*Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President * April 14, 2011 /To:/// University of Vermont Faculty, Staff and Students /From:/// Jane E. Knodell, Provost /Subject:///***Student Success and Satisfaction Open Forum Tuesday, May 10, 2:30 -- 4:00pm, Davis Center - Livak Ballroom* For the last several years, and especially over the past year, a number of working groups have explored initiatives that would enhance Student Success and Satisfaction.Additionally, this year we completed an in-depth retention study to better understand the reasons our students choose to stay or leave. Before we take action on the results this work, I would like to hear your thoughts on the approach we should take to enhance the quality of the undergraduate student experience. Of particular interest are ways in which we might integrate students' academic and co-curricular experiences. *Please join me for a Student Success and Satisfaction Open Forum on Tuesday, May 10, 2:30 -- 4:00pm, in the Davis Center, Livak Ballroom (room 417-419).* Information on the individual elements of the collective Student Success and Satisfaction Initiative can be found here: http://www.uvm.edu/provost/studentsuccess/. This site includes reports from the First-Year Experience Advisory Board, the General Education Committee, the Residentially Based Learning Task Force, the Retention Study and the Student Employment Task Force. I encourage you to review this information prior to the forum. I'm sure we all agree that our students deserve the best possible experience we can provide, and that our improvement efforts should be continuous. Our retention rate is very strong and our graduation rate has been increasing, so it is clear we are doing many things well.I am grateful to each of you for the role you play in our success on these fronts.But as the research indicates, we can do better.This will be possible if we invest wisely in strategic actions. Please come to the forum and share your thoughts on the reports at the above website, things we may be missing, and how we can best prioritize our resources. I look forward to a vibrant discussion. **