What if a relatively small financial intervention could keep a student enrolled and on track to graduate? In this episode, we explore the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s innovative retention grants program, which helps students clear financial holds and register for the next term before a temporary setback becomes a reason to stop out. With more than 3,500 students supported and an average persistence/graduation rate of 82%, this is a powerful story of how targeted financial support can turn a financial hold into a pathway forward.

What if the students who aren’t making it back to campus are the ones we should be studying most closely? In this episode, we explore how Idaho State University used a “survivorship bias” lens, institutional data, and a strategic restructuring of academic advising to better support students during their critical first semester. Discover how earlier connections, intentional advising, and data-informed interventions helped ISU increase first-semester academic success and boost first-time student retention.

What if data could help you see every student who needs help, and help you act sooner? In this episode, I sat down with Kimberly Williams and Dr. Sarah Wray Marshall to explore the University of South Florida’s innovative academic advocacy model and SMART data platforms, showing how proactive, holistic support and real-time analytics can move student success from reactive to intentional. Tune in to hear how USF transformed data into action, empowered advocates and advisors, and helped drive meaningful gains in retention and graduation.