The student population is composed of mostly women, with a 69 percent enrollment. Eighteen percent of the students are Black; 18 percent Hispanic; 3 percent American Indian; and 55 percent are White.

In order to build a strong foundation for the program, uphold high student retention and graduation rates, Ivy Bridge College matches every student with a success coach. The college has partnered with InsideTrack, a San Francisco-based company that has provided personalized student coaching services since 2001.

“A lot of these students would be 18 or 19 years old, so knowing that many of these students were right out of high school, we felt giving them as much personal attention and support system as possible would be useful,” Marion says.

That personal attention and support is something that is not consistent at many of the students’ homes, says Dr. Cam Cruickshank, vice president for enrollment management at Tiffin University.

“Students on the Tiffin campus receive more parental support and strong emotional support, but the students in at Ivy Bridge get less of that support, so that is where the success coaches come in.”

Colin Harvey, a success coach at InsideTrack, initially saw results from his work with the students at the beginning of the first semester.

“Some of their initial goals are happening,” says Harvey, who speaks with his students weekly. “They are building the strong foundation of balancing work, school and family while still having a social life.”

But throughout the first semester, it was noted that change had to be made.

“We got feedback from students and their success coaches that it was hard to multitask (school, work and home obligations),” says Cruickshank. “There were lots of lessons learned; we are getting better; and [we are] able to help these students.”

So Ivy Bridge has modified the structure of the semester, from a 14-week term, where students took between four and five classes at a time, to two seven-week terms. Now students can take fewer classes in a shorter amount of time.
Students are now able to complete their assignments and coursework more efficiently at their own pace, while simultaneously managing responsibilities outside of school.