The research study examines the pilot of Austin Community College's Rainy Day Savings Program, in which students earned up to $100 in cash incentives for completing certain tasks and meeting milestones that could impact future financial wellness.

The research study focused on three components:
(1) program participation;
(2) program outcomes, including financial well-being, emergency savings, fall-to-spring retention, fall-to-fall retention, and credential attainment, and;
(3) program impacts, using propensity score matching to compare the outcomes between those who received treatment and a statistically similar comparison group who did not.

ACC partnered with the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) at The University of Texas at Austin to study the effectiveness of the Rainy Day Savings program. This research study aimed to provide actionable information about the success of the intervention allowing for ACC and Trellis Foundation, who financially supported the program, to make decisions about program modifications and sustainability.

Our program's core features include 1) proactively identifying students who have basic needs insecurities or are at risk of these insecurities, 2) connecting students to resources both on campus and off campus to minimize the effects of these insecurities, 3) communicating with students, faculty, and staff about the services offered to the students, 4) training faculty and staff on how to recognize and offer assistance to students who might be experiencing basic needs insecurities, 5) making the local community aware of the needs of our students, 6) reducing stigma around basic needs insecurities, and 7) engaging in activities and events around campus to give students a sense of connectedness and belonging. Our goals are 1) to strengthen and expand resources available to the students through collaborative partnerships, 2) to support students' social emotional, and academic needs with a focus on underserved students, and 3) to increase awareness and utilization of resources available to meet the basic needs. The objectives include 1) increasing the annual low socioeconomic FTIC persistence rate to 60%, 2) Increase the average low socioeconomic FTIC successful course completion rate to 70%, and 3) to reach 25% of FTIC students.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 40

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Resources

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Shanna Rogers at srogers@mclennan.edu or 254-299-8516

The purpose of this planning grant is to begin the expansion of UHD's basic needs offerings for students to reduce the stress of managing personal and familial responsibilities in addition to their academics. Basic Needs services include, but are not limited to, access to food, technology, mental and physical health services, emergency housing, and emergency funding. Ultimately, the basic needs initiative is part of UHD's multi-prong student success effort to increase retention and graduation.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Success and Student Life

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Lynette Cook-Francis at lcookfrancis@uhd.edu or 7132215804

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic assistance program that utilizes peer-assisted study sessions. SI sessions are regularly-scheduled, informal review sessions in which students compare notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools, and predict test items. Students learn how to integrate course content and study skills while working together. The sessions are facilitated by “SI leaders”, students who have previously done well in the course and who attend all class lectures, take notes, and act as model students. The purpose of SI is to:

-To increase retention within targeted historically difficult courses
-To improve student grades in targeted historically difficult courses
-To increase the graduation rates of students

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Center for Academic Success and Engagement

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: De'Janae Tookes at dejanae_tookes@baylor.edu or (254) 710-8709

In order to ensure all students are prepared for success at SHSU, beginning in Fall '23 all incoming first-time freshmen will be required to arrive a full week early to participate in a set of programming designed to accomplish three goals: Provide comprehensive, thorough academic preparation; build a sense of community; ensure each first-year student has a secure sense of mental health and well-being.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Affairs

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Brandon Cooper at mbc004@shsu.edu or 936-294-3465

Best Achievement Strategies for College (BASC) is a system-wide, university orientation course created to encourage traditional and non-traditional students to persist to degree completion. The class focuses on three elements: the development of a growth mindset, the early identification of a major and career, and the hands-on involvement in service learning. BASC is offered face-to-face on the residential campus, each external campus and online, each with a slightly different student population. The course is designed to assist and empower first-year learners with strategies and information to support the successful launch of their college career. Faculty from each academic school on the Plainview campus offer discipline-specific sections of the course, allowing students to make connections with faculty in their primary area of study while receiving information and success strategies specific to that major and profession. Throughout the semester, students learn about growth mindset, and receive information about student services, the writing center, the library, tutoring, and health and wellness, as well as strategies such as time and financial management, study skills, note taking, and learning styles. Students explore their interests, skills, and career goals upon choosing a major and are assisted one-on-one with registering for classes for their second semester. Members of the BASC course also participate in a service-learning project that ties discipline-specific activities to community service. The Best Academic Strategies for College (BASC) course is designed to make the transition to college a little less stressful by making information, strategies, and services readily available.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Success

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dr. Rosemary Peggram at peggramr@wbu.edu or 8062913414

The calendar in Blackboard Learn Ultra view global calendar allows you to see all of your upcoming due dates and meetings across all courses. You can see and create events for one course or all courses, as well as mark your office hours and course-specific meetings. Use the settings feature to add notifications for certain events. 

Blinn Navigators is a collaborative effort between student services and academic affairs to identify and connect trained staff and faculty with (1) students who have aged out of the foster care system and (2) students on academic probation with a GPA between 1.5 and 2.0 who are at risk of losing their financial aid. Training includes presentations on communication, available support services, financial aid issues, student success and career guidance resources, and similar topics. Once trained, faculty and staff are assigned 3-4 students each semester to assist and direct to needed services.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 80

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Academic Success

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Joyce Langenegger at joyce.langenegger@blinn.edu or 979-209-8991

Experiential learning is a key component of the St. Edward's University undergraduate education. This type of learning engages students outside of the classroom to broaden and deepen their awareness of societal problems and participate in community-based activities that address these issues. There are two types of experiential learning: Introductory Experiential Learning, which exposes students to foundational experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom and Advanced Experiential Learning (AEL) which provides more robust and meaningful experiential learning opportunities with additional engagement required of the student in both time and effort.

As articulated in Strategic Plan 2027, 100% of undergraduate students will complete at least one AEL opportunity before graduation. To support this goal over five years, constructing definitions of experiential learning areas and establishing clear criteria for advanced experiential learning across the university is key to overall success. As a result, St. Edward's has developed five definitions for AEL: Internships and Field Experience, Research and Creative Works with Faculty, Immersive Domestic and International Travel Experiences, Service-Learning, Volunteering, and Student Employment/Leadership on and off campus.

To achieve rigor through time and effort, an AEL opportunity must meet all of the following criteria, 1) Quantitative - 60 clock hours within a semester 2) Intentional - The experience should be purposeful, planned in advance with explicit goals and intended outcomes, 3) Beneficial - Support students' interests, career readiness, and aspirations, and 4) Supervised - The experience should be supervised, including ongoing faculty, staff, supervisor and/or community involvement in all phases.

The Blue & Gold Scholar program recognizes St. Edward's University undergraduate student participation in advanced experiential learning opportunities. There are three types of scholars, 1) Blue Scholars complete one AEL opportunity, 2) Gold Scholars complete two advanced experiential learning opportunities, and 3) Blue and Gold Scholars complete 3 or more AEL opportunities.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Success Center

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Nicole Trevino at nicoleg@stedwards.edu or 512-428-1037

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence regardless of the course delivery format. The Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology supports and fulfills the university's mission by providing professional development such as the Blueprinting Process that integrates the best pedagogical practices in quality online education. Blueprinting Process is based on Quality Matters. It is designed to prepare faculty to design, develop and deliver high-quality and accessible online courses and programs that provide students with a good quality learning experience.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 100

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Francisco Garcia at francisco.garcia@utrgv.edu or 956-882-6667

The BCWC is a place where all readers, writers, and speakers are encouraged to develop efficacy with rhetorical literacies. Our mission is to provide a space where every student can become a more confident reader, writer, and speaker, and we realize this mission through our workshops, events, and one-on-one consultations as well as our ongoing partnerships with faculty and staff. This mission is informed by our core values: collaboration and equity.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Services

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: April Sikorski, PhD at april.sikorski@brazosport.edu or 9792303174

ABSTRACT: Developmental summer bridge programs are a popular strategy for increasing college readiness among recent high school graduates. Aimed at providing an alternative to traditional developmental education, these programs provide accelerated and focused learning opportunities in order to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed for college success.

The current study uses an experimental design to evaluate the outcomes of eight developmental summer bridge programs offered in Texas during the summer of 2009. At each college, students who consented to participate in the study were randomly assigned to either a program group that was eligible to participate in a developmental summer bridge program or a control group that was eligible to use any other services that the college provided. Based on a program model developed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the developmental summer bridge programs in this study included four common features: accelerated instruction in developmental math, reading, and/or writing; academic support; a “college knowledge” component; and the opportunity to earn a $400 stipend.

After two years of follow-up, these are the main findings of this study:

- The programs had no effect on the average number of credits attempted or earned. Program group and control group students attempted the same number of credits (30.3). Students in the program group earned an average of 19.4 credits, and students in the control group earned an average of 19.9 credits; the difference in their outcomes is not statistically significant.

- The programs had an impact on first college-level course completion in math and writing that was evident in the year and a half following the program but no impact on first college-level course completion in reading during this same period. On average, students in the program group passed their first college-level math and writing courses at higher rates than students in the control group during this period. By the end of the two-year follow-up period, however, the differences between the two groups are no longer statistically significant.

- There is no evidence that the programs impacted persistence. During the two-year follow-up period, students in the program group enrolled in an average of 3.3 semesters, and students in the control group enrolled in an average of 3.4 semesters, a difference that is not statistically significant.

Bring Bobcats Back is a formal outreach to undergraduate stop-outs at Texas State University who have not completed their bachelor's degree. The program started in 2018 by targeting 350 seniors close to graduation but not enrolled in the past year. Due to early success, the university expanded the program in June 2020. The goal was to contact all undergraduate students who stopped out between 1990 and 2018. The list was checked through the National Student Clearinghouse database for degree completion at other institutions. The university developed an external partnership with ReUp Education to scale the operation. We did outreach to over 25,000 students who had attended in the past 28 years. Since 2020, we have enrolled 438 students, currently engaging 2,252 about returning, and 119 have graduated. We have 37 that have applied for May 2022 graduation. We have 256 students enrolled this spring. The persistence rate from fall to spring was 83%. The university applied for and received a three million reskilling grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to help remove financial barriers. This grant has allowed us to expand the reach to stop-outs, displaced workers, or those who want to reskill. Each semester, after census day, we add any new names for outreach. The feedback data from stop-outs is helping us to be more proactive with retention practices. The six-year graduation rate jumped by 2.8% since 2019. (2013 cohort 54%, 2014 Cohort 55%, and 2015 cohort 56.8%). We expect hundreds more students will enroll and graduate in the coming years from the Bring Bobcats Back initiative.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 240 students enrolled in fall (119 graduated) and 256 students enrolled in spring.

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

WEBSITE TO APPLY: https://www.finaid.txstate.edu/more-info/general/texas-reskilling-grant-2021.html

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally and externally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Enrollment Management

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Gary T. Ray at gtr21@txstate.edu or 512 245-1977

Building Bridges to Success (BBS) is part of the nationwide TRIO Student Support Services program funded by the Department of
Education. The BBS program at Galveston College is designed to provide academic and student support services for approximately
206 first-generation, low-income students, and students with disabilities. The goals of BBS are to increase student retention in classes,
completion of certificates and degrees, graduation from college, and transfer to universities. Services include:
-academic advising and degree planning,
-course selection and registration
-academic tutoring
-personal and career guidance
-financial aid and scholarship information
-economic and financial literacy education and resources
-transfer assistance.
Interested students must complete an application to determine eligibility and an orientation to be considered an active participant for the program.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 206

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

WEBSITE TO APPLY: https://www.gc.edu/students/trio-programs/building-bridges.php

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally and externally collected in the past

PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES DATA: In the 2019-2020 academic year, the persistence rate of students serviced by the program was 89%. Additionally, 97% of students in the program were considered in good academic standing at the college.

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Services

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Amy Leuchtag at aleuchtag@gc.edu or 4099441297

To meet the ongoing needs of our students, Kilgore College has professional counselors available for currently enrolled students seeking brief, solution-focused counseling as well as assistance with referrals to outside agencies/offices if longer-term counseling and/or services are needed. The Counseling staff proactively seeks training to continue building their professional capacity in order to provide relevant and best practice workshops and training for students and staff regarding mental health as well as establishing a suicide prevention program on campus. The provision of mental health counseling services is crucial for many students to be able to remain in college and successfully complete their education.”

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally collected in the past

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Dept. of Counseling and Accommodations

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Melissa Dobbs at mdobbs@kilgore.edu or 903-983-8203

Navarro College's Bulldog Life student success services include opportunities for the student to grow personally while pursuing their educational goals. Opportunities include workshops to learn more about their personal gifts and skills, travel opportunities, and our culture of caring through efforts to support the student mentally, spiritually and physically. We provide a food pantry, called Bulldog Market, on each of the 4 campuses. Every student has access to the Bulldog Market to help with food, hygiene items and school supplies among other items. The Culture of Caring Coordinator is a licensed social worker and provides referrals to resources on campus and in the community. We also provide emergency financial assistance as needed. Leadership opportunities include frequent community service events (Operation Bulldogs Serve), workshops as well as college and career visits. Multicultural programming is also a part of Bulldog Life including celebrations and exhibitions of different cultures on campus and visits to multicultural museums. This program is available to all students of Navaro College through intentional initiatives that support student success outcomes.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 900

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Bulldog Life

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Debbie Richardson at deborah.richardson@navarrocollege.edu or 903-875-7738

The CARE Program was designed to assist with academic difficulties by enhancing the learning experience of its students. CARE creates an academic support network focused on the individual needs of each student and provides strategic resources for students to make well-educated choices for the remainder of their educational career. The process involves identifying students who will be on probation, or who are currently on probation, with whom we can help get back on track via self-assessments, Success Agreements, meetings with the Retention Coordinator, and various prescribed agreements, such as professional tutoring, mentoring, and academic coaching.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 0

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Retention

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Holley Collier at holley.collier@tvcc.edu or 9036756259

The Connect Mentorship Program (known by students as Connect) is a year-long mentorship program aimed at retaining students of color at SMU. The program has two parts: the Connect Institute and Peer Mentorship. Connect helps incoming students of color become effective, successful, and engaged members of SMU through peer mentoring. Mentors help incoming students develop personally and academically by introducing them to various resources, learning opportunities, and co-curricular experiences offered on campus.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of Social Change & Intercultural Engagement

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dr. Jennifer Jones at scie@smu.edu or 214-768-4580

C.O.R.E. is required for FITC students or students that have been out of college 5+ years. Face to face attendance through one of the 10 offered dates is recommended, but an online option is available.

C.O.R.E. is an all day event that walks students through non-cognitive and career assessments, plan courses for first semester, make advising appointment, learn more about their pathway of choice, assign a faculty mentor, and take them to various resources on campus with speakers at each location, via a campus tour.

There are 10 dates for face to face, with two of those being on our Wise County campus.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 919

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

WEBSITE TO APPLY: https://www.simpletix.com/e/c-o-r-e-coyote-orientation-and-registratio-tickets-100856

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Pathways

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dawn Kahlden at dkahlden@wc.edu or 817-598-6350

The CVS Scholarship Program will open doors to supporting partnership opportunities that will lead to professional development and career pathway relationships for Texas College students with CVS. The components of the initiative propose to have varied opportunities of participation that provide mutual benefits for both CVS and Texas College in the immediate and long-term future. The general thrust of the initiative will address select needs and complimentary services with support of students, community residents, faculty-staff, and CVS associates in the Tyler Texas /East Texas region. For CVS and Texas College, the ultimate interests of the project is to establish ways to recruit-retain-retrain suitable individuals, from program entry at Texas College, and further to career pathway employment opportunities with CVS Corporation.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Small-scale (reaches fewer than 10 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Academic Affairs

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Jan Duncan at jduncan@texascollege.edu or 9035938311