< previous page | next page >
Introduction | The show hits the road
Sticking around | It's all about options
Winning the West

Sticking around

“We’ve been out there recruiting for the past seven years. People know who we are now,” Casas said. “UTA’s academic programs are excellent. If you have great programs, it’s not that hard to recruit students.”

Giving them a first-class place to live once they enroll also helps.

In fall 2000, the University built its first residence hall in 35 years. The 597-bed Arlington Hall, which opened at full occupancy, has been credited with repositioning UTA as a more residential campus. Two on-campus apartment complexes, each with 180 beds, quickly followed. A third 180-bed complex will open this fall, and another residence hall accommodating 430 students is slated for August 2004.

“Arlington Hall is a big-time recruiting tool. I call it the Taj Mahal of dorms,” said Casas. It has generated inquiries from as far away as California and Hawaii. “I can’t tell you how many parents request Arlington Hall for their kids. It’s amazing.”

Zalesky was lucky enough to land a spot in Arlington Hall, which typically has a waiting list of at least 350. The hotel-like amenities are nice, she says, but the heart-of-campus location and camaraderie among residents are the biggest reasons she decided to live there again this fall.

With a record 3,400 campus residents, participation in student-centered events and activities has swelled. So has membership in student organizations, which is up 34 percent since 2000.

When you couple beefed-up retention efforts with an increasingly vibrant and residential campus, the result is more students sticking around. In the past two years, returning students have increased 11 percent.

“Not only are we doing things to attract more students, but we’re increasing efforts to help them succeed once they’re here,” Dunn said. “This also fuels growth because it keeps students from leaving.”

Zalesky participated in one such initiative, the Maverick Scholars program, which the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognized last year for contributing to its “Closing the Gap by 2015” campaign. Maverick Scholars helps freshmen and transfers succeed academically by organizing them in groups of 15-25 students with similar degree interests. Together, these learning communities study and take classes, including a one-hour college adjustment course taught by campus leaders.

“It definitely made my first year much easier,” said Zalesky, who plans to teach the adjustment course this fall. “I had lots of classes with people I knew, and I could call them for help. Having that to fall back on was really great.”

Maverick Scholars is one of several retention ventures administered by the Office of Student Success Programs. Others include the Gateway Advantage, a skill-building program for provisionally admitted students, and Welcome Days, two weeks of academic and social activities that immerse students in the UTA experience.

“We connect students with programs and services on campus that promote academic success,” said the office’s director, Dawn Remmers. “Any student can contact us for referrals to campus resources.”