success, reduced bureaucracy students encountered and trained faculty and staff about services so they can in turn inform students who come to them.

The result? A 46 percent increase in students using tutorial services and a 79 percent increase in students using advising and counseling services at the historically Black university in Mississippi. 

This is one of several improvements, based on data, taking place at minority-serving institutions across the country outlined in a new monograph and eight-part best practices series from the Institute of Higher Education Policy. The National Survey of Student Engagement and the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education set out five years ago to help minority-serving institutions (MSIs) improve their data-collection capacity and facilitate data-based campus initiatives through The Building Engagement and Attainment for Minority Students (BEAMS).

The 102 HBCUs, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and tribal colleges involved in BEAMS used data from the National Survey of Student Engagement and campus assessments to implement a plan for improving student engagement, learning, persistence and success developed by campus constituencies. They developed short-term assessments to benchmark their progress.

The result is “Increasing Student Success at Minority-Serving Institutions: Findings From the BEAMS Project,” a monograph released Thursday in Washington, D.C., as part of a five-city campaign to present and promote these best practices.

While one recommendation calls on MSIs to make a greater investment in staff and technology needed for institutional research, Jillian Kinzie, associate director of NSSE, says there’s plenty of assessments taking place.